Smartphone Apps for Roving

I've used several apps for my iPhone that have been very handy during a rove. Here's a brief description and my usage notes:

Maidenhead Converter By Donald Hays

This app allows you to find your Maidenhead grid square identifier with up to 8 digit accuracy.

- 4 digits for general information exchanges

- 6 digits for UHF/microwave beam pointing

- 8 digits for finding the location again

It also allows you to convert back to latitude and longitude coordinates at a later date.




Just drive along with this display on your dash and you'll know when you're about to cross into the next grid at a glance. This app uses the internal GPS and no cellular/Internet connection is required.

Maidenhead by MacCon

This app is very handy for calculating bearing and distance between your rover and any other station by just entering their 6 digit Maidenhead identifier. It also provides a map view of your two locations. Your rover location is always updated automatically.

You can also set a mode whereby the bearing and distance between a fixed station (a big gun) and your rover is ALWAYS shown on the display. In this example, you never enter any new data as you roam around the countryside.

This app uses the internal GPS and no cellular/Internet connection is required.





Spyglass by Pavel Ahafonau

There are many uses for this very good compass app but, the one I use the most is to just calibrate my beam heading after stopping at an operating site. Yes, I need to study the quick start guide to see what else I can't do without!

Click here to return to Contents and Navigation