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2D Map

The 2D map is a full-screen interactive map that plots live ham radio spots and activations on a flat projection. It's the fastest way to scan activity in your region or anywhere in the world.

Getting Around the Map​

The map works the way you'd expect from any modern mapping app:

  1. Pan -- Drag to move around the map.
  2. Zoom -- Pinch on mobile or scroll on desktop to zoom in and out. You can also use the elevation meter on the right edge of the map.
  3. Tap a marker -- Tap any spot marker to see details like callsign, frequency, mode, and program.

The map is locked to a north-up orientation -- rotation is disabled to keep the view consistent.

[SCREENSHOT: 2D map with activity markers and a spot detail popup]

Map Modes​

The map supports four view modes, each showing a different dataset:

  • POTA -- Parks on the Air activations displayed as individual park markers. Markers change color to indicate hunted (contacted) or attempted activators.
  • RBN -- Reverse Beacon Network spots rendered as great-circle arc lines between spotter and spotted stations, with distance-based opacity. Longer paths are drawn more prominently.
  • PSK -- PSK Reporter digital mode spots, also rendered as connection arcs between sender and receiver.
  • Log -- Your logged QSOs plotted as markers, with great-circle arc lines from your station to each contact. Visited DXCC countries are highlighted on the map, and US state boundaries are shown for geographic context.

Marker Clustering​

When you're zoomed out to a wide view, Hamtrax groups nearby spots into clusters. Each cluster displays a number showing how many spots it contains.

  • Zoom in to break clusters apart and see individual markers.
  • Tap a cluster to zoom into that area and expand it.

As you zoom in further, clusters dissolve into individual spot markers that you can tap for details.

tip

If you're looking for activity in a specific area, zoom in first. Clustering keeps the map clean at wide zoom levels, but the spots are all still there once you get closer.

Day/Night Overlay​

The map displays a real-time day/night shadow showing where it's currently dark around the world. The boundary between light and dark marks the gray line -- the twilight zone where HF propagation is often enhanced.

[SCREENSHOT: 2D map showing day/night terminator overlay]

info

The gray line is the band between 84 and 96 degrees of angular distance from the subsolar point. It updates every minute as the Earth rotates.

Filtering Spots​

You can narrow down what appears on the map using the activity filters:

  1. Select an activity program from the sidebar or tabs (e.g., POTA, RBN, PSK Reporter).
  2. The map updates to show only spots for that program.
  3. Use additional filters for band and mode to refine further.

Each program has its own marker style, so when you're viewing all activity at once you can still tell programs apart visually.

Map Tile Layer​

Hamtrax uses a dark-themed custom map style at low zoom levels, designed for comfortable viewing during long sessions and to make the colored activity markers stand out. The map is built on MapLibre GL and renders country and regional boundaries for geographic context.

When you zoom in past a threshold, the map crossfades to a stock OpenStreetMap raster layer that provides street-level detail. The transition is smooth -- the elevation meter on the right edge shows where the style switch occurs.

tip

The dark map style is optimized for the Hamtrax color system. Spot markers, clusters, and the day/night overlay are all tuned to be clearly visible against the dark background.

Elevation Meter​

The right edge of the map displays a vertical elevation meter -- a zoom slider that shows your current zoom level and the style-switch threshold. Hover or drag the meter to adjust zoom directly. It also indicates whether the custom themed style or the detailed stock style is active.

Connection Lines​

QSO Arcs (Log Mode)​

When viewing your logged QSOs on the map, Hamtrax draws great-circle arc lines between your station and each contact's location. These lines show the signal path of each QSO. Tap any line to see the contact details. Your station location is resolved from the QSO's stored coordinates or from the associated POTA park reference.

RBN Arcs (RBN Mode)​

In RBN mode, arcs connect each spotter station to the spotted station. Line opacity scales with distance -- longer paths are more visible, creating a network visualization. Lines are colored using a distance-based heat scale. Tap any arc to select the corresponding spot.

PSK Arcs (PSK Mode)​

PSK Reporter mode renders arcs between sender and receiver stations, similar to RBN arcs. Line opacity also scales by distance.

User Location Marker​

Your station location is always visible on the map as a pulsing dot. The location is resolved from your preferences (device GPS, manual coordinates, or callsign-based lookup).

Visited Countries (Log Mode)​

In Log mode, countries you've worked (from your DXCC list) are highlighted with a subtle fill and outline overlay. US state boundaries are also displayed for additional geographic context.

Activation Map Mode​

During a POTA activation, the map enters activation mode and shows markers for stations that have spotted you (spotter markers), stations you've logged (logged markers), and stations that are both (combined markers). Each category has a distinct color.