View Full Version : Tactial Phone Apps. Let's Talk.
turnburglar
10-07-20, 17:13
I have been kicking this idea around in my head a lot lately, and been talking with close friends about it.
We (except the boomers) all carry an Android or iPhone on us every single day. This pocket sized computer has adapted to become the medium of all human interaction. I'd like to start a discussion and build a knowledge base on what apps you use on your phone to help with anything practical or tactical. Really try and give the name of the app, and a brief description of how you find it useful. I'll start:
Iphone 8plus (IOS)
StrelokPro: I know there are free ballistic calculators out there but I LOVE this one. I almost can't go shooting without pulling it out for SOMETHING. Every single match I go to I set up a full match profile. Even when shooting random targets in the desert, all I need is a laser range finder and Strelok and your getting really really close.
Osmand Maps: This is a map service that uses vector files and saves them directly to your phone. If the cell network where to go down, this app works very well in offline mode and has a ton of native information. I don't have the paid version so I only DL'd my own state. I think with the paid version you could get all of America in under 6 GB?
DJi Go4: To fly my drone and piss off MarkM and papa bear at their secret shooting spot.
iMessages: sounds kinda dumb, but encrypted text and voice messages, photos/videos and can share GPS locations as well as transfer money. Seems tactical to me.
Flashlight???
Another useful feature of this thread might be if you want to ask if there is an App that might do what you need? For example I have a police scanner free app, but if anyone knows of a decent SDR app for the iPhone I am all ears.
I have been kicking this idea around in my head a lot lately, and been talking with close friends about it.
We (except the boomers) all carry an Android or iPhone on us every single day. This pocket sized computer has adapted to become the medium of all human interaction. I'd like to start a discussion and build a knowledge base on what apps you use on your phone to help with anything practical or tactical. Really try and give the name of the app, and a brief description of how you find it useful. I'll start:
Iphone 8plus (IOS)
StrelokPro: I know there are free ballistic calculators out there but I LOVE this one. I almost can't go shooting without pulling it out for SOMETHING. Every single match I go to I set up a full match profile. Even when shooting random targets in the desert, all I need is a laser range finder and Strelok and your getting really really close.
Osmand Maps: This is a map service that uses vector files and saves them directly to your phone. If the cell network where to go down, this app works very well in offline mode and has a ton of native information. I don't have the paid version so I only DL'd my own state. I think with the paid version you could get all of America in under 6 GB?
DJi Go4: To fly my drone and piss off MarkM and papa bear at their secret shooting spot.
China can MITM this.
iMessages: sounds kinda dumb, but encrypted text and voice messages, photos/videos and can share GPS locations as well as transfer money. Seems tactical to me.
Apple can MITM this. Look at Signal
Flashlight???
Another useful feature of this thread might be if you want to ask if there is an App that might do what you need? For example I have a police scanner free app, but if anyone knows of a decent SDR app for the iPhone I am all ears.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Team_Awareness_Kit
Is the holy grail, however a bunch of the nifty features are not public. Take a look at the hardware that https://gotenna.com/ makes. Amazing shit, with real capabilities.
turnburglar
10-07-20, 22:39
Hey Allen,
I checked out the Gotenna mesh. If I understand correctly it is a 1W UHF/VFH transceiver that can bluetooth up to a select group of phones? Any idea how far the BT can reach the group? Once I get my ham license I actually have an App called APRS.fi which will do some similar features using my phone connected to my Boafeng as the TX.
Can you comment more on MITM? I'm inferring that it means the app will send my info back to its creator? If thats the case, can you make any suggestions for fixing that? I wouldn't mind jail breaking my DJi drone (although seems sketchy). I also don't worry too much about apple. I haven't even updated to the most recent release of IOS yet, but I was under the impression they make every version much more encrypted. My father in law was pissed when he took his phone in because the finger print sensor stopped working and he didn't know his pin that he set. They said they couldn't unlock his phone no matter who asked them and that all they could do was wipe it. He now knows his pin. Also IIRC the FBI asked apple to break into the boston bomber's phone and they wouldn't or couldn't do it. It took the FBI like a year to get into IOS 9.
1) signal
2) ATAK
I'm heavily involved in the ATAK ecosystem, have written a code libraries for code I'm writing and that others are using. I'll be speaking at the key open-atak virtual conference this coming Saturday.
if you are active mil you probably already know about it and have access to it. All the cool stuff requires mil or law enforcement credentials.
There is a lot of development several areas for non-mil users, which is the exciting part and where I'm playing.
Gotenna has a lot of very cool stuff, but scratch very deeply and you find out it's extremely expensive and only available to mil or law enforcement.
Their consumer product is very neat and useful in its own right, but they have not and probably will not release the plugin for ATAK as it would effectively kill or seriously down the market for their professional products. It is part 15, low power and all 900 megahertz. Nowhere near the range of the professional products so you can't compare the two and the videos can be misleading.
Everyone wants their $35 Boefeng to do what a $20,000 Harris PRC 152a or 163 will do. Doesn't exist, and is close to impossible to due to the base capability of the radios.
The work I'm driving integrates aprs with atak, and I have a good bit of code running now. But for now it's more proof of concept and enabling work, there's a lot of work before aprs could be used as transport for attack but that's my goal.
Another potential area is using DMR data but that's a lot harder in the ham space. If we all used Motorola xpr:s you could do some cool stuff, but most hams are not. I do have one. I will probably branch out into this area over time.
If you are a ham reach out and I'll point you in the direction of my work. I can also point some getting started links.
