I am trying to use this new cable……billed as being similar to Digi Rig Mini and compatible with IOS…….to use Radiomail between my iPad and an Anytone 878UV+. Has anyone had any success with this, and if so, how?
That cable is a sound card, but to use it for packet connection, a software modem is required in the app, which isn’t currently available in RadioMail.
However, there’s a beta version that’s currently being tested and includes a software modem. If you’re interested in testing it, let me know, and I’ll add you to TestFlight.
Georges WH6AZ
Thanks I would love to test it.
I am afraid I am stumbling in the dark. I figured out how to choose the internal modem, and test volumes. It will not connect. Are there any directions anywhere for troubleshooting…..or for that matter, just proper operation? Thanks 
No documentation yet. This is what you can check:
1. Make sure the output volume on the device is high enough to trigger PTT.
2. Make sure the radio volume is high enough. The BTECH cable seems to attenuate the signal quite a bit. I had to set the volume to about 3/4 on a UV-5R.
3. Make sure you've allowed RadioMail access to the microphone in iOS settings
If all that checks, if you can tune another radio to listen to the exchange and figure out where things could go wrong:
- Do you hear your transmission going out?
- Do you hear response back from the station?
If you hear your packet getting out but no response, you're probably too far from the station.
All of the above done. I can hear the radio transmitting (tone) when I use the audio output diagnostic. When I go to connect (my nearest station is 3 miles away and works fine on this radio and cable on a windows laptop) the program simply keys up transmit without sound for about 1 second, and repeats this 4-5 times about 5 seconds apart before it sends me the “unable to connect” message.
Great that the radio keys up. It should also transmit a packet. Can you try starting a connection without the cable connected to your device? You should hear the 2200 tones on one channel and the AFSK modulated packet on the other. Don’t use an earphone as the tones are loud, just the device speaker.
If the AFSK modulation is heard but not transmitted by the radio, then there might be something going on with the audio input on the radio.
I really appreciate your help with this, thanks. Just a single one-second tone, repeated. Nothing that sounds like a packet.
Would be useful if you would send debug log info. To do so:
1. Fully quit RadioMail
2. In iOS Settings under RadioMail, turn on “Log to Remote Server” and “Upload Packet Modem Audio to Remote Server”
3. Restart RadioMail and start a connection session
4. Once done, quit RadioMail and turn the debug settings off as otherwise data uploaded can be quite verbose.
Done. This time, the tone would not stop until I exited out of the program.
Unfortunately that prevented audio to be uploaded. To be clear, you started a connection to a gateway, not using the audio out test, correct?
I am not sure so I will do it again later tonight or tomorrow.
So I have returned this cable to Amazon as it never worked with anything I tried on Radiomail or APRS Fi. What do I need to have, that we know works, to use Radiomail with my Anytone? Thanks.
Though I am not convinced you don't have a different problem, I can confirm the follow works with the Radiomail internal modem and the Anytone 878:
DigiRig VOX cable:
https://digirig.net/product/vox-ptt-cable-for-smartphones/
DigiRig Radio cable:
https://digirig.net/product/baofeng-cables/
The combination also works on my PC with Winlink Express, and though I have not tested it, I'm pretty sure it will work with Android devices and WoAD as well.
-Scott, NS7C
since my phone and iPad are USB-C or Lightning, I guess I need the digirig to get them all properly connected? Or do we thing a simple Lightning adapter would work with the vox-ptt cable and iPhone?
In that case, you need the Apple USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter too. The DigiRig VOX cable plugs into a 3.5mm headphone jack.
-Scott, NS7C
Thanks Scott. I have a few kicking around for both UCB-C and Lightning. I will give them a try when I get the cables.
Note that the VOX cable has a passive PTT circuit that may not always play nice with certain radios. Because the DigiRig Lite has access to power, the PTT circuit might be more reliable. If you have an iOs device with USB-C, I personally would prefer the Lite. Otherwise the VOX is a great option if you only have a lightning connector or an old iPad with the built-in 3.5 mm jack. The vox cable is also a bit shorter and a lot more compact. Or get both
Just a quick follow up. I returned the BTECH cable and purchased a Digi Rig Lite. Couldn’t get anything to work on my 878 UV + but then I tried a 25. Beofeng. Works beautifully and unlike most of my Winlink experience, it seems to work reliably each time I test it.