Digipeating
intermediateWhat is a Digipeater?
A digipeater (digital repeater) is an APRS station that receives packets on RF and retransmits them, extending their range beyond what the originating station could reach alone. Unlike voice repeaters that operate on separate input/output frequencies, digipeaters receive and retransmit on the same frequency.
How Digipeating Works
When you transmit an APRS packet, it travels as far as your radio signal allows. A digipeater hearing your packet will:
- Receive and decode the packet
- Check if the packet's path requests further relay
- Retransmit the packet (if the path allows), marking itself as having handled it
- Other digipeaters further out may repeat the process
This creates a multi-hop network that can cover hundreds of miles from a low-power handheld radio.
Understanding Paths
Every APRS packet includes a path that controls how many times it gets digipeated. The modern standard uses the WIDEn-N paradigm:
| Path | Meaning |
|---|---|
WIDE1-1 |
Request one hop via a fill-in digipeater (low-level, short range) |
WIDE2-1 |
Request one hop via a wide-area digipeater (high-site, long range) |
WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 |
One fill-in hop, then one wide hop (common mobile path) |
WIDE2-2 |
Request two wide-area hops |
The number after the dash decrements with each hop. When it reaches zero, no further digipeating occurs.
Path Selection Matters
Choosing the right path is important for network health:
- Too few hops — Your packet may not reach an IGate or intended recipient
- Too many hops — Your packet floods the network, causing congestion and collisions
Recommended paths:
- Mobile/Portable:
WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1(two hops total — good coverage without flooding) - Fixed station near an IGate:
WIDE1-1or no path (you're already well-connected) - Remote area:
WIDE2-2(only if truly needed to reach infrastructure)
Rule of thumb: Use the minimum path that gets your packet to an IGate. More hops is not better — it's more congestion.
Types of Digipeaters
- Wide-area digipeaters — Located at high sites (hilltops, towers), covering large areas. Respond to
WIDE2-Nrequests. - Fill-in digipeaters — Lower sites that help local stations reach wide-area infrastructure. Respond to
WIDE1-1only. - Home stations — Some operators run fill-in digipeater capability from their home station to assist nearby mobile operators.
How This Affects the Dashboard
The packets you see on this dashboard have traveled through this digipeater network before reaching an IGate and arriving on APRS-IS. The "path" field in the packet decoder shows exactly which digipeaters handled each packet.