The World Wide Repeater Directory now includes coverage maps! #ARRL #hamradio

RFinder - The World Wide Repeater Directory now includes coverage maps! 

It's been a busy year for Team RFinder...partnering with radio societies worldwide in the countries of Italy, Mexico, Spain, France, Germany and now the ARRL in the United States...

We have worked hard for you to improve data...and it will get even better in the near future with more detail on the new digital modes that have cropped up in the past couple years. Those of you that use RFinder know that we constantly updgrade the software to have cutting edge technologies, integrate data feeds from great data sources, and adding new languages...

Thanks to a new strategic alliance with CloudRF.com we will now have coverage maps for all repeaters on earth. Our systems are busy rendering and indexing coverage maps based on ground path loss using the Longley-Rice irregular terrain model. We have worked with Alex M6ZUJ at CloudRF.com to render coverage maps for nearly the entire collection of machines in RFinder's database.  

"CloudRF is honoured to have been chosen to support the world's premier repeater database with coverage maps. We look forward to working with RFinder to improve RF coverage maps for the world. RFinder is by far the largest collection of transmitters we have seen and we are excited to be part of this ground breaking project." says Alex Farrant, M6ZUJ, creator of CloudRF. "Bob contacted me in late February about our API. Several days later he had his own client script and had rendered most of his substantial database of repeaters at 100 mile radius each using CloudRF's powerful servers. Bob was able to efficiently out source the substantial horse power and reference data required for this mammoth task and download each site afterwards as a KMZ overlay for Google earth and host them himself. Best of all, most of the hard work was done whilst we were sleeping!"

The resulting KMZ files are viewable in Google Earth on Windows and Mac (through web.rfinder.net and routes.rfinder.net), on Android and iOS versions of RFinder. The Windows and Mac versions allow multiple coverage maps viewable simultaneously, a great aid to Repeater Coordinators worldwide!

As part of this project, RFinder will be providing complimentary access to repeater coordinators worldwide. As RC's update repeaters with HAAT, Power and Gain and updated Lat/Lon, maps will be automatically re-rendered within a few minutes and made available to all subscribed users.

The procedure to sign up for the Repeater Coordinator program will be annouced mid-March of 2016. This new capability will make Repeater Coordinators more efficient, as they will easily be able to see repeater coverage maps side by side for both coordinated and uncoordinated machines.  This information is critical as simplex nodes for internet linking, crossband repeaters and homebrew repeaters crop up worldwide using various new out of the box and homebrew technologies.

For a limited time, users of the trial version of RFinder on Android will have access to coverage maps...After that only subscribers will have access.  RFinder is a subscription service for ~$9.99US and a single subscription provides access through web.rfinder.net, routes.rfinder.net, Android, iOS, RT Systems and CHIRP, as well as POI files for popular GPS systems.

RFinder is the official repeater directory of Radio Amateurs Canada. Canadian Hams that purchase RFinder support RAC.
RFinder is the official repeater directory app of Radio Society of Great Britain. UK Hams that purchase RFinder support RSGB.
RFinder is the official repeater directory of Amateur Radio Society Italia. Italian Hams that purchase RFinder support ARS.
RFinder is the official repeater directory of Federación Mexicana de Radioexperimentadores, A.C.. Mexican Hams that purchase RFinder support FMRE.

Bob, W2CYK submitted this information.