Beacons
Position reports, objects, trackers, and custom beacons
Beacons are periodic APRS transmissions that announce your station’s position, capabilities, or other information. Graywolf supports multiple beacon types, each with independent scheduling and channel assignment.
Beacon Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
position |
Standard position report with symbol and optional comment. The most common beacon type for fixed stations. |
object |
Named APRS object (repeater, event, landmark). Appears on maps with its own callsign-like identifier. |
tracker |
GPS-driven position beacon with SmartBeacon rate adaptation. For mobile stations. |
custom |
Raw APRS info field. Full control over the transmitted packet content. |
igate |
iGate status beacon. Automatically includes iGate statistics in the comment. |
Common Settings
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
channel |
— | Radio channel to transmit on |
callsign |
— | Source callsign (e.g., N0CALL-5) |
destination |
APGRWF |
Destination address (identifies software) |
path |
WIDE1-1 |
Digipeater path |
every_seconds |
1800 |
Beacon interval (30 minutes) |
delay_seconds |
0 |
Initial delay before first beacon |
slot_seconds |
-1 |
Fixed slot (seconds past the hour, −1 = unset) |
Position
Position beacons can use a fixed latitude/longitude or pull live coordinates from a GPS receiver:
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
use_gps |
false |
Use live GPS position instead of fixed coordinates |
latitude |
— | Fixed latitude (decimal degrees, north positive) |
longitude |
— | Fixed longitude (decimal degrees, east positive) |
alt_ft |
0 |
Altitude in feet |
ambiguity |
0 |
Position ambiguity (0–3, per APRS101 ch. 6) |
compress |
true |
Use 13-byte base-91 compressed position format |
messaging |
false |
Indicate message capability (= vs ! prefix) |
Symbols
APRS symbols are selected with a table and symbol code character:
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
symbol_table |
/ |
Symbol table: / (primary) or \ (alternate) |
symbol |
— | Symbol code (single character, e.g., - for house) |
overlay |
— | Overlay character for alternate table symbols |
Comments
Beacons can include a static comment or dynamically generate one by running a shell command:
comment |
Static comment text appended to the position report |
comment_cmd |
Shell command whose stdout becomes the comment (e.g., weather data) |
PHG and Repeater Info
Power-Height-Gain-Directivity (PHG) fields describe your station’s RF capabilities per APRS101 chapter 7:
power | Transmitter power in watts |
height | Antenna height above average terrain (feet) |
gain | Antenna gain in dB |
dir | Antenna directivity (0 = omni) |
freq | Operating frequency (MHz) |
tone | CTCSS tone (Hz) |
freq_offset | Repeater offset (MHz) |
SmartBeacon
SmartBeacon adapts the beacon rate based on speed — faster
movement means more frequent beacons, standing still means fewer.
Enable it on tracker type beacons:
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
smart_beacon |
false |
Enable SmartBeacon rate adaptation |
sb_fast_speed |
60 |
Speed (km/h) at which fast rate applies |
sb_fast_rate |
60 |
Beacon interval (seconds) at fast speed |
sb_slow_speed |
5 |
Speed (km/h) at which slow rate applies |
sb_slow_rate |
1800 |
Beacon interval (seconds) when slow/stopped |
sb_turn_angle |
30 |
Turn angle threshold (degrees) for corner pegging |
sb_turn_slope |
255 |
Sensitivity factor for turn detection |
sb_min_turn_time |
5 |
Minimum seconds between turn-triggered beacons |
SmartBeacon requires a GPS source. Configure one on the
GPS page and set use_gps: true
on the beacon.
Immediate Send
Any beacon can be triggered immediately via the API, bypassing the
normal schedule. Use POST /api/beacons/{id}/send or the
Send Now button in the web UI.
API Reference
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/beacons | List all beacons |
| GET | /api/beacons/{id} | Get a single beacon |
| POST | /api/beacons | Create a new beacon |
| PUT | /api/beacons/{id} | Update a beacon |
| DELETE | /api/beacons/{id} | Delete a beacon |
| POST | /api/beacons/{id}/send | Trigger immediate transmission |