OLED Compass with Bearing to the Last Decoded Station
The tracker now shows a mini compass rose with an arrow pointing to the bearing from the tracker’s current GPS position to the last decoded station. The station callsign is shown alongside.
How it works
On receiving an APRS position, the tracker stores the callsign + coordinates of the last station. On every OLED refresh, it computes the bearing (0–360°, 0° = North) from the current GPS (_lat/_lon) to that station. The OLED (128×64) renders a compass with an arrow on the right and the numeric bearing below it. When the compass appears Valid GPS fix is available (_haveFix == true), and Station coordinates are known (lastStationLat/Lon are not NaN). If there is no fix or no station with a valid position yet, the compass stays hidden (default screen remains).
Implementation details
New globals: lastStationLat, lastStationLon (next to lastStation; exported as extern). Bearing computation: _bearingDeg(myLat, myLon, lastStationLat, lastStationLon). Rendering helper: _drawCompass(cx, cy, r, az) (circle + N + arrow). Default layout for 128×64: center (104, 28), radius 22 px; adjust for your display/fonts.
Notes
Bearing updates live as the tracker moves. Optionally hide the compass when distance is negligible (same location). Standard fields remain: LAT, LON, ALT, SPD and RX: CALLSIGN (left side).
WebSerial (new) – debug output directly in the browser, no USB cable required.
Tracker
Added tracker integration with web configuration (on/off, custom CALL, APRS icon selection, comment source: custom / speed & altitude). Switch for compressed position transmission. Smart Beacon settings editable via web (persisted to SPIFFS): slowRate, slowSpeed, fastRate, fastSpeed, minTXdist, minDeltaBeacon, turnMinDeg, turnSlope. GPS watchdog – warns on missing frames. Live time + NMEA moved to the top of the web UI. OLED display: tracker state, position, altitude, speed, blinking * on GPS FIX activity, last RX info on the bottom line. Persistence: tracker remembers last state after reboot and runs without the web UI; /tracker.cfg is auto-created on first save. Project fix: moved #include "setup_tracker.h" below global declarations (fixes “not declared in this scope”).
Object Sender New secured /objects page to manage up to 5 APRS objects. Per object: enable, name (9 chars), DDMM.mmN / DDDMM.mmE, table (/ or ), symbol, LIVE/KILL, comment, interval (min). Send now button for immediate transmit; periodic sending by interval (iGate → APRS-IS, Digi/AP → RF). Config stored in /objects.cfg; scheduler survives reboots.
Added support for sending and receiving APRS messages: New /zpravy page displays received messages and allows sending messages via LoRa in AP+DIGI mode. Added "Messages" button on the main page for quick access. Messages are stored in a buffer (max. 5 messages) with sender and receipt time information. Sending messages is restricted to AP+DIGI mode, with validation for callsign and message length (max. 67 characters).
The firmware supports several ESP32-based LoRa boards. Pin mappings are handled via board_pins.h and build_flags in platformio.ini.
TTGO LoRa32 V1 / V2 TTGO T-Beam Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V2)
Select your board in platformio.ini (e.g. -DBOARD_TTGO_V1, -DBOARD_TBEAM, -DBOARD_HELTEC, -DBOARD_GENERIC).
Overview Version 2.2.00 adds dynamic LoRa configuration and secures the web interface and OTA updates with user-defined credentials. Changes
- Dynamic LoRa Configuration
Added web interface dropdowns for LoRa settings:
Spreading Factor (6–12) Bandwidth (7800–500000 Hz) Coding Rate (5–8)
Updated nastaveni_html, procesor, loadConfiguration, and server.on("/nastaveni", HTTP_POST, ...) to handle and store settings in config.txt. Modified setupLoRa to apply LoRa parameters dynamically.
- Web and OTA Authentication
Added HTTP Basic Authentication for /nastaveni and /update endpoints. Included web_username and web_password fields in nastaveni_html and config.txt. Updated procesor, loadConfiguration, and setupWebServer to support authentication. Configured AsyncElegantOTA to require credentials for OTA updates. Ensured minimum 4-character password length (defaults to "admin").
Notes
Config File: config.txt now uses 26 parameters. Add at the start for compatibility. Testing: Confirm LoRa settings apply correctly and authentication prompts appear for /nastaveni and /update. Security: Passwords are stored in plain text. Consider hashing for future enhancements.
