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Maps & Globe Overview

Hamtrax gives you three ways to visualize live ham radio activity: an interactive 2D map, a 3D globe, and a stacked list view. All three live inside the Activity tab and share the same real-time spot data, so you can switch between them without losing your place.

Switching Views​

At the top of the Activity tab, you'll see a toggle with a globe icon and a map icon. Tap either one to switch between the 2D map and the 3D globe.

  1. Open the Activity tab.
  2. Look for the view toggle in the upper-right corner of the map area.
  3. Tap the globe icon for the 3D globe, or the map icon for the 2D flat map.
  4. To open Settings, tap the gear icon next to the toggle (if visible).

[SCREENSHOT: View toggle showing globe and map icons with gear button]

tip

The view toggle remembers your last choice. If you prefer the globe, Hamtrax will default to it the next time you open the Activity tab.

What You'll See​

Both the map and globe display live activity spots as colored markers. Each activity program has its own marker style so you can tell them apart at a glance:

  • POTA -- Parks on the Air activations
  • SOTA -- Summits on the Air activations
  • WWFF -- World Wide Flora & Fauna activations
  • DX Cluster -- DX spots reported by the cluster network
  • Reverse Beacon Network -- Automated CW/digital spot reports
  • PSKReporter -- Digital mode spots
  • Repeaters, Satellites, Nets, and Airports each have their own marker types as well

Tap any marker to see details about the spot -- callsign, frequency, mode, and more.

Marker Clustering​

When you're zoomed out, nearby spots are grouped into clusters to keep the map readable. Each cluster shows a count of how many spots it contains. Zoom in or tap the cluster to expand it and see individual markers.

Day/Night Overlay​

Both the 2D map and the 3D globe show a real-time day/night overlay. The shaded region represents nighttime, and the boundary between light and dark is the gray line -- a prime zone for enhanced propagation on HF.

info

The gray line updates automatically based on the current UTC time. It's especially useful for DXers looking to take advantage of twilight propagation paths.

Stacked List View​

If you prefer browsing spots without a map, the stacked list view shows activity as a scrollable, filterable list. You can filter by program, band, or mode and tap any item to see its full details. The list view is available alongside the map -- swipe or scroll below the map to access it.

  • 2D Map -- Pan, zoom, and explore activity on the interactive flat map.
  • 3D Globe -- Rotate a 3D globe and visualize worldwide activity.
  • Activity Overview -- Learn about all the activity programs Hamtrax supports.
  • Preferences -- Configure map tile layers, globe themes, and other display settings.