[aprssig] APRSpro iOS app

[Eric Grumling]

Not gonna happen on a non-jailbroken iOS device. Apple’s Bluetooth implementation specifically omits serial port profile (SPP). In addition, any device manufacturer would need to join the Made for Apple (MFI) program, which gets pricy and isn’t going to be suitable for small scale products. The primary driver for MFI is so that they can have sample devices to test in a similar way they test software for the App Store.

One thing I have done that mostly works is set up a Raspberry Pi running Direwolf sound modem and aprsc. I got 90% of the way there, but had issues getting aprsc running properly, and it fell off the radar. But the plan was to create a WiFi access point for the iOS device to connect to, get Pocket Packet to connect to the aprsc server running on the Pi and allow all traffic to “gate” to and from the iOS device(s). Keeping everything off the Internet of course. Maps would still be an issue, but I was more interested in beacons, messages and bulletins than seeing a map.

The best solution I’ve found is to buy an old Android phone running APRSDroid or cheap Windows tablet running APRSICE. Use a Pi and Direwolf in the configuration listed above but connect to Direwolf using KISS over IP. Works great and you can do offline maps, messaging etc. And you save the battery in your iOS device.

73
Eric
K0JEG

From: Jason KG4WSV <kg4wsv at gmail.com<mailto:kg4wsv at gmail.com>>
Subject: Re: [aprssig] APRSpro iOS app
Date: April 7, 2016 at 5:08:08 AM MDT
To: "wa4tkg at netzero.net<mailto:wa4tkg at netzero.net>" <wa4tkg at netzero.net<mailto:wa4tkg at netzero.net>>, TAPR APRS Mailing List <aprssig at tapr.org<mailto:aprssig at tapr.org>>


-Jason
On Apr 7, 2016, at 1:11 AM, wa4tkg--- via aprssig <aprssig at tapr.org<mailto:aprssig at tapr.org>> wrote:

Don't think I'm going to pay $20 to get it to transmit either.

$12.  That's per year. Yet another one you rent, not buy.

I don't understand why someone doesn't use Bluetooth / BLE to interface a real TNC. As many radios as iThings have you'd think there would be a wireless solution.

Online mapping is always a deal breaker for me.

-Jason
kg4wsv
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