Pocket FT8 for Android! FT8CN app review with QDX transceiver. 

Thanks Josh! Luckily, I have great channels, like yours, to learn from! 73! Linas LY2H

Thank you so much! Hope, it's gonna be useful for you! 73! Linas LY2H

Congratulations on completing the project! Thanks also for the Milwaukee M12 battery tip, looks like a nice solution at a reasonable price. Have fun, 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks Raith! JS8 would be great on a smartphone! Let's hope, the author of this app thinks alike! 73! Linas LY2H

I absolutely agree. JS8 on Android would be fantastic.

I sure hope the author ses this, uses js8 and writs the app

Was gonna say the same

JS8 would be really cool. I'd like to see an FT4 iteration too

Thank you Raith! I thought 3.6k subs is quite a lot for a content like mine :) I’m probably quite bad in marketing myself on the YT, Meta, X and whatever they are other social networks. I think I’d rather make a new antenna project than spend this time on creating more catchy thumbnail or a channel art :) . My equipment purchasing is mostly driven by curiosity to learn something new, not necessarily by seeking the best radio for making a DX or to win a contest. So I am a great fan of everything SDR, be it KX2, IC-705 , IC-7300 or just a rudimentary SDR radio like uSDX. Thank you very much for the JTsync tip. I know the program but have yet to try it out. Stay healthy, have fun, hope to CU on the bands! 73! Linas LY2H

“Кіндрату - салют!” Thanks for watching!

Thanks Raith! I've just ordered a kit yesterday! Can't wait to see it and review it! Might take some time due to the high demand. I'm sure the QMX will effectively kill all the "tru"/u and other chinese SDX, offering the same low price but providing with absolutely another level of quality, powerfull processor and really functioning receiver front-end. I think so, because as Hans has described it, quality-wise it's gonna be a "marriage" between the QCX and QDX, so we all know the outstanding performance of those. Good news! 73! Linas LY2H

Ordered one the other night

Hello, I'm glad to hear it works for you too! The tiny SWR/PWR meter is featured in this my other video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iXXdEaK7opU.htmlsi=PImvHR5O_c_TdqA5 There are links in the description to that video on where to buy. Could be on other platforms too. It could be that you can obtain an entire ATU kit for similar price :) Well, in my case I needed only a small SWR/PWR meter, but not a bulky ATU. But it could be a solution too if you also need a tuner. These N7DDC-type are pretty good, I have at least 3 of them and all working nice up to 100W of output power. HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Dual QDX portable is on my list too! CU on the bands! 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H On windows the biggest problem I ran into is USB sound devices becoming default and changing names. Settled down and now an running a pair of QDX, one low band one higher band version. Can’t wait to see you do it and learn what I did the hard way. Lol.

@@Aimsport-video Cool! Thanks for the info. I will know now whom to contact with in case I have the same trouble!

Hello Angus Macgyver ! You can be inventive and do whatever you want to :). The log within the FT8CN just offers you a way to organize your log. You can mark the contact as "confirmed" manually by just sliding it left (not right, unless you want to delete the contact). This might be practical if you use paper QSLs and want to mark every single new contact confirmed in the FT8CN log. Alternatively, you can export all the contacts to a file, upload all these qsos to a LoTW ( or wherever else), get them confirmed by the service and then import them back into the FT8CN after which these contacts should turn into green "confirmed". In theory :), as I don't use this option, because I export all my logs from different devices into one big file in some other logger and then send in one piece to the LoTW. HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks Robin! I am using a few years old Huawei Y5 Android 10 which I cheaply found in an after-repair shop specifically for this purpose :) 73! Linas LY2H

Hello and thanks! The waterfall with decoded stations on it is always seen or accessible on the FT8CN app. Or you mean something else? 73! Linas LY2H

Hi, you probably have in mind the FT8Radio and FT8Decode apps by the same author "kholia". I have bought it , tested it, it works, but it is a way way far behind the FT8CN, just a very basic rudimentary app, to my opinion, of course. 73! Linas LY2H

