It arrived from Hawaii today and I was keen to try it but….it’s USB-C. Incompatible with almost every iPhone ever made.
I’ve ordered an adapter for the adapter and will report back.
73 de N8XS
It won't work. The older iPhones (pre 15) don't power (host mode) from their port. You can still power the device and use it from a battery though.
73 de K6EF
Yeah, the adapter won’t do the trick. I tried it too. Any USB-C power supply will work, though. It only needs power from the USB-C .
Also, it’s clear that Apple is phasing out the Lightning port and going all USB-C, so the future should be bright, IMHO.
Cheers,
Ken van Wyk
Armata Scientia
Yes and no.. Apple is phasing out the lighting connector (yeah!) the new USB-C connector will have their priority stuff that will prevent you from plugging in non-apple approved devices. (boo!)
So, while it might do "host mode" type power output, it might disable to power if the connection doesn't have the proper chipset.
So far, Apple hasn't required the USB Voluntary Authentication (MFi) for their USB-C implementation but since they're being forced out of the lightning connection because the EU forced their hands, I would not put it past them to require and license it.
K6EF
Just got mine. If I power the device from a battery (I have an older iPhone), can I use it with any HT, or is the TH-D74/5 the only one it works with?
More details on “power from a battery” please. I have zero USB-C devices that have the female side. Everything I have is USB-A to USB-C (like the BB Link) for charging.
73 de N8XS
I take that back. Found one thing with USB-C, an Apple charger! Works good. Need to figure out the battery.
73 de N8XS
Great you got it up and running Mitch.
Kent, the adapter only works with TH-D74/5. They are the only radio with a built-in TNC that's exposed via Bluetooth.
The B.B. Link adapter solves one problem: exposing the built-in TNC packet modem from the Kenwood TH-D74/5 radios to devices that can not use the Bluetooth Classic serial profile to access it. It does this by bridging Bluetooth Classic protocol to the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and exposes it following the BLE KISS TNC [specification](https://github.com/hessu/aprs-specs/blob/master/BLE-KISS-API.md)
In order to work, the adapter needs power. It gets it via its USB-C connector and as such can be plugged into any device that supply power via USB-C, such as portable power banks, wall chargers, and more interestingly, the iPhone 15 and newer iPads.
So to recap, you’ll need:
* A Kenwood TH-D74/5 radio.
* A packet application like RadioMail or aprs.fi that complies with the BLE KISS TNC spec.
* A source of USB-C power, like the iPhone 15 or newer iPad models listed [here](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108894)
Alternatively, if you have a previous generation iPhone with the lightning connector, a portable power bank can be used instead. Powering from a wall charger or the USB-C port of a computer will work but does not offer much in terms of portability. Lightning to USB-C adapter will not work as they don’t act as power delivery host. Same for the USB-C plug on the TH-D75, it does not power devices attached to it.
Good summary, Georges!
Oddly enough I’ve was driving around in my truck today and noticed it has a USB-C connector in the dash. Win!!!
I’m going to find a little power bank with a USB-C port. All of mine are USB-A or lightning.
73 de N8XS
More testing…
Tried the USB-C port in the truck. Changed the adapter in BB Link and repaired the D74. All looked right but Radiomail never found the BBLink. Stuck on:
*** Finding device B.B. Link
Reset the adapter and repaired. Same failure.
Tried again with a USB-C power brick. Tested to make sure the port was an output by connecting a USB-C to Lightning and it charged my phone. Same deal. Stuck on:
*** Finding device B.B. Link
And is it natural behavior for B.B. Link app to say “Lost BLE Connection” as soon as you switch to Radiomail?
Finally, how do you delete old paired Bluetooth devices in the D74?
73 de N8XS
Yes, B.B. Link Configurator will drop the BLE connection when not in focus. This is because with BLE, only one application can use the device at a time. This is usually what can cause RadioMail to not find the adapter.
Another potential problem is if you "paired" the phone with the adapter. On the phone, go to Settings > Bluetooth. If the adapter is listed in the MY DEVICES, select the ⓘ and select Forget This Device.
If you have not already, I recommend to download the [B.B. Link Operator Manual](https://go.islandmagic.co/docs/B.B.%20Link%20Operator%20Manual.pdf)
To clear devices on TH-D74/5, go to Bluetooth -> Connect (menu 931). Select the device and press "menu". A menu opens, select "Clear"
If anyone really wants to use the older pre-15 iPhone it may well be possible using the Apple Lightning to USB adaptor along with a USB-A to USB-C cable. I have used the old adaptor for basic host mode USB needs (Audio I/O, keyboard, etc) and it operates effectively just like the new USB-C models. I also just tested a similar home built TNC adaptor that I built a year or so back and it seems to work fine. I can't remember what microcontroller board I used but it is also USB-C. It only seems to use 50-100mA@5V and the Apple adaptor can easily provide that. If the B.B. Link requires actual PD spec at 9V or more than it certainly won't work but I would guess it is fine if it only needs the standard 5V USB.
73,
Jeff - K1VG
OK, I read the manual and tried all the troubleshooting advice.
(This is all with the BB Link being powered by an Apple USB-C wall wart.)
I killed all the apps on the phone.
Checked to make sure BB Link is not a listed Bluetooth device on iPhone.
Rebooted iPhone.
Cycled Bluetooth power on iPhone.
Removed all Bluetooth devices from the D74.
Reset the BB Link and re-paired with the D74 several times.
Killed and restarted Radiomail several times.
I still get stuck at Radiomail trying to find the BB Link.
Still working on it…
73 de N8XS
You should not have to re-pair the adapter with the radio for this to work.
Something is odd. The way the B.B. Link Configurator discovers the adapter is similar to how RadioMail discovers it. So if the configurator can find the adapter, so should RadioMail.
Are you positive you complete the pairing process? Meaning you need to confirm the pin on the radio side.
Yes, it is all looking good until Radiomail tries to find BB Link.
Just to bring my sanity back in check I pulled out my old BB Link, found it in the Configurator app and it worked the first time.
Something is screwy with this new adapter. Should I reload the firmware or turn on the beta firmware channel?
73 de N8XS
I have a theory as to what's happening since you mention you had a DIY version of the adapter.
Did you pair RadioMail with your new adapter (Settings > Packet KISS TNC > Default TNC) and make sure you tap Done?
If not, RadioMail is still using the BLE address for your previous adapter. So when you start an exchange it's trying to find that adapter and times out.
Georges,
That was it!
I checked that several times and even tried to delete the old BB Link but couldn’t figure out how. I was going to get out the TNC4 and add it to Radiomail and then go back to the new BB Link but thought, “No! That can’t be it. I can see it already has BB Link selected.”
I guess the issue is that all BB Links look the same in Radiomail.
73 de N8XS