Tours & Onboarding

Intro tour, mini-tours, logger guide, and first-run onboarding flow

Carrier Wave includes guided tours and an onboarding flow to help new users get started quickly and discover features they might otherwise miss.

Onboarding Flow

First Launch

Onboarding is a single step: enter your callsign, review the auto-looked-up profile inline, and tap Get Started.

  • Enter your callsign — Primary operating callsign
  • Auto-lookup — Carrier Wave queries QRZ to verify and fetch your name, QTH, and grid square, displayed inline
  • IARU region — Detected automatically from your callsign and persisted silently (changeable later in Settings)
  • Get Started — Immediately opens the app

Getting Started Card

After onboarding, a persistent Getting Started card appears on the Dashboard. This replaces the old multi-step onboarding flow — optional service connections are now framed by the value they unlock rather than presented as required steps.

Each row explains what the service provides:

  • “Auto-upload confirmations to ARRL” — Connect LoTW
  • “See DXCC progress and callsign lookups” — Connect QRZ
  • “Upload logs to Parks on the Air” — Connect POTA
  • “Join the community” — Enable community features

The card shows a progress bar. Tap any row to deep-link to the relevant Settings page or the Activity tab. Items tick off automatically as you connect services. The card can be dismissed manually or self-hides once all items are complete.

Returning Users

If you reinstall Carrier Wave or set it up on a new device:

  • iCloud sync restores your settings and QSO database
  • Service credentials need to be re-entered (stored in device Keychain)
  • The onboarding flow detects existing data and skips the callsign step

Intro Tour

The intro tour provides a guided walkthrough of Carrier Wave’s main features. It’s offered after onboarding and accessible anytime from Settings -> Help -> Take the Tour.

Tour Stops

The intro tour visits each major area of the app:

  1. Dashboard - Activity grid, statistics, streaks, service status
  2. Logger - Starting a session, callsign entry, commands
  3. Logs - Searching contacts, session browsing
  4. Spots - POTA spots, RBN, P2P opportunities
  5. Map - QSO visualization, park boundaries
  6. Activity - Friends, challenges, achievements
  7. Settings - Key configuration options

Each stop highlights the most important features with:

  • Spotlight overlay pointing to the relevant UI element
  • Brief explanation (1-2 sentences)
  • Next/Skip/Done navigation

Tour Duration

The full intro tour takes approximately 2-3 minutes. You can skip at any point and resume later.

Logger Tour with KI5GTR Guide

The Logger tour provides an in-depth walkthrough of the logging interface, guided by KI5GTR (the Carrier Wave developer’s callsign):

Tour Content

KI5GTR walks you through a simulated QSO:

  1. Starting a session - Session wizard, mode/frequency selection
  2. Callsign entry - Type a callsign, see the QRZ lookup populate
  3. Quick Entry - Demonstrate the single-line entry format
  4. RST and fields - How signal reports and optional fields work
  5. Logging the QSO - Tap the log button, see the toast confirmation
  6. Commands - Type SPOT, BAND, MAP to see command system
  7. Session management - End session, view in Logs tab

Interactive Elements

The Logger tour uses interactive overlays:

  • Simulated data populates fields as the tour progresses
  • Animated arrows point to buttons and fields
  • “Try it yourself” prompts let you practice each step
  • KI5GTR dialog bubbles provide context and tips

Accessing the Logger Tour

  • Offered automatically after the first session start wizard
  • Available from Settings -> Help -> Logger Tour
  • Triggered if you tap the ? icon in the Logger header

Mini-Tours

Mini-tours are brief, contextual walkthroughs that appear when you first encounter a feature:

When Mini-Tours Appear

Mini-tours trigger on first use of specific features:

FeatureMini-Tour Content
POTA sessionPark entry, spotting, rove mode basics
Activity LogStation profiles, quick entry, spot list
CW TranscriptionAudio setup, frequency tracking, auto-fill
FT8 SuiteWaterfall, decode list, TX control
WebSDRReceiver selection, recording, playback
Smart NeedsNeed categories, configuration, alerts
CommunityFriends, challenges, privacy
BLE RadioScanning, pairing, sync behavior

Mini-Tour Format

Each mini-tour consists of 3-5 spotlight steps:

  1. Welcome - Brief description of the feature
  2. Key controls - Spotlights on the most important UI elements
  3. Quick tip - One actionable tip for getting the most from the feature
  4. Done - Dismisses the tour

Dismissing and Revisiting

  • Dismiss a mini-tour at any step by tapping “Skip”
  • Dismissed tours don’t reappear automatically
  • Revisit any mini-tour from Settings -> Help -> Feature Tours
  • Reset all tours clears the “seen” state for all mini-tours

Tour Settings

Settings -> Help

  • Take the Tour - Start the full intro tour
  • Logger Tour - Start the Logger-specific tour
  • Feature Tours - List of all mini-tours with “seen” status
  • Reset All Tours - Mark all tours as unseen (they’ll reappear on next feature use)

Tour Preferences

  • Show mini-tours toggle - Disable if you prefer to discover features on your own
  • Tour animation speed - Normal or Fast for experienced users

See Also