G LOS SARY
APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System
—an amateur radio system for real time
communication of coordinates, weather station
telemetry, text messages, etc.
WSPR: Weak Signal Propagation Reporter —a
protocol for testing propagation paths on the
medium (300-3,000kHz) and high (3-30MHz)
frequency radio bands.
ADS-B: Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast —a flight data transmission system
with wide global adoption.
ACARS: Aircraft Communication Addressing and
Reporting System —a system for transmission
of short messages between aircraft and ground
stations via radio or satellite.
FLARM: portmanteau of “flight” and “alarm” —a
proprietary system which alerts pilots to potential
collisions between aircraft, most commonly used
in light aircraft such as gliders.
OGN: Open Glider Network —a unified tracking
system for gliders, drones, and other aircraft.
ATC: Air Traffic Control —“airband” radio
communication between air traffic control and
aircraft.
AIS: Automatic Identification System — coastal
tracking system for ships.
APT: Automatic Picture Transmission —
low-resolution analog image transmission
system used by weather satellites.
LRPT: Low-Rate Picture Transmission —
digital image transmission system used by
weather satellites.
VHF/UHF: Very High Frequency / Ultra High
Frequency —radio bands in which data is
broadcast. VHF: 30–300MHz, UHF: 300MHz–3GHz.
LoRa: portmanteau of “long” and “range”
—proprietary low-power wide-area network
modulation commonly used in IoT, with recent
use in satellites.
AM/FM/CW/LSB/USB/FSK/PSK: Amplitude
Modulation / Frequency Modulation / Continuous
Wave / Lower Side Band / Upper Side Band /
Frequency-Shift Keying / Phase Shift Keying
—modes of radio communication.
ATCS: Automated Train Control System —a train
data transmission system in use in the U.S.
ARES: Advanced Railroad Electronics System —a
version of ATCS specific to Burlington Northern
Railroad. Not to be confused with the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service.
RS41: Data format for the RS41 weather balloon
manufactured by Vaisala. One of 10 weather
balloon data formats tracked.
123
make.co
Maritime activity, tracked by users of Ship Finder.
Ship Finder / shipfinder.co, Google Maps
M81_120-23_SB_DataExchange_F1.indd 123M81_120-23_SB_DataExchange_F1.indd 123 4/12/22 1:05 PM4/12/22 1:05 PM