Hello Mike! Yes, you would need an external soundcard (starting from the cheapest dongle, ending up with more sofisticated interfaces for ham radio widely available on the market) for the radios like KX2/KX3, in the same way as it would be using the usual PC set-up. The K3S or upgraded K3 has got one USB cable for both CAT and audio. As it comes for the CAT, again, it’s no difference from PC - if you got the right cable to connect the ACC port of your KX2 to the OTG adapter on the phone, CAT should work, at least these most popular Elecraft radios are on the pop-up list in the FT8CN Settings. HTH, I haven’t tried it myself yet with my Elecrft radios, so it would be interesting to hear how was it going for you! 73! @Linas_LY2H

Addendum: I forgot to mention, just for clarity, regarding the radios like KX2 - since there is only one USB OTG port on the phone, it might be needed to use a USB HUB to connect both the sound card and a CAT wire to the FT8CN ( I have not tried this yet, so don’t know if this would work), or use a separate cable for audio link between the radio’s Mic/Line out and the phone’s audio in/out jack. Please let me know if you try it first :) 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H Thankyou Linas, I've ordered an OTG cable for the Motorola Android phone and will give it a go as soon as that arrives. Using the KX3 means I can do without the T1/Pwr meter from your setup, but will need the soundcard, so swings & roundabouts. I like the idea of lightweight "pocket portable", Will also try using a hub for CAT control. Hope to post an update soon. 73s G4TVP

@@Linas_LY2H Well the first OTG cable didn't work, even though my phone supports it. So I thought I would spend some time getting the KX3 working with FT8 on a Win tablet whilst I await the replacement and ahhhh it's painful. I use the KX3 for CW when out portable, so will have to read up some more on using it with digital modes....

Thanks! The best way to export /import logfiles is via the browser on external devices entering the FT8CN's URL on the same wireless network. It's not in the video due to time constrains but it's in the manual. (Link in the description). URL info is also put under the Share button in the app's log page upper left corner. Have fun! 73! Linas LY2H

Hello Mark! Thanks for watching. We are talking about both: in order to connect a USB device , like a memory flash or a radio, we need to have an OTG rated microUSB (or USB-C) -to- USB-A cable or adapter, and our phone must be OTG-compatible. As it comes to the cables/adapter dongles, it's usualy stated on the package if it's OTG. As it comes to Android phones, well, it depends on the brand and make. Most of the well known brands on the market are OTG compatible nowadays, it also should be stated on the package, or a sailsperson must know the answer, or the website of manufacturer must have the info about the concrete model. If the phone is of "no brand" category, which is a usual thing if buying a cheap phone off internet platforms, then it could be NOT OTG compatible. Probably you could try contact the seller and ask, but I'm rather sceptical about the answer you get :). If you already have an unknown phone , it's easy to test if it's OTG or not buy connecting the right cable and the memory flash and checking the File manager on the phone. If it sees the flash , it's OTG, if not, it's not. Alternatively, you can search the Play store for "OTG checker" app and install it on your phone and it will tell you if the phone is OK. A special word about the Huawei phones: they all are, most probably, OTG compatible but their problem is the Huawei brand is banned from the Google Play store due to the USA sanctions. It means that you can visit the Play store from your Huawei phone but you won't be able to download anything. FT8CN app, luckily, is possible to download straight from the Github. Finally, if your phone is not OTG compatible, you still can run the FT8CN app wireless choosing the Network connection type in the settings of the app. BUT: this is only possible with radios , like IC-705 which support the wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Not QDX/QMX , yet, unfortunately :) HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks! No, I didn't. The Tru' , unfortunately, does not have a soundcard integrated into it, this means no "one USB cable do-it-all" usage is possible, and this means it would take an extra external sound card, and two cables - for CAT and for the Audio- in order to run the app on the phone. As phones only have 1 USB OTG port it means, it would take a separate connection into the phone's audio in/out jack . And then it becomes too complicated and looking ugly :). So, radios without the integrated sound card is not the best choice for this set-up. But it is surely possible. Let me know if you try the Tru' out! 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H Something like the DigiRig may give sound card/cat capability via a single USB-C. At least that's what I am hoping as I have one on order😀to try with my trusdx.

​@@rdavies6 I bought an external sound card for the android phone and it seems to work the decoding works, now I need to figure out how to be able to transmit correctly.Unfortunately there is no English manual and I have not found any other reference instructions. How to configure the program?

