This allows amateur radio operators to track the locations of vehicles, hikers, high-altitude balloons, etc., along with telemetry and other messages around the world. If the APRS packet is received by an 'igate' station, position reports and other messages can be routed to an internet server, and made accessible on a public web page. Some mobile packet radio stations transmit their location periodically using the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS).

Packet radio can be used in mobile communications. This makes packet radio especially useful for emergency communications. It is possible for any packet station to act as a digipeater, linking distant stations with each other through ad hoc networks. AX.25 allows other stations to automatically repeat packets to extend the range of transmissions. Every AX.25 packet includes the sender's amateur radio callsign, which satisfies the US FCC requirements for amateur radio station identification. The AX.25 (Amateur X.25) protocol was derived from the X.25 data link layer protocol and adapted for amateur radio use. Packet radio is frequently used by amateur radio operators. This is very similar to how packets of data are transferred between nodes on the Internet. A packet may be stored and subsequently forwarded towards its destination by a network node.A packet may be addressed to all possible recipients rather than a specific one ( broadcast).Packets for multiple destinations can be transmitted on the same radio link in an asynchronous fashion.A transmitted message may be broken into a sequence of packets before transmission, which are then re-assembled into the original message upon reception.

Transmitted data is broken into packets, each of which contains a destination (and typically the source) address.Packet radio can be differentiated from other digital radio switching schemes by the following attributes: Packet radio uses a packet switching protocol as opposed to circuit switching or message switching protocols to transmit digital data via a radio communication link. In digital radio, packet radio is the application of packet switching techniques to digital radio communications. Terminal Node Controller 2400 baud packet radio modem

Portable packet sender