Aloha  RadioMailer,

I am happy to announce the release of RadioMail 1.1 aka the “Pete and Digipeat were on a boat” release. Available now in the App Store.

🔁 Digipeating

This version provides support for configuring and using digipeaters, useful when connecting to far-away Winlink gateway stations. Digipeaters are special stations that receive and sequentially re-broadcast digital data on the same frequency, extending the range of communications. You can now specify up to two digipeaters to use when connecting to a station in packet or VARA FM mode.

You can specify and quickly toggle on or off each digipeater in the Settings interface.

For example, I set up a VARA FM session to connect to WH6FG, a local station on the other side of the island from me. Because of the topography of the island, it is challenging to get line of sight contact,  and QRP radio like the IC-705 don’t get you very far on VHF. I configured RadioMail to use KH6S and KH6ESK as digipeaters in order to reach the WH6FG Winlink gateway. That station acts as a hybrid participant, so in case of internet outage, it would relay the mail off island via HF. 

When digipeating is in use, the via path is displayed in the connection dialog, and the DIGI indicator is present. 

Digipeating in packet mode works similarly. Note that packet and VARA FM digipeaters are not interchangeable since they need specific knowledge of the protocol to listen to and retransmit the data.

How do you find digipeaters?

Unfortunately, there is no centralized authoritative database of digipeaters. Much like voice repeaters, that information is highly regional. To find the callsign and frequency of digipeaters, you can consult a band plan specific to your area or search for information online. Additionally, you can ask other radio amateurs in your area or join local amateur radio clubs, where this kind of information is shared.

🔌 Legacy TCP packet TNC

In a previous update, RadioMail also added support for legacy TCP packet TNC that are not discoverable via DNS-SD. In case you missed it, if you have a TCP/IP KISS TNC that’s available on the same network as your iPhone, you can now simply enter the hostname or IP address and port for that device and RadioMail will use it in packet mode.

I hope you’ll enjoy this update. If you have questions or feedback, join the conversation at  https://groups.io/g/radiomail

73,
Georges WH6AZ

PS: If you’re enjoying 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.

PPS: If you have a social media presence, consider sharing your portable setup, how far you can digipeat, and hopefully inspire other operators to get out in the field and do the same.