Python APRS QTH Weather Station

Small Python Docker container to send APRS QTH position or weather data.
It receives weather measurements via HTTP requests (GET or POST) from any device capable of sending data over the network, then forwards them to APRS-IS (e.g., APRS.fi) in APRS/WX format.
Ideal for amateur radio operators as an APRS client or automatic weather station.

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Features

• QTH Position Update — Send your station's position to APRS-IS.
• Automatic Weather Station — Transmit weather data received via HTTP to APRS.
• HTTP GET/POST Data Input — Accepts JSON or URL-parameter formatted data.
• Multiple APRS Modes:
  • TEXT: Human-readable weather comment.
  • WX: APRS weather packet format with standard WX symbols.
  • WX-TEXT: Text comment followed by WX packet (optional icon restore).
  • TEST: Send test packets for diagnostics.
• Configurable — All parameters via aprs_config.ini or ENV variables (ENV has priority).
• Dockerized — Portable, isolated environment.
• Status & Health Endpoints via HTTP.

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Installation

Requirements

• Docker installed.
• APRS Passcode (see section How to Obtain Your APRS Passcode).

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Prepare the Configuration

You can configure the container in three ways:

1. File only (included in image):
   Prepare aprs_config.ini in the repo before build — it will be included in /defaults and /config inside the image.

2. File + Persistent Volume (recommended):
   Mount a host directory to /config — if aprs_config.ini is absent, it will be copied from /defaults.

3. File + ENV Variables override:
   Pass any supported ENV variable (see Environment Variables).
   ENV values always take priority and are written to the .ini file in use.

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Configuration File (aprs_config.ini)

Complete parameter list (defaults in build or generated if missing):

Section	Key	Description	Allowed Values / Examples	Default
[APRS]	callsign	Your amateur radio callsign (without SSID)	Example: IT9KVB	NOCALL
[APRS]	ssid	SSID (station identifier)	0-15	13
[APRS]	passcode	APRS-IS passcode	numeric	00000
[APRS]	server	APRS-IS server address	hostname	euro.aprs2.net
[APRS]	port	APRS-IS port	integer	14580
[APRS]	comment_prefix	Optional prefix for comments	string	(empty)
[APRS]	comment	Comment text for TEXT mode	string	(empty) If you leave it blank, it will always be the default: 73 de your callsign
[APRS]	comment_wx	Comment before WX packet in wx-text mode	string	Python APRS Weather Station
[APRS]	test_message	Message in TEST mode	string	TEST
[APRS]	send_weather	Enable/disable WX sending	yes / no	yes
[APRS]	wx_format	Weather mode	text, wx, wx-text	text
[APRS]	restore_icon	Restore icon in wx-text mode	yes / no	no
[APRS]	symbol_table	Symbol table code	/ or \	/
[APRS]	symbol_code	Symbol code	e.g. <, _, >	<
[Station]	lat	Latitude (decimal degrees, dot)	-90 to 90	42.0000
[Station]	lon	Longitude (decimal degrees, dot)	-180 to 180	12.0000

💡 Note: Before building the image, make sure to set valid values for lat and lon in aprs_config.ini.
These must be decimal numbers using a dot (.) as the decimal separator (e.g., 37.499) and cannot be empty, otherwise the application will fail to start.

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Build & Run Docker

Steps to build image

1. Clone the repository and enter in the subfolder:

git clone https://github.com/N1k0droid/python-aprs-qth-weather-station.git

cd python-aprs-qth-weather-station

2. Copy the example configuration:

cp aprs_config.ini.example aprs_config.ini

3. Edit aprs_config.ini to set your callsign, passcode, location, and settings.

4. Build the docker image:

docker build -t aprs-weather-station .

Run without persistent configuration

Uses aprs_config.ini included in the image (modified ENV values are not persisted after container removal):

docker run -d
--name aprs-weather-station
-p 5000:5000
aprs-weather-station 

Run with persistent configuration (recommended)

docker run -d
--name aprs-weather-station
-p 5000:5000
-v your-own-path/config:/config
aprs-weather-station

💡 Note: When using a persistent volume, if the aprs_config.ini file does not exist, the container will copy the default file from /defaults. After the file is created, stop the container, edit it on the host, and restart to apply your changes. If you use supported environment variables, their values will override the file’s settings and will be saved into the INI, making them persistent.

Run with Environment Variables (INI overrides)

You can pass environment variables to the container to override the values in the active /config/aprs_config.ini.

• Without volume: overrides are applied for the session only and are lost when the container is removed.
• With volume: overrides are saved inside the INI in /config and persist across restarts.

