ShackPilot: Ham Radio Remote

Name: ShackPilot: Ham Radio Remote
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
Author: Lukasz Skierkowski

By: Lukasz Skierkowski App

CAT, FT8, JS8, SSTV, RTTY & CW

Overview

Version:

1.10

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Ranking

#879,753 ▼ 3,249

Overall

Features & Capabilities

Control your radio from the couch or across the world. Live audio, waterfall, and eight digital modes that send as well as receive. No extra hardware. 2-week free trial.

Your shack, in your pocket. ShackPilot turns your iPhone or iPad into a wireless remote head for your Yaesu transceiver. Live audio, full CAT control, a real-time waterfall, and eight digital modes that receive and transmit. No network adapters, no Windows software, no extra hardware.

Run ShackPilot on the Mac that's connected to your radio via USB, then operate from anywhere: check into your favorite net from the couch, work FT8 from the backyard, send an SSTV picture from the kitchen table, or chase DX from the other side of the world over VPN.

SUPPORTED RADIOS

Yaesu, driven directly with no extra software. Fully supported: FT-710 (full CAT + wideband scope), FT-991A. Partial support: FTDX10, FTDX101D, FTDX101MP, FTX-1
Hundreds more through hamlib: Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Elecraft, FlexRadio, Xiegu, Ten-Tec, Alinco and many others. Run the free rigctld alongside ShackPilot and that radio gets the same frequency, mode, VFO, split, PTT, level and meter control a Yaesu gets, plus its antenna tuner and, where the rig can report them, its memory channels. ShackPilot asks your rig what it can do and shows only the controls it really has. A guided setup screen writes the rigctld command for you, and it can run on this Mac or on a Raspberry Pi in the shack.
Generic mode: any radio with an audio interface, with optional serial PTT. Every digital mode still transmits, CW included
More radios are on the way

REMOTE CONTROL THAT FEELS LOCAL

Full CAT control: frequency, mode, VFO, split, TX power, filters, DSP
Low-latency RX and TX audio streaming with Opus compression
Live S-meter, power, SWR, and ALC readings
On-screen PTT with haptic feedback
Zero configuration: ShackPilot finds your shack Mac automatically on WiFi
Away from home? Connect over the free, secure VPN of your choice

WATERFALL & SPECTRUM

Real-time audio-band waterfall with tap-to-tune, on every supported radio
Wideband spectrum scope on the FT-710 only
Customizable color maps

DIGITAL MODES BUILT IN Eight modes, all of which receive and transmit. No external software.

FT8 & FT4: full QSO support with auto-sequencing, CQ calling, and auto-logging
JS8: keyboard-to-keyboard messaging on weak signals, with a heard-station list, CQ and heartbeat calling, and optional automation that answers SNR?, GRID?, INFO? and STATUS? on its own
CW: Morse decoded as scrolling text. Send with the radio's keyer, or as a generated tone with adjustable speed, pitch, and Farnsworth spacing
RTTY: automatic mark, space, and baud-rate detection on receive. Send at 45.45, 50, or 75 baud
Olivia: automatic configuration detection on receive. Send at any of the five standard presets
SSTV: receive with auto mode detection and a live progress view. Send a picture in any of 18 modes from Robot 8 to PD-290, cropped and scaled for you
Packet: AX.25, FX.25, and IL2P for VHF APRS and HF packet. Send as AFSK, or through a networked KISS TNC such as Direwolf

QSO LOGGING

Built-in log with ADIF export
Direct upload to QRZ Logbook and Cloudlog
WSJT-X UDP broadcast for your favorite logging software

HOW IT WORKS ShackPilot is one app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Install it on the Mac in your shack and connect your radio over USB. The Mac acts as the server. Your iPhone and iPad connect to it over WiFi or VPN. One subscription covers all your devices.

Try everything free for 2 weeks. After the trial, ShackPilot is a simple monthly subscription which you can cancel anytime. Subscriptions fund ongoing development: new radios, new modes, and new features.

Requires ShackPilot running on a Mac (macOS 15+) connected to your transceiver via USB.

73, and see you on the bands!

User Growth & Download Statistics

App

By:

Lukasz Skierkowski

Rating:

5.00

(1)

Version:

1.10 Last updated: 2026-09-02

Version code:

890611510

Creation date:

2026-04-07

Compatible devices:

Size:

13.05MB

URLs:

Full description:

Source:

Apple Apps Store

Data ingested on:

2026-09-20

Compare stats and ranking:

Ranking

# 879,753 ▼ 3,249

For Developers

Monetize with App Pass Boost with Extension Booster

Contact the developer

Chrome-Stats does not own this Apple app. Please use these information below to contact the Apple app developer.

Developed by:

Lukasz Skierkowski

Apple Apps Store

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shackpilot-ham-radio-remote/id6760430670

User Reviews

I’ve been using ShackPilot with my Yaesu FT-991A, and the latest update adds some features that make remote operation considerably more practical. One of the features I was particularly excited about is Bluetooth headset PTT support. I can now use the function button on my BlueParrott headset as the PTT, which makes operating the FT-991A remotely feel much more like actually sitting at the radio. This is especially useful when using an iPhone rather than having to reach over and operate an on-screen PTT button every time I want to transmit. The update also adds control of the tuner, including the ability to turn the tuner on and off and activate the FT-991A’s internal automatic antenna tuner directly from ShackPilot. For anyone operating the radio remotely, having access to those functions without physically being in front of the radio is a big improvement. There have also been improvements to the FT-991A’s CW operation, PTT control, and connection handling in recent versions. I’ve been testing several of these features, and the developer has clearly been putting a lot of effort into making ShackPilot work properly with the FT-991A rather than simply providing basic remote-control functionality. Another feature that I find particularly useful on the iPhone is Guided Access. If I’m going to leave ShackPilot running for an extended period, I can use Guided Access to lock the iPhone to the ShackPilot screen. That prevents accidental touches or accidentally leaving the application while the radio is being operated remotely. For the networking side of my setup, I’m using Tailscale as the VPN tunnel between my remote device and the Mac running my shack equipment. This gives me a private connection to the shack without having to expose the radio-control services directly to the public Internet. Combined with ShackPilot, it makes the whole remote setup surprisingly seamless. My setup is essentially: FT-991A → USB → Mac → ShackPilot → Tailscale VPN → iPhone → BlueParrott headset And being able to control PTT, audio, tuning, and other FT-991A functions from the iPhone makes this much more than simply being able to change frequency remotely. I also want to give credit to the developer because ShackPilot has been evolving very quickly. Features have been added in response to actual user feedback, and the FT-991A-specific improvements are becoming increasingly useful for serious remote operation. I haven’t had a chance to go through every change in the newest release yet, so there may be additional improvements that I haven’t discovered. But based on what I’ve tested so far, this is a substantial update. For FT-991A owners who are interested in remote operation, ShackPilot is definitely worth taking another look at. It’s becoming a very capable way to turn the FT-991A into a genuinely usable remotely operated station rather than simply a radio that happens to have remote-control capability.