Comparison

Ham Satting vs CoronaSDR

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ham Satting

Track amateur radio satellites in real-time, predict passes, and log QSOs. Features include live APRS mapping, AR tracking, and multi-satellite comparison. Offers a unique music broadcast service and SSTV decoding.

Highlights
  • Real-time satellite tracking
  • Pass predictions with quality indicators
  • Interactive footprint mapping
  • AR Tracking with device sensors
  • Multi-satellite tracking
  • SSTV Decoder
  • APRS Live Map Layer
Read full description

Track amateur radio satellites in real time, predict passes, log QSOs, hunt grid squares — with a live APRS map layer and the new Music Broadcast service. Built by a fellow ham (A41UX) — free of analytics, ads, and tracking. CORE FEATURES • Real-time tracking for FM/SSB linear birds (e.g. ISS, SO-50, etc.), digipeaters (e.g. GRBBeta, Foresail-1p, etc), SSTV + SSDV image birds (e.g. Lobachevsky, GEOSCAN 1-6 , etc.), Weather LRPT (Meteor-M N2-3 / N2-4), and Music Broadcast (e.g. BALKAN-1, Flamingo-1, etc) • Pass predictions with quality indicators (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor), AOS / LOS, max elevation, duration, azimuth • Interactive footprint mapping with live position + great-circle bearing lines • Compass dialog with theme-aware export image and watermark • AR Tracking (iPhone / iPad) using device compass + accelerometer • Multi-satellite tracking and side-by-side pass comparison • Five-mode AR audio recording (iPhone / iPad): SSTV, SSDV, Digital, Weather, Music — Doppler-corrected RX labelling; consistent WAV naming NEW IN APRIL 2026 • Music Broadcast: 4 satellites transmit short music tones as an RF identifier instead of CW Morse — T.MicroSat-1 plays Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on 401.025 MHz; BALKAN-1, Flamingo-1, OTP-2 use classical / video-game themes. RX-only on UHF 400-402 MHz; brown toggle on AR page records the pass. • Scheduled Service Events: register a temporary frequency override for SSTV, SSDV, Digital, or Weather (Meteor-M rotation, ARISS channel shifts, etc.) • APRS digipeater added on SONATE-2 (DP0SNX) and NO-44 (PCSAT, W3ADO-1) on 145.825 MHz simplex • IO-86 SSDV downlink added on 145.880 MHz • AMSAT Live Activity Indicator: every prediction card carries a 24-hour activity dot in AMSAT cell colors, sourced from the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status page. Tap for a 48-hour popup with individual reports per cell (callsign + grid + UTC slot), attribution, and a compact share-image. • 10 new satellites with permanent NORADs: TO-108, GRBBeta, Foresail-1p, Horizon, 239Alferov, Luca, BALKAN-1, Flamingo-1, OTP-2, T.MicroSat-1 • APRS Live Map Layer: read-only APRS-IS feed, age-fading trails, 40+ symbol mappings, SSID filters, heard-by via aprs.fi • SSTV Decoder: multi-mode (Robot 36, PD 120 / 180, Martin, Scottie, Wraase, AVT, etc.) • Q1 2026 batch: 8 new satellites added (HADES-SA, PARUS-T3, HYPERVIEW-1G, MAGNARO-II Piscis, ARICA-2, FSI-SAT2, ZERO-II, OrigamiSat-2) • UI: long sat names auto-fit at any Font Scale; filter pills always one row; (i) info icons; 125 in-app tips LOGGING + AWARDS + EXPORT • Full QSO logbook: callsign, grid, mode, freq (TX / RX), satellite, RST, distance, bearing • Grid Hunters VUCC tracking with worked-grids map + great-circle paths from QTH • Per-QSO QSL card export — themed PNG ready to share or print • Export to ADIF (LoTW / TQSL), JSON, or CSV • Maidenhead 4 / 6 / 8-character grids • DXCC + VUCC dashboards, distance + bearing stats, worked-by-band charts • Calendar integration; smart pass notifications with min-elevation filter TECHNICAL • Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (Apple Silicon + Intel). AR Tracking and live audio recording are iPhone / iPad features; pass prediction, logging, exports, mapping, and the AMSAT indicator run on every Apple device. • N2YO API for orbital data (free key required for non-ISS satellites) • Cached satellite catalogue works offline • Privacy-first: data stays on device, no analytics SDKs, no advertising IDs, no tracking. APRS-IS, N2YO, AMSAT Live OSCAR Status, and the optional aprs.fi REST are the only network calls PERFECT FOR • Amateur radio operators pursuing satellite communications • AMSAT members and CubeSat / PocketQube enthusiasts • Contest participants and award hunters (DXCC, VUCC, satellite awards) • SDR listeners curious about Music Broadcast on 400-402 MHz 73 — A41UX (Unixeer, Oman)

