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Surfin': X Marks the Spot on APRS Maps

By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor
March 26, 2007

This week, Surfin’ visits a Web site that deals with an APRS application for Linux.

The XASTIR Web site is the epicenter for the Linux implementation of APRS.

After reading last weeks Surfin’, “The Latest Line on Linux,” Ken Noyes, K1STS, suggested that Surfin’ should address the subject of Xastir, a Linux implementation of APRS. I have been intending to cover Xastir for a while now. It is a program for receiving and plotting APRS position packets. It supports many map formats and is highly customizable. (It also nicely fills the void for letter X entries in the Surfin’ Index.

Xastir runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Lindows and possibly other operating systems. The development of Xastir is a collaborative effort of programmers from around the world. New versions appear on a regular basis.

You will find everything you need regarding Xastir at the XASTIR Web site. In addition to providing facilities for downloading the program, you can access and view Xastir news, screen shots, documentation, frequently asked questions (FAQ), forums, user mailing list, developer mailing list, as well as a log of program changes. You can also report any bugs you find in the software. Make sure to check out the screen shots link to view the impressive array of map formats that Xastir supports.

Until next time, keep on surfin’.

Editor’s note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, runs APRS, but still gets lost in Akron on his annual trek to Dayton. To discuss cool stuff with Stan, especially if it’s related to radio, send Stan e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin’ is indexed here, so go look it up (whatever it may be).

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