Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the passcode take so long?

By virtue of the masters of APRS-IS, issuing a passcode has to be a manual process involving a check if you are a licensed Radio Amateur. As APRSdroid is a small spare-time project, we can not guarantee immediate processing, sorry.

However, you should be able to use the same passcode with all APRS-IS applications, and you should be able to obtain one from your local iGate operator as well.

Why am I the only station on the map?

Please check the following:

• Is the APRSdroid service running (APRSdroid icon in the status bar). Push "Start tracking" to enable.
• Is GPS activated?
• Are you using a TCP or Bluetooth connection? (The other connection types do not support displaying of other stations)
• Is your own position report up to date? (Menu -> Show Hub, your own entry's date/time)
• Are there any errors in the Log (Menu -> Show Log)

Why is APRSdroid eating my battery?

There are three possible causes for APRSdroid draining your battery very fast:

1. GPS (the most significant one) - to mitigate, you should switch from the default SmartBeaconing to "Periodic GPS/Network Position". Then the GPS will only be turned on every some minutes to obtain a position. You can disable GPS in the system preferences and enable Network Location to further reduce battery drain.

2. Display (depending on your usage) - keeping the display on drains the battery fast.

3. CPU usage (rather insignificant) - if you are using a TCP connection, ensure that you have configured a reasonable neighbor radius. If the radius is very high, you are going to receive packets at a high rate, causing the network and CPU to stay awake.

Why is the service stopping immediately?

The service automatically stops if it can not ensure a working TCP or Bluetooth connection. You can see the reason for stopping in the Log (Menu -> Show Log)

Why does APRSdroid not run on my low-cost chinese Tablet?

APRSdroid requires the Google Maps library to be present on your device. Usually this is the case on all "with Google[tm]" phones and tablets. If your device is not officially branded, you have to manually install Google Maps or use the OSM version of APRSdroid.