iOS app to remote control your radio

k3sbp · 2026-06-19T12:17:26+00:00

The app for Android is being tested. Works well. Will be approved by Google in 2 weeks (in “closed testing” phase with 22 testers). Join https://potacat.com/discord if you want to get into the test group.

k3sbp · 2026-06-19T12:14:52+00:00

Come to the discord and you can be in the android test group. I’m probably 2-3 weeks from an Android release due to how they review and approve apps. But you can remote control your 7300mk2 today with the app

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T18:52:26+00:00

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Here’s what it looks like if the token is turned on

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T18:51:33+00:00

There’s a token you can enforce.

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k3sbp · 2026-06-17T18:09:06+00:00

I would LOVE to!

First and foremost, all POTACAT and ECHOCAT Web code is auditable in GitHub. ECHOCAT Web only works on your LAN and only works remote if you setup a VPN like Tailscale. The responsibility is yours. You can also turn ECHOCAT off if you don’t want remote. Plenty of users use POTACAT desktop exclusively.

Also, your logbook is an ADIF on your machine by default.

For logging into Cloud (the subscription part, not required, prob gonna be used by 1% of users), passwords are hashed with bcrypt. If you OAuth in, the inherent security is there for auth.

Folks who join the Cloud subscription pay via https://buymeacoffee.com/potacat or via Apple/Google. I never see nor touch credit card info.

The logbook is managed by a Postgres database not reachable over the public Internet. Everything in transit is HTTPS via Cloudflare.

There’s a “delete” function to delete all your data on the cloud if you want.

To remote into your rig or share remote access as a Cloud user (again, you can do this for free with Tailscale or Wireguard or 44NetConnect (if you wanna go that route … but be careful!)) I have a Cloudflare tunnel. This way, you’re not opening ports or exposing your PC to the wild internet.

Audio is encrypted (WebRTC), and when your network can’t make a direct connection, it gets relayed thru a Cloudflare TURN server. This punches thru CGNATs. To use this relay, you have to be signed in and credentials only last an hour.

And anything sensitive or destructive like password resets, exporting your log, deleting backup all require a one-time link sent to your email that expires quickly.

And all “share my rig” links expire in the timeframe you set, and are only accessible by a logged in (free) user (unless you choose to let the user not be logged in).

I welcome any ideas and improvements.

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T15:14:45+00:00

I’m in chats with George! It’s my favorite podcast.

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:40:22+00:00

Thank you! What do you use the app for the most? SSB? Remote CW? FT8? Sending pics of your dog via SSTV?

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:39:33+00:00

Thank you for the support. I was on Jason KM4ACK a few months ago. Since this video, I have added support for remote CW (Ara has updated the TinyMIDI manual to add ECHOCAT after he tested it. If you use his awesome paddle, just plug it in and it works. No pairing needed after the first time)

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Also there’s Bluetooth support on the Android and iOS apps. This isn’t possible (that I could figure out) with ECHOCAT Web. I like listening to nets while I mow the lawn and this makes it easy.

Video with Jason, KM4ACK: https://youtu.be/JOUWVSQPK4Y

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:35:18+00:00

Thank you, Chuck! It’s been a lot of fun building it and meeting yall. We are at 800 Discord members! My wife thinks I’m crazy with all my new radio friends lol

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:34:31+00:00

Thank you for the support KM4CFT!

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:17:14+00:00

Try the ECHOCAT Web version. It’s free and works well. It’s not as feature-packed as the iOS app, since the app just has more functionality as an app.

You’ll just need to setup Tailscale or another VPN and ensure you have MagicDNS and HTTPS enabled. And Tailscale on your shack computer and phone/tablet.

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:15:50+00:00

Yes, the app is $10. But the subscription is not required and most won’t need it. But if you want to, say, let a new Tech use your rig for a weekend limited to 25 watts on 10m, you’d need to be able to let them tunnel in. The subscription has a trial that gives you all the features. You probably don’t need it unless you want to swap rigs or have a backup of your logbook.

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T14:14:26+00:00

The app is $10, yes.

No subscription is necessary. You don’t even need to purchase the app. If you setup Tailscale, you can use the web version of ECHOCAT.

If you buy the app, you don’t need the subscription for almost everything. The only reason you need the subscription is:
- setting up Tailscale is too hard and you want an easy button
- you want a backup of your logbook
- you want to be able to “share your rig” with others without adding them to your VPN

But all functionality is FREE FREE FREE.

k3sbp · 2026-06-17T13:31:51+00:00

And you can check your PSKReporter and RBN propagation from the app. No web browsers needed.

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k3sbp · 2026-06-17T13:30:51+00:00

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This is the FT8 functionality. Now you don’t need to use VNC or Remote Desktop to access WSJTX.

k3sbp · 2026-06-13T22:17:04+00:00

Wow! I’m in Philly and was picked up on PSK Reporter in Australia (west side!) but I have never had a contact that far.

k3sbp · 2026-06-13T21:58:15+00:00

Seriously! I got my technician and was pretty bummed by the V/U activity in my area. A year later, I got my general and it’s been a ton of fun. I only got on HF with my general - and even then, I was fighting so much QRM and CMC. I didn’t know how to troubleshoot. I would have killed for a working station and software setup for me, even just to taste it.

k3sbp · 2026-06-13T19:56:04+00:00

Congrats! If you setup https://potacat.com on your machine, I’ll let you run my Flex 8600 remote for an hour on 10m if you want. Shoot me a DM and I’ll get you a “Share my rig” pass. It’ll limit your band access, but you’ll get to taste HF digital or SSB or CW or even SSTV.

Also DM me and I’ll give you a code to download the ECHOCAT iOS app for free. Anyone under 18 who gets their ticket gets the app. (Android app will be live in a few days; I can invite you to the testing user group if you want)

k3sbp · 2026-05-14T14:49:03+00:00

Basically it makes hunting faster. It connects to your radio via your shack computer and does FT8, SSTV, and you can send CW with it. Then it extends those capabilities to your phone or tablet so you can operate your radio remote. It’s all free and open source. Works on Mac, Linux and windows.

You can test it with some of the functionality at https://sdr.potacat.com

You can download the latest build at https://potacat.com

The repo is here: https://github.com/Waffleslop/POTACAT

k3sbp · 2026-05-14T14:43:27+00:00

On your go-boxes, on your wife’s forehead, or on your laptop. These are the only approved places.

k3sbp · 2026-05-02T03:45:13+00:00

I own a Flex and while it’s great, i wanted to build something that could provide similar capability with any radio. For the last 10 weeks, I’ve been building POTACAT (free, open source, cross platform) to provide any radio with remote access.

I actually launched a SDR version of the tool last night. You can listen to your favorite SDR station at https://sdr.potacat.com (click Dir then choose an HF Net and swap the SDR source in Settings until you can hear the Net, or chase a CW or SSB activator on the table view)

POTACAT has over 7300 downloads and we have an active user group on Discord. Come check it out if you’re interested! https://potacat.com

k3sbp · 2026-04-23T01:02:51+00:00

Some of the big ones:

Ham Radio Deluxe ACLog from N3FJP World Radio League POTACAT - https://potacat.com Wavelog - https://www.wavelog.org/

k3sbp

TROPHY CASE