Will Pfanner

After years of work, I’m finally at the point where I’m ready to share xOTA with the world.

Like many projects, the scope of xOTA grew well beyond the original concept. That expansion introduced delays—especially when paired with the ongoing challenge of balancing work, life, and a passion project. As a result, getting to this stage took longer than I originally hoped.

And, as any solo developer knows, it’s easy to procrastinate when there’s no hard deadline. But over the past several weeks, interest in xOTA has picked up, and I’ve started receiving emails asking about its status. That attention was exactly the spark I needed to push toward the finish line.

After a focused final sprint over the last few days and weeks, I’m excited to release an early access version of the site. More updates, improvements, and features will follow—but for now, I’m thrilled to finally open the doors.

xOTA is a free and open platform for licensed amateur radio operators to share and find spotting information, short weather reports, atmospheric conditions, and more — especially when you’re out of range of normal internet or cellular service. Using satellite messengers or radio-based data links, operators can still send and receive information and will always have a method to self-spot.

For hunters and activators, xOTA also includes a simple logging and alert system. You can set it up to ping you when a park or callsign you’re chasing goes live, or keep track of your own activations without juggling multiple tools. It’s meant to be a one-stop-shop for portable activations.

Mobile applications are also coming soon. 📱