ATAK is available for modern Android phones on the play store, but you'll want some maps and servers to connect to, which I can provide.
For a variety of reasons mil and law enforcement gave up on the iphone for ATAK, and there is not been any development in that space for years. There are rumors of a company developing an updated version for the iphone, but it will be fairly expensive and for professional users.
Signal for secure comms.
Strelok Pro for ballistics.
ETA: MS Excel for logging rounds, maintenance, rifle details. Syncs to cloud between phone, PC and tablet. Can optionally encrypt the files if I want to keep MS from being able to (theoretically, but they don't actually) spy on my range logs.
ViniVidivici
10-09-20, 14:05
Telegram for talking to a few friends.
US Topo Maps for tracking routes when running, hiking, etc., fun tool.
Splits for a shot timer. Works great.
Hey Allen,
I checked out the Gotenna mesh. If I understand correctly it is a 1W UHF/VFH transceiver that can bluetooth up to a select group of phones? Any idea how far the BT can reach the group? Once I get my ham license I actually have an App called APRS.fi which will do some similar features using my phone connected to my Boafeng as the TX.
I've gotten ~3 miles, but was LOS and I know there were other GoTenna users out there. Not sure if it was point to point or relayed - west coast ski resort pre covid
Can you comment more on MITM? I'm inferring that it means the app will send my info back to its creator? If thats the case, can you make any suggestions for fixing that? I wouldn't mind jail breaking my DJi drone (although seems sketchy). I also don't worry too much about apple. I haven't even updated to the most recent release of IOS yet, but I was under the impression they make every version much more encrypted. My father in law was pissed when he took his phone in because the finger print sensor stopped working and he didn't know his pin that he set. They said they couldn't unlock his phone no matter who asked them and that all they could do was wipe it. He now knows his pin. Also IIRC the FBI asked apple to break into the boston bomber's phone and they wouldn't or couldn't do it. It took the FBI like a year to get into IOS 9.
MITM - man in the middle. Most applications don't let you know when they're compromised. Signal does.
Pinzgauer,
No one who knows what a 152 or 163 can pull off wants a $35 Boefeng to copy it, they just know that they can get 'close'. I'd not be surprised if https://www.anduril.com/ is running the iOS version of ATAK - Palmer's been talking about a next gen battlefield OS for a while.
Allen
turnburglar
10-11-20, 19:54
MITM - man in the middle. Most applications don't let you know when they're compromised. Signal does.
Pinzgauer,
No one who knows what a 152 or 163 can pull off wants a $35 Boefeng to copy it, they just know that they can get 'close'.
Allen
That's the whole point of this thread. To explore the periphery of how a smart phone and civilian grade attachments can be used as a force multiplier in a tactical environment. I don't know what either of those radios do, as I only have very brief experience around 148's...
I briefly looked in a google search and the IOS store and didn't find anything that matches this: are there any apps that can turn a regular Boafeng into a DMR?
I've not seen anything that's phone app level. Most of what I've seen in the space so far is off of custom hardware or open source running on a raspberry Pi or similar.
We (except the boomers) all carry an Android or iPhone on us every single day.
You're right. I don't carry an iPhone. I carry three.
I am using a juggernaut case and molle case holder on the admin molle. I'm running Civ ATAk bit would like more features.
I still don't know all of the features, is there a guide, either on YouTube or PDF?
10 years in the Outback and out of focus with new products...bear with me.
I have some work experience with the ATAK system and it’s awesome. On range exercises and live drops, as well as deployments, it just make everything easier. I use an iPhone in my personal life and Wickr for messaging is about as “tactical” as I get.
I am using a juggernaut case and molle case holder on the admin molle. I'm running Civ ATAk bit would like more features.
I still don't know all of the features, is there a guide, either on YouTube or PDF?
10 years in the Outback and out of focus with new products...bear with me.ATAK has a YouTube channel that has gotten better with tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ATAKMap
Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
ATAK has a YouTube channel that has gotten better with tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ATAKMap
Sent from my SM-N986U using TapatalkThank you kind sir.
10 years in the Outback and out of focus with new products...bear with me.
I like Clock. Killer app for tactical time tracking. It can even tactically track the time in other AOs...
Ballistic-X is good too. It can measure my 25yd long-range groups when I forget my tactical yard stick back at the FOB.
Technology is fascinating!
BangBang01
10-27-20, 16:17
Sub’d good info. I like SterlokPro and Ballistic AE.
Found a problem with Clock yesterday and wanted to give y'all a sitrep...
So I was in the field all day doing some very high-speed operating. When I got back to the FOB, my Clock no longer matched my teammates' Clock. I went to file a bug, but those eggheads in the lab told me it was a feature. Stupid scientists.
Anyway, for what it's worth, your success with Clock may be relative to the speed at which you operate.
just a scout
10-29-20, 15:15
Found a problem with Clock yesterday and wanted to give y'all a sitrep...
So I was in the field all day doing some very high-speed operating. When I got back to the FOB, my Clock no longer matched my teammates' Clock. I went to file a bug, but those eggheads in the lab told me it was a feature. Stupid scientists.
Anyway, for what it's worth, your success with Clock may be relative to the speed at which you operate.
Maybe you were operating so fast you experienced time dilation
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
ViniVidivici
10-30-20, 09:11
New meaning to "high speed".
BangBang01
10-30-20, 10:41
I also have two different decibel meter apps, that do “pretty” well to see how my rifles do with different brakes vs no brakes, ect.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.