APRS on Google Maps

I ran across an interesting utility the other day. It allows the overlaying of APRS data on top of Google Earth. The utility is called APRSKML, and can be foundĀ here. The utility is well documented, and I was able to set it up within minutes. If you’re in the south central BC area, try the following settings (on the APRS IS screen):

  • APRS IS Server: va7ylw.ocarc.ca:14580
  • “Reconnect on Restart” checked
  • “Confirm Reconnect on Restart” unchecked
  • Filter: r/49/-119/300

Set your callsign and APRSIS auth code as appropriate. The magic comes in to the filter line (make sure you put something in here – leaving it out will swamp the software with too many stations, and it will eventually crash). The three numbers correspond to lattitude, longitude, and radius.