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In October 2024, I made a major road trip from my home QTH in central Michigan to Los Angeles and back.? On this trip, I made the most extensive test yet comparing the performance of classic 300-baud HF AX.25 packet vs the VARA high-performance software modem for 30-meters HF APRS. ?

I beaconed every 10 minutes, alternately on classic packet and on VARA,? on the 30M APRS channel during the entire 6125 miles (9850 Km) of the round trip.? My home station in Haslett (near East Lansing) Michigan received and igated both modes. In addition, several other stations around the US also served as igates for the VARA mode. ?

The trip again confirmed again the overwhelming superiority of VARA, with it's built-in multiple levels of forward error correction, over classic HF packet. There were many days on the trip where I heard NOTHING in the car on classic packet APRS (lots of solar storms & disturbances), but copied multiple stations (including my own home station) on VARA. ?

Full details on the trip, the setup and the results here on my website:

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and click on the link for

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P.S My proselytizing for APRS-over-VARA seems to be catching on -- I am now seeing igates on both coasts and the midwest beaconing regularly on the APRS-over-VARA mode on 30M since the trip!

Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com