June 3, 2026
Added three more maps:
- Implemented the minimal and bright Carto Positron map, the minimal and dark Carto Dark Matter map and the OpenTopo map. Removed the non-working map providers from the dropdown menu in Tools > Options > Map > Map Provider. If I removed one that was working fine for you, let me know and I'll restore it.
- Tweaked some UI things in the Messages window.
- Added an event to the events list when Internet connection is lost and restored.
June 2, 2026
One new feature and some tweaks:
- When activating the Weather Warnings feature under the Map menu, you will now also see a list of weather warnings in view. Mouse-over the list and it will highlight the polygon on the map. The list can be moved around or closed. Clicking an item or polygon shows the detail page. You can disable the list under Options > WX & Fire > Weather Warnings.
- Redesigned the license agreement window and the welcome and decline license windows.
- Restyled some of the menus that pop up when clicking various items on the map.
- Tweaked the algorithm that monitors network connections (and restores them).
May 31, 2026
Some more fixes and improvements:
- Implemented a few NexRad weather radar API tweaks to hopefully cut down on the number of radar tiles that are occasionally missing during refresh.
- Made a small tweak to the processing of inbound message packets.
- Fixed an issue with the R & V buttons (Reflectivity and Velocity radar products) in NexRad CONUS mode.
- Re-designed the messages that pop-up when you click on a weather warning polygon or on a wildfire polygon.
- Tweaked a few things around the use of the tree control in the Last Heard window to prevent it from becoming unresponsive.
- Re-designed the Events window that keep the user abreast (in a non-blocking way) of important system & application related events while using PinPoint APRS.
- Made a small change to the NexRad, Warnings and Wildfires menu under Map to use checkmarks to show when the feature is active.
May 30, 2026
Some fixes and improvements:
- Added the ability to delete individual tracks that were either imported or hand drawn on the map by clicking on a track and selecting Delete Track.
- Fixed an issue where APRS Objects wouldn't beacon automatically.
- Fixed an issue with malformed altitude data crashing the app.
- Writes to the serial port for position and APRS Object beacons are now using a queueing mechanism, which is safer with lots of APRS Objects.
- Fixed a small issue using extended SSIDs.
- The Communications Monitor window now includes a timestamp for every received/sent packet to help with troubleshooting.
- The Packet Filter window now allows you to Save your filter as a Preset, so you can have many different types of filters. Just save your definitions and select from the Preset dropdown menu and click Apply to activate.
May 28, 2026
A few smaller enhancements:
- Clicking the Filter Off / Filter Active status on the lower status bar of the map window will turn the Packet Filter on or off.
- Added a New Messages notification in the status bar at the bottom of the map window and a windows notification that shows the message contents for 6 seconds. Clicking on the notification or status bar item brings up the Messages window.
- Zooming in/out of the map is disabled while the Shift key is held down to try to eliminate unwanted zoom action when using Shift-Click actions on the map.
- Clicking on the other items in the bottom status bar on the map window will now activate/deactivate the feature. Example: Clicking on "TNC Disconnected" will now connect the TNC. Clicking on it when it shows "TNC Connected" will disconnect the TNC. Clicking on Online/Offline status will re-test Internet connectivity. Clicking on the NexRad status in the bottom bar will turn Weather Radar on and off, etc.
- Fixed an issue where the NexRad weather radar dBz legend would sometimes get cut off.
May 22, 2026
One new major feature and a few smaller items:
- Replaced the basic filtering under Options > Map to it's own feature called Packet Filter under the Map menu, which gives very granular control over what shows up on the map. All stations still show up in the Last Heard window, so this is just to remove clutter on the map during events, etc. Read the Quick Start Guide for more info on how to use it.
- Added support for GPX / KML imports that have a track with a name in it, so the track name shows up on the map.
- When right clicking on a station icon and disabling Tracking, the current track (if any) will be removed.
May 20, 2026
Two major changes, a few improvements and bug fixes:
- Added the ability to animate weather radar updates. The Play button, which shows up top left on the map together with the R (=Reflectivity) and V (=Velocity) buttons, is unavailable until at least one weather radar update has taken place after the initial weather radar load. The number of animated frames (default 4) can be adjusted under Tools > Options > WX & Fire > NexRad settings. Zooming or panning the map disables animation.
- PinPoint APRS now supports extended SSID's, so values beyond 1-15 and letters, when using APRS-IS only, or using RF with a TNC that supports extended SSID's like the new LoRa APRS TNC2 addition to the TNC dropdown on the TNC tab of the Options screen.
- Improved some of the adaptive update scheduling for the NWS NexRad weather radar.
- Cleaned up some minor UI stuff (wording, mis-alignments, etc).
- Refactored the 'Clear Stations' menu item under 'Map' and 'Remove' menu item when clicked on a station, which was sometimes causing issues.
- Tweaked some of the context menus to deal with APRS Objects better.
- Added some more messaging around setting up your call sign first and setting up your own default location when using PinPoint APRS for the first time.
