Comparison

SDR vs B.B. Link Configurator

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SDR

Control your Icom radio remotely from your iPhone. View spectrum scope, waterfall, and access all radio controls over Wi-Fi or the internet. Supports various Icom models and includes features for ham radio operators.

Highlights
  • Spectrum scope and waterfall display
  • Full radio control
  • Remote operation over Wi-Fi/internet
  • FT8-Improved and JS8 modes
  • CW decoder and keyer
  • Speech transcription and translation
  • Logbook with ADIF import/export
Features
Read full description

Your Icom radio on your iPhone: at home over Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet. Made by a ham, for hams, with personal support included. SDR-Control Mobile shows the spectrum scope and waterfall of your Icom radio with all its controls. No extra hardware or software needed. WORKS WITH ■ IC-705 (Wi-Fi) ■ IC-7610, IC-7760, IC-9700, IC-7300 MK2 and the IC-R8600 receiver (radio on your network by cable) The app connects over the network only. The older IC-7300 (without MK2) has no network connection and can't be used. OPERATE ■ Spectrum scope and waterfall with band plan, DX Cluster and FT8 spots ■ Two VFOs, filters, preamp, attenuator, NB, NR, notch, AGC and more ■ Compact floating panels: tuning, PTT, CW, memories, macros, Command Bar, DTMF, RIT / ∆TX, D-Star ■ Your iPhone as microphone and speaker; the radio keeps playing in the background ■ Ready for iPhone Duo: the iPhone screens when folded, the large radio screen when open MODES ■ FT8-Improved with AutoAnswer and AutoCQ, plus the classic FT8 ■ JS8 keyboard chat ■ CW with decoder, keyer and CW keyboard ■ Speech: incoming voice transcribed and translated, your typed text sent as speech ■ SSTV, HF-Fax, APRS, WSPR and D-Star FT8-Improved, JS8, Speech and WSPR need iOS 26. TOOLS ■ Logbook with ADIF import and export, shared via iCloud with SmartSDR, FT-Control, TS-Control and K4-Control, on iPhone, iPad and Mac ■ DX Cluster, POTA, PSK Reporter, Call Lookup, Band Plan, Network Stats, Memories, Scanning ■ Controllers: MIDI, CTR2, HaliKey, Pryme, Flic ■ 4O3A Genius devices and Ultra Beam antennas MADE BY A HAM Made by Marcus, DL8MRE, who has been developing apps for Apple devices since 2009 and uses this app every day in his own shack, where all supported radios are on the desk. Personal online support and a detailed manual are included. Updates with new modes and features are free: no subscription, no in-app purchases. WHAT YOU NEED ■ One of the radios above, connected to your network ■ An iPhone with iOS 18 or later ■ For use over the internet: access to your home network from outside (see the manual) Manual: https://go-to.me/sdrcontrol-mobile-manual More apps: https://ham-radio-apps.com SDR-Control is developed independently and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Icom.

About

B.B. Link Configurator

Configure a Bluetooth adapter to connect your amateur radio to an iOS device. This enables data exchange with apps like RadioMail and aprs.fi using the radio's TNC as a packet modem.

Highlights
  • Configure B.B. Link Bluetooth adapter
  • Pair with Kenwood TH-D74/TH-D75 radios
  • Connect radio (Bluetooth Classic) to iOS (BLE)
  • Utilize radio's TNC as packet modem
  • Data exchange with amateur radio apps
Features
Read full description

This app configures the B.B. Link Bluetooth adapter for pairing with a Kenwood TH-D74 or TH-D75 radio. The adapter facilitates a connection between the radio, which uses Bluetooth Classic, and an iOS device via BLE. This connection allows apps like RadioMail, Packet Commander and aprs.fi to utilize the radio's built-in TNC as a packet modem for data exchange over amateur radio.

Screenshots

SDR4 screens
B.B. Link Configurator3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: B.B. Link Configurator at Free against SDR's $44.99. SDR's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 67%) and ratings volume (73 vs 8). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

B.B. Link Configurator is free to download; SDR costs $44.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for SDR against 4.6 for B.B. Link Configurator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SDR has 73 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of SDR's written reviews are positive against 67% of B.B. Link Configurator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SDR ships an update every 2 weeks, B.B. Link Configurator every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SDR versus B.B. Link Configurator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSDRB.B. Link Configurator
Price$44.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (73 ratings)4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.3% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings73 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.616.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcus RoskoschIsland Magic Co.

Customer experience

SDR

All ratings67 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral5.7%
Negative10.0%

B.B. Link Configurator

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

SDR

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Dialogs do not scale with larger text setting
  • Frequency display overlaps buttons
  • FT8 decoding issues (lower signal levels than WSJTX)
  • App crashes and leaves radio in transmit
  • Logbook export not functional after update
Show 7 more
  • Function button for horizontal scrolling not fully displayed
  • FT8 decode is useless and unreliable
  • Messed up radio, requiring reset
  • RX audio unusable outside home network (prior to 1.5.1)
  • Struggles with audio RX packets on remote cellular networks
  • Cannot work over mobile data with certain carriers (EE)
  • FT8 alerts sound but don't display

Requested features

14 requests
  • Develop for IC-7800
  • CarPlay support
  • Apple Watch add-on
  • Windows version
  • JS8call support
Show 9 more
  • More digital modes
  • Display memory bank names
  • Initiate memory scan from app
  • WSPR implementation
  • Tool for WSPR
  • More FT8/FT4 features (e.g., setting transmit frequency directly in FT8 view)
  • Send image to unit
  • KISS TNC support
  • Control digital modes (reflectors, etc.)

B.B. Link Configurator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SDR

No in-app purchases

None

B.B. Link Configurator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SDR free?
SDR costs $44.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is B.B. Link Configurator free?
B.B. Link Configurator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SDR or B.B. Link Configurator?
B.B. Link Configurator is rated higher. SDR averages 4.6 out of 5 from 73 ratings, while B.B. Link Configurator averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.
Do SDR or B.B. Link Configurator have ads?
Neither SDR nor B.B. Link Configurator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SDR or B.B. Link Configurator?
SDR ships an update every 2 weeks, and B.B. Link Configurator every 5 weeks. Most recently, SDR was updated on November 7, 2026 and B.B. Link Configurator on November 4, 2026.

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