Last Updated: July 2026 · Pre-release / in active development
Plain-language summary
Ham Signaling is an amateur-radio digital-modes decoder. We (Unixeer) run no server, keep no account for you, and collect no analytics, tracking or ads. Your callsign, grid and email are stored only on your device. The app uses the microphone to hear your radio's receive audio and decode it into text and data on your phone — that audio is not recorded or sent to us. When you transmit, your callsign and message go out over the air as public amateur radio.
1. Information We Store Locally
The following is stored only on your device using the standard platform store (SharedPreferences on Android, NSUserDefaults on iOS). None of this is sent to any Unixeer server.
- Callsign — used to fill in your outgoing transmissions, log entries and the Support form.
- Maidenhead grid locator — if you enter it; used for your transmissions, and to compute distance and beam heading for the stations you decode.
- Email address — if you enter it; used to pre-fill the Support form.
- Decode log / ADIF — the contacts you choose to save are kept on your device and exported to ADIF only when you export or share them.
- App preferences — your selected mode, favourite frequencies, theme (light/dark) and font scale.
2. Microphone & Decoding Audio
Ham Signaling uses your device microphone to capture the receive audio from your radio — the digital-mode tones — so it can decode them into text and data.
- Audio is processed on the fly, on your device, to produce decodes. It is the core purpose of the app.
- We (Unixeer) do not record, store or receive your audio. The app does not keep audio recordings on your device.
- If you do not grant microphone access the app cannot decode incoming signals.
3. Transmitting Over the Air
When you transmit, the app generates the digital-mode tones for your radio and — if you enable rig control — keys your rig over CAT. Your callsign, grid and message then go out on the air.
- On the air, amateur radio transmissions are public — anyone may receive and decode them, and your callsign identifies you.
- The digital modes here (FT8, FT4, WSPR, JS8Call, PSK31, RTTY and the planned image/data modes) are open, published protocols — there is no proprietary codec or encryption.
4. Optional Community Spot Uploads
Some digital modes have community reception databases (for example PSK Reporter and WSPRnet). If — and only if — you turn this on, the app may upload the spots you decode (callsign, grid, mode, frequency, signal report) to those third-party sites so the community reception maps stay populated.
- These sites are independent third parties, not operated by Unixeer, each with its own policies.
- This is opt-in. With it off, the app makes no such uploads, and nothing about your decodes leaves your device.
5. Licensing & Responsible Operation
A valid amateur radio license is required to transmit. You are solely responsible for operating within your license class, privileges and local regulations, and for the content of your transmissions.
6. What We Do NOT Collect
- No Unixeer account, sign-up or login.
- No analytics, no crash-reporting telemetry sent to us.
- No device identifiers (no IDFA, no GAID).
- No advertising or third-party tracking SDKs.
- We never receive your callsign, grid, email, decode log or audio — decoding happens on your device.
7. Children's Privacy
Ham Signaling is intended for licensed amateur radio operators and short-wave listeners. The app shows no advertising, has no in-app purchases, and sends no personal data to Unixeer. Transmitting requires a valid license. The app is designed to comply with COPPA, GDPR-K and equivalent child-privacy frameworks.
8. Data Retention & Deletion
All settings and your decode log are stored only on your device. To delete everything Ham Signaling holds, clear the app's data or uninstall it — that removes your stored callsign, grid, email, preferences and saved contacts. There is no Unixeer account or server data to request deletion of. Any spots you chose to upload to a community site are governed by that site's own policy.
9. Network Activity & Third-Party Services
By design, Ham Signaling works fully offline for decoding and transmitting. It makes internet connections only if you opt in to community spot uploads (e.g. PSK Reporter, WSPRnet), and it opens your mail app when you tap "Send email" on the Support page. It uses standard open-source Flutter packages (such as shared_preferences, url_launcher, share_plus, http and permission_handler) to do its job. Unixeer does not integrate any advertising, analytics or tracking SDKs.
10. Changes to This Policy
As Ham Signaling is in active development and more modes are added, this policy may be updated to stay accurate. The current version will always appear at this URL and ship with the app.
11. Contact
Questions about privacy? Email [email protected]. We typically reply within a few days.