MAPRAD.IO

[VK4ADC]

There is a new Australian radio licence lookup tool - Open Spectrum's MAPRAD.IO

 MAPRAD.IO leverages the latest web technologies to provide a unified, centralised view of radiocommunications register data that is free to use.

 A key feature is a powerful filtering and categorisation system based on the modern faceted search concepts adopted by many large web-based search applications, coupled with up-to-date register data.

 MAPRAD.IO intuitively correlates Australian register site information to licence information and related technical data such as device specifications and operating parameters. Other features include exporting to Excel and Google Earth and integrable services for an organisations software.

 No need to go to the email edition for this web address  just type maprad.io 

From text edition for FEB 4  2018 - VK NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST ON VK1WIA : http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/

Also in MP3 edition of news available at: http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2018-02-04.mp3

Using it......

Link :   https://maprad.io

Enter a latitude, longtitude value into the search box and away you go.. 
I used "-27.3,153.2", and on the next screen selected "within 20KM". 
Got this:

   

Otherwise use the Advanced Search function ..

Start playing 

[VK3ALB]

fails a simple callsign search :-(

[VK2CSW]

Yup, pretty poor.

Fails a callsign search and then has no facility to easily edit the search criteria.

In my previous life as a software tester this would have not seen light of day in it's current form.

[VK4ADC]

A normal amateur call produces zero results because their locations are addresses and not AMG coordinates..  (unlike all radiocom (including cellular) and broadcasting facilities.)

I then tried vk4rbn - again zero results. Tried VK4RBN (ie upper case) and it found the Brisbane repeater. It appears auto-capitalisation is not active.

It works for beacons too. Tried VK4RTT and it located it.

Not too sure how effective a tool it will be for amateurs as against the basic ACMA Register searches that I have done up to now.

[VK3ALB]

I agree with Colin.

There's a lot of good software out there that just works without too much thinking about it.

I don't think this is ready for distribution yet. No doubt it shows great promise, particularly the ability to search a zone. The VK2FUNK RFMAP (offline) showed us something very similar several years ago. I'll come back in a few months to see if it has matured. Until then, for ham use, I think the ACMA database is still a better option.

[VK5TM]

Found the same thing, couldn't find my callsign.

To be useful, it should only require putting in a callsign, whether using upper or lowercase, not needing to jump through hoops to make it do something.

ACMA database has always been the most useful option.

[SWL-VK1001]

Thanks Doug for posting the link to MAPRAD.IO, you beat me to it

I'm one of the developers on this project. We aimed to address some of the shortcomings of the current register searches, mainly speed and the user experience in general.

Currently MAPRAD.IO will show all of the Australian licences that are 'mappable' and leaves out some licence types such as 'Amateur: Standard' and 'Amateur: Foundation', which have no location information associated.

Now that the interest from the amateur radio community is growing we'll address this and you'll be able do searches on your individual callsigns.

Also please note, you can do a case insensitive callsign search via the 'Quick search' box that's always visible in the top bar, along with licence numbers, addresses, etc. As already mentioned you won't yet be able to find your individual licence records but you will be able to find all of the repeaters operating in Australia (for example).

Something you might find useful is to bring up a map showing them all. If you go to the Advanced Search page and select the 'Amateur: Amateur Repeater' option from the 'licence type' dropdown and click 'Search', it will map them out for you and categorise them in the filters option on the left. You can then drill further down, e.g. showing only results in the VHF band, and then export these results to other formats like Google Earth.

It's always good to get some feedback, so if you guys have any other suggestions please contact us or even post here.

As representatives of the amateur radio community in Australia, is there a particular feature or data that you would like to see in a tool like this?

[VK4ADC]

A normal amateur call produces zero results because their locations are addresses and not AMG coordinates..  (unlike all radiocom (including cellular) and broadcasting facilities.)

My second post contained the above but it seems that some didn't read that bit. I have highlighted the important bit this time.

Aleks (SWL-VK1001) addressed this again " Currently MAPRAD.IO will show all of the Australian licences that are 'mappable' and leaves out some licence types such as 'Amateur: Standard' and 'Amateur: Foundation', which have no location information associated." plus "Now that the interest from the amateur radio community is growing we'll address this and you'll be able do searches on your individual callsigns."

I doubt that those amateurs using PO Boxes are going to be mapped, and if you have different station address to postal address in the ACMA system, that address is not available publicly.  Not public = not mappable.

Regarding "As representatives of the amateur radio community in Australia, is there a particular feature or data that you would like to see in a tool like this?",  it's a bit early to tell. Incorporate the above callsign search support and it may be of more use.

[VK5TM]

My lack of success in finding anything is probably more a lack of understanding how the site should be used than anything else ( I did see the comment re AMG coordinates, but only after having been to the website and then coming here).

But, playing devils advocate, if all I have is a callsign that I want to look up, going to the website, all you are presented with is a search box to start with, so the natural assumption is you put the callsign in there. When the search comes back "no result", you kind of go "whats the use" (well, I did).

Maybe there should be some sort of instructions about what is required to use the facilities of the website on that first page.

For a suggestion of a possible useful function, how about a postcode search.

Re PO boxes, there was a site some time ago (possibly on or through a now defunct forum), that did bring up my callsign on a map, albeit located at the Post Office of course (I don't use the PO Box thing for privacy or other purposes, there is no delivery service out here in the sticks, so I naturally put the PO box in when asked for an address).