QGC on Iphone using SiK Radio (mRo telemetry radio) with USB

Hi there

I am able to connect QGC my android tablet to my Hexa using the mRo sik radio. I downloaded QGC on my iphone and bought a lighting/usb dongle, but when I hook up the SiK radio I do not get a connection.

Anyone have a solution?

Hey @Rockbus

Have you tried to set the link up on Comm Links, or are you just awaiting for autoconnection?

I already had some troubles with QGC Autoconnect features at my devices.

Hello Bruno I am waiting for the auto connect. I have a lightning to usb dongle that I plug the mRo sik radio into.

I have no issues using QGC with an andriod tablet Tab A connectivity using the same sik radio.

I have an older iphone 7 with the latest ios if that matters. .

So try to set the comm link manually inside App Setings → Comm Links, manualy select your USB and rate and try to connect.

It should work.

Thank you for the suggestion, Bruno. I will try later this week.

BrunoBagarni

I went to the Comm Links setup and its blank. If I click “ADD” I get asked for a Name and Type. It looks like I can add what I want for a name. For Type there are UDP and TCP, no USB. Unless UDP and TCP is some type of USB. I dont see any option to select Rate.

For kicks I selected UDP and connect and nothing happens. I tried TCP and after trying to connect I get this error “Error on link TCP Link 0.0.0.0.0:5/60. Error on socket Connection Refused”.

Anything else I should try.

I could not find any help with Google yet.

thanks

Ray

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I’ve only ever been able to get QGC to work on an iPhone or iPad by using a WiFi connection. I’ve been watching this thread because I was hoping somebody would figure out how to use a SiK radio with an Apple device. From what I understand it’s because of how Apple sets up the external port. It’s not a regular USB part like you see on an Android phone.

If you use an android device it’s just a matter of using an OTG cable and plug it into the radio.

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Allister

I saw on gethub from 2018 on this topic ( QGC on iOS connection issue · Issue #6584 · mavlink/qgroundcontrol · GitHub)

I have been able to run QCG comms with a sik radio with a tablet no issues. I may have to just use the tablet. Its much easier to carry around than my laptop. I was just hoping I could do the same with my iphone.

Ray

I wasn’t aware of these connection problems between iPhones and USB devices…

Just for you to know, TCP and UDP are communication links via network, so it is not the kind you want.

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I found this:

MAVLink Radio Telemetry for iOS (kouky.org)

I hope there is something equivalent to purchase. This would work but I would have to learn how to build it.

I sent a question to a IOS thread for help.

You’re not likely to find an off-the-shelf solution here. Those radios do not appear to be supported by iOS, so QGC must be connected over WiFi or Bluetooth. You might be able to run a serial to network program (like ser2net) on a laptop and then connect your phone to the same network.

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Hi, for future information;

Apple devices use different protocols on their USB-C ports as compared to Android. For instance, on my iPad Air I can drive a 4K external display with it because the USB-C is actually ThunderBolt. It can drive and connect to a variety of external devices that are ThunderBolt-compatible like USB-C to ethernet, SD card readers or storage devices like thumb drives, video cameras, hubs and docks, keyboards and mice, or audio and MIDI devices. You can even connect your iPad with USB-C to your Mac and use it for a display on your Mac, either primary or second display, which I do all the time and run MacOS on my iPad.

However, iOS (now iPadOS as of ver15 on iPads) does not have drivers for the simple serial interface that SiK radios use. The solution is to use a MavLink to Wifi bridge like the CUAV WTR24 (no longer available unless you can find a used one), or build one with a Raspberry Pi. I’ve never used the Raspberry Pi method, as I have two WTR24’s that I bought several years ago, but there’s no reason this should not work

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