Live Tracks for inReach, APRS, ADS-B and more

You can now record permanent live tracks for inReach, APRS, ADS-B aircraft, and custom integrations directly to your CalTopo map!

One of the most powerful features of CalTopo is the ability to share and track location alongside all your other mapping data. Previously you could only display the most recent location updates along with a small portion of the track for devices such as inReach, APRS and custom integrations. You could not reliably save the entirety of the device’s track.

However that has changed with our latest update for locators and trackable devices. We are excited to announce that you can now permanently record the entirety of the device’s track to your map! Along with this increased functionality, we’ve also added support for a wider range of devices, including ADS-B aircraft.

How you add devices and record live tracks will depend on whether you have an individual or team account. If you have an individual account, refer to the Live Tracking and Locators page of our user guide for instructions. Please note that recording tracks for ADS-B aircraft does require a pro, desktop or team account; recording live tracks for all other objects is available to all users. It is also important to note that Live Tracks will be replacing the original Locator Group function for individual users. While some objects now require more information (i.e. IMEIs for Garmin inReaches), this update adds support for a wider range of objects and the ability to record permanent live tracks to a saved map.

If you have a team account, please refer to the Live Team Tracking page of our user guide for a complete breakdown of all location sharing and tracking functions available to team users, including recording live tracks. Team accounts have additional location sharing and tracking features, such as the ability to link devices to the team account which eliminates the need to add devices separately to each map.