Support KISS over BLE for plug-and-play support with aprs.fi and other apps
Opened this issue · 6 comments
Hello,
Seeing the HG-UV98 has KISS support and some sort of BLE, it would be great if it supported the KISS over BLE API as specified and implemented in the aprs.fi iPhone app, and the Mobilinkd TNC3, and I believe in APRSDroid in the future. The specification is simple, and can be found here:
https://github.com/hessu/aprs-specs/blob/master/BLE-KISS-API.md
If the radio would support KISS over BLE according to the existing documenting specification, automatic KISS TNC discovery would just work with the popular aprs.fi app (which I develop and maintain). Out of the box. The user could simply pick and select the radio from the TNCs menu, just like the Mobilinkd BLE TNC3 and Dire Wolf here:
https://twitter.com/aprsfi/status/1352653897769357312
Supporting this common standard would make the radio work with all existing software that supports the Mobilinkd TNC3.
It'd be the first radio to work with the aprs.fi app, and I'd be happy to point it out on social media, and I'm quite sure it would make the radio very popular amongst iPhone users, especially in the US.
@hessu Were the suggestions posted here able to help you? I'm curious.
https://groups.io/g/HG-UV98-users/topic/bluetooth_tnc/86711218?p=,,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate/sticky,,,20,2,0,86711218,previd=1636219737146478350,nextid=1618666660884332396&previd=1636219737146478350&nextid=1618666660884332396
@hessu Were the suggestions posted here able to help you? I'm curious.
No, those do not seem to be helpful.
Hello,
Seeing the HG-UV98 has KISS support and some sort of BLE, it would be great if it supported the KISS over BLE API as specified and implemented in the aprs.fi iPhone app, and the Mobilinkd TNC3, and I believe in APRSDroid in the future. The specification is simple, and can be found here:
https://github.com/hessu/aprs-specs/blob/master/BLE-KISS-API.md
If the radio would support KISS over BLE according to the existing documenting specification, automatic KISS TNC discovery would just work with the popular aprs.fi app (which I develop and maintain). Out of the box. The user could simply pick and select the radio from the TNCs menu, just like the Mobilinkd BLE TNC3 and Dire Wolf here:
https://twitter.com/aprsfi/status/1352653897769357312
Supporting this common standard would make the radio work with all existing software that supports the Mobilinkd TNC3.
It'd be the first radio to work with the aprs.fi app, and I'd be happy to point it out on social media, and I'm quite sure it would make the radio very popular amongst iPhone users, especially in the US.
Hi, hessu! I think UV98's BLE KISS TNC can be found and added as a Bluetooth serial port device, you can use the LightBlue app (ios) to find it. Further, the Ovita Map app (ios) also can find and add it as a KISS TNC device (a virtual serial port TNC). Many ios apps can find and deal with these BLE serial port devices. I hope you can add this function into aprs.fi app, thanks a lot!
@momoba2003 - Currently, even though LightBlue can see the device, aprs.fi (the main aprs app in iOS) can not connect to it. If the BLE KISS specification was implemented on this and the X1C3 through firmware updates, they would work with aprs.fi app. With the built in GPS it would be more useful than Mobilinkd, since a phone would not be needed for all aprs function. It could take a good tool and make it awesome.
Please implement the spec shown at:
https://github.com/hessu/aprs-specs/blob/master/BLE-KISS-API.md
In addition to aprs.fi, the RadioMail Winlink app (https://radiomail.app/) supports the BLE KISS API specification, as well as the PocketPacket iOS app. It is also supported by the Mobilinkd TNC3, TNC4, and the PicoAPRS v4.
We have a common specification for this, so that with a single implementation apps can discover and support all these TNCs at once, without doing anything special to support each manufacturer separately. It also allows us to find which devices are actual KISS TNCs.
I'll confirm again that I will not implement any special changes to support the UV98. The specification is there to allow interoperability without requiring software developers to do custom changes for each manufacturer. The manufacturer of the UV98 can release a firmware update to support the BLE KISS spec and it will work with aprs.fi, RadioMail, PocketPacket, and any other apps that are compatible with the Mobilinkd and PicoAPRSv4 TNCs now or in the future.
+1