ATAK 4.7.0.2 / HAMMER v1.1 / Samsung Note 9 running Android 10 / digirig with the Yaesu HT cable and a 100watt high speed usb-c to usb-c cable (with a toriod added to each end of the usb-c cable to prevent interference THE TOROIDS ARE ESSENTIAL) / Yaesu VX8-DR with an adapter cable to change the speaker/mic. plug to a 3.5mm plug to match the digirig Yaesu HT cable. No changes were required in the ATAK app just run the calibrate volume function in the Hammer plugin.
Jeff, congrats on your success!
Can you please share the links to the software involved and maybe the screenshots of the configuration screens.
Thank you.
Update… Download ATAK 4.7 and the Hammer Plugin from TAK.gov. Turn Radio Squelch setting to 2, and the Mic. Gain to 5. Then run the calibrate volume setting. It should handshake almost immediately. Differing radios will need differing settings.
Hello, just stumbled upon this while working on a project that I’ve got going so I figured I’d ask.
I have a Raspberry Pi 4B running Android OS and ATAK with HAMMER and I’m looking for a radio to use with it to enable ATAK use offline/off-grid. I’m trying to do as much research as possible and hopefully get something that someone has used with a similar combo before so I’m not spending a bunch of money getting a radio that doesn’t work.
Are you able to recommend whether the Yaesu FT-65R might work for this application if I use the same cable configuration you have there? The reason I ask is because I’m looking to drive costs down as much as possible, since I’m hoping to outfit multiple people with this setup and $100 here and there makes the difference to getting them on board.
Finally, when you’ve been using this setup, are you pretty much limited to sending text messages and simple map drawings over ATAK, or can you send pictures? I know bandwidth is a concern when not using military-grade radios with ATAK. Furthermore, how are you handling voice transmission? I’m wondering if I can use the dual band functionality of the FT-65R to send ATAK data on one channel and simplex voice on the other. Thanks for your help!
I’m sorry I haven’t responded before now. I’m having mixed results. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. No matter which setup I use. I have the ft65r but it doesn’t have a vox setting, so you have to use the digirig, since it’s a Motorola plug not a kenwood plug you have to get the specific digirig plug for it. Currently I’m using the btech aprs cable, with retevis rt3s radios. I have had zero luck with atak over digital on the rt3s, but am leaning towards it because it has the ability to do digital “encryption” (it’s proprietary and there is no stated standard but it can’t be understood by other digital radios without it.) Im not concerned with legality, if it comes to a point where Im using it, it wont matter. Voice comms over digital and atak over analog. My intent with the vx8dr was security by obscurity and flexibility. 6meters 2meters MURS 1.25meters 70Cm and GMRS in one radio. I think in order to send image or video you need to use high speed radios like Harris or Motorola that atak was designed around, or use a tak server. Which is cost prohibitive or prohibited by the need to remain off grid. Best of luck to you, if you find the magic combination, please let me know.
No worries, I’ve actually had some minor progress since then. I’ve got an FT-65R and tested ATAK transmissions between that and a Baofeng, but not the UV-5R, it was a different model that my buddy has. It was not fully successful, but went in the right direction. Transmissions from the FT-65R to the Baofeng would go all the way through, we could see both radios lighting up as they were sending and receiving, but it didn’t produce a message in ATAK. It makes me think that the Baofeng we used just isn’t compatible with the cable we got, since when he said he had a Baofeng, I assumed he meant a UV-5R, so instructed him to get the UV-5R cable. I have a UV-5R, so I’m going to use that cable to test transmissions at my house this weekend.
My setup will be a Raspberry Pi 4b with the FT-65R and my cell phone with the UV-5R. I’ll post back here if I can get a test message to work.
I’m still really new to all of this, so my goal for now is to just send and receive ATAK data over analog radio, just radio to radio, no mesh or anything. The only other thing I desire is a way to use voice comms over those same radios without having to disconnect from ATAK, change settings in ATAK whenever I want to talk, or use a second radio.
I wonder a bit if I should’ve gone for digital/analog handhelds like you did, or if I can just allocate one band for voice and one band for ATAK. I don’t know how to do that though.
