MarkMySpot — FAQ

MarkMySpot retrieves your current GPS location from your device and displays it in formats useful for amateur radio operators — Maidenhead grid square, decimal degrees (lat/lon), and degrees/minutes/seconds (DMS). You can copy all three formats to your clipboard with one tap, ready to paste into a log, message, or spot report.

The Maidenhead Locator System divides the world into a grid of named squares used by amateur radio operators to describe location concisely. Grid squares are used in contest exchanges (especially VHF/UHF), POTA and SOTA activations, satellite pass predictions, APRS, and EMCOMM spot reports.

Precision depends on the number of characters:

• 4 characters (e.g. FN31) — identifies an area roughly 200 km × 100 km. Shown when GPS accuracy is worse than 500 m (indoors, desktop browsers using IP location).
• 6 characters (e.g. FN31pr) — identifies an area roughly 5 km × 2.5 km. Standard for most contest exchanges, POTA, and EMCOMM use. Shown when accuracy is 100–500 m.
• 8 characters (e.g. FN31pr21) — narrows that to roughly 500 m × 250 m. Useful for precise portable or rover operation. Shown when accuracy is ≤ 100 m.

MarkMySpot calculates your grid square directly from GPS coordinates — no internet required. The precision is selected automatically based on your device's reported GPS accuracy.

Accuracy depends on your device and environment. On a phone with GPS outdoors, accuracy is typically 3–10 metres — more than sufficient for an 8-character grid square. Indoors or on a desktop browser using IP-based location, accuracy may be hundreds of metres or more.

MarkMySpot adapts what it displays to match your device's reported accuracy. All three formats use the same two breakpoints — 100 m and 500 m:

• Grid square — 8 characters (e.g. FN31pr21) at ≤ 100 m; 6 characters (FN31pr) from 100–500 m; 4 characters (FN31) above 500 m.
• Decimal degrees — 6 decimal places at ≤ 100 m; 4 places from 100–500 m; 2 places above 500 m. No false precision shown when your margin of error is large.
• DMS — full degrees, minutes, and seconds at ≤ 100 m; degrees and minutes from 100–500 m; degrees only above 500 m.

A plain-language accuracy indicator is always visible so you know how precise the current reading is.

When MarkMySpot first loads, your browser will ask for location permission — tap Allow. If you missed that prompt or tapped Block, follow the steps for your device below.

iPhone — Safari

1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
2. Tap Privacy & Security → Location Services.
3. Make sure Location Services is toggled on at the top of the screen. Safari cannot offer location access at all if this is off.
4. Scroll down and tap Safari Websites (listed as Safari on older iOS).
5. Set location access to While Using the App or Ask Next Time Or When I Share.
6. Return to MarkMySpot in Safari and tap Refresh. Safari will now be able to ask for permission.

iPhone — Chrome or another browser

1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Location Services.
4. Find and tap your browser name (Chrome, Firefox, etc.).
5. Set location access to While Using the App.
6. Return to MarkMySpot and tap Refresh.

Android — Chrome (browser-level reset)

1. With MarkMySpot open in Chrome, tap the lock icon (or info icon) in the address bar.
2. Tap Permissions (or Site settings).
3. Tap Location and change it to Allow.
4. Reload the page.

Android — Chrome (system-level reset)

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Tap Apps (or Application Manager).
3. Tap Chrome.
4. Tap Permissions → Location.
5. Select Allow only while using the app.
6. Return to MarkMySpot in Chrome and reload.

If you're indoors with no GPS signal, try stepping outside or moving closer to a window. Use the Refresh button in the app to re-request your location without reloading the page.

Once you tap Block, the browser will not ask again automatically — you need to re-enable location permission manually. Follow the steps in the question above for your device and browser.

On Android Chrome, the quickest way is the lock icon in the address bar → Permissions → Location → Allow. On iPhone, go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → your browser → While Using the App.

No. Your location is used only to calculate and display the coordinate formats on screen. It is never sent to any server, never stored in a database, and never leaves your device. There is no backend — all calculations happen entirely in your browser.

Each time you open the app or tap Refresh, a fresh location request is made. Nothing is retained between sessions.

No. MarkMySpot requires no account, no registration, and no login. Open the app and it works.

No. There are no analytics scripts, no tracking pixels, no cookies, and no telemetry in MarkMySpot. Your usage is not monitored in any way.

Yes — after the first load. MarkMySpot installs a service worker that caches the app locally. On subsequent visits, the app loads from your device even with no network connection. GPS location does not require internet — it uses your device's hardware directly.

This makes it suitable for EMCOMM deployments, POTA activations, and any field situation where connectivity is unreliable.

iPhone — you must use Safari. Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers on iOS cannot install apps to the home screen. If Safari is not your default browser, copy the MarkMySpot URL and open it in Safari specifically.

Before you install: Safari needs iOS permission to use your location. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Safari and set it to While Using the App. If Location Services is turned off entirely, enable it at the top of that screen first. Without this, MarkMySpot will not be able to read your GPS — even after installation.

iPhone (Safari)

1. Open MarkMySpot in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button — the rectangle with an arrow pointing upward, at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll down in the Share sheet and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Edit the name if you wish, then tap Add in the top-right corner.
5. The MarkMySpot icon appears on your home screen. Tap it to open the app without any browser chrome.
6. The first time you open it from the home screen, iOS may ask for location permission again — tap Allow While Using App.

Android (Chrome)

1. Open MarkMySpot in Chrome.
2. Chrome may show an Install app or Add to Home screen banner at the bottom — tap it if it appears.
3. If no banner appears, tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
4. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
5. Confirm the prompt. MarkMySpot appears on your home screen and launches like a native app.

Android (Samsung Internet)

1. Open MarkMySpot in Samsung Internet.
2. Tap the three-line menu at the bottom.
3. Tap Add page to → Home screen.

No app store. No download. The installed app works fully offline after the first load.

Yes. MarkMySpot runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Desktop browsers use either GPS (if your hardware supports it) or network-based location, which is less precise. For best accuracy use it on a phone with GPS hardware outdoors.

Yes. MarkMySpot is designed specifically for field use — offline-capable, no account or network required for operation, readable on a phone screen outdoors, and produces coordinates in formats directly usable in Winlink messages, ICS forms, and verbal spot reports.

Install it on your go-kit phone before deployment. It will work without any network connection once installed.

The copy button produces a labeled multi-line block containing all three formats, for example:

Grid: FN20xr
Lat/Lon: 40.712800, -74.006000
DMS: 40°42'46.1"N 74°00'21.6"W

This format is ready to paste directly into a Winlink message, a log entry, or a spot report.