May 17, 2026
Added another feature and fixed a few bugs:
- Fixed a bug with "Remove My APRS Objects" feature.
- Digipeated APRS Objects (your own) and your own station icon are no longer plotted on the map, since there is already a symbol for it, but they will continue to show up in the Last Heard window if you want to see who digipeated your APRS packet.
- Added a feature under Tools to beacon all of your own APRS Objects at once.
- Fixed a bug that would affect report counts in the Last Heard window.
May 13, 2026, second release
Added the ability to store the APRS symbols used for waypoints in a GPX and KML file when exported, so they are restored when imported back into PinPoint APRS. Additionally, the track colors and line width are now stored in GPX and KML files as well and the GPX and KML import renders it accordingly. Thanks to Michael/KF0PAY, for the suggestion.
May 13, 2026
Another batch of new features and fixes for this Beta release:
- Your own APRS Objects are now being saved after every edit, so exiting and restarting PinPoint will restore the previous objects on the map (including beaconing intervals, etc).
- Added the ability to remove all APRS Objects in one click under the Map menu (Remove my APRS Objects).
- Completely redesigned the way APRS Messages are handled. There now is a Messages (F10) option under the View menu, where you can see all messages received and sent. Messages are persisted, so if you restart PinPoint, it will retain them, including the current message number. Removed the old Messages tree view in the Last Heard window. Messages are now retried several times if not Acknowledged by the receiver. The ACK Column in the Sent Items folder has a green checkmark if it was acknowledged by the receiver, a clock icon if acknowledgement is still pending, a red cross if the message was rejected and an orange question mark if we retried sending it over and over, but ultimately got no response (time out). The column will be blank if no ACKnowledgement is required. The retry schedule is 30s (after previous send), 60s, 120s, 240s and 240s before giving up, so a total of 12 minutes during which it will retry sending a message until acknowledged or timed out.
- Made the automatic APRS-IS and Network TNC reconnection code more robust. In case of a severed network connection, the app now constantly monitors for the network to come back and reconnects automatically to APRS-IS and/or network TNC.
- Added the ability to export any previously imported GPX/KML/KMZ files and manually placed waypoints to a GPX or KML file. NOTE: This does not export the APRS stations on the map. Only previously imported files and manually added waypoints and tracks are exported.
- Added the ability to draw your own tracks on the map (in addition to adding your own waypoints, which already existed), that can be exported later to GPX/KML files if desired. Start a track by SHIFT-Clicking on the map at the start of the track and select Start Drawing Track, and keep clicking on the map to add to the track. Use the backspace key to remove the last addition(s) if needed, and hit the ESC key when done drawing.
May 8, 2026
Added a feature when SHIFT-Clicking on the map to have an option to copy the current latitude and longitude into the copy & paste buffer in Windows, so you can paste the clicked location into a document, like an ICS-213. Also added an option to do the same for the current grid square. Thanks to Rich/KN6BDH for the suggestion.
May 6, 2026
Two big updates and two smaller fixes:
- Added the ability to add APRS Objects to the map that get beaconed out. Shift-Click on the map where you want to add an APRS Object. Add the required details on the window that pops up. Remove Objects when no longer needed by clicking on the object first. Manual beaconing is possible as well. Click on the object, and select Beacon Now.
- Added an Address Search option under the Map menu. Internet access is required to use the address search. Click on address search markers on the map to remove them.
- Fixed a refresh interval bug in the NexRad Weather Radar Overlay.
- Added two new NexRad weather radar sites and removed a decommissioned one.
May 3, 2026
Some more tweaks for this Beta/test version:
- Fixed a few small bugs with processing Items, Objects and Messages.
- Fixed a few small UI bugs.
- Created a workaround for a memory leak in the mapping library I use.
- Fixed a race condition in the NexRad weather radar overlay.
- Color coded the lines in the Communications Monitor window, and it now gets truncated every 200 lines:
- Data sent TO APRS-IS (beacon, iGate, etc) is shown in bright red.
- Data received FROM your TNC is shown in purple.
- Data sent TO your TNC is shown in dark red (brown-ish)
- Data received FROM your GPS is shown in green (if “Show GPS Data” is enabled)
April 27, 2026
Another tweak for this Beta/test version:
- Cleaned up a few memory leaks
- Fixed a UI bug
April 24, 2026
A few more updates for this Beta/test version:
- Improved KMZ import capabilities.
- Fixed a bug in the Weather Warnings Overlay.
- Fixed an edge case related to producing the correct APRS symbol when using the compressed position format when using the "a to j" symbol table.
- Fixed a crash when zooming in real fast.
- Changed some compiler settings.
April 9, 2026
This is a huge update, so lots of new features that need to be tested. PinPoint APRS was developed with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in mind, so I've spent time adding some features that help with additional situational awareness.
Here are the things that have been updated and added:
- First and foremost, please read the updated v2.2 Quick Start Guide to get more detail on some of the new features listed below.
