Last updated: October 11, 2026
Offline ham Lookup ("the App") is developed by Doodlecomms. This policy explains what happens to your information when you use the App. The short version: the App has no accounts and no servers of its own, does not collect your personal information, and keeps everything it saves on your own device. It makes only two kinds of internet connection, both started by you and both described below.
The App does not have an account system and does not require sign-in. Nearly everything works fully offline, and Doodlecomms operates no servers for the App. The App connects to the internet only when you tap "Update Solar Data" (see below) or when you make or restore a purchase through your app store (see below).
If you choose to use the App's distance and bearing features, you may grant the App access to your device's location, or enter a grid square or coordinates manually. This location is used only to calculate distance and direction to other callsigns or grid references, and is stored only in the App's local settings on your own device (so it's remembered the next time you open the App). This location data is never transmitted off your device, never sent to Doodlecomms or any third party, and is not linked to your identity in any way.
You can clear or change this saved location at any time from within the App, and you can revoke location permission at any time through your device's system settings.
The App includes a bundled, offline database of licensed amateur radio operators, sourced from publicly available government records (FCC in the United States, ISED in Canada). This is public reference data included with the App itself — it is not information about you, and searching it does not send any data anywhere.
To further protect the privacy of licensed operators, the App deliberately does not publish an operator's exact street address. Only the town and zip/postal code from the government records are included — enough to be useful for identifying who is nearby or roughly where a callsign is located, without exposing anyone's precise home address.
Canadian amateur radio operators additionally have the option, through ISED, to keep their address out of the public record entirely. Because the App's database is built from this same public source data, only Canadian operators who have not opted out of address publication have town/postal code information included in the App.
If you star or favorite a callsign, that choice is saved only in the App's local storage on your device, so your favorites list is there the next time you open the App. This information never leaves your device.
Besides your location and favorites, the App saves on your device any callsigns you add or edit yourself (including names and nicknames), your settings (such as dark mode and prediction options), and the most recent solar number. None of this is transmitted anywhere. If you turn on Live Tracking, the App uses your device's location only while the App is open, to keep your position current. It does not track you in the background.
The HF Prediction feature uses a sunspot number. If you tap "Update Solar Data," the App downloads a public solar forecast from the Royal Observatory of Belgium (sidc.be). This request contains no personal information and no location. As with any website visit, their server can see your device's IP address. The downloaded number is saved on your device. This is the only feature in the App that connects to the internet, apart from purchases.
Some features, such as the map, bearing and distance tools, grid and lat/lon lookup, and HF Prediction, are unlocked with a one-time in-app purchase. Payment is handled entirely by the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Doodlecomms never sees your payment details. The App saves only a local "unlocked" flag on your device, and "Restore Purchase" asks your app store to confirm your purchase. For purchases made through the Apple App Store, Apple's standard Terms of Use apply.
"Send Feedback" opens a draft in your own email app. The draft includes your device platform, operating system version, and the App's version number so problems can be diagnosed. You choose whether to send it. The App does not send anything itself.
The App does not use analytics, advertising, or tracking services of any kind, and Doodlecomms does not receive any information about you. Two outside services are involved only in the situations described above: the Royal Observatory of Belgium's public website (solar data) and the Google Play Store or Apple App Store (purchases). Their handling of information is governed by their own privacy policies.
The App is a reference tool for licensed amateur radio operators and is not directed at children. It does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children, because it does not collect personal information.
If this policy ever changes — for example, if a future version of the App changes how it uses the internet — this page will be updated and the "Last updated" date above will reflect the change.
Questions about this policy or the App can be sent to doodlecomms89@gmail.com.