A command-line tool to download repeater data from the RepeaterBook API.

This application is for personal use only. By using this tool, you agree to comply with RepeaterBook's Terms of Service.

Key restrictions:

• Personal, non-commercial use only
• Do not redistribute the data without written consent from RepeaterBook
• Always credit RepeaterBook as the data source
• Commercial use requires authorization and potential fees

Note: In their API documentation, RepeaterBook indicates that "API tokens will be required for continued commercial usage starting January 6, 2025". However, at the time of writing (November 2025), only an application name and email address are required to authenticate with the API.

• Go 1.21 or higher

git clone https://github.com/cartertemm/rbdl.git
cd rbdl
# On windows:
go build -o rbdl.exe
# On other platforms
go build -o rbdl

This will create an rbdl executable (or rbdl.exe on Windows) in the current directory.

go install

rbdl [options]

An email address is required for the API User-Agent header. You can provide it in two ways:

Option 1: Command-line flag

rbdl --email [email protected] [other options]

Option 2: Environment variable

export [email protected]
rbdl [other options]

All search parameters are optional and can be combined:

Use % as a wildcard for pattern matching:

• Prefix match: --callsign W% (matches all callsigns starting with W)
• Suffix match: --city %ville (matches cities ending with "ville")
• Contains: --callsign %ABC% (matches callsigns containing "ABC")

Search by country and mode:

rbdl --email [email protected] --country "United States" --mode DMR

Search by country and mode, output as CSV:

rbdl --email [email protected] --country "Canada" --mode DMR --format csv

Get only on-air repeaters in a country:

rbdl --email [email protected] --country "United States" --on-air

Search by frequency in a specific country:

rbdl --email [email protected] --country "United States" --frequency 146.52

Wildcard search for callsigns:

rbdl --email [email protected] --callsign "K6%"

Output to CSV (format auto-detected from filename):

rbdl --email [email protected] --country "Mexico" --mode P25 --output mexico_p25.csv

Combine multiple parameters with explicit format:

rbdl --email [email protected] --country "Canada" --mode P25 --format csv --output canada_p25.csv

Fetch all data (no search parameters, returns first 3500 results):

rbdl --email [email protected]

The application saves data to disk in your chosen format (JSON or CSV):

• Format: Use --format json or --format csv, or let it auto-detect from the output filename
• Specified output: Use --output to specify a custom filename
• Auto-generated: If --output is not provided, a filename is generated automatically based on search parameters and timestamp

If you don't specify --format, the format will be automatically detected:

• From output filename: --output data.csv → CSV format, --output data.json → JSON format
• Default (no output specified): JSON format

Example auto-generated filenames:

repeaterbook_state_CA_mode_DMR_20250108_143022.json
repeaterbook_state_CA_mode_DMR_20250108_143022.csv

• Pretty-printed with tab indentation for readability
• Preserves full data structure from the API

• All repeater fields exported as columns
• Headers sorted alphabetically for consistency
• Compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, and other spreadsheet applications

The following operating modes are supported:

• analog
• DMR
• NXDN
• P25
• tetra

While testing, we have observed a few limitations with the RepeaterBook API that are reflected in this tool.

• State listings may not always work reliably, some state-based queries may return zero results
• Fetching all repeaters without filters maxes out at 3500 results. If you want to get a complete list of all repeaters in the database, download repeaters one country at a time to ensure full output:

  rbdl --email [email protected] --country "United States"
  rbdl --email [email protected] --country "Canada"
  rbdl --email [email protected] --country "Mexico"

• Results are limited to North America, for now

The RepeaterBook API implements rate limiting. If you exceed the limits, you'll receive an error:

Error: rate limit exceeded (429): too many requests. Wait 10-60 seconds before retrying

Wait 10-60 seconds before making another request.

Make sure you've set your email either via --email flag or the RBDL_EMAIL environment variable.

Wait at least 10-60 seconds before retrying your request. The API is designed for normal human interaction, not automated bulk downloads.

This usually indicates an API error. Check the error message for details.

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure all changes:

• Follow Go best practices
• Are formatted correctly: tabs for indents, run gofmt -w main.go
• Maintain compatibility with Linux, macOS, and Windows
• Include appropriate error handling

This tool is licensed under the MIT (see license.md for more info). It is provided as-is for personal use. The data accessed through this tool is owned by RepeaterBook and subject to their terms of service.