Understanding the Graphics
Can anyone either explain or perhaps point me to a paper that explains the graphical display within Vara?? ?
?
I see lots of different colors and patterns at different times depending on who I'm contacting.? I haven't yet figured out what pattern/color we want in that space?? Vs what patterns are problematic.??
?
?
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
As predicted. It relies too much on what we can't rely on at these high frequencies. 40m once again looked solid.?
?
The only advantage I see is during the day where skip *might* help. But with how weak signals typically are, that isn't necessarily enough to message.
?
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
I will be continuing the tests through the week? and here shortly. I am hoping for a big test this weekend that will be over several hours. Possibly in some remote terrain in some deep canyons. 40m excels in this type of terrain, so I'm very curious about 30m.
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
We are closer together than you're 30m network. Our PNW stations on 40m only help in the day. Where it's our distant stations during the night that keep us going. So at night the main winners are southern Cali, Colorado, Texas, and the east coast. During the day it's those in PNW region, plus some minimal coverage from Cali and Colorado sometimes.?
?
Signals are big during the day from the PNW. Signals are big at night from the distant areas. Makes for round the clock coverage.
?
As for 30m, whether close or not. It doesn't propagate well. Especially at night. Which is what I'm seeing during my tests, as well as checking the raw packet paths of stations on 30m. During the day there is skip, which is always quite weak. NVIS is hit or miss within the PNW region. This seems typical based on past tests.
?
?
|
 30 Meter activity was good today as received in Atlanta. Bob, KN4HH-1
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
My current, K0ION-15, view. A side by side comparison between WA8LMF-41 webserver and my ¡®local¡¯ map. Now, notice KD0LEG-10¡¯s position in Colo. I remembered that would act as an? HF digi; still does. ? 
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of WA8LMF via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, January 8, 2025 4:10 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [VARA-MODEM] 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!? On 1/8/2025 5:00 PM, WA8LMF via groups.io wrote: ? The 60-meters APRS web server has now been moved to 40 meters. You can see it at
?????
OOPS!? I screwed up and copied/pasted the wrong URL for the 40-meters igate/webserver.? The correct link is
??? ? You can also access this kink and the ones to my other HF & VHF? APRS mapping webservers at
??? ?? Choose the link for "60 Meters VARA" to see the 40 meters APRS-over-VARA display. Disregard the stuff at the top of the page about 60 meters operation. The radio and related software is now operating at
??? 7083.50 KHz? USB Again, this us using a 105' G5RV dipole sloping downhill from about 45 feet to 20 feet toward the west from Haslett (central Michigan near East Lansing, MI).?? And a Yaesu FT-891 with about 60 watts? peak output.?? At the moment, this is a RECEIVE-ONLY igate since it was originally on 60-meters where automatic transmission is prohibited.? The "sound card interface" is just a patch cord with a small audio transformer in line. If I decide to keep this setup on 40 meters, I will build another full RX/TX interface with PTT control. ?
Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:??????? WA8LMF
EchoLink:? Node #? 14400? [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page:?????????
New? 30 Meter?? APRS-over VARA? Frequency
As of 1 Jan 2025.?? Details Here:
????
- APRS over VARA? --
??
"Studio B" Ham Shack on Wheels
??
-
? ?
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
On 1/8/2025 5:00 PM, WA8LMF via
groups.io wrote:
?
The 60-meters APRS web server has now been moved to 40 meters.
You can see it at
?????
OOPS!? I screwed up and copied/pasted the wrong
URL for the 40-meters igate/webserver.?
The correct link is
??? ?
You can also access this kink and the ones to my other HF &
VHF? APRS mapping webservers at
??? ??
Choose the link for "60 Meters VARA" to see the 40 meters
APRS-over-VARA display.
Disregard the stuff at the top of the page about 60 meters
operation. The radio and related software is now operating at
??? 7083.50 KHz? USB
Again, this us using a 105' G5RV dipole sloping downhill from
about 45 feet to 20 feet toward the west from Haslett (central
Michigan near East Lansing, MI).?? And a Yaesu FT-891 with about
60 watts? peak output.??
At the moment, this is a RECEIVE-ONLY igate since it was
originally on 60-meters where automatic transmission is
prohibited.? The "sound card interface" is just a patch cord
with a small audio transformer in line. If I decide to keep this
setup on 40 meters, I will build another full RX/TX interface
with PTT control. ?
Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:??????? WA8LMF
EchoLink:? Node #? 14400? [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page:?????????