Hello Bob, thanks for your comment. Well, it's difficult to diagnose what's wrong with decoding without seeing the radio in front of my eyes :)... I'm not closely following the development of this radio, but I hope, you are familliar with numerous tutorials by the author of this project Manuel DL2MAN. Originally, the trUSDX is a rudimentary SDR radio with a CAT control but no virtual soundcard in-built, so you need to provide an external soundcard and the right wiring between the radio, soundcard and the computer. As it comes to the FT8CN and the Android phone, I think, it could be a problem in configuring an external USB soundcard and the CAT connection as you only have one USB OTG port available on the phone, and the USB hubs might not work with OTG. So, when you say that you have connected your phone with the FT8CN running to the radio, what exactly have you done, and what wiring have you employed for sound? Is CAT control working, and only sound not? I've red there is a new experimental firmware for trUSDX allowing to get sound via the same USB cable ( full info on the DL2MAN resources), may be you are using this? If so, it might not work with Android, as the firmware, to my knowledge, is only designed for Windows and Linux. GL! 73! Linas LY2H

Good luck with experimenting, I'm sure you'll fix it! 73! Linas LY2H

Reading de manual, maybe is a volumen trouble. Manual says all volumen at 100 and I works at 50%😅. Later I try again. 73

@@angelito197502 Absolutely- the QDX and the QMX require volume in the software and on the phone to be set to 100 percent. 73! Linas LY2H

Hello Ron, sounds a bit weird :) There are PTT and TX delay settings in the Settings, may be these are mistakenly set to longer periods? But still, 30 secs is too much. May be too old an Android? I've tested from Android 8 to 10 which runs just fine, I don't know about the olders. Let us know if you find the reason! 73! Linas LY2H

Sure, it’s here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iXXdEaK7opU.htmlsi=Xe--USH3OaMHpRbn HTH, 73! @Linas_LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H - thank you, checking it out now!

Thanks for your question! There is no a universal answer to it, to my knowledge :). If you are on the top of the mountain or in deep woods with no cell coverage, then few things could be done to set the FT8 DT , at least approximately ( 1 sec precise is enough). You can listen on the shortwave receiver , if you have one:), for the special time/frequency stations, like WWV on 15 MHz ( there is more frequencies, obviously) which is well received in the USA, or RWM at 14.996 MHz (and more frqcies) which is very strong in Europe. You can use the internal GPS if your phone has got one. You can use your radio-controlled clock or a wristwatch, if you got one ( I have a 30-years old r/c clock which still runs and receives precise time signals from Frankfurt, Germany and adjusts accordingly.). Last, but not least, you can just observe the stations on the waterfall and on the decode window and you will see what are the DT values. If they all are more than +- 1sec , you need to adjust the phone's clock and you can do it manually. These are just my thoughts, everybody are welcome to contribute theirs here! 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H Thanks. I purchased a garmin Bluetooth gps receiver. I don’t know if it will update time on my android cellphone, when I get it I will see. If successful I will post results. Thanks again K7WHN

Hello Jakub! I think, the best use of FT8CN in the Android phone is with the radios which have USB codec integrated in their schematics, that’s why I like QDX as cheap and modern radio for the digital modes. IC-705 also works very good (including via the Wi-Fi, no cable, link). Those radios, which have no USB sound-card integrated (most older radios, like FT-857, 817, etc) are a bit more difficult to connect to the mobile phone. Actually, the best way to do it is through the external USB sound card - starting with the cheapest one from the computer shop (connecting it to your purely-audio interface Digivox-2 would be logical and safe), ending with the high quality interfaces like Digilink Nano, Digirig etc. (Digivox-2 would be not necessary at all as these interfaces have insulated ports and everything else in them). In this case the connection would be a lot like connection to the computer, with the DATA port of the trx providing the Audio input and output connected to the interface , and the interface would transfere the signal to the USB port of the phone, and vice-versa. The CAT control might remain a problem, as the phone has only one USB port (I’m not sure if the USB hub would work with a smartphone. If yes, than the CAT control could be possible in the same way as with the computer, if you just got the right cable for your radio for that purpose. If not, most interfaces, including your Digivox have the VOX function for the PTT). I would not recommend connecting your Digivox (or the radio directly) to the phone’s Mic and Audio-out pins through the 4-pin audio jack , as it might end up with transmitting on the air each and every sound your phone issues :). The option with the external sound card and the VOX PTT is much more reliable and universal for any rig ( even without the CAT, as the band switching in the app and on the radio could be done manually). HTH. 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H thx!