Full example (ENV + persistent volume)

docker run -d
--name aprs-weather-station
-p 5000:5000
-v your-own-path/config:/config
-e APRS_CALLSIGN=NOCALL
-e APRS_SSID=13
-e APRS_PASSCODE=12345
-e APRS_SERVER=euro.aprs2.net
-e APRS_PORT=14580
-e APRS_COMMENT_PREFIX=QTH
-e APRS_COMMENT="Python APRS Weather Station"
-e APRS_COMMENT_WX="WX Beacon"
-e APRS_TEST_MESSAGE="TEST"
-e APRS_SEND_WEATHER=yes
-e APRS_WX_FORMAT=wx-text
-e APRS_RESTORE_ICON=yes
-e APRS_SYMBOL_TABLE=/
-e APRS_SYMBOL_CODE="<"
-e STATION_LAT=37.499
-e STATION_LON=15.083
-e APRS_AUTO_ENABLED=on
-e APRS_UPDATE_INTERVAL=900
-e APRS_DEBUG=yes
aprs-weather-station

💡 Note: STATION_LAT and STATION_LON must be valid decimal numbers with a dot (.) as decimal separator (e.g., 37.499).
Empty or invalid values will cause the application to fail at startup.

Behavior:

• If INI is missing on volume → copied from /defaults (image default)
• If ENV variables provided → values override INI and are written back to the file
• ENV Overrides are also saved in the .ini file so they persist if you are using a mapped volume.
• Config changes persist across restarts

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How to Obtain Your APRS Passcode

Generate it online with the APRS Passcode Generator: 🔗 https://apps.magicbug.co.uk/passcode/

Enter your callsign without SSID and use result in aprs_config.ini:

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Runtime daemon controls (not saved to .INI)

Variable	Description	Values	Default
APRS_AUTO_ENABLED	Enable/disable automatic APRS send	on / off	off
APRS_UPDATE_INTERVAL	Interval (seconds) for auto send	integer	3600
APRS_DEBUG	Enable debug logs	yes / no	yes

Note:
If APRS_AUTO_ENABLED is off (default), the station will not send any APRS data automatically.
To send data you must trigger it manually from the command line inside the container.

Example run with automatic APRS enabled (every 15 min):

docker run -d
--name aprs-weather-station
-p 5000:5000
-e APRS_AUTO_ENABLED=on
-e APRS_UPDATE_INTERVAL=900
-e APRS_DEBUG=yes
aprs-weather-station

Manual send example (auto APRS disabled): Start container without auto APRS

docker run -d
--name aprs-weather-station
-p 5000:5000
aprs-weather-station

Manually send current data (reads /config/aprs_config.ini and /config/meteo.json)

docker exec -it aprs-weather-station python3 /app/aprs_send.py

Send a test packet (does not require weather data):

docker exec -it aprs-weather-station python3 /app/aprs_send.py --test

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Sending Weather Data

Supported parameters

Name	Unit	Range	Description
temperature	°C	-50..70	Air temp
humidity	%	0..100	Relative humidity
pressure	hPa	800..1200	Atmospheric pressure
wind_speed	m/s	0..100	Wind speed
wind_direction	degrees	0..360	Wind dir
wind_gust	m/s	0..150	Max gust
rain_1h	mm	0..200	Rain in 1h
rain_24h	mm	0..1000	Rain in 24h
dewpoint	°C	-60..50	Dew point

Notes: unknown numeric params accepted, out-of-range → rejected.

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Examples:

💡 Note: In the example commands, replace localhost with the IP address or hostname of the server running the Docker container if the command is executed from a remote client.

GET examples

Full sample

curl "http://localhost:5000/meteo?temperature=22.5&humidity=65.8&pressure=1013.2&wind_speed=5.4&wind_direction=210&wind_gust=8.2&rain_1h=0.0&rain_24h=2.5&dewpoint=12.3" 

Minimal sample

curl "http://localhost:5000/meteo?temperature=22,5&humidity=65" 

POST examples (JSON)

Full sample

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{
"temperature": 22.5,
"humidity": 65.8,
"pressure": 1013.2,
"wind_speed": 5.4,
"wind_direction": 210,
"wind_gust": 8.2,
"rain_1h": 0.0,
"rain_24h": 2.5,
"dewpoint": 12.3
}'
http://localhost:5000/meteo 

Minimal sample

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{"temperature": "22,5", "pressure": "1013,2"}'
http://localhost:5000/meteo 

Decimal formats

• Dot (.) and comma (,) are both accepted and auto-converted.

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Manual Tests & Health

Send APRS test packet:

docker exec -it aprs-weather-station python3 /app/aprs_send.py --test

Health check:

curl http://localhost:5000/health 

Status (last data & uptime):

curl http://localhost:5000/status 

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License

MIT License — see the LICENSE file.
Third-party:

• Flask (BSD 3-Clause)
• aprslib (GPL-2.0) — if redistributing with aprslib, comply with GPLv2 by providing source code.

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Credits

Developed by an amateur radio operator for the ham community.

Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome!

73 de IT9KVB