About

CoronaSDR

Explore the radio spectrum and decode signals directly from your iPhone or iPad. This app connects to an RTL-SDR receiver, offering live tuning, audio, spectrum, and waterfall displays. It also features experimental CW and FT8 decoding capabilities.

Highlights
  • Live spectrum and waterfall displays
  • AM, FM, USB, LSB, CW reception
  • CW and FT8 decoding
  • Station saving and management
  • Receiver adjustment controls
  • Background listening
Features
Read full description

Explore the radio spectrum from your iPhone or iPad. CoronaSDR connects to an RTL-SDR receiver through a rtl_tcp server on your local network, bringing live tuning, audio, spectrum, and waterfall displays to your screen. LISTEN AND EXPLORE • Receive AM, narrow FM, wide FM stereo, USB, LSB and CW. • Find signals with the live spectrum and waterfall. • Tune by dragging across the spectrum and adjust receive bandwidth, squelch, and gain. • Scan saved stations or a frequency range. • Keep listening in the background with system playback controls. NEW: CW AND FT8 DECODING • Turn a selected CW signal into text, with listening-pitch and decoding-speed controls. • Receive FT8 messages with a message history, details, and text sharing. • Mute listening audio while decoding continues in the foreground. • Freeze displayed results to read them while reception continues. CW and FT8 decoding are receive-only and currently experimental. Decoding requires an active receiver connection and pauses when the app moves to the background. Some signals and messages may be missed. FT8 reception times are estimates. SAVE YOUR STATIONS • Organize favorites with tags. • Import and export station lists in CSV or TSV format. • Return to saved frequencies and listening modes. ADJUST YOUR RECEIVER • Set gain and frequency correction in PPM. • Control direct sampling, offset tuning and bias tee where supported by your receiver and server. • Adjust audio filters, audio gain control and noise blanking. • Use deep links to open listening actions. REQUIREMENTS • iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 or later. • An RTL-SDR receiver connected to a running rtl_tcp server on your local network. • A suitable antenna for the signals you want to receive. Receiver hardware, antenna, and server are required separately. Available frequencies and reception quality depend on your equipment and setup. CoronaSDR is free and open source.

Screenshots

Ham Satting4 screens
CoronaSDR3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CoronaSDR at 100% against Ham Satting's 0%. CoronaSDR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0). Ham Satting's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CoronaSDR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Ham Satting's written reviews are positive against 100% of CoronaSDR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ham Satting ships an update every 8 days, CoronaSDR every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ham Satting versus CoronaSDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHam SattingCoronaSDR
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings410 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYousif AL BalushiAlien Systems S.R.L.

Customer experience

Ham Satting

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

CoronaSDR

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ham Satting

No in-app purchases

None

CoronaSDR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ham Satting free?
Ham Satting is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CoronaSDR free?
CoronaSDR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ham Satting or CoronaSDR?
CoronaSDR is rated higher. Ham Satting averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while CoronaSDR averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Ham Satting or CoronaSDR have ads?
Neither Ham Satting nor CoronaSDR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ham Satting or CoronaSDR?
Ham Satting ships an update every 8 days, and CoronaSDR every 2 weeks. Most recently, Ham Satting was updated on November 9, 2026 and CoronaSDR on November 9, 2026.

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