ATAK Plugin: Hammer

ATTENTION: This is an ATAK Plugin. To use this extended capability, the ATAK baseline must be installed. Download the ATAK baseline here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atakmap.app.civ

HAMMER is an ATAK plugin that acts as a software modem and allows transmission/receipt of Cursor on Target (CoT) messages over voice communications. This means that two ATAK devices can communicate with each other over any voice-capable radio, e.g., commercial off the shelf walkie talkies. While it is anticipated that this will be extended in the near future, HAMMER currently supports sending and receiving CoT map markers, self-reported locations and chat messages.

HAMMER is open source with user guide available here: https://github.com/raytheonbbn/hammer.

HAMMER supports sending CoT over radio with or without cables (e.g., TRRS) between the Android device and the radio. This can work with just the speaker/microphone of the phone and the radio, though using cables is recommended as it eliminates background noise interference. If used with a cable, it is recommended that one sets the radio to VOX (voice operated transmission) mode, which allows transmission via detection of an audio signal and removes the need for manual button pressing in push-to-talk (PTT) scenarios. No special software is required to use a TRRS cable.

The plugin itself runs on ATAK, supporting ATAK 4.1 and 4.2 (either CIV or MIL). When installed, HAMMER runs in the background listening for incoming modulated audio frequencies. This background operation feature can be toggled off in the settings menu.

The plugin integrates directly with the ATAK map, allowing the user to transmit CoT items directly from the radial menu of the main view, or via the plugin’s tool window. See section 1 for details.

Main screen options:
1. View CoT Markers
2. Chat Messages
3. Settings

Section 1: View CoT Markers
The user has two methods of sending CoT marker messages. The first option is via clicking on a CoT marker on the map and selecting the hammer icon from the radial menu. The second option is via the CoT Markers view within the HAMMER tool, where the user can view all CoT markers on the map, including name and type. The user clicks on one of the CoT markers from the list to transmit.

To send your location, click on the “Send Self Location” button in this view.

Section 2: Chat Messages
In the chat view, the user has the option to chat with all users or specify which callsign they would like to chat with. Selecting a callsign will open that specific chat session, respectfully.

Section 3: Settings
The settings view allows the user to toggle the receiving operation on or off, and to toggle if full or abbreviated CoT messages should be sent.

Disabling receive will turn off the ability for CoT messages to be received via HAMMER and prevent it from operating in the background.

Abbreviating CoT allows for sending more concise messages, sacrificing data size for accuracy. This may be useful in some wireless setup environments with heavy background noise.

Section 4: Known Limitations
• The current implementation adds the HAMMER icon to the radial menu of all map markers by overwriting the entries. This means that all markers currently receive the same set of options in the radial menu, even if core-ATAK or a plugin would have otherwise given them a custom set. This is anticipated to be remedied shortly.
• Particularly when used without cables, the system may need some tuning to experience consistently reliable transmissions. The tuning is simply a matter of adjust volume and/or microphone sensitivity of the Android device and may require some testing to identify the levels that are best suited for your particular devices and background noise level. Adjusting the distance between the Android device and the radio (or two Android devices if using without any radios) may also be helpful - typically distances measured in low number of inches is ideal when not using cables.