Professional Maps for Amateur Radio

CQmaps was designed from the start to offer more to Amateur Radio operators than just another map with a few specific details concerning Ham Radio. Since first licensed as a ham radio operator in 1992, I have always felt that the maps available to us was lacking in certain fundamental details. As a professional GIS Analyst and Cartographer with more than a decade of experience designing maps and spatial data verification, I decided that there were two primary objectives to achieving the goal of offering the Amateur Radio community the pinnacle in station maps:

1. Data accuracy & precision
2. Data clarity

Data accuracy & precision were achieved through a series of complex Geographic Information System (GIS) software analysis and data reduction along with verification though several online and physical references. After several months of data preparation, CQmaps can now confidently say that you will be receiving the most accurate set of maps designed from the ground up for any Amateur Radio operator. All zones and districts, whatever they be, were delineated by actual entity boundary information. In the past, map zone information was simply “draw” onto the maps without regard to where the boundary really lay. The results were many mistakes that were often unseen due to complexities in map organization. Additionally, these mistakes were passed down though map generation after map generation. When you receive you map from CQmaps you may be surprised as to where some of your favorite DX entities actually are positioned in relation to a particular zone.

Data clarity was an equally arduous task. More often than not, Ham Radio operators have had to rely on maps that have been pressed into service from standard maps or were created by people lacking a strong cartographic background. This has resulted in some “interesting” color patterns. Maps produced by CQmaps have a more organic color feel that will allow a seamless transition into any ham shack. Even more importantly, the colors selected were done so in a way that allowed positive grouping for each type of data characteristic. What does that mean? It means that each CQ Zone is not only bounded by a border, but each entity within the zone shares the same color. Call sign districts within the US have have the same trait. These color groupings stand on their own without standing out. Identifying these particular groupings has never been easier for the Amateur Radio operator!