B.B. Link Adapter DIY

Are you a Kenwood TH-D74 or TH-D75 owner frustrated by the lack of Bluetooth support for iOS? In this episode, WH6AZ takes a slight detour to introduce B.B. Link, a BLE-to-Bluetooth Classic bridge that finally lets you pair your Kenwood HT with your iPhone or iPad. Learn why Bluetooth Classic and BLE don’t play nice and how B.B. Link solves the problem using an ESP32 and a custom firmware. Follow along to flash the firmware, print a case, wire up the adapter, and see it in action with RadioMail and APRS.fi. Whether you’re into portable ops, APRS, or Winlink packet sessions, this is the Apple-Kenwood handshake you’ve been waiting for.

Don't want to tinker?

👉 Check out the latest ready-made version of B.B. Link that plugs directly into your iPhone or iPad.

Song Credits

• “ST Slide guitar blues riff” by juskiddink — Licensed under CC BY 4.0
• “Fast And Cool Acoustic Blues Lick In E - Guitar Tag” by MarkMusicPictures — Licensed under Commercial use

TH-D75 pairing fail courtesy of Josh KI6NAZ @ HRCC. Watch the full review.