diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt
index a6ccec909..82233b9b4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt
@@ -98,6 +98,24 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), Logging {
         composeView(meshServiceState)
     }
 
+    private fun sendTestPackets() {
+        val m = meshService!!
+
+        // Do some test operations
+        m.setOwner("+16508675309", "Kevin Xter", "kx")
+        val testPayload = "hello world".toByteArray()
+        m.sendData(
+            "+16508675310",
+            testPayload,
+            MeshProtos.Data.Type.SIGNAL_OPAQUE_VALUE
+        )
+        m.sendData(
+            "+16508675310",
+            testPayload,
+            MeshProtos.Data.Type.CLEAR_TEXT_VALUE
+        )
+    }
+
     @Composable
     fun composeView(meshServiceState: MeshServiceState) {
         MaterialTheme {
@@ -122,25 +140,7 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), Logging {
                     })
 
                 Button(text = "send packets",
-                    onClick = {
-                        // FIXME - don't do these operations until we are informed we have a connection, otherwise
-                        // the radio interface service might not yet be connected to the mesh service
-                        val m = meshService!!
-
-                        // Do some test operations
-                        m.setOwner("+16508675309", "Kevin Xter", "kx")
-                        val testPayload = "hello world".toByteArray()
-                        m.sendData(
-                            "+16508675310",
-                            testPayload,
-                            MeshProtos.Data.Type.SIGNAL_OPAQUE_VALUE
-                        )
-                        m.sendData(
-                            "+16508675310",
-                            testPayload,
-                            MeshProtos.Data.Type.CLEAR_TEXT_VALUE
-                        )
-                    })
+                    onClick = { sendTestPackets() })
             }
         }
     }
@@ -178,6 +178,11 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), Logging {
             val m = IMeshService.Stub.asInterface(service)
             meshService = m
 
+            // FIXME: this still can't work this early because the send to +6508675310
+            // requires a DB lookup which isn't yet populated (until the sim test packets
+            // from the radio arrive)
+            // sendTestPackets() // send some traffic ASAP
+
             // FIXME this doesn't work because the model has already been copied into compose land?
             // runOnUiThread { // FIXME - this can be removed?
             meshServiceState.connected = m.isConnected
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MeshService.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MeshService.kt
index 8c457064c..1aa5a6e18 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MeshService.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MeshService.kt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import android.app.Service
 import android.content.*
 import android.os.IBinder
 import com.geeksville.android.Logging
+import com.geeksville.concurrent.DeferredExecution
 import com.geeksville.mesh.MeshProtos.MeshPacket
 import com.geeksville.mesh.MeshProtos.ToRadio
 import com.geeksville.util.toOneLineString
@@ -73,13 +74,18 @@ class MeshService : Service(), Logging {
         explicitBroadcast(intent)
     }
 
-    /// Send a command/packet to our radio
+    private val toRadioDeferred = DeferredExecution()
+
+    /// Send a command/packet to our radio.  But cope with the possiblity that we might start up
+    /// before we are fully bound to the RadioInterfaceService
     private fun sendToRadio(p: ToRadio.Builder) {
+        val b = p.build().toByteArray()
+
         val s = radioService
         if (s != null)
-            s.sendToRadio(p.build().toByteArray())
+            s.sendToRadio(b)
         else
-            error("FIXME! dropped sent packet because radio interface not yet fully connected")
+            toRadioDeferred.add { radioService!!.sendToRadio(b) }
     }
 
     override fun onBind(intent: Intent?): IBinder? {
@@ -103,6 +109,9 @@ class MeshService : Service(), Logging {
             sendToRadio(ToRadio.newBuilder().apply {
                 wantNodes = ToRadio.WantNodes.newBuilder().build()
             })
+
+            // Now send any packets which had previously been queued for clients
+            toRadioDeferred.run()
         }
 
         override fun onServiceDisconnected(name: ComponentName?) {