qFT8: Portable Amateur Radio

Luis Quesada (HB9IPH)

About this app

Turn your Android phone or tablet into a complete ham radio station. Plug in your radio, tap CQ, and work the world, no laptop required.

WHY HAMS CHOOSE qFT8
• Plug and play: connect your radio over USB and qFT8 recognizes it automatically. CAT and audio for 70+ transceivers.
• All the modes in one app: FT8, FT4, FT2, JS8, WSPR and LQ8, plus (experimental) CW, RTTY, SSB and SSTV.
• Free, no ads, no account. Decoding and transmitting work fully offline.
• Built for the field: runs with the screen off, uses little battery, and sets your location and time by itself.

OPERATE YOUR WAY
• Full AUTO: qFT8 answers CQs, sequences the QSO and logs it for you, with retry limits you control.
• Or stay in charge with one-tap manual calling.
• CW with on-screen paddles, keyboard and memories; the QRP Labs QMX keys its own CW.
• POTA and SOTA activations: start one, count your QSOs, spot yourself on POTA, export the logs.

SEE THE BANDS
• Live world map of every station you hear, with distance and bearing, live spots, band propagation, and POTA / SOTA indicators.
• Waterfall and spectrum with decoded messages right on the signals.
• Report and see spots on PSK Reporter and WSPRnet.

YOUR LOG, EVERYWHERE
• Upload and confirm QSOs with QRZ, Logbook of The World (LoTW) and eQSL, or your own Wavelog / Cloudlog.
• Edit any QSO, log contacts by hand, ADIF import and export.

RADIOS
Support for 70+ rigs, including QRP Labs (QMX, QMX+, QDX), ICOM (IC-7300, IC-705, IC-9700, IC-7100 and more), Yaesu (FT-891, FT-710, FT-991A, FTDX10, FTX-1), Kenwood, Elecraft (KX2, KX3, K4), Xiegu and others, or any radio through a VOX / audio interface cable.

AND MORE
• Remote control from any browser with the built-in web interface: hear the radio and talk in SSB, protected by a private link and password.
• qFT8 bridge: use a radio connected to another of your devices, encrypted.
• High-accuracy time sync (NTP or GPS).
• Available in 37 languages.

Ratings and reviews

I've had quite a few ham radio apps over the years, and usually they're kinda glitchy and are always lacking features. This app is completely the opposite! it worked straight away from the first time I connected it to my QMX and I kept discovering handy little features along the way that I didn't even know I wanted or needed. The ADIF export was dead simple and didn't need manual formatting. Just export, upload, and you're done. Thank you!

Digital ops dashboard done RIGHT. I've tried a few other FT8-centralized apps to run a light digital POTA operation in the field using the one piece of equipment NO one leaves at home (a smart phone), with mostly success. There are a few well designed and useful apps out there fir the purpose, but this one blows the rest out of the sky. There's not another app that has the confluence of utility (with multiple modes available in one place!), ease of use (Intuitive) and COST (FREE!) 73 de AD5MO

This is an Amazing app. thank You soo much Luis!!! The app is FREE and NO ads!!!! This app was designed for the QRPLabs rigs, I use it with the QMX. Most other apps have a lot of configuration and bugs and are difficult to set up and work. Because this was designed for the QRPLabs rigs there is actually no setup. You do need to enter your call, etc but no technical radio or phone settings. I literally just plugged in the usb cable to the rig and it worked!!!! interface is BEAUTIFUL THANKS

What’s new

- Every mode plays at the same loudness; SSB OUT goes down to mute
- Web remote: CLEAR stations button
- LQ8: activity shown on the live map (asks once)
- Safer TX: a lost radio or a long sleep with a bridge never keys again
- QRZ: a wrong API key is reported as such
- SSTV manual reception: no line counter
- Fixes for SSB sideband, LoTW edits, the microphone list and Linux/Windows packages