APRS//TERMINAL — RF-first map, not another internet balloon map
This isn’t another cute map with balloons and cars pulled only from the internet.
APRS//TERMINAL is what I wanted when I got tired of pretty maps and still could not answer basic RF questions: who did I hear direct, how many hops, and what is the full path — including boring IGates that never drop a position pin.
What it is
A zero-compromise, RF-first APRS dashboard aimed at operators who care about local 144.390 MHz behavior: propagation, path analysis, and every watt that hits the TNC.
Feel: monochrome cyan/magenta on black, terminal energy, permanent popups — a tactical overlay, not a tourism map.
What it actually does
| Capability | Detail |
|---|---|
| Input | Any KISS TNC — Dire Wolf, Mobilinkd, Yaesu FTM-400 data path, etc. — serial or TCP |
| Latency | Packet parse and UI push in the sub-100 ms class (Flask-SocketIO stack) |
| Map pins | Real GPS positions only — no fake home-QTH pins for IGates |
| Telemetry-only stations | Digis / IGates with T# / bit telemetry stay in the Active Stations table, not on the map |
| Hop awareness | DIRECT vs multi-hop coloring and full path string |
| Movement | Tracks; heatmap when the band is busy |
| UI | Hand-crafted CSS — no heavy front-end framework tax |
Who it is for
- Field Day and command-post style ops
- ARES / RACES nets
- Portable monitoring and weak-signal mobiles
- Anyone who wants to watch the local 2 m APRS ecosystem from RF, not only from APRS-IS
How it fits my station
| Piece | Role |
|---|---|
| QTH radio | Yaesu FTM-400 path into Linux (see Picocom APRS post for the serial dump path) |
| Live service | aprs.w5aww.net |
| Packet node (separate AX.25 stack) | Crawford TX packet node · ctxpn.w5aww.net |
| Station SSIDs | APRS stations |
Serial console dumps (picocom at 9600) and KISS feeds for the map are related but not identical. The map wants KISS; picocom is great for “is the data cable alive and decoding UI frames?”
Source
Work continues under the W5AWW APRS map / terminal project. Public entry point while the code layout settles:
- Live: https://aprs.w5aww.net
- Related docs: APRS intro · paths (draft) · stations
73
W5AWW
— the guy who got tired of pretty maps and built a war room instead.