- Added NexRad weather radar imagery. NexRad radar imagery is available from two sources: The National Weather Service (source: NWS) and Iowa State University's Environmental Mesonet (source: IEM). The default settings under Tools > Options > WX & Fire work well. It will select the closest radar to your location in PinPoint APRS, and use the hi-res NWS NexRad reflectivity feed. In the WX & Fire settings, you can override the default radar site to be used using the Single Radar Site option + dropdown list. The CONUS Mosaic option will show weather radar for the entire USA, but the resolution is not as great. If you want to use CONUS Mosaic, the IEM source is best.
- NWS Single Site settings under Tools > Options > WX & Fire(either automatic selection of closest radar site, or overriding with the dropdown list) will automatically support various NexRad radar modes where intervals between radar scans are shortened. These modes are often initiated during severe weather, and PinPoint APRS will update the radar imagery faster when available. If a NexRad radar enters SAILS mode, which increases the refresh rate of the NexRad radar data, PinPoint APRS will also start updating the Weather Warning polygons every 2 minutes (default is every 5 minutes). This feature is not available when using IEM.
- When using individual radar sites, right below the +/- for map zoom top left, you will see two buttons marked R & V, where you can quickly switch between Reflectivity radar product and the Velocity radar product, which is useful when trying to spot tornadoes and other weather events.
- Added a Weather and Wildfire warning/watches/advisories overlay with polygons showing affected areas on the map. Select the warnings / watches, etc you want to see by selecting the appropriate checkboxes under Tools > Options > WX & Fire. Polygons and data are updated every 5 minutes, except when an active NexRad radar goes into SAILS mode, accelerating updates to every 2 minutes.
- If you enable "Alert when I'm inside a warning area" in the WX & Fire setting, the map will show a red banner around it when your PinPoint APRS location is inside a weather warning area. The banner will clear once you move outside of the weather warning area, or when the warning expires or is canceled.
- Clicking on a weather warning, advisory, etc, on the map will give you more detail about the event.
- Added a Wildfire overlay with polygons (where available) to show wildfires and prescribed burns on the map. Wildfire are sometimes shown as polygons (when available) to show the fire perimeter, and sometimes as a round dot, where the size of the dot is commensurate with the size of the fire when polygons are not available. Clicking on a wildfire will give you more information about the fire. Polygons and data are updated every 5 minutes. Fires that are 100% contained show up a gray. Fires that are not 100% contained show up as red. Under Tools > Options > WX & Fire you can hide wildfires from the map that are 100% contained ("Show Active Wildfires Only").
- NexRad radar, Weather & Fire Warnings and Wildfire data all require Internet access. PinPoint APRS will still work fine without Internet access after maps have been cached, but you will not be able to use these new situational awareness features. - Your PinPoint APRS location must be in or near the USA for these new weather related features to work, since only USA-based NexRad, Weather & Fire Warnings and Wildfire data is being drawn on the map. PinPoint APRS will prevent you from using these features if your location on the map is outside the USA to reduce unnecessary strain on these public API's.
- When enabling the map scale, it now remembers the last setting at application start (show or hide).
- Fixed an issue where the map provider was sometimes changed when going into the Options menu.
- Updated credits to account for the additional data providers (NexRad, warnings, wildfires).
- Updated the 'save map to image' feature so it includes all additional data (NexRad, warnings, wildfires).
- Fixed a few typos.
- Fixed a bug in the compressed packet decode code related to altitude.
- Fixed an issue related to the direction (rotation) of the symbol on the map in compressed position packets with no course or heading.
- Cleaned up some fields in the Last Heard window that were being displayed when no value was available.
- SHIFT-Click-ing on the map now shows the "Add APRS Object" feature. This doesn't work yet since it's under active development. It's coming...
- Your own position on the map is now shown as the symbol you selected in Tools > Options > APRS, within a small yellow circle, rather than the green marker I used before. The mouseover now shows "My Position" and your call sign + SSID.
- Added an "Optimize' button under Tools > Options > Misc > Map cache info. Clicking this button will optimize the cache database on your computer, which can take up to a minute.
- Improved the GPX File import code. Made it more resilient against errors. Added support for GPX Routes (in addition to Tracks & Waypoints).
- Added support for KML/KMZ File imports.
- Added support for GeoJSON File imports.
- Pinpoint APRS now remembers the last GPS location you were in and resumes from there.
April 18, 2026
I've added a few more items into the Beta/test version:
- The sound for received/updated stations has been removed since it didn't seem very useful and was just plain annoying. I've added an alert sound for when you're inside a weather warning area.
- You can now configure (under Tools > Options > APRS) whether your beacons go out over RF (Radio), APRS-IS or both, no matter what you are actively connected to (TNC and/or APRS-IS).
- Improved NexRad Weather Radar, Weather Warnings and Fire Warnings API implementations that are more resilient against timeouts and other issues.
- You can now customize the station (and import) tooltip colors, font size & color, opacity under Tools > Options > Map.
- You can now customize fill-in opacity used in file imports (so GPX, KML, KMZ and GeoJson File imports) under Tools > Options > Map.