Hello Raith! Sorry to hear that. What does the "magic" LED on your QDX say when you start transmitting from the FT8CN app? What blinks do you see? This is the most important diagnostic tool before goong any further. If you see 1 short blink, there is no sound coming from the phone to the radio at all. If you see 2 short blinks, there is sound coming in but not strong enough. If you are sure the received signal from the QDX enters the app via the USB cable , then it's probably not the first case, as there is no separate sound card settings for IN and OUT sound in FT8CN. Then, it's only the case #2 left. To cure this, you need to make sure the signal output slider within the FT8CN app is put to max level ( the slider opens up by clicking on the speaker icon on the right side of the display, one of 4 icons always seen in the vertical row on any window in the app). Also, make sure the sound settings in the phone are enabled and work OK. Case #3 - The RX is normal, the LED blinks steadily with slow modulation, as it normally does when the signal is normally transmitted, but there is nothing in the antenna and the power meter shows zeros, then, it's final transistors died. But if you say, the radio works fine with the other computer, then, luckily, it's not the case #3. HTH, let us know what was the reason! 73! Linas LY2H

Linas, thank you for the detailed troubleshooting guide. Initially I was getting a single flashing light but no output power or signal was being indicated on the tiny power meter. I changed the parameters in the settings selecting Rig: QDX Baud Rate: 9600 and CIV: A4. These were the settings I observed on your video. Now I have no flashing lights at all. No it's not the final transitors as it works fine with other computers/tablets running the full FT8 JS8 software. I am going to play around with the suggestions above and see if I can work this out, and I will get back to you with my findings. Thank you for your continued assistance. P.S: Regarding my new QMX, sorry to say that I blew it up while troubleshooting a failure to power up. I have another "pre-assembled' unit coming from QRP Labs. I'm not going through building another one and having it fail. This device, if it performs as expected with be the ultimate pota radio. Hans is promising firmware upgrades that will make it SSB capable. Hoping it will be an improved version of the trusdx @@Linas_LY2H

It started working with 4 w output. I just had to restart the phone and qdx with the new settings. Appreciate all of your help. You are the best! Keep those videos coming.

@@raithjames860 Hurrah!! BTW, I have noticed that the sequence of turning on of the devices sometimes matters. With USB cable connected, first turning the phone and then the QDX on results in mostly healthy start up of the set. Also, restarting of the radio , disconnecting -reconnecting of the cable, or restarting of everything also helps :) ! These ,mostly intermitent, problems are probably because of some bugs in the soft etc. But it's a dynamically developing software, so many things should be forgivable... Have many DX, hope to catch you on the air! 73! Linas LY2H

Now they did! Please check the SDR-Control Mobile app on the App store. It works wirelessly with IC-705 . Your iPhone should run no older than iOs 16. You may be interested in my review of an iPad version ( I think it's very similar to the iPhone) here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-662li37X6n8.htmlsi=duMiV5q-ezcLH75P There is also a separate app for the Mac, with extended capabilities. iOS and Mac versions are not compatable, you have to buy them separately. HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H perfect, thank you.

Hi, this is because you have your contacts unconfirmed by sending/receiving the QSL card, or by LoTW, QRZ , etc. If you sent/got a paper QSL, you can make the contact look "confirmed" in your FT8CN log manually from the Log menu ( by swiping left the chosen contact, you should be in the contacts list ( first icon from the left, upper right corner), or automatically, if you have had, first, exported all your contacts to the LoTW ( or wherever), and, secondly, imported them all back to the FT8CN confirmed. HTH, have fun. 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks for watching! I have no affiliation with this company , except that I like and buy their kits for my own money :), so I'm not in the position to speak on their behalve. As a user, I can confirm , that as a stand-alone transceiver, QDX does not support SSB mode, only digital and only FSK-type (Frequency Shift Keying) digital modes. The new QMX transceiver from the same QRPLabs company will support SSB , CW and ALL digital modes. QMX is already available on the market with limited functionality, and accordingly to the company, the full functionality will be implemented through the firmware upgrades some time in the future. Please check their website for the full description and theory of operation of each model, including using it as pure SDR receiver together with adequate computer or smartphone software. . HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H thanks for your reply. 73 de US5WAA

