Remote smartsdr - Out of touch with my flex

Luke Reynolds

I have been away from ham radio with small kids and work and travel. I am just really getting back to using it and digging in. I just loaded the latest version of smart SDR and flex. When I took a break I don't think you could do outside the LAN remote radio. Now I have an iPad Pro and am wondering if you can operate remotely like from a hotel to my flex using my iPad Pro? IF you guys can point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated .

KY6LA_Howard

Most definitely can. I am currently using iPad Pro remote from Nice France You need to install a VPN server at your home location... I use SoftEther. ...search community for install instructions Then get Smart]SDR for iOS at the apple App Store. ...again search community for instructions. AFTER YOU INSTALL EVERYTHING ....then post any help questions.

George KF2T

What Howard said! Until SSDR 2.0, a VPN connection is required. Good news is that it's pretty easy.

Luke Reynolds

Howard how has the quality and use been over the VPN pending you have two good connections

Ria

It's just like you're at the radio IF you have a stable connection on both ends. Upload speed where the radio is is far more important than download speed. 

Luke Reynolds

At the radio I have fiber so should be good....just need to get the VPN installed on the host computer

Ken - NM9P

Either use SoftEther.net on your shack computer, or a Raspberry PI, or use A router that has built in OpenVPN and download OpenVPN Connect on your iPad/iPhone. Either way works well.

Ria is correct about upload speed.

KY6LA_Howard

Actually both speeds are important. Upload at remote needs to be at least 1Mb/s or strange things like no waterfall happens. Used it all over the world (27 countries so far) Hotel Wifi tends to ****. 3G is OK, 4G is great. I carry a couple of 4G MIFI boxes which are much more effective than any hotel wifi. We have 200 Mb/s X 200 Mb/s fiber at the apartment in Paris and 300Mb/s X 30Mb/s cable at the base in La Jolla. Surprisingly the less expensive hotels have better wifi. 5 star hotels like to charge for decent speed wifi so their free wifi sucks. (Currently at the Hyatt in Nice that wants €15 per day for decent speeds but my 4G MIFI is faster) Some countries and hotels block VPN connections but there are lots of clever hacks to beat them. Hotels will unblock VPN for a BUSINESS USE fee but it's too much fun to hack their blocks. Do NOT Hack country VPN Blocks as authorities do not have a sense of humor if they catch you. Except for Internet latency which is not much of a factor in the USA most people are unaware that I am Remoting unless I tell them.

Paul Christensen, W9AC

>"I am currently using iPad Pro remote from Nice France."

Howard, completely OT, but if you're spending some time in Nice, consider a walk past the estate of Leon Deloy (ex 8AB).  Deloy's old QTH is located at 55 Boulevard Montboron, overlooking the French Riviera.  It looks identical today as it did in 1923 when he conducted the first transatlantic QSO with Fred Schell, 1MO and John Reinartz, 1XAM.   Even if you're not into the early history of the hobby, it's worth the walk just to see where it occurred.  Not sure what that estate is worth today, but it's gotta' be in the stratosphere.  For those curious, Google the address. 

If you get a chance, how about logging into your Flex from the front of the estate using your iPhone for a 21st century transatlantic QSO to commemorate the occasion of being there?  That would be really cool if you could photograph it and sent it to QST for publication in a forthcoming "Up Front" column. 

Hate walking on the rough stones along the Nice beaches, but like the scenery on the beach --  if you know what I mean :-) 

Paul, W9AC

Ken - NM9P

Howard, if you do this, let me know and I will try to be available for a remote-to-remote contact to commemorate the occasion! Sounds like fun.

KY6LA_Howard

Sorry Ken and Paul but we left Nice this AM for Montpellier IRONIC>..we hiked up MONT-Boron yesterday and walked right past that location ...which BTW has a spectacular view of Nice ..and is likely worth millions of €. We will be back to Cannes in December and its only 30 minutes by train so if the weather holds I can try it in December Second Irony We are seriously looking to rent a villa on MONT-Boron next June for the grandkids so a second possibility exists.

KY6LA_Howard

I agree that the beach in Nice is horribly rocky....I guess that is why it's named Promenade de Anglais..to keep the English there...the great sandy beaches are at Villefranche, Cap Ferrat, Antibes and Juan-des--pins.

KY6LA_Howard

@Paul and @Ken

Heading back to our apartment in Paris this week and then down to Cannes Next Week

As I promised I expect to do that remote connection from estate of Leon Deloy (ex 8AB).  Deloy's old QTH is located at 55 Boulevard Mont Boron, overlooking the French Riviera where he conducted the first transatlantic QSO with Fred Schell, 1MO and John Reinartz, 1XAM.

I will likely take the train into Nice on Dec 6 or 7th  30 Minutes by train.. a two hour walk up the mountain...

I will keep you posted..