I am thrilled to announce that RadioMail 1.0 is now available in the App Store.
Back in January, Joe Speroni AH0A planted the seed for the development of RadioMail when he mentioned to me that there should be an iPhone app for Winlink. The idea of having "Winlink in your pocket" appealed to me, so I foolishly jumped into the project without thinking too much about what it would take. It was something that I really wanted for myself, and the idea of making it a reality was inspiring.
The app has been eleven months in the making, with a lot of challenges along the way. Implementing and testing the AX.25 packet protocol from scratch was a particularly demanding task.
I am grateful for the support and help from all of you. Thank you.
This first release is just the beginning, and I plan to continue enhancing the app in the future. I will be taking a short break for the holidays, but I am looking forward to continuing to work on RadioMail next year.
I hope you’ll stay with me on this journey.
Mahalo nui loa,
Georges WH6AZ
PS: If you choose to purchase RadioMail, please consider leaving a positive review on the App Store. Your feedback helps other users who have not had the opportunity to try the app before.
Congratulations Georges! Just downloaded the latest version.
This might be part of an expanded RadioMail, but what is the likelihood that the app could suggest (or list) nearby digipeaters for use on vhf? As an example, when I was starting off with packet in a new qth, the local 2m node was Mia configured, and would not connect properly. I discovered some digis by monitoring the usual frequencies, and eventually found some that would reliably connect to a CMS.
Is this a possibility, or a bridge too far?
Thanks again!
73 de KD6RZX!
I don't know much about digipeaters. Are they basically equivalent of voice repeater but setup for AX.25 digital mode? Is there a consolidated directory that list their existence?
Digipeating configuration is not currently supported in RadioMail packet mode. The underlying AX.25 protocol implementation has some placeholder for it. It's probably not going to be too difficult to add. However, I don't have a good test environment for this so that's the getting item. I will need to either figure out a setup or possibly collaborate closely with someone who can do the testing for me.
Beta version 0.3.1 will expire next Monday 12/19. You can forward or export messages out of the app if you no longer wish to use RadioMail. If you purchase the app store version, it will just update the current Beta version and retain your data.
Packet digipeating is sort of like a voice repeater, but it takes the
destination as a parameter. A digipeater is not typically connected to the
internet. Most TNCs have a configuration that allows them to act as
digipeater, so you could use anything you have on-hand.
Here's a starter: http://www.kc5goi.net/aprs/tnc_configuration_settings.htm
I live in a hilly region with lots of blind spots. Getting WinLink mail
into and out of the internet generally requires one or two hops through
digipeater. We have several digipeaters in strategic locations to provide
the necessary coverage.