Privacy policy

Last updated: May 12, 2026

1. What information we collect

The HamOrbit Control Center desktop app is built around a "privacy by design" principle. We collect no personal data from the user through the app. Specifically, the APP:

• Does not require a user account
• Has no tracking cookies
• Has no analytics (no Google Analytics, no Mixpanel, nothing)
• Does not read your logbook nor send it to any server
• Does not record which features you use
• Does not read your IP on the client side

The websites (hamorbit.com and games.hamorbit.com) do use external services — see section 4 below for details on AdSense, cookies and opt-out options.

2. Data stored locally (desktop app)

HamOrbit stores the following data only on your device:

• SQLite database: %APPDATA%/HamOrbit/hamorbit.db — your QSOs, settings, operator profiles
• Configuration: %APPDATA%/HamOrbit/config.json — UI preferences, callsign, locator, language
• Backups: %APPDATA%/HamOrbit/backups/ — automatic daily snapshots of the database
• Application logs: %APPDATA%/HamOrbit/logs/ — technical diagnostics for your own debugging

These files are entirely yours. You can inspect them, back them up, copy them to another PC, or delete them at any time.

3. Internet connections (desktop app)

HamOrbit queries public APIs to show live information. These queries are anonymous — they don't send your identity or personal data:

• hamqsl.com — solar data (SFI, A/K-index, SSN) every 5 minutes
• BrandMeister API — live DMR activity feed
• DXSummit — DX cluster spots
• CelesTrak — TLE data for satellite predictions
• RadioID.net — DMR ID lookup (only when you explicitly search)

These queries only happen when the corresponding feature is active. We do not proxy them through any server of ours.

4. Website policy (hamorbit.com and games.hamorbit.com)

The websites hamorbit.com and games.hamorbit.com use:

• Google AdSense — third-party advertisers (Google and its partners) may use cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by selecting Reject in our cookie banner. You can also disable interest-based ads directly in Google Ad Settings or at aboutads.info.
• Google Fonts — used to serve typefaces. Google may log your IP when fonts load.
• localStorage — stores your cookie preference, your leaderboard nickname, and unlocked achievements (all in your browser, not on our server).
• Our own API (hamorbit.com/api/) — session cookies are set ONLY if you log in as admin. Anonymous visits are hashed with SHA-256 to deduplicate likes and plays without identifying you.
• GitHub — when you download the installer, GitHub logs anonymous download statistics.

For users in the EU / UK / Switzerland: a cookie consent banner appears on your first visit. Until you accept, ads are served in non-personalized (NPA) mode. If you reject, ads will still appear but will not be based on your profile.

More information about how Google uses data from partner sites: policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

5. Plus / Pro plans (future)

When we launch the Plus and Pro plans, we will collect only the data necessary to process payment and deliver the license:

• Email — to send you your license key
• Payment information — processed by Lemon Squeezy / Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1). We never see or touch your card details directly.
• Tax data — country VAT, as required by law

Premium "cloud" features (backup and sync) will be end-to-end encrypted — not even we will be able to read your QSOs.

6. Your GDPR rights

As a citizen of the EU/UK/EEA, you have the right to:

• Access — know what data we hold about you (answer: none, if you only use the Free desktop version)
• Rectification — correct inaccurate data
• Erasure — delete all your data. For Free: just uninstall. For Plus/Pro: email us.
• Portability — export your log to ADIF from the menu
• Objection — opt out of any communication
• Withdraw consent — change your cookie consent any time by clearing your browser's site data for hamorbit.com

7. Children under 16

HamOrbit is not directed at children under 16. If you are a minor, make sure you have parental consent before installing or registering.

8. Security

HamOrbit implements the following security measures:

• HTTPS for all API connections
• SSL certificate validation
• No unnecessary system permissions
• Source code verifiable on GitHub
• Reproducible builds (coming soon)

9. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will publish the new version at this same URL with an updated revision date. Material changes will be announced via a banner in the app and on the blog (once it exists).

10. Contact

If you have questions about privacy, please email privacy@hamorbit.com or use our contact page.