Station roster · Fully supported
Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra
Walkie-talkie model
The reference phone: a dual-band DMR and FM radio that every SignalDeck feature was built and measured on.
| Feature | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Signal meter | Works | Reads in dBm, also with the squelch closed |
| FM receive | Works | |
| FM transmit | Works | |
| DMR receive | Works | Caller ID and talkgroup shown |
| DMR transmit | Works | |
| DMR texts | Works | Both ways |
| M17 receive | Works | Through a calibrated equalizer |
| M17 transmit | Partly | Only with SignalDeck module firmware loaded |
| APRS | Works | Receive, send, beacon, digipeater, KISS TNC, APRS-IS |
| SSTV | Works | Receive and send |
| FT8 over FM | Works | Receive and send |
| POCSAG pager | Partly | Sending pages needs SignalDeck module firmware |
| Band scope | Works | About 0.7 s per step |
| Module firmware loader | Works | With a verified factory backup |
| Android Auto | Works | |
| SignalDeck Web | Works |
The radio enforces its bands
The radio module itself only tunes 136.000 to 174.000 and 400.000 to 480.000 MHz. A frequency outside those is refused and the radio stays on the frequency it was on, so there is no 220 MHz or other out-of-band receive.
Packet data needs a long start
The transmitter needs about 1.5 seconds after keying before data comes through cleanly. A packet sent right at key-up is lost. SignalDeck therefore leads every APRS or packet transmission with 1.6 seconds of standard AX.25 flags and sends the frame twice.
Wait after changing channel before you talk
A channel change finishes inside the radio about 3 seconds after it is sent, and it stops a transmission that is already running. SignalDeck waits about 4 seconds after a retune before its own automatic transmissions; when you change channel by hand, wait a moment before you press Talk.
Signal readings lag a retune
Right after a frequency change the signal reading is 15 to 20 dB too low for about 0.7 seconds. That is why the band scope takes about 0.7 seconds per step (2 m in 25 kHz steps is about 2 minutes).
Squelch levels act as one
The radio's squelch levels 1 to 9 all behave like one threshold near -90 dBm. For anything finer, use SignalDeck's Soft SQ, which listens to the audio itself.
Transmitting can reset the USB cable
On some 2 m frequencies at high power, the radio's own signal gets into the phone's USB cable and resets the connection (wired Android Auto drops and reconnects after you let go). Other frequencies on the same band and UHF were fine. It is RF pickup, not an app fault: a ferrite choke, a shorter shielded cable, low power on that channel or wireless Android Auto help. SignalDeck notices when it happens and suggests these.
Use wide on VHF
Setting a VHF channel to narrow made the receiver deaf on our test unit, and only a phone reboot brought it back. SignalDeck's built-in VHF channels (APRS, SSTV, weather) use wide. On UHF both settings receive.
Talkgroups you hear
On a DMR channel the radio only passes group calls for the talkgroups in that channel's receive list, which holds up to 32. Private calls to your own DMR ID always come through.
Receive audio is telephone-quality
The radio delivers its audio at 8 kHz and removes almost everything below about 250 Hz. Voice is fine; digital modes that need the low tones, such as M17, are decoded through a calibrated equalizer.
Long transmissions
SignalDeck releases the transmitter after 28 seconds of talk. A long high-power transmission warms the phone noticeably, and SignalDeck's heat guard stops long transmissions when the phone gets too hot.
- Tuning step
- 500 HzRequested offsets of 500 Hz to 5 kHz landed within 2 Hz of the target (2026-10-22), so Doppler correction in 500 Hz steps is real.
- Signal reading settle time after a retune
- about 0.7 sReadings taken earlier were 15 to 20 dB low (2026-10-22).
- Packet lead-in needed
- about 1.5 sTone, flags and silence decoded alike at 1.6 s; shorter lost packets (2026-10-20).
- Phone heat from a 120 s high-power key
- +11 °C processor, +1.7 °C batteryBack to normal in about 17 minutes (2026-10-25).
- M17 receive
- 300 of 300 voice frames exactTest transmissions at the standard deviation, through the calibrated equalizer.
- Stock
- DMR003.UV4T.V022
- Modified
- SignalDeck module images from the signed firmware catalogue (Device, Radio firmware)
- Notes
- A loaded image stays in the module's flash across reboots. Loading the factory image again restores the stock firmware.
Custom ROMs
On a custom ROM or GSI the vendor radio audio service is usually missing. SignalDeck notices and takes the radio audio straight from the phone's sound card instead.