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Author Topic: using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA  (Read 185 times)

KB0QIP

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using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA
« on: December 20, 2021, 04:49:00 PM »

Hey Hams, have a great question for those who do POTA. Does anyone use a ANDROID Tablet for their logging work and use QRZ also?  I dont want to carry my laptop into the field and would like to use a cheap tablet. I have looked a little and think a Leveno M8 which runs about $100 or a ONN Tablet from Walmart for $75. I understand that these can run APRSDroid and work well. Looking for equipment to be light,portable, low power draw. I would like to keep it windows based. any thoughts or ideas would help.
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AA6YQ

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Re: using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2021, 05:28:34 PM »

Hey Hams, have a great question for those who do POTA. Does anyone use a ANDROID Tablet for their logging work and use QRZ also?  I dont want to carry my laptop into the field and would like to use a cheap tablet. I have looked a little and think a Leveno M8 which runs about $100 or a ONN Tablet from Walmart for $75. I understand that these can run APRSDroid and work well. Looking for equipment to be light,portable, low power draw. I would like to keep it windows based. any thoughts or ideas would help.

I love smartphones and tablets, but I can't imagine logging QSOs with a touch-screen. Bring a portable keyboard!
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N8AUC

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Re: using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2021, 07:38:50 PM »

I've thought about doing exactly that, but have decided to use a Windows Laptop (ultrabook format)
which has very modest power requirements, and it's fairly lightweight as well. If its internal battery
is fully charged before you go into the field with it, it draws a little less than 1 amp from my 12V
LiFePO4 battery. I used that setup for Field Day 2021, and it worked very well.

If you have your heart set on an android tablet, there is another piece of software to side load.
AndFLmsg, which is an android version of FLDigi. It's not a feature laden as the Windows version,
but I've used it on an android smart phone and it works pretty well. And as AA6YQ stated, you
really don't want to be logging QSOs using a touch screen. It will slow you down and limit your
QSO rate while operating POTA. Do yourself a favor and invest a few bucks in a bluetooth
keyboard to go along with it.

It is interesting to note, that long time portable digital QRP guy Julian, OH8STN has recently changed
from using a raspberry pi with an android tablet and bluetooth keyboard to a Microsoft Surface 2 tablet.
He found that there was some software he really wanted to be able to use that was just too kludgey to
run on a raspberry pi, but worked just fine on Windows. He also really likes how that change has
simplified his field setup.

73 de N8AUC
Eric
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K6SDW

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Re: using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2021, 08:34:06 PM »

I use a Samsung Tab-A tablet which I'm quite happy with. I've loaded SOTA, POTA LoTW, eQSL, QRZ...etc....etc...most of the apps work, minimal function compared to the "real" apps running on Windows OS. Of course, if you want Internet connectivity on, say a mountain such as Mt. Everest, you'll need a "smart" phone for that, which isn't always available.

So, I prefer a piece of paper and pencil then worry about logging the stations when I get back to the QTH.

Ol' school I guess.....

GL/73
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N8AUC

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Re: using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2021, 07:20:51 PM »

I use a Samsung Tab-A tablet which I'm quite happy with. I've loaded SOTA, POTA LoTW, eQSL, QRZ...etc....etc...most of the apps work, minimal function compared to the "real" apps running on Windows OS. Of course, if you want Internet connectivity on, say a mountain such as Mt. Everest, you'll need a "smart" phone for that, which isn't always available.

So, I prefer a piece of paper and pencil then worry about logging the stations when I get back to the QTH.

Ol' school I guess.....

GL/73

I've got one of those too. It's a pretty good Android tablet. Haven't tried playing radio with it though.
Supposedly there is a way to use a USB On-the-go cable with it to interface to a SignalLink USB.
I'd still want to add a bluetooth keyboard though if I were going to play radio with it.

Are there any decent logging programs that run on Android? I'd love it if there were a version of the N1MM logger that could run under Android. But I don't think that exists.


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ON6KE

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Re: using a ANDROID Tablet for logging contest/POTA
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2021, 03:31:07 AM »


Are there any decent logging programs that run on Android? I'd love it if there were a version of the N1MM logger that could run under Android. But I don't think that exists.

VLS Logger, works great. POTA, SOTA, whatever. (ADIF export included)
Gust ON6KE
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