It depends 
not all Androids have the drivers needed. Also you will need the cable to be OTG capable. A normal USB serial adapter will only be a device (to connect to a laptop) but you may already know this.
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Hi Peter
I havenāt tried FT8CN but Iām pretty sure the Bluetooth option will be serial over Bluetooth. You can get a dongle for the FT-81? accessory port : example
(I made one of my own as I didnāt want the dangly cable)
Cheers
Rick
Size/weight/portability/cost is an important consideration. But so is ergonomics/usability/efficiency.
I have been experimenting with options for datamode activating for over a decade now. I have tried:
- PSK31 / PSK63 using DroidPSK Android app on smartphone, and Wolphilink interface and cables.
- JT65 using JT65android app on smartphone, with Wolphilink interface and cables.
- FT8 using WSJT-X / WSJT-Z on Windows 10 tablet, with ZLP MiniProSC interface and cables.
- FT8 / FT4 using WSJT-Z on Lenovo notebook (small laptop), with ZLP interface and cables.
Obviously, the lightest and cheapest method was just using a phone that I would be carrying anyway. A tablet was easier to use, but still a bit fiddly - sometimes the touchscreen keyboard didnāt automatically pop up, and then when the touchscreen failed, I had to add a wired mouse and a Bluetooth keyboard to the set-up! The Lenovo notebook has the greatest size, and probably weight impact - though itās not-at-all heavy. Having used it for many activations now, thereās no way I could or would ever go back to Datamode portable operating via a smartphone or tablet. The small amount extra paid for the device, and the small amount of extra weight to carry, is more than compensated for by the ease of operating.
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I have an OTG cable and keyboards/mice work OK but I donāt think it has the drivers for anything more interesting.
Thatās what I was thinking of. If they work with Android then that would be perfect.
I have some ESP32s I could test it out withā¦but itās too sunny outside at the moment to sit inside tinkering.
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Another solution : (Apple user only) simple and lighter.
IC-705 with WLAN on and connection type : Access Point Mode ( wireless, no cable, no external interface) and integrated GPS time for the FT8 clock.
and software SDR-control (by DL8MRE, Marcus Roskosch) : ios Version for iPhone (without spectrogram) or iPad (with spectrogram). (There is also a Mac version ā¦. ).
wifi connection with the IC-705 and it works very well with no bug ā¦.
73, Bruno, F6HHK
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Well, the dongle arrived today.
Plugged it into the FT817, powered the radio on and the blue LED on the dongle started flashing
I opened the bluetooth menu on my tablet and it showed up as āFT-8x7ā which makes sense. Paied it using the passcode 1234.
Opened FT8CN and in the settings chose:
Control - CAT
Connection type: Bluetooth
It then asked to choose a Bluetooth device so I picked FT-8x7
The first time round it didnāt do anything. It turned out that the CIV address was incorrect and should be ā0ā for the FT 817. If I chose a different rig in the dropdown, then FT817 again it put in the correct CIV address but reset the baud rate to 4800. I changed the baud rate to 9600 initially, then 38400 and both work OK.
I called CQ in the app and the PTT didnāt activate and I got some messages on screen about it connecting to the radio then the flashing blue LED on the dongle went solid. On the next cycle it had connected because it activated the PTT. I was also able to change frequency on the radio from within the app.
Iāve also discovered that you can call CQ SOTA in the app. This is from JTDX running on my laptop, listening to and decoding the audio from my tablet through the laptop microphone.
And in WSJT-X:
And finallyā¦Iāve powered off the radio and the dongle is still powered up with the LED on so make sure you unplug it once youāre finished so it doesnāt drain the battery.
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Yep, good olā FT-817 characteristic - the port is permanently powered
Rick
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I have one that is now quite dead when I came to try it this morning. Life is too short to debug ten bobās worth of electronics so which one did you buy?
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The one Rick suggested: CAT To Bluetooth Adapter Conveter Dongle for YAESU FT-817 FT-857 FT-897 Wired | eBay
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Having said how wonderful the dongle isā¦ it worked fine on my first summit this morning but after unplugging it and plugging it back in it has stopped working.
Iāll investigate, maybe just a loose wire.
Only managed a single contact on 17m FT8 all day. PSK Reporter has me spotted all over the place but no replies to my CQs 
Strong feelings of deja-vu as my dongle.
I suspect because your SNR is relatively low at the other end : I found it worked better in to be in chaser mode
But much as I am a fan of digimodes from home I have given it up for SOTA cos itās just too much faff
Cheers
Rick
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