Android's advantage is USB OTG: plug the radio's cable straight into the phone and run the same kinds of tools you would on a laptop, on a battery that lasts all day.
Study and licensing
- HamStudy — the practice-exam app most people pass with.
- Ham Radio Exam and Amateur Radio Exam Prep — alternatives with the same pools.
- Morse Machine, IZ2UUF Morse Koch CW — CW training.
Operating in the field
- HAMRS — POTA/SOTA logging, works offline, exports ADIF.
- Ham2K PoLo — a newer, fast portable logger built for activations.
- RepeaterBook and RFinder — find repeaters near you, with offline caches.
- PolarClock, Look4Sat, AmsatDroid — satellite passes and
- Ham Radio Solar Info, DX Propagation — space weather
- Gridplotter / Maidenhead Converter — your grid square, offline.
Doppler.
at a glance.
Digital modes
- APRSdroid — APRS over a Bluetooth TNC (Mobilinkd),
- AndFlmsg — the fldigi family's Android client, used by NBEMS emergency messaging groups.
- FT8CN — FT8 on the phone, driving many radios directly over USB OTG. Popular for portable
- Robot36 and SSTV Encoder — decode and send
- DroidPSK, DroidRTTY — keyboard modes through the phone's microphone and speaker.
- Pat runs on Android via Termux for Winlink, with
audio cable, or the internet.
operating; check that it behaves with your rig before relying on it.
SSTV, including the ISS passes.
patience.
SDR
- SDR Touch, SDRangel for Android, RF Analyzer — RTL-SDR over USB OTG.
- ADSB Receiver apps and rtl_433 builds work the same way.
- NanoVNA apps such as NanoVNA-App let you sweep antennas in the field with no laptop.
Programming
- CHIRP has no Android version. For handheld programming, use a laptop, or one of the vendor
- Digital-voice radios (DMR, D-STAR, Fusion) generally need their vendor's Windows tool for
apps for radios with Bluetooth (some Anytone, Radioddity and TYT models).
codeplugs — see DMR, D-STAR and Fusion.
Practical notes
- You need a USB OTG adapter and, for most phones, a cable with an FTDI or CP210x chip.
- Some phones will not power a dongle; a powered OTG hub fixes it.
- Enable "keep screen on while charging" for long activations, and carry a power bank — SDR and FT8
- Phone audio input is AC-coupled and noisy; a proper isolated interface beats a 3.5 mm splitter.
drain a phone quickly.