The following is a press release from the authors of Pocket Shack:
Find a node, listen in free, and key up from your phone, your wrist or your dashboard.
DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas, November 2026. Cygnus Strategy has released Pocket Shack, a native AllStarLink client for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and CarPlay, now on the App Store.
Listening is free
Connect to any node that allows app connections and listen with no microphone involved. Monitor-only connections never transmit. Pocket Shack shows which nodes are on the air right now. It searches the full node directory by number, callsign or place, even offline, and puts every node on a map or lists the ones nearest you. Node details show what a node is linked to, its frequency, location and activity. Callsign lookups use your QRZ subscription if you have one.
Keep the nodes you use most a tap away, each with a live talking or idle badge. Give any node a name and a note, and they sync to all your devices. Pocket Shack keeps listening with the screen locked and over Bluetooth, and reconnects when you move between Wi-Fi and cellular. If a node doesn't send its own courtesy tone, an optional local beep marks the end of each transmission.
Talking is Pocket Shack Pro
Hold to talk, tap to toggle, or go hands-free with voice activation and a live sensitivity meter. Pocket Shack shows when the node has the channel and waits for it to clear before you transmit. A transmit timer counts down so you don't time out the repeater. A mic gain meter tells you if you sound too quiet, just right or too hot. Pro also adds a DTMF keypad for node commands.
Wherever you are
- CarPlay: big, simple controls for favorites and nearby nodes, with Talk by tap or by voice.
- Apple Watch: pick a favorite and hold to talk with your iPhone in your pocket. A ring counts down your transmit time. Distinct taps on your wrist tell you when the channel clears, when you're on the air, before the timeout and if the link drops. Apple Watch Ultra's Action Button can key up.
- Mac: a real Mac app with a menu bar control, a global push-to-talk shortcut and your choice of microphone and speakers.
- Hands and voice: the call Mute control on the Lock Screen, in CarPlay or on AirPods starts and stops transmitting. Siri can connect you ("Call node 46308 with Pocket Shack").
An all-red Night appearance protects your night vision in the shack. Pocket Shack works with VoiceOver and large text, and it has no ads, tracking or analytics.
I built Pocket Shack because I was already checking into nodes from my phone while walking the baby, changing diapers and doing things around the house. Most of my time on the air is on the drive to and from work, so I wanted the car to be a first-class experience too. I love my radios, but Pocket Shack makes ham radio fit into a busy everyday life. -Jonathan Roemer, KA1PID, founder of Cygnus Strategy.
Availability
Pocket Shack is a free download on the App Store, and listening is free. Pocket Shack Pro is $1.99 a month, $14.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $39.99 once, and Family Sharing is included. Pocket Shack isn't affiliated with AllStarLink, Inc.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/pocket-shack/id6819876726
More: https://pocketshack.cygnusstrategy.com
About Cygnus Strategy
Cygnus Strategy provides fractional CTO, CPO, CISO, and COO leadership to growth-stage technology companies, and makes independent apps for iPhone, Mac and the web.
Media Contact
Jonathan Roemer, KA1PID
Cygnus Strategy
win@cygnusstrategy.com
Source: Cygnus Strategy
