Bluetooth with APRSdroid & VARA HF


APRSdroid with VARA HF over Bluetooth Setup Instructions

Follow these steps to set up APRSdroid with VARA HF over Bluetooth.

Download the latest APRSdroid (NA7Q) here.



Download the SPP GUI Program

Pairing Your PC and Android Phone via Bluetooth

  1. Open the Bluetooth Settings on your Windows PC.
  2. Ensure your PC is discoverable by enabling Bluetooth and setting it to “Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC”.
  3. On your Android phone, open the Bluetooth settings and search for nearby devices.
  4. When you see your PC appear in the list of available devices, select it to begin pairing.
  5. A PIN will appear on both your phone and computer. Confirm that the PIN matches on both devices.
  6. Confirm the pairing on your phone first, and then on your PC.
  7. After successful pairing, your PC and Android phone will be connected via Bluetooth.

Configuring the Bluetooth Connection for APRSdroid with VARA HF

  1. Open the Bluetooth and Other Devices settings on your device.
  2. Click on More Bluetooth Options.
  3. Under the Bluetooth settings, navigate to COM Ports.
  4. Click on Add and select Incoming communication.
  5. Click OK to save the settings.

Configuring COM Port in SPP GUI Program

  1. Launch the SPP GUI Program on your PC.
  2. Set the COM port to the one you just added under Bluetooth options.

Configuring VARA HF

  1. In the SPP GUI program, select the Program to Run option.
  2. Browse to your VARA HF installation folder and select vara.exe.
  3. Check the Autostart Bridge option.

Set the Port in the SPP GUI to Your VARA HF KISS Port

  1. In the SPP GUI, set the COM port to the VARA HF KISS port for communication with APRSdroid.

Adding SPP GUI to Windows Autostart

  1. Add spp-gui.exe to your Windows autostart folder for automatic startup. Press Windows key + R. Type shell:startup to open the startup list. Create a shortcut within the folder pointing to the SPP-GUI program.

Setup APRSdroid to Bluetooth SPP Connection

  1. Select the PC device name from the Bluetooth devices list.

Start SPP-GUI Program

  1. Configure as needed and start the bridge.
Note: Ensure your Bluetooth device is connected and paired before starting the setup process.
Important: Double-check all COM port settings and the installation path for VARA HF to ensure correct operation.