fix: Show all packets for tracked callsigns including non-position data

- Modified get_recent_packets to not filter by has_position when tracking a specific callsign
- Ensures users can see status updates, messages, and other non-position packets
- Fixes issue where callsigns without recent position data wouldn't show any packets
- Updated documentation to reflect this behavior

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - BRIN indexes consideration for time-series data
 - Connection draining and load balancing for clustered deployments
   - Monitors CPU usage and connection counts across cluster nodes
+- Documentation for tracked callsign behavior confirming last packet is always shown regardless of age
   - Automatically drains connections when node is overloaded (>70% CPU or 2x average connections)
   - Gracefully reconnects clients to less loaded nodes
   - Improves overall cluster stability and performance
@@ -27,6 +28,12 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Weather queries now use indexed `has_weather` column
 - Spatial queries optimized with geography cast index
 
+### Fixed
+- Tracked callsigns now show all packets including those without position data
+  - Previously filtered out packets with `has_position == false` 
+  - Now shows all packets when tracking a specific callsign via /:callsign URL
+  - Ensures users can see status updates, messages, and other non-position packets
+
 ### Fixed
 - PostgreSQL notify trigger now sends all required fields for info page updates
 - Info page real-time updates now display all packet details correctly

docs/improvement-todos.md

@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@ This document tracks potential improvements identified during the multi-replica
   - Created `Aprsme.ShutdownHandler` with configurable drain timeout
   - Created `Aprsme.SignalHandler` for proper SIGTERM handling
   - **Silent shutdowns**: Removed all user notifications during graceful shutdown
+
+### ✅ Tracked Callsign Always Shows Last Packet (2025-07-30)
+- **Status**: Fixed - Now Shows All Packets Including Non-Position
+- **Impact**: High - User experience for tracking specific stations
+- **Implementation**:
+  - Fixed `get_recent_packets` to not filter by `has_position` when tracking callsign
+  - Confirmed `get_latest_packet_for_callsign` fetches without time restrictions
+  - Verified `filter_packets_by_time_and_bounds_with_tracked` always includes tracked packet
+  - Added documentation explaining the behavior
+  - Users can now see status updates, messages, and other non-position packets
   - Updated health endpoint to return 503 when draining (15s delay)
   - Added preStop lifecycle hook with 15s sleep
   - Set terminationGracePeriodSeconds to 60 seconds

docs/tracked-callsign-behavior.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+# Tracked Callsign Behavior Documentation
+
+## Overview
+
+When viewing a specific callsign at the `/:callsign` route (e.g., `/KE0GB`), the APRS.me application displays the last received packet from that callsign **regardless of age**.
+
+## Implementation Details
+
+### 1. Route Handling
+- Route defined in `router.ex`: `live "/:callsign", MapLive.Index, :index`
+- The callsign is extracted from the URL and set as `tracked_callsign` in the LiveView socket
+
+### 2. Latest Packet Retrieval
+- `Packets.get_latest_packet_for_callsign/1` fetches the most recent packet for a callsign
+- Uses `QueryBuilder.callsign_history/2` with only a limit parameter (no time filtering)
+- **No time restrictions** are applied when fetching the latest packet
+
+### 3. Map Centering
+- If the tracked callsign has a known position, the map centers on that location at zoom level 12
+- Handled by `Navigation.handle_callsign_tracking/4` in the MapLive.Navigation module
+
+### 4. Packet Display Logic
+The key function ensuring old packets are always displayed is `filter_packets_by_time_and_bounds_with_tracked/5` in MapLive.Index:
+
+```elixir
+defp filter_packets_by_time_and_bounds_with_tracked(
+       packets,
+       bounds,
+       time_threshold,
+       tracked_callsign,
+       tracked_latest_packet
+     ) do
+  filtered = filter_packets_by_time_and_bounds(packets, bounds, time_threshold)
+
+  # Always include the tracked callsign's latest packet if we have one
+  if tracked_callsign != "" and tracked_latest_packet do
+    key = get_callsign_key(tracked_latest_packet)
+    Map.put(filtered, key, tracked_latest_packet)
+  else
+    filtered
+  end
+end
+```
+
+This function:
+1. First filters packets by time threshold and map bounds
+2. Then **always adds** the tracked callsign's latest packet to the filtered results
+3. This ensures the tracked callsign is visible even if their last position is older than configured time windows
+
+### 5. Trail Duration Independence
+- Even with the shortest trail duration (1 hour), the tracked callsign's latest packet is displayed
+- The trail duration setting only affects which other packets are shown, not the tracked callsign
+
+## User Experience
+
+When a user navigates to `/:callsign`:
+1. The callsign appears in the search box
+2. A "Tracking: CALLSIGN" indicator shows below the search
+3. The map centers on the callsign's last known position (if available)
+4. The callsign's latest packet is displayed on the map, no matter how old
+5. Only packets from that callsign are shown (real-time filtering applies)
+
+## Summary
+
+The system is correctly implemented to **always show the last received packet** from a tracked callsign, regardless of:
+- How old the packet is (could be days, weeks, or months old)
+- The selected trail duration setting
+- The historical data load setting
+- Whether the packet is within the current map bounds
+- **Whether the packet has position data or not** (as of 2025-07-30)
+
+This ensures users can always find and view the last activity of any callsign they're tracking, including:
+- Position packets with lat/lon coordinates
+- Status updates without position
+- Messages and telemetry data
+- Weather reports
+- Any other APRS packet types
+
+## Fix Applied (2025-07-30)
+
+The `get_recent_packets` function was modified to not filter by `has_position == true` when a specific callsign is being tracked. This ensures that all packet types are visible when viewing a callsign's activity, not just those with position data.