The LoRa RX iGate firmware has been updated (version 2.1.12) to include an enhanced map display feature. The map now shows the last five received stations from the buffers (buffer, buffer_lat, buffer_lon, buffer_RSSI, buffer_SN, buffer_vzdalenost, buffer_azimut) using blue markers, while the iGate itself (call, lat, lon) is displayed with a red marker. Key improvements include:
Dynamic Station Data: Station data (callsign, RSSI, SNR, distance, azimuth) is defined in a <script> block before Leaflet initialization, ensuring compatibility with the procesor function without requiring JavaScript processing. Preserved Functionality: All existing features (LoRa, APRS, Wi-Fi, OLED, configuration via config.txt) remain unchanged, with the map accessible in iGate mode (digi_mode = 0, digi_AP = 0).
This update improves the user interface and simplifies icon management while maintaining robust APRS and LoRa functionality. For details, see the updated map_html and procesor function in the source code.
This is the web-based flasher for the LoRa_RX_Igate project. It allows you to flash firmware to your ESP32. Access the flasher at: https://ok5tvr.github.io/LoRa_RX_Igate/.
- LoRa Packet Reception – Captures and decodes APRS packets on 433.775 MHz.
- iGate Mode – Forwards received packets to an APRS-IS server via Wi-Fi.
- Digi Mode – Relays APRS packets via LoRa with support for aliases (e.g., WIDE1-1, WIDE2-2).
- AP Mode – Creates a Wi-Fi access point for configuration without an internet connection.
- Web Interface – Displays received packets, distance, azimuth, RSSI, S/N, and configuration options (SSID, password, callsign, GPS coordinates, etc.).
- OLED Display – Shows status, IP address, callsign, and program version.
- Telemetry – Sends information about packet count, distance, and CPU temperature.
- OTA Updates – Supports firmware updates via the web interface.
Added sending of the status text. Examples of GPS position settings:
4903.50N is 49 degrees 3 minutes 30 seconds north.
In generic format examples, the latitude is shown as the 8-character string
ddmm.hhN (i.e. degrees, minutes and hundredths of a minute north).
07201.75W is 72 degrees 1 minute 45 seconds west.
In generic format examples, the longitude is shown as the 9-character string
dddmm.hhW (i.e. degrees, minutes and hundredths of a minute west).
in config.txt
lon <4903.50N>
lat <07201.75W>
Version 2.1.1 is available on GitHub. This version fixes the issue with IP address assignment using the DHCP server. In the settings, the option "IP_manual " corresponds to a static IP address, while "IP_manual " corresponds to automatic IP address assignment.
With the update to version 2.1.0, the configuration from the config.txt file is fully functional. You can modify the igate settings by changing the configuration in the txt file. The desired values must be enclosed in "<>". The end of the file is marked with "!".
This update enables OTA updates through a web interface. The address is the IP address of the device followed by "/update". Additionally, it is possible to configure a static or DHCP-assigned address in the settings. The address will be displayed on the home screen. The configuration is done on line 44 of the code ("bool pouzitPevnouIP = true;") where false corresponds to DHCP. Preparation is underway to extract the settings from the base code using SPIFFS.h. Therefore, before the initial launch via PlatformIO, it is necessary to upload the "config.txt" file using PlatformIO --> Upload Filesystem Image. Please perform the configuration in the source code.
In the update, code for sending telemetry to the APRS network has been added. An option for decoding compressed location from an APRS packet has been included. Basic icons can be decoded from APRS packets, and they are displayed on the igate website.
Simple LoRa Igate. The Igate operates using the LoRa.h library. Upon receiving a packet, it undergoes editing, checking, and is subsequently sent to an APRS server. The Igate includes safeguards against communication failure via Wi-Fi and connection drops between the Igate and the server. The Igate has a web interface with a fixed IP address that can be set by modifying it in Platformio. The website displays the five most recent stations with their respective distance and azimuth. Additionally, the RSSI and S/N parameters are shown. On the OLED display, five stations with their RSSI and SN are displayed
Simple LoRa Igate. The Igate operates using the LoRa.h library. Upon receiving a packet, it undergoes editing, verification, and is subsequently sent to an APRS server. The Igate is equipped with safeguards against communication failure via WiFi and loss of connection between the Igate and the server.