Yeah, without getting some kind of splitter that allows incoming transmissions to play into a headset and into your atak device, you’re stuck carrying 2 radios. I did have someone remark that having the atak radios too close together when they transmit interferes with it. Of course, anything to make testing and setup more of a pain in the ass. I like the idea of using the APRS cable because it’s a simple one cable solution, rather than needing a cable from the radio to the digirig and then another from the digirig to the atak device. It just means that you have to use a radio set up with a kenwood plug. Another idea is the BTech 25x4. It comes with a splitter that allows both the mic. and a kenwood plug at the same time. I have two of these but I got them before they started selling with the splitter, and of course you cant buy just the splitter anywhere. And because its a mobile radio you need to run it with a lifepo battery from a backpack, and work out an antenna. And that particular radio gets pretty hot. Atak forwarder and meshtastic work great until there is ANYTHING that blocks line of sight. Even going into another room. I’m looking at getting a better transmitter. I’m happy to help, even if it’s just to bounce ideas around.
Jeff
Evening, I’m hoping you might be able to assist, I’m sure this is something simple I’m doing wrong, but I’m unable to get ATAK 5.1 Hammer v1.2 (4cc1138a)-[5.1.0] to communicate with my radio. Right now I have a Samsung S20 connected with a 100W USB-C to digirig, the digirig is going to a Yaesu FT60 or FT70 (tried both) via the digirig cable for Yaesu. Each time I connect everything up I run a calibration. I see zero indications on the radio. After calibration is completed I attempt a chat message with zero indications on the radio. Any advice would be appreciated.
It may be that you dont have the vox turned on. Or make sure the usb cable is a data cable not just a power cable. If the plastic piece inside the usb end is blue or purple you should be good.
Thank you for the reply, not sure about the VOX setting, tested the USB cable it is data but unlike when I plug into my laptop I get no options on my phone for USB. it is as if my phone sees this connection as a headset
Yeah, you want your phone to see it as a headset, but you want your phone to see it as a headset with a mic. It probably already does, Im almost certain of it. I’m guessing that the problem lies with the radio. If it isnt capable of vox, or cat control, then you need something in line between the phone and the radio to act like a ptt. I think the digirig uses the (serial) side to activate the ptt. I wish you luck, I know how frustrating this can be.
For keying up the radio Digirig Mobile support PTT by RTS and PTT via CAT (with capable radios).
As a less desirable fallback option VOX in the radio can also be used.
Digirig Lite supports PTT via GPIO3 of codec as well as PTT by tone (VOX) on the right channel.
Thank you, I got the radio keyed but nothing is coming out. I’m working to determine if my handhelds are CAT or have the VOX settings. Thank you for the assistance.
Interesting. I have a similar setup. ATAK triggers the ptt through vox. The radio transmits the tone. On a second radio setup basically the same as the first, but without vox, second radio isn’t capable of vox, it receives the transmission but doesn’t decode. What am I missing? How do I get the receiving radio to decode?
Thanks TJ
That sounds frustrating. If you look at other threads here, members post screencaptures of their configuration screens. That gives others a chance to see what you might be missing.
So my settings are exactly the same as the OP. The only difference is the actual transmitting radio. It’s a Wouxun KG-UV8, as it’s the only radio I have that I’m aware of that is capable of vox. Vox settings is that the most sensitive at #10. The receiving radio is a Yeasu FT3dr setup the exact same way as the transmitting radio. And settings on second ATAK phone the exact same. The second radio doesn’t do vox, but that shouldn’t be an issue as the receiving radio shouldn’t need it
Edit: only difference from OPs setup other than radios are Digirig radio specific cables
OK. Thanks for explaining. I do not own the Yaesu FT3dr or run ATAK Hammer, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt.
On the RX radio:
Is squelch 0?
Is it in simplex mode for the frequency?
Is volume adjusted correctly?
Are connectors pushed in all the way?
RF chokes on cables?
On the RX phone/computer:
is RX input AGC unset?
Is the RX input volume adjusted correctly?
Are connectors pushed in all the way?
Are audio feedback paths blocked between the TX phone/computer and the RX phone/computer?
On the TX radio:
If the radios are close to each other, the front-end of the RX radio may be saturated. Have you tried TX into a dummy load (or disconnecting the RX radio antenna or moving them far apart?)
On the TX phone/computer:
The phones/computers may need to be far away from each other to prevent audio feedback.
Are you using the 3.5mm aux cord from digirig? They are specific that the right angle end goes into the radio and the striaght end goes into the digirig. It wont work if reversed.
Turn the vox sensitivity down and work your way up from the lowest setting. Find the lowest setting that causes the radio to tx and then go up 1. If the radio has a mic gain setting do the same thing with that.
