Radios and modems
Add the radios and modems you use so they are ready when you start a radio session. RadioMail discovers supported devices over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
In a session, only devices that work with the mode you picked are offered. You choose which one to use for that session. There is no automatic failover.
On the Mailboxes screen, reorder the device list so your preferred device appears first.
Supported devices
See the compatibility list for the full set.
Radios that can set frequency and mode show AUTO. Other devices show MANUAL. With a manual device, set the dial and mode on the radio yourself before you start a session.
Icom IC-705
The IC-705 can connect over Wi-Fi, or over USB with Bluetooth for control.
Wi-Fi: Turn the radio on and join the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. After you add the radio, enter the credentials set on the radio.
The radio can also operate as its own Wi-Fi access point, which is useful in the field.
On the IC-705:
- MENU → SET → WLAN
- Turn WLAN ON.
- Open Connection Type.
- Select Access Point.
- Configure the SSID and password if needed.
- MENU → SET → WLAN SET → Remote Settings → Network Control, and set it to ON.
- On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, open Wi-Fi settings and join the IC-705 network.
In RadioMail, tap Add Device and wait for the radio to appear. This can take up to a minute.
RadioMail searches for the IC-705 on port 50001 by default. If you use a non-standard port, open iOS Settings → Apps → RadioMail and enter that port there.
Wi-Fi latency
When the IC-705 joins your home Wi-Fi instead of running as its own access point, audio travels across the network as a steady stream of small packets. Any delay or dropout on that path is heard as clipped or garbled transmissions. The radio uses only the 2.4 GHz band, so it shares airtime with many other devices and can be slowed by router features meant for phones and laptops, such as legacy-rate support, band steering, or power saving.
A quick check is to ping the radio from a computer on the same network with a packet about the size of an audio frame, for example ping -i 0.2 -s 1400 <radio IP address>. Round-trip times that stay well under 100 ms with little variation are fine. Times that regularly spike into the hundreds of milliseconds, or packets that go missing, mean the network is too slow or too busy.
If tuning your router does not help, switch the radio to Access Point mode and connect your iPhone, iPad, or Mac directly to it. That removes the router from the path and is the most reliable setup.
USB + Bluetooth: USB provides the radio’s audio. Bluetooth is required for PTT, frequency, and mode control.
To pair Bluetooth on the IC-705:
- MENU → SET → Bluetooth Set
- Set Bluetooth to ON.
- Select Pairing/Connect.
- Select Pairing to make the IC-705 discoverable.
- In RadioMail, tap Add Device and wait for the radio to appear.
Plug the radio in over USB before you start a session.
Digirig Lite and AIOC
Plug either adapter in at any time. RadioMail detects it and uses the built-in packet and ARDOP modems. Other Digirig models, such as Digirig Mobile, are not supported.
AIOC requires firmware v1.4 or later with AutoPTT turned on.
Open the radio’s squelch fully, and set the volume in a usable range.
Tap the device to open the audio monitor. Watch the input while you adjust the radio volume so the level is high enough to decode, without clipping.