Comparison

Ham Satting vs HamThings PTT

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

HamThings PTT

Connect your ham radio to your iPhone for internet-based communication on DMR digital networks and analog SvxLink reflectors. Supports multiple networks and offers real-time push-to-talk, DMR features, and last heard information. Requires a valid amateur radio license.

Highlights
  • Real-time push-to-talk over IP
  • DMR digital network support
  • SvxLink analog reflector connectivity
  • Multi-network compatibility
  • Real-time Last Heard display
  • DMR text messaging
  • Background wake-up for calls
Features
Read full description

HamThings PTT brings your ham radio to your iPhone. Connect over the Internet and talk on DMR digital networks and analog SvxLink reflectors, wherever you are. For licensed radio amateurs. Multi-network: HamThings, BrandMeister and other IP servers, plus SvxLink reflectors. Features: Real-time push-to-talk over IP DMR: dual slot (TS1/TS2), group and private calls SvxLink: analog reflectors, always free Real-time Last Heard DMR text messaging Local or remote audio (transcoder) — your choice Background wake-up so you never miss a call Clean, fast interface The SvxLink (analog) protocol is always free. DMR features require a subscription; a free trial starts automatically the first time you open the app, so you can try everything. HamThings PTT is an independent project, made by hams for hams. A valid amateur radio license is required to transmit. Subscription details: HamThings PTT is an annual auto-renewing subscription. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your Apple Account settings. Privacy policy: https://hamthings.it/privacy.html

Screenshots

Ham Satting4 screens
HamThings PTT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ham Satting at none against HamThings PTT's 1. Ham Satting also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). HamThings PTT's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs weekly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. HamThings PTT sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. Ham Satting asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.0 for Ham Satting against 3.0 for HamThings PTT. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ham Satting ships an update weekly, HamThings PTT every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ham Satting versus HamThings PTT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHam SattingHamThings PTT
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYousif AL BalushiGiacomo De Angelis

Customer experience

Ham Satting

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

HamThings PTT

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ham Satting

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

HamThings PTT

Subscriptions1
  • HamThings PTT (yearly)$8.991 Year

Questions

Is Ham Satting free?
Ham Satting is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HamThings PTT free?
HamThings PTT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ham Satting or HamThings PTT?
Ham Satting and HamThings PTT are both rated 3.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Ham Satting or HamThings PTT have ads?
Neither Ham Satting nor HamThings PTT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ham Satting or HamThings PTT?
Ham Satting ships an update weekly, and HamThings PTT every 4 days. Most recently, Ham Satting was updated on October 30, 2026 and HamThings PTT on October 31, 2026.

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