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VarAC

Introduction

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“Preparedness starts at home—communication starts on your street.”

“You don’t need a vest or badge to make a difference.”

I have not found the one perfect program. Be versatile!

16 APR 2026

KH6OWL

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Menu

  • What are our options
  • VarAC
  • What can VarAC do
  • Calling Frequencies
  • Positives I Like
  • Dashboard
  • Beacons
  • Broadcast

  • Ping
  • Screen Layout
  • Send Vmails / Emails
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Resources
  • Questions / Demo
  • Comparison

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What are our Options

  • Winlink (email, SMS, FM nodes & Direct / Hops; HF Email and SMS)[Vara FM & Vara HF]
  • Vara Terminal
  • VarAC (Text, emails, send files to the person your connected to, photos, SMS, others can rely your email, ICS forms in EmComm Mode) [HF and 2m]
  • Vara Chat (HF or UHF/VHF) Connect to One Station at a time.
  • JS8 Call - JS8 Spotter, MSG Authenticator and JS8 SitRepNet Project, Commstatone
  • PSK31

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VarAC

  1. VarAC is a point to point digital chat application the provides a modern chat experience to the ham radio operator.
  2. Great speed under challenging SNR levels (beacons show SNR levels of other stations)
  3. Ideal for QRP, Portable operations & EmCom
  4. VarAC can be used on HF, VHF/UHF (FM) and also Satellite (QQ-100)
  5. ARQ, error free protocol
  6. Available modems : (same modem as vara)
    1. VARA HF-Up to 1,543 BPS at 500Hz BW / 7,050 BPS at 2300Hz BW
    2. VARA SAT-Like HF but with additional latency handling
    3. VARA FM-Up to 12,750 BPS Narrow / 25,210 BPS Wide

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VarAC

  1. Call CQ
  2. Low power
  3. Operators beacon
  4. Vmail forwarding via others so can reach a lot of people
  5. Vmail alerts if someone has a Vmail for you and the beacon was heard
  6. Send text versions of forms & Send photos, Must use “Advance or EmComm” Mode to Access Sending Images, built in image resizer. Must use “Advance or EmComm” mode to access sending files. To Access VarAC Forms, you must be in Emcomm Mode.
  7. Send broadcast to all or select groups/individual
  8. Pathfinder mode to find someone that can see someone else beacon
  9. Keyboard computer typing
  10. Create Canned Messages
  11. Modes: Simple, Advanced, EmComm

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What can VarAC do?

  • Call CQ
  • Beacon
  • Chat via Keyboard Text
  • Send messages to Groups (WH6ECG and others use this)
  • Store a vMail for later pickup with another station
  • Canned Messages
  • Send to regular mail address
  • Log calls
  • Alerts if someone has an email waiting to pick up for you

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What can VarAC do?

  • EmComm Function
  • Sending an emergency alert to all EmComm operators
  • Send emergency VMail without direct link to your destination.
  • Sending images
  • Group chat/check-ins of all EmComm operators
  • Live chat between stations with no direct link (through digipeater)
  • Find a path to an unreachable station
  • Send your current location using VarAC GPS integration
  • Act as a BBS
  • Muti Service Announcements
  • VarAC Academy

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VarAC BBS

  • Just select a directory on your PC, and every file in it can be discovered and downloaded by other stations.�
  • Want to share images? No problem.
  • Want to let others download the latest weather report you wrote? Absolutely.
  • Want to share simple TXT files like the good old bulletins? Go for it.
  • Under Settings, you’ll now find a new BBS tab.�There, you only need to define three simple things:
    • Which directory you want to share
    • Whether you want to limit access to specific callsigns
    • Whether you want to announce your BBS in your beacon (just like your Email / AI gateways)

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VarAC BBS

  • When someone connects to you, VarAC will automatically inform them of all the services you provide, including your BBS (Please note that both parties must be running version 13.2).
  • To use your BBS, they will first need to QSY away from the calling frequency,�If they click the new BBS button on the right, VarAC will query your shared BBS directory and display its contents on the remote side, including each file’s creation time and size.
  • Files that exceed the download size limit configured in their VarAC will be highlighted in red, indicating that the transfer may take a significant amount of time.
  • To download a file, all they need to do is double-click it and that’s it. The file transfer begins immediately.

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VarAC BBS

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VarAC BBS

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Introducing: Reactions (Likes)

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  • How many times have you found yourself wanting to simply “Like” a message from your QSO �partner instead of replying?
  • With V13.2, now you can. Next to every chat message in the data stream, you’ll see a small empty heart icon. Click it to send your QSO partner a Like, accompanied by a popping sound and a bright red heart indicator.

