APRS Chat Debug is a small, temporary tool for diagnosing Bluetooth (BLE) connection problems with Benlink / Benshi radios (VGC VR-N7500, VR-N7600, UV-Pro, GA-5WB, etc.).
Its only job is to reproduce the radio connection, capture a detailed debug log of every step, and let you email that log to the developer. It uses the exact same Bluetooth code as the full APRS Chat app, so whatever fails here fails there too.
It installs alongside the normal APRS Chat app — they don't conflict.
- An Android phone (Android 8.0 / API 26 or newer).
- The APK file:
aprs-chat-debug-v1.0.0.apk(sent to you by the developer). - Your radio already paired in Android's Bluetooth settings.
This app is not on the Google Play Store. You install it directly (this is called "sideloading"). No USB cable, no developer mode, and no Play Store account are needed.
If you installed an earlier copy of "APRS Chat Debug" (e.g. a build from a previous day), uninstall it before installing the new one. New builds are signed slightly differently, and Android refuses to install over a version signed with a different key — this is the most common cause of the "You can't install the app on your device" error.
- Long-press the APRS Chat Debug icon → App info → Uninstall, or
- Settings → Apps → APRS Chat Debug → Uninstall.
If you've never installed it before, skip this step.
Removing it does not affect the normal APRS Chat app — they are separate.
Open the aprs-chat-debug-v1.1.0.apk file the developer sent you (the filename ends in a
version number — use the newest one), using whichever arrived:
- Email — open the attachment.
- Text / WhatsApp / Signal — tap the file.
- Google Drive / Dropbox link — open it and download.
Tap the file to begin.
The first time, Android will block it and show something like:
"For your security, your phone can't install unknown apps from this source."
- Tap Settings on that popup.
- Turn Allow from this source ON. (This authorizes the app you used to open the APK — Chrome, Files, Gmail, etc. — not the phone as a whole.)
- Press the back button.
- Tap Install.
- If Play Protect warns "unsafe app" or "app not scanned", tap Install anyway / More details → Install anyway. (It's flagged only because it didn't come from the Play Store, not because anything is wrong with it.)
- When it finishes, tap Open.
- Tap Grant Permission and accept the Bluetooth prompt.
- Your radio should appear in the device list (radios detected as Benshi are tagged "Benshi"). If it's missing, tap the refresh icon, or make sure it's paired in Android's Bluetooth settings first.
- Select your radio, then tap Connect once — do not tap it repeatedly. Wait for it to finish (it will either connect or fail after a few seconds).
- Watch the log fill in. Let it run through the connection attempt (success or failure — both are useful).
- Tap Email Log. This attaches the captured log to a new email, already addressed to the developer. Add any notes about your radio and what happened, then send.
That's it. The log tells the developer exactly what the Bluetooth stack did, step by step.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| "You can't install the app on your device" | You almost certainly have an older version already installed. Uninstall it first (Settings → Apps → APRS Chat Debug → Uninstall), then install the new APK. Also confirm the download finished (the file should be ~12–13 MB, not tiny). |
| Dialog says "app not installed" / "package appears to be invalid" | The download was truncated. Re-download the full APK and try again. |
| No "Allow from this source" option appears | Go to Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps, pick the app you're opening the APK with (e.g. Files or Chrome), and enable it. |
| Play Protect hard-blocks the install | Open Play Store → profile icon → Play Protect → Settings, temporarily turn off "Scan apps", install, then turn it back on. |
| Radio doesn't show in the list | Confirm it's paired in Settings → Bluetooth first, then tap refresh in the app. |
| "Connect" does nothing / immediately fails | That's fine — the failure is captured in the log. Just tap Email Log and send it. |
It's a temporary tool. When you're done, uninstall like any app: long-press the "APRS Chat Debug" icon → App info → Uninstall (or delete it from Settings → Apps → APRS Chat Debug). Removing it does not affect the normal APRS Chat app.