[chirp_users] chirp-next radio reference options

[Dan Smith]

> Not sure if this has been asked, and I apologize if this topic has been discussed.
> Would it be possible to implement a zip code option for proximity search as one of the options from Chirp legacy?

Are you talking about radioreference (per your subject) or repeaterbook (which had a zip code before but doesn't anymore)?

RadioReference is still via zip code, so I'm confused if that's what you're asking.

RepeaterBook's formal API, which I switched to in -next gives us a ton more information than the old chirp-specific one. The old one did have a zip-code option, but it was only for CHIRP, and it requires a lot of work and expense (for RepeaterBook) as ZIP code information is not free. It could be added back in (but we need RepeaterBook to do that), but it would be better if we can avoid it. There was a discussion about this earlier on the list.

The new repeaterbook query box has a search field where you can put cities, counties, and even landmarks to filter the results. The lat/lon is optional, but if you put it in, it will sort by distance from you. I think if you leave everything blank, but choose a state and type a county name that should be fairly close in functionality to before, no? Where I am, my zip code is pretty small, but my county is big, which gives me a much better sampling of "local repeaters."

That said, if you (or anyone else) feels like zipcode searching is absolutely critical, please file a feature report and I can work with the RepeaterBook owner on it. No promises, but, the process starts there :)

--Dan