The Maidenhead system divides the earth into progressively smaller boxes. The first pair of letters identifies a large field, the next pair of numbers narrows the position to a square inside that field, and additional letters or numbers refine the location again. In practice, most amateur operators use 4-character or 6-character locators because those are the formats most commonly exchanged on the air and stored in logs.
Grid Square Lookup
Find a Maidenhead grid square from an address, a ZIP code, a grid locator, or raw coordinates, then jump directly into the zone map views.
Resolve a location into a grid square
Use this grid square lookup to turn an address, ZIP code, existing locator, or raw coordinates into a practical Maidenhead result, then move straight into distance, heading, and map tools without re-entering the same station.
N/A
6-character grid square
| Lat/Lon | N/A, N/A |
|---|---|
| ITU Zone | N/A |
| CQ Zone | N/A |
Grid square lookup FAQ
A 4-character grid square gives broad regional context and is often enough for a contest exchange, quick spot, or general station reference. A 6-character locator refines that to a much smaller area and is the format many hams prefer for logging, beam work, and path calculations. An 8-character locator adds finer location detail when the exact operating position matters more, but it is less common in everyday operating.
GPS coordinates give an exact latitude and longitude pair. A grid square is a compact label derived from those coordinates. Coordinates are better for precise mapping, while Maidenhead locators are easier to exchange on the air, store in logs, and reuse in ham-radio tools.
Contests use grid squares because they give a consistent location exchange without making operators send long coordinate strings. That is especially useful on VHF and UHF, where scoring, multipliers, rover movement, and distance all depend on where the station is operating from.