NOTE! The Bluetooth issues are NOT related to Kenwood. It’s all based on the iPhone implementation of BLE. The D74/75 work flawlessly with Android! Find the B.B.Link here. islandmagic.co/products/B-B-Link-Adapter-p629580960
Technically, Kenwood *could* have made the TH-D75 compatible with iOS, but they would have needed to participate in Apple's MFi program. For example, LEGO did this with their programmable robotics bricks and it does support the Bluetooth serial protocol. Obviously, this is a business decision and perhaps compatibility with iOS isn't a high priority for Kenwood.
please...enough with the clickbait titles. the content is good enough to stand on it's own, please give some idea of what the video is about in the title. just say what it is
Thanks for info! Is it any chance you can make a video about comparing APRS using Kenwood d75 vs Mobilinkd TNC4 with iCom id 52a or yaesu ft5dr? Please. To understand the benefits of having it on device and buy radio which less appeal. Thank you.
I have heard multiple people say that the Bluetooth issue with the iPhone is that BLE is too slow to do what the TH-D75 is doing. This is flat wrong. BLE data rates available to applications (1.4Mbps) are more than 10 times what would be required by KISS or APRS. This is proven by the fact that the B.B. Link works: Bluetooth LE from the iPhone to the B.B. Link and old-school Bluetooth from B.B. Link to the D75 (the USB is just for power). Kenwood could have put in a chip that would have been universal, and I am sure that the reason they did not is cost--nothing else. Apple decided to go the battery-life route; not necessary bad, not necessarily good.
The B.B. Link adapter works because it's magical 🦄✨. More seriously, when the TH-D74 came out, there wasn't a spec for how applications would interface with devices via BLE for serial communication-no "universal" serial profile for BLE per se. Fast forward to 2024, and now we have a robust spec on how to expose a KISS TNC on BLE, implemented by several apps and devices. That would have required Kenwood to pay attention and revise their hardware and firmware design to include this capability if they cared enough about iOS. Why that did not happen is indeed anyone's guess.
Icom has the same problem with their BT module in the IC-5100 and they refuse to release a new module. They “fixed” the issue with their newer radios by switching to a BT chip that works with the iPhone’s supported protocols.
I do not use an iPhone and have no intention of using one, but If I meet anybody who is into amateur radio and uses an iPhone the information will be useful.
Great Solution/workaround! But... I am not so sure this is an iPhone issue. I feel like this is an issue with the Mail App or the Radio implementation. It is trying to push data greater than the specification it is trying to use is capable of or the mode it is in. iPhones Bluetooth is capable of larger data than this requires. iPhones lossless and spacial Music uses bluetooth and can handle more data then these text packets. To me this feels more a kin to having a truck that can't fit in an alley... and deciding to make your own road instead as a detour. Further even if it is something that Apple did not include... Kenwood ignoring that fact... and not choosing to use a supported BT protocol is a miss by Kenwood for not considering their relatively small market device would need to fit into protocols used by a device that sells millions of pieces of hardware a year. Something doesn't feel right here, but still awesome to have found something to make it work better!
Apple chose not to implement SPP (Serial Port Profile) support on iOS, possibly for power-saving or security reasons, as they also do not allow serial USB OTG either. Kenwood, on the other hand, opted to use SPP for KISS TNC access, likely because TNCs have traditionally been serial devices. While each design decision can be justified individually, their combination results in a frustrating incompatibility.
@@islandmagicco fair enough, thanks for the reply. Even though I don't have this radio, I would like to pass along my thanks for being a solution bringer. Problem solvers are what make the world go round.
I am waiting for someone to do a review on Cattails vs say,an Abbree or similar antenna on my kits before I go and spend my hard earned money on any one of them.
Those Lightning to USB-C adapters do not allow the phone to act as a power delivery host. Instead, a USB-C power bank can be used to power the adapter if desired. The adapter only uses USB-C for power, all the data exchange is done via Bluetooth.
Interesting that they completely ripped off the EIB (Excellence In Broadcasting) Network logo. I know the network as it was is no longer, but I think iHeart Media still owns those trademarks and intellectual property rights.
The adapter works with iPads. For newer iPads with a USB-C connector, just plug it in to power the adapter. For older iPad models with lightning connector, a USB-C power bank can be used to power the adapter.
Note that if your iPhone is from a generation earlier than the iPhone 15, it has a Lightning connector instead of USB-C. Using a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter does not enable the phone to function as a power delivery host and will not power the adapter. To use the adapter with an older iPhone lacking USB-C, you can use a portable power bank. The adapter only requires power from USB-C; all data exchange is done via Bluetooth. Additionally, your vehicle may have a USB-C power plug, or you can use a USB-C car charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter.
This works with most IPhones and for mine I plugged the adapter into a USBc power supply and it works. The point is do not have to plug it into your phone.
I had my D-75A for four months going on five. Honestly, it's worth the money. No other HT on the market does what it can do. They sound good on D-STAR and FM. Just wish a couple of my neighbors who are hams would get one so we can talk on 220 using D-STAR.
Good video. Thx. The Mobilink TNC4 bluetooth works just fine with any iPhone or Android so it’s obviously a Kenwood issue. It’s likely Kenwood’s adaptation and relaxed security implementation of Bluetooth that’s causing the issue. Kenwood is supposed to be a premium product and it would be nice if they actually tested it and made it work with any phone/pad before releasing their product. Unbelievable that Kenwood would willingly exclude a huge customer base when they could fix the issue, most likely with a software update.
Apple refuses to use some of the BT protocols but yeah Kenwood could have used a better BT chip. Icom switched to a different chip so users could use the iPhone app with their d-star radios. The IC-5100 has the old chip and does not work with iPhones.
The Mobilinkd TNC4 works with iOS and Android because it implements support for both the SPP (Serial Port Profile) and the KISS TNC over BLE specification. Prior to that spec being created by OH7LZB, devices that only supported SPP (like the TNC2), could not be paired with iOS either. Another device that implements both is the PicoAPRS radio.
On iOS, the Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (SPP) is locked behind Apple's MFi program. Since Kenwood did not participate in the program, SPP is not available for this device, the remaining option is to use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is not restricted to MFi. There is no industry standard serial protocol for BLE, so Mobilinkd created their own for their peripheral. It works, but it does require each app to add code to support it. Kenwood did not implement the Mobilinkd protocol in their device.
