QTH.COM Swap Chat

I subscribed to RFinder while at HamCation last weekend. It is great! The learning curve was quick and easy. Maybe 10 minutes from download to my first spreadsheet showing what I could hit with my HT from my RV in the fest campground. They are connected with the ARRL Repeater data base and also work with RT Systems rig programming software. A very slick combination. It uses the GPS locator on my smartphone (I have an Android but it works with all of them) to know where you are. Or you can put in a location like a city you will be visiting. Or a route you will be traveling (I-75 from Tampa to Dayton for example). Then you select filters for bands, distance, etc. It will generate a list of repeaters meeting your filter criteria. The list tells you everything you need to know. Call. Frequency and offset. Tones. A map showing your location and the repeater's location and the miles between. Analog, Echolink, D-Star, etc. I like to use 5 miles if I want to see what an HT with a duck can hit or 20 miles to see what a typical mobile can hit. You can use what seems best for your gear and antenna. It has everything the ARRL Repeater Guide has (a deep, long running base) but is a step better since it's constantly updated -- not months old like a hard copy. It has all the advantages of the RT Systems programming routine in that you can view a spreadsheet and edit it easily before you dump it into your rig. The cost per year is what I pay for a couple cups of Starbucks or less that one lunch at a hamfest. Heck of a deal for a tool that gives me so much info so quickly and so easily.