lib/aprsme/encoding_utils.ex

@@ -56,8 +56,6 @@ defmodule Aprsme.EncodingUtils do
   def to_float(value) when is_integer(value) do
     if value >= -9.0e15 and value <= 9.0e15 do
       value * 1.0
-    else
-      nil
     end
   end
 
@@ -77,7 +75,6 @@ defmodule Aprsme.EncodingUtils do
 
   def to_float(_), do: nil
 
-
   @doc """
   Converts various types to Decimal for database storage.
 

lib/aprsme/packets.ex

@@ -448,12 +448,21 @@ defmodule Aprsme.Packets do
     limit = Map.get(opts, :limit, 200)
     offset = Map.get(opts, :offset, 0)
 
-    # Build base query with time and position filters
+    # Build base query with time filter
+    # Only filter by position if not tracking a specific callsign
     base_query =
-      from(p in Packet,
-        where: p.has_position == true,
-        where: p.received_at >= ^time_ago
-      )
+      if Map.has_key?(opts, :callsign) and opts[:callsign] != nil and opts[:callsign] != "" do
+        # When tracking a callsign, show all their packets regardless of position
+        from(p in Packet,
+          where: p.received_at >= ^time_ago
+        )
+      else
+        # For general map view, only show packets with positions
+        from(p in Packet,
+          where: p.has_position == true,
+          where: p.received_at >= ^time_ago
+        )
+      end
 
     # Apply spatial and other filters BEFORE limiting
     # This ensures we get the most recent packets within the specified bounds

test/aprsme_web/live/map_live/tracked_callsign_old_packet_test.exs

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+defmodule AprsmeWeb.MapLive.TrackedCallsignOldPacketTest do
+  use AprsmeWeb.ConnCase
+
+  import Aprsme.PacketsFixtures
+  import Phoenix.LiveViewTest
+
+  describe "tracked callsign shows last packet regardless of age" do
+    test "displays old packet for tracked callsign", %{conn: conn} do
+      # Create a packet that's 30 days old
+      thirty_days_ago = DateTime.add(DateTime.utc_now(), -30 * 24 * 60 * 60, :second)
+
+      old_packet =
+        packet_fixture(%{
+          sender: "TEST-OLD",
+          lat: Decimal.new("35.1234"),
+          lon: Decimal.new("-97.5678"),
+          raw_packet: "TEST-OLD>APRS:!3507.40N/09734.07W>Test old packet",
+          received_at: thirty_days_ago,
+          has_position: true
+        })
+
+      # Navigate to the tracked callsign URL
+      {:ok, view, _html} = live(conn, "/TEST-OLD")
+
+      # Wait for map to be ready
+      send(view.pid, %{
+        event: "map_ready",
+        data: %{
+          center: %{lat: 35.0, lng: -97.0},
+          zoom: 10,
+          bounds: %{
+            north: 36.0,
+            south: 34.0,
+            east: -96.0,
+            west: -98.0
+          }
+        }
+      })
+
+      # Allow time for the view to process
+      :timer.sleep(100)
+
+      # Check that the tracked callsign is set
+      assert render(view) =~ "TEST-OLD"
+
+      # The packet should be in the view's assigns
+      # Since filter_packets_by_time_and_bounds_with_tracked always includes
+      # the tracked callsign's latest packet, it should be present
+      state = :sys.get_state(view.pid)
+      socket = elem(state, 1).socket
+
+      # Verify the tracked callsign is set
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_callsign == "TEST-OLD"
+
+      # Verify the tracked latest packet is the old packet
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_latest_packet.id == old_packet.id
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_latest_packet.sender == "TEST-OLD"
+
+      # Cleanup handled by test transaction
+    end
+
+    test "includes old packet even with 1-hour trail duration", %{conn: conn} do
+      # Create a packet that's 48 hours old
+      two_days_ago = DateTime.add(DateTime.utc_now(), -48 * 60 * 60, :second)
+
+      old_packet =
+        packet_fixture(%{
+          sender: "OLD-STATION",
+          lat: Decimal.new("40.7128"),
+          lon: Decimal.new("-74.0060"),
+          raw_packet: "OLD-STATION>APRS:!4042.77N/07400.36W>Old position",
+          received_at: two_days_ago,
+          has_position: true
+        })
+
+      # Navigate to the tracked callsign URL
+      {:ok, view, _html} = live(conn, "/OLD-STATION")
+
+      # Set trail duration to 1 hour (shortest option)
+      send(view.pid, {:update_trail_duration, 1})
+
+      # Wait for map to be ready
+      send(view.pid, %{
+        event: "map_ready",
+        data: %{
+          center: %{lat: 40.7, lng: -74.0},
+          zoom: 10,
+          bounds: %{
+            north: 41.0,
+            south: 40.0,
+            east: -73.0,
+            west: -75.0
+          }
+        }
+      })
+
+      :timer.sleep(100)
+
+      # The old packet should still be tracked despite 1-hour trail setting
+      state = :sys.get_state(view.pid)
+      socket = elem(state, 1).socket
+
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_callsign == "OLD-STATION"
+      # 1 hour trail duration
+      assert socket.assigns.packet_age_threshold == 1
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_latest_packet.id == old_packet.id
+
+      # Cleanup handled by test transaction
+    end
+
+    test "shows no packet message when callsign has no packets", %{conn: conn} do
+      # Navigate to a callsign that doesn't exist
+      {:ok, view, _html} = live(conn, "/NOPACKETS-1")
+
+      # Check that the tracked callsign is set
+      assert render(view) =~ "NOPACKETS-1"
+
+      # But there should be no packet data
+      state = :sys.get_state(view.pid)
+      socket = elem(state, 1).socket
+
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_callsign == "NOPACKETS-1"
+      assert socket.assigns.tracked_latest_packet == nil
+    end
+  end
+end