Quick Start

You’ve used loggers before. Here’s how to get on the air with Carrier Wave.

Download & First Launch

Download Carrier Wave from the App Store . The onboarding tour walks you through:

1. Enter your callsign — Carrier Wave pulls your profile from HamDB
2. Connect your services (details below)
3. Optionally enable community features (friends, challenges, activity feed)

The app asks for location permission to auto-determine your Grid SquareA location identifier using the Maidenhead Locator System (e.g., FN31 for the Boston area). .

Connect Your Services

Open Settings (gear icon) and scroll to Services. Connect at least one:

Start with QRZ — enter your username and password. Credentials are stored in iOS Keychain.

Log Your First QSO

1. Tap the Logger tab
2. Tap Start Session — the wizard prompts for mode, frequency, and activation type (Casual, POTAParks on the Air - a program encouraging portable operation from parks and public lands. , SOTA )
3. Select your equipment — radio, antenna, key, mic, power. These propagate to every QSOA contact or conversation between two amateur radio stations. in the session and export as MY_RIG in ADIF
4. Enter the callsign — QRZ lookup fires automatically
5. Enter RST sent/received (defaults pre-filled: 59 for phone, 599 for CW/digital)
6. Tap LOG

Your QSOA contact or conversation between two amateur radio stations. is logged locally and queued for sync. The callsign field auto-refocuses for the next contact.

Set Up Your Radio

Carrier Wave supports BLE radio control for Icom, Kenwood, Elecraft, and Yaesu rigs. Once paired, the app reads frequency and mode directly from your radio — no manual entry needed.

1. Go to Settings → Radio Control
2. Tap Scan to discover nearby BLE-enabled radios
3. Select your rig and pair

When connected, frequency and mode changes on the radio are reflected in the logger automatically, and the RIG command lets you switch equipment mid-session.

Try FT8

Carrier Wave includes a full FT8 operating suite:

• Live waterfall display with auto-decoding
• Conversation tracking — follow QSOs in progress
• TX control with auto-sequencing for hands-off operation
• PSK Reporter integration — see “Who Heard Me?” after your session

Start an FT8 session from the Logger tab, select FT8 mode, and the waterfall appears automatically. See FT8 Reference for the full guide.

Verify Sync

Check the Dashboard tab. Service status indicators show:

• Green — synced and current
• Yellow — sync in progress
• Red — sync error (tap for details)

If you see issues, check Troubleshooting .

What’s Next

Carrier Wave goes deep. Here’s what else is available:

Activations & Programs:

• POTA Activations — Park uploads, rove mode, rove stop batch grid editing, P2P hunting
• SOTA/WWFF Support — Summit and flora/fauna reference tracking
• Agents on Air — AoA activity program with code exchange tracking
• Contests — WA7BNM contest calendar with templates, Cabrillo export

Maps & Spots:

• Azimuthal Map — Canvas-rendered projection with antenna pattern overlays and spots heatmap
• Smart Spot Needs — Background engine matching spots to your DXCC/WAS/POTA needs, with HamAlert export
• Band Openings — Per-band propagation conditions on your dashboard
• DXpedition Calendar — Active DXpeditions from Ham365

Receivers & Digital:

• WebSDR Integration — KiwiSDR receivers with recording, QSY detection, clip export
• FT8 Suite — Waterfall, decoding, auto-sequencing, PSK Reporter
• CW Transcription — Real-time decoding with Goertzel filter

Sessions & Sharing:

• Session Timeline & Replay — Map-based chronological QSO replay with slider
• Video Export — Generate highlight videos with map animation
• Brag Sheets — Weekly/monthly/all-time shareable stat cards
• Share Cards — Branded activation cards, daily activity cards, recording clips
• Band Plan Chart — ARRL-style band allocation display

Social & Community:

• Clubs & Friends — Leaderboards, activity feeds, friends on air dashboard
• Challenges — Browse, join, and track challenge progress
• Events — Discover and submit ham radio events on a map

Platform Features:

• Live Activity / Dynamic Island — Active session on your lock screen
• watchOS Companion — Solar, spots, stats, quick session start from your wrist
• Widgets — Solar conditions, spots, and stats on your home screen

Data & Backup:

• Backup & Restore — Manual backups with iCloud Drive mirroring
• Search & Filters — Query your log history with a powerful query language
• Professional Statistician Mode — Advanced box plots and distribution analysis

For deeper understanding of logging concepts, see the Beginner’s Guide .

For complete documentation of every feature, see the Reference Manual .