aprs.fi iPhone / iPad 2.0 with Messaging, APRS-IS TX and DSP modem

Version 2.0 of the aprs.fi iPhone & iPad app is now out! A new major version is well deserved, since it comes with the following new major features:

• APRS text messaging
• APRS-IS position beaconing
• A high-performance software DSP modem/TNC (1200 bit/s only at this time)
• Longer time ranges in map and graph views, arbitrary date/time ranges on map
• Up to 10 station profiles in Beacon

The features listed above are enabled by purchasing the Extra Features subscription with an in-app payment.

There's a 1-week free trial included in the1-year subscription, but remember to cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the trial, as Apple will charge the next period up to 24 hours before each subscription term ends! They do this to ensure continuous service when the period ends and switches to the next one.

This is a big release for me, since I have literally worked on these features for a few years. It's been a bit slow, but I finally managed to put together a set of major features which should be well worth the subscription price. The story and reasoning behind the subscription model is throughly described in a previous blog post so I won't dive into it now.

In addition to the Extra Features, there are a few new things which are available to all users:

• Beaconing now has a slider control to adjust the maximum interval between beacon transmissions between 5 minutes and 60 minutes. Previous versions had this fixed to 25 minutes. If the minimum and maximum sliders are set to the same value, it will beacon with quite exactly that interval. If they're set to different intervals, the app will use an algorithm similar to smart beaconing, as before - move faster, it will transmit more often. If you don't move, the maximum interval is used.
• The map view now has a button to adjust the time range.

And, of course, a few bug fixes here and there.

Messaging is implemented in a very iPhone-like way. Received ACKs are shown as a delivery status for each sent message. Transmitting works either via a TNC (Mobilinkd TNC3 or the new built-in DSP modem), or via the Internet (aprs.fi / APRS-IS). Received messages come in via both paths transparently, and it indicates whether each message got in via TNC or Net, or both. Messages received from the APRS-IS are delivered to the iPhone using a Push Notification, so you'll get a notification just like you'd get from an SMS or iMessage, even if the app would not be running at the time. If you have an iWatch it'll also show the notification with message contents!

The demodulator of the TNC is based on the excellent Direwolf modem by John Langner, who kindly permitted me to redistribute his code under the BSD license. I've just reorganised the code quite a lot, and optimised it for less CPU consumption when compiled for the iPhone. It decodes really well - I've benchmarked it with the WA8LMF TNC Test CD and it's in the top category by the number of decoded packets, when compared to the benchmark results published for other TNCs by John in the Direwolf documentation. I'll leave comparative tests and public benchmarking to other neutral parties!

The modulator of the TNC is partially derived from javAX25 by Sivan Toledo, and its C port by Alejandro Santos, who have also kindly permitted me to redistribute under the BSD license.

I still do recommend the Mobilinkd TNC3, since it has an actual PTT circuit to key the transmitter, and it talks with the iDevice over BLE - no wires needed to attach the iPhone. With an audio / DSP modem you'll have to use VOX to key the transmitter, and the transmitter will start up slowly (requiring a large TX delay setting) and will turn off slowly as well (eating precious channel time).

Here's a little video showing packets being decoded right off the speaker. Once I get an iGate implemented I'll have to run the iGate for a few days like this, just for the silliness value.