New ARRL Repeater Directory Will Leverage Crowdsourcing Technology

ARRL partner RFinder, the creator of a web and app-based directory of Amateur Radio repeaters worldwide, will supply all data for the 2017-2018 ARRL Repeater Directory®. RFinder will employ its crowdsourcing technology to aggregate timely and accurate information for the Directory, marking the first time crowdsourcing has been put to use in the production of an ARRL publication. “Crowdsourcing” is a means of using data gathered from public resources — in this case, repeater owners and frequency coordinators — via the Internet to obtain the necessary listing information more quickly and flexibly. Including RFinder’s data in The Repeater Directory will help users seeking the most complete listing of on-air repeaters. The Repeater Directory will continue to publish repeater listings according to state, city, frequency and mode.

Although RFinder’s data is primarily user supplied, ARRL has invited volunteer frequency coordinators to contribute their coordination data to RFinder. RFinder has setup an online portal to accept uploaded data from coordinators. Every coordinator that supplies repeater data to RFinder will have its listings credited as coordinated repeaters both in the RFinder smartphone apps and web listings, and in the hard-copy Repeater Directory.

As part of this program, RFinder will make the RFinder database available to all frequency coordinators free of charge, with the exception of the Apple iOS version app, which requires a $9.99 license. The Android-compatible database is a free download.

“We believe this will help you in your coordination activities, as it will provide you with a complete map of machines, both coordinated or not,” RFinder said. “It will also assist coordinators to bring uncoordinated machines into coordination.”

ARRL earlier this year established an agreement with RFinder to be the membership association’s preferred online resource of repeater frequencies. RFinder’s steadily growing worldwide repeater database now includes more than 60,000 repeaters in some 170 countries around the globe. RFinder listings are dynamic, regularly reflecting new, updated, revised, and deleted information.

RFinder is integrated directly with EchoLink on both Android and iPhone and provides the ability to share repeater check-ins on Facebook, Twitter, and APRS. RFinder is integrated with RT Systems and CHIRP radio programming applications and has a routing feature that lets users find repeaters worldwide over a given route. Video demos of RFinder features are available on YouTube.

ARRL had previously discontinued its own products that supported digital listings of repeater data including the TravelPlus for Repeaters™ software and its own apps.

RFinder is $9.99 per year. Subscribe to RFinder by visiting http://subscribe.rfinder.net/ from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or from your Android smartphone or tablet.

RFinder also includes the ability to report radio jamming anywhere. Those without a device or subscription can file reports online. Individuals or entities responsible for coordinating anti-jamming activities also can request access to view jamming reports for their area.

Source:ARRL