Hello, no you don't need an internet connection for neither BT, nor for the Hot Spot ( when the IC-705 creates a local wi-fi network of its own to connect to it( only to it, not the internet)) connections to get connected to the radio. It's the same as connecting with cable. But you still might need to be in the coverage area of your cellular in order to get the phone's clock synced ( to establish a precise time on the phone which is a must for the FT8 to work ). HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Sorry, my previous answer is regarding the IC-705, featured in the other video! :) Your question is put to the QDX video, so the answer is you can't run BT on the QDX, unfortunately, only a cable and only on the OTG compatible Android smartphone. The video on IC-705 and FT8CN is here : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UNH5mdsCJ38.html 73! Linas LY2H

Hello, the FT8CN, to my best knowledge, is only for the Android OS, no iOS yet. May be in the future, it’s only the developer who could tell :) 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H 😟

Hello , thanks for watching. I don't have the Galaxy A71, but what I can tell from the specs, it's OTG compatible (this is important) and it runs Android 10 to 13 ( which is also good). So, all you need is an OTG compatible USB-C to USB 2.0 (or 3.0) Female adapter and a USB-B to USB-A cable. You connect your QDX to your phone ( with FT8CN app installed on it) by the means of this cable and an adapter, and you are ready to go! More details on the set-up is in the video. You don't need any other interface. HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H tnx for info best 73 😉

@@Linas_LY2H another question i he icom706 mk2 radio is possible connect to my phone with otg?

@@genoa1979 Hi again! Yes, I think, you can connect your OTG phone to your IC-706. For that, you will need an external soundcard ( interface) which will connect your radio's audio out/in ports to the phone's USB port. This will allow you to receive and send FT8 from your FT8CN app on the phone. If you use the cheapest USB sound card, you will need to have the VOX on on the radio for the PTT. It would be much better, though, to use a specially ham-radio designed soundcards ( so called interfaces) which have a high quality soundcard built-in and a high quality insulation circuits to separate ,galvanically, your radio from your computer ( phone). I use and like the DigiLink Nano, I also see very good reports about the Digirig unit. As your phone has only got 1 USB port and it will be occupied by the external soundcard, there will be no CAT control available in this configuration. It means, you would need to change the bands manually in the rig and in the FT8CN app. The Digirig has got an external COM port on it, so it could be that you could try to use the special Icom CI-V CAT cable connecting it to this com port on Digirig. I haven't tried this myself, as I don't have neither the IC-796mkII anymore ( and miss it, it's a great little rig!), nor the Digirig. HTH, Good luck! 73! Linas LY2H

Hello, you hit the large CQ button when you are in the “Calling” window (you push the Calling button on the bottom part of the screen to enter this window). HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Please check the Github, link in the description. 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H, found it. Thanks.

Rob, thanks and sorry!Probably, I should have behaved more responsibly with my cameras... I'm afraid, sometimes, people fall asleep in the middle, so more activity in front of their eyes here to help them not :) 73! Linas LY2H

Well, Apple's got, at least, "SDR Control for Icom" :) May be, more will come! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-662li37X6n8.html 73! Linas LY2H

Congrats on QDX! The small SWR /power meter is described here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iXXdEaK7opU.html HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks Mark! All my QDXs are built for 9V and my only power supply is a tiny DC/DC buck down converter which I usually plug into my "big" 13,8V PS if operating fixed in the shack, or into a 12-14V battery pack if operating portable. I was trying to plug the radio straight to the 9V battery and it worked just fine. My dc/dc down converter is featured in more details here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9dobqEHw9Ks.htmlsi=0Q79yS_B6Kpjltw5 HTH, have fun! 73! Linas LY2H