QiwiQ a KiwiSDR client for Android: looking for feedback, testers and comments

XPloRRXPloRR
edited September 3 in Misc topics

Hi all,

I’ve been programming a mobile client for the KiwiSDR protocol, and I finally have something worth sharing: QiwiQ. 

It’s a dark-theme, portrait-mode KiwiSDR app for Android.

Instead of running in the browser, my app processes the KiwiSDR stream locally on your phone.

With no official KiwiSDR protocol documentation available, I relied on example Python code and reverse-engineered browser clients to piece together how the protocol operates.

Features:

• Connects to the public shared KiwiSDR network of servers.

• Built-in waterfall FFT display with zoom and pan.

• Direct band buttons for fast hopping between ham/shortwave bands.

• Frequency logging and memory list.

• Audio options: noise reduction, compressor, ADPCM compression.

• Gestures for tuning: swipe digits, waterfall

• Knobs for volume, squelch and filters.

• Theme colors for the LCD display

It’s still early days, but it’s working pretty well, I guess ;-). 

Download my QiwiQ.apk at: https://vanbarel.eu.org/tools/qiwiq/

Side-load on Android, feedback/bugs very welcome!

screenshot1-s.jpg


bwilsonstudentkraHB9TMCdl7awlF5AFYdreamsonNate_Rjolo22

Comments

  • XPloRRXPloRR
    edited September 3

    There are different LCD color themes:

    theme1.jpg
    theme2.jpg
    theme3.jpg
    theme4.jpg
    theme5.jpg
    theme6.jpg


  • dreamsondreamson

    Nice job! Are you using Android's WebView component to run JavaScript code?

  • dl7awldl7awl

    Is there a way to enter a kiwi URL directly rather than selecting from the list? I'd like to try to access my own kiwi which is currently not public.

    BTW: Nice and professionally looking work (app & website)!

    Nate_R
  • jksjks

    In support of your efforts I bought a license. But I also had to order a newer Android tablet because my extremely old Lenovo tablet running Android Go 8.1 (not upgradable, lol) only outputs audio for about 10 seconds before stopping. I'm certain this is a performance issue of the ancient tablet. So don't worry about it. I'll have more feedback for you next week.

  • F5AFYF5AFY
    edited September 3

    Hi, @XPloRR I think there is a little problem with CW. Usually, the displayed frequency is supposed to be the transmitter's one. So you have to offset the Kiwi up or down with the value of the wanted beat tone, and set the audio filter accordingly.

    Nice job, indeed !

    Talking about audio stop, I have not been able to prevent the lock screen coming after inactivity timout to stop the audio stream on my last Android (15), on both QiwiQ and the usual browser Kiwi interface. This doesn't occur on an extremely old (also) Android. Probably a parameter to set somewhere...

  • Nate_RNate_R
    edited September 3

    I think I did what I needed to, but it's not working right for me?

    On my own KiwiSDR, it never starts the audio or waterfall when I try and connect.

    I tried another nearby Kiwi, and the audio and waterfall load on that one, but the audio is continuously chopping in and out, almost like a clicking every half second.

    https://youtube.com/shorts/5wn0nqdl4CE?feature=share

    Screen recorded what I'm hearing, and the video sound is accurate. I get choppy sound, switch to my own Kiwi, (not on this local network), and then switch to another...


    -Nate

    N8BTR

  • jksjks

    @Nate_R What kind of Android device? Could it be underpowered?

  • Nate_RNate_R

    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G phone. About a month old.

    5G wifi on fiber..

    So the device itself shouldn't be. Tried turning off the waterfall and no dice.

  • jksjks

    I've got a Sam Galaxy Tab A9 coming tomorrow or Monday. So we'll see how that does.

  • jolo22jolo22

    cool!!

  • jksjks
    edited 2:56AM

    Trying v1.38 now with the Tab A9 running Android 15.

    Turns out the "audio stops after 10 seconds" problem seems specific to the connected Kiwi. A lot of Kiwi have this problem. Some stop after a longer interval. Some (notably KPH) run fine. Might be how the code reacts to the underrun condition when the Kiwi/network can't momentarily keep up with the audio buffering?

    When I first started using the app the waterfall worked. Now it only says "DEMO" no matter what I do. The "WF" button won't stay lit (button outlined in red) for more than a few seconds. I tried changing the zoom, band presets, color (COL button/slider) etc.

    IQ mode is not being processed at the correct rate. Easy to hear by listening to any voice signal. The voice is slow and pitch low. Also there is clicking which probably means a buffer is being over/underrun when read. Remember that in IQ mode there are twice as many samples per audio packet compared to the uncompressed mono modes (AM, SSB, ...) So 1024 16-bit I,Q samples (512 I&Q sample pairs) compared to 512 16-bit samples total for uncompressed mono. So each IQ audio packet is twice as large. See comments in web/openwebrx/audio.js

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