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Introducing: Multi Service Announcement

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  • Until now, you could only notify everyone that you run an Email gateway through your beacon. It can now announce any of the three services you provide, or all of them.
  • You can now choose for each service (Email gateway, AI gateway, and the new BBS) whether you want it to be announced in your beacons.
  • Each service is represented by a different icon, and when you hover over a beacon, you get a detailed list of the services available on that station. Please note that both parties must be running version 13.2.
  • Not only that, upon connection, even if you missed their beacon, the station will send a special tag that notifies your VarAC about the available services, so you know exactly what you can use.

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Introducing: Multi Service Announcement - Through Beacons

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Introducing: Multi Service Announcement - Upon Connection

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VarAC Calling Frequencies?

20m - 14.105 MHz (Primary day time)

40m - 7.105 MHz (Primary night time)

80m - 3.595 MHz

30m - 10.133 MHz

17m - 18.106 MHz

15m - 21.105 MHz

12m - 24.927 MHz

10m- 28.105 MHz

6m - 50.330 MHz

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What do I like about it?

  • Directed or non-Directed Messages
  • It is conversational
  • Relays & store-and-forward messaging (think EmComm)
  • Query Messages
  • Can be Passive
  • It is perfectly happy with low-power/weak-signal and very noisy conditions
  • A lot to offer
  • Predetermined & well-documented (but non-mandatory) “meeting frequencies”
  • Beacons, CQ, SNR
  • Broadcast to All or specified Call signs
  • Pathfinder - See if anyone can hear a specific call sign
  • low power, high noise and long distances

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Dashboard

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Beacons Rec’d

CQ’s Rec’d

Select Advanced or EmComm

Broadcast Sent/Rec’dd

MSG Type area

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Beacon

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Send A Beacon

Press to start then timer counts down after that to auto send if set up

Acts as internet gateway

Set Away

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Beacons

  • A word about the Beacons
    • Essential to the network. All operates set a beacon to fire every X minutes on an agreed calling frequency. (Can be Passive)
    • Shows propagation and who can hear whom
    • All Operators can see each other on the “Last heard beacons” with the latest timestamp
    • Digipeaters can be used to extend reach
    • You don’t have to be in front of your radio to send a beacon, Set Away button
    • Send Vmails or Emails and store them on other ops systems
    • Be part of network - settings
    • If no one sends a Beacon, you would have to look at PSK reporter to make sure someone is on
    • Letting people know you are “Online”
    • Great for propagation analysis (Spots also uploaded to PSK Reporter)
    • Minimum beacon interval: 15 minutes
    • Beacons fires only if the frequency is clear for at least 30 seconds

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Broadcast

  • Broadcasts do not have a “delivery guaranteed” mechanism like a VARA link and they may not be received (it depends on received signal strength)
  • You can send a broadcast to a specific callsign or to all
  • Right mouse click in the Broadcast screen open another window with next info

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Broadcast Button

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Broadcast

  • Broadcasts do not have a “delivery guaranteed” mechanism like a VARA link and they may not be received (it depends on received signal strength)
  • You can send a broadcast to a specific callsign or to all.
  • Right mouse click in the Broadcast screen open another window with next info

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Ping

  • Pings are short QSO for the purpose of reports exchange only.
  • Pings are great to check the link between two stations.
  • Select that Call and then right mouse click for “get report”.

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Ping

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Screen Layout

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VarAC email

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You can send Forms in EMCOMM mode

Serves as internet Gateway

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VarAC Connect & Vmail

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  • Click Send Vmail
  • Fill out Vmail or email place
  • In outbox
  • Double Click Callsign to connect
  • QSY to a slot

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Vmail Alerts

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VarAC Email or Vmail

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Email or Vmail?

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Operations Basics: Tips & Tricks

  1. Set AGC & Noise Reduction to Zero/Off
  2. Use abbreviations/prosigns - but not so as to hide the meaning of the msg
  3. This protocol is 100% Duty Cycle - 25 watts is fine
  4. Use “pings” to check propagation
  5. Broadcast to support the network
  6. Be patient when calling CQ as VarAC is not yet as popular as FT8
  7. Keep messages to 3 or 4 cycles, to reduce transmission times

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Resources

  1. VarAC
    1. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14U4xTZk9Ez6SFvC9rqpw-5Q4tW3lCl2x?usp=sharing Link to shared drive with all documents https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14U4xTZk9Ez6SFvC9rqpw-5Q4tW3lCl2x?usp=drive_link
    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prAN5ZOt5CQ&t=2399s

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Questions

Questions / Demo

Updates

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Comparison

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Mode

Off-Grid

Ease of Use

Store MSG

FWD MSG

SMS

Email

Forms

Photos

JS8

2

2

2

2

2

0

1

0

VarAC

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

2

Higher is better

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Classes at EARC Meetings

  • Meshtastic: 18 SEP 25
  • Stay Connected: 20 Nov 2025
  • VarAC: 16 Apr 26

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