Apps for Engineers

GPS Essentials

Laura, regarding your request for engineering-friendly apps (“Apps for Engineers,” Jan. 18), here’s one to look at:GPS Essentials (for Android), which is free.

Set all the parameters to field your position at a tower site. It includes a beautiful, large, smooth magnetic and marine declination compass (can be toggled), with declination offset — the only app I know off where you can calibrate your phone’s compass too.

Hiking tracker, sunrise, sunset, moon rise/set; set local time, UTC time; see your GPS satellite positions in the sky in real time along with how many “birds” are flying in your view-sphere (GPS must be phone-enabled in your settings).

It even ties in with Google Maps, Google Earth or any other mapping app you have installed on your phone. I can even get a minimum of three or four “birds” indoors with my HTC Inspire, which is way better than my Delorme Geomate can do (will track a fix on your bearing and location with a minimum of four “birds”). You can customize a “dashboard” to see as many fields as you want in a scrollable table without having to go into each backscreen.

A pro version is available for a fee, but the free version is comprehensive as it stands. One of the best GPS apps I’ve ever found. It works reliably and I haven’t found any bugs. It uses the consumer GPS ground-measurement resolution.

Thanks for a great article in RW!

Marvin Walther
Chief Engineer
Carroll Broadcasting
Tawas City, Mich.

iDVM by Redfish Instruments

A Digital Multimeter for iOS Devices

One app for the iPhone that I don’t think you have covered is iDVM by Redfish Instruments. It uses the phone as the display and interfaces to a wireless remote A/D converter box. Demo is free. I don’t have the A/D box yet but it is on my wish list. Thanks for the articles!

Paul Brown
Technical Director
KVIP Radio
Redding, Calif.

Check the iSlipstick

iSlipstick and iSlipstick RF are apps that I wrote to help me with basic everyday RF and electronic calculations. Having worked as a transmitter supervisor for 25 years at a CBS O&O installation in Philadelphia, I could have really used these apps back then.

I continue to work in an environment that requires RF and electronic calculations, so I put into these apps what I found to be most helpful for anyone working in the field.

I hope you find them useful and would love to hear feedback for improvements via www.carry-onsoftware.com.

Sam Virgillo
Carry-On Software
Yardley, Pa.

iSlipstick RF is among the apps developed by Sam Virgillo, a former transmitter supervisor.

Apps I Find Useful

I work as a broadcast engineer and electrician and have used several apps that help in both fields:

-AWG Metric Wire Converter by Intineo: Gives U.S. and metric wire equivalents

- Engineering Cookbook by Loren Cook Co.: If you’re working with fans and motors to move cooling air etc.

- ElectroDroid by Demetrio Iero

- Electronica by Hacsoft Developments: Great pinouts, scales and other useful tools

-RF Tools -VSWR+ by QubeCAD

-ToneDef by Hacsoft Developments: Excellent tool for modems etc., RF and microwave program

Just look for them by name. Great programs.

Nick Markowitz
Markowitz Electric and Integration
Verona, Pa.