Point A
N/A
- Coordinates
- N/A
- ITU Zone
- N/A
- CQ Zone
- N/A
Grid Distance Calculator
Compare two station locations using Maidenhead grids, coordinates, or address lookups. Use it for grid-to-grid distance, beam heading, VHF/UHF contacts, contests, and propagation planning.
Compare two locations
Enter Point A and Point B as Maidenhead grids, coordinates, or station locations to calculate grid square distance, great-circle path, and beam heading.
This tool is primarily for calculating path distance between stations. Heading is provided as supporting context.
Point A
Home station, or first grid square.
Point B
DX target, or second grid square.
A
N/A
B
N/A
Popular test pairs
Use example grid-to-grid paths to test the calculator quickly.
Results
Great-circle path
Distance
0 km
0 mi
Bearing A → B
0 °
Initial beam heading
Bearing B → A
0 °
Reciprocal heading
Path
Short path
Great-circle distance between point centers
Point B
N/A
- Coordinates
- N/A
- ITU Zone
- N/A
- CQ Zone
- N/A
Map Preview
Marker-to-marker short-path preview for the two resolved points.
About Grid Distance
Amateur radio operators use grid square distance and beam heading to plan VHF/UHF contacts, contest exchanges, rover routes, and propagation tests. A grid-to-grid distance estimate is also a fast way to sanity-check paths before pointing a directional antenna or opening Full Propagation View for current band guidance.
This Maidenhead distance calculator resolves each point to the center of the entered grid square or coordinate pair, then uses a great-circle calculation to estimate short-path distance and initial heading. When you want the actual azimuth next, move into the Beam Heading Calculator.
Why path distance matters
Distance is one of the fastest ways to sort a contact into the right planning bucket. A short regional path suggests one set of bands and antenna expectations, while a long path points you toward different operating windows, takeoff angles, and strategy. That is true whether you are checking a VHF contest route, comparing portable sites, or deciding whether an HF opening is realistic.
Great-circle distance also gives cleaner RF context than road miles or rough map guesses. Once the path length makes sense, you can carry the same two points into Beam Heading Calculator for azimuth or into Full Propagation View to see whether the current band picture matches the route you are trying to work.
Grid distance FAQ
Great-circle distance is the shortest path over the surface of the earth between two points. Driving distance follows roads and terrain, so it is usually much longer and not useful for RF planning. For radio work, great-circle distance is the one that matters because signals follow geometry, not highways.
Yes. Maidenhead locators are one of the main inputs this page is built for. You can enter common 4-character or 6-character locators, and the calculator will resolve them to point centers before measuring the route. If you do not know the locator yet, start with Grid Square Lookup and then reopen the same points here.
The estimate is accurate for the resolved point centers, but the result still depends on what you entered. A 4-character grid gives broader location precision than a 6-character grid or exact coordinates, so the route is less exact. For practical operating, it is usually accurate enough to compare paths, heading, and likely band behavior.