New? 30 Meter?? APRS-over VARA? Frequency
As of 1 Jan 2025.?? Details Here:
????
- APRS over VARA? --
??
"Studio B" Ham Shack on Wheels
??
-
?
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
On 1/8/2025 4:21 PM, WA8LMF via
groups.io wrote:
On 1/8/2025 3:37 PM, Michael - NA7Q
via groups.io wrote:
This mornings test on 30. The results really show the
struggle despite having local and distant IGates.
?
40m was rock solid this morning.
?
?
?
I am going to temporarily repurpose my 60 meter A PRS receiving
system (which has seen no traffic except when I announce an
experiment) to 40 meters, so that you can see what I am hearing
on 40 meters here in the midwest, ? on my UIwebserver.?? [The 30
and 60 meter igates/webservers use a pair of Yaesu FT-891
transceivers. ]
The 60-meters APRS web server has now been moved to 40 meters.
You can see it at
???? ???
Disregard the stuff at the top of the page about 60 meters
operation. The radio and related software is now operating at
??? 7083.50 KHz? USB
Again, this us using a 105' G5RV dipole sloping downhill from
about 45 feet to 20 feet toward the west from Haslett (central
Michigan near East Lansing, MI).?? And a Yaesu FT-891 with about
60 watts? peak output.??
At the moment, this is a RECEIVE-ONLY igate since it was
originally on 60-meters where automatic transmission is
prohibited.? The "sound card interface" is just a patch cord with
a small audio transformer in line. If I decide to keep this setup
on 40 meters, I will build another full RX/TX interface with PTT
control. ?
Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:??????? WA8LMF
EchoLink:? Node #? 14400? [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page:?????????
New? 30 Meter?? APRS-over VARA? Frequency
As of 1 Jan 2025.?? Details Here:
????
- APRS over VARA? --
??
"Studio B" Ham Shack on Wheels
??
-
?
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
On 1/8/2025 3:37 PM, Michael - NA7Q via
groups.io wrote:
This mornings test on 30. The results really show the
struggle despite having local and distant IGates.
?
40m was rock solid this morning.
?
?
I'm really curious to see if this reflects the difference between
30 and 40 meter propagation, or does it reflect the
highly-organized relatively-dense 40-meter receive network in the
Pacific Northwest.?
I am going to temporarily repurpose my 60 meter APRS receiving
system (which has seen no traffic except when I announce an
experiment) to 40 meters, so that you can see what I am hearing on
40 meters here in the midwest, ? on my UIwebserver.?? [The 30 and
60 meter igates/webservers use a pair of Yaesu FT-891
transceivers. ]
(My 30 and 60 meter UIview igates are also mapping web servers
that run 24/7 and are visible here on my web site:
The 30 meter APRS-over-VARA igate/webserver is at:
???
The 60 meter APRS-over-VARA igate/webserver (which I will move to
40 meters) is at
???
These are being served from an Acer "netbook" 11.8" mini-laptop
right here in my ham shack at home using the UI-Webserver
component of UIview,? via a DDNS link over my home fiber Internet
connection.? This is not part of my main?? ???
website hosted by Ionos.
The 60-meter receive setup is a pair of ham sticks formed into a
mini-dipole only about 12 feet off the ground to favor local
NVIS.?? I will temporarily use my main 105' G5RV ladder-line-fed
dipole for 40-meter APRS-over-VARA duty.?? (This is the antenna I
normally use for general HF operating.)
I have been using a temporary lashup using a Yaesu FT-818 and the
G5RV to monitor 40M APRS for the last two weeks.?? This setup is
NOT serving a map display others can see.???
I am waiting for an order of two Quicksilver Radio 40-m
"QuickSticks" to arrive so I can switch the mini-dipole to 40
meters.?? This is the dipole as it currently exists on 60 meters:
??? 
I intentionally placed it parallel to the top of the chain-link
fence to enhance the NVIS mode.? To enhance the longer-range
coverage on 40 I may elevate it a bit.
Stephen H. Smith??? wa8lmf (at) aol.com
Skype:??????? WA8LMF
EchoLink:? Node #? 14400? [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page:?????????
New? 30 Meter?? APRS-over VARA? Frequency
As of 1 Jan 2025.?? Details Here:
????
- APRS over VARA? --
??
"Studio B" Ham Shack on Wheels
??
-
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
This mornings test on 30. The results really show the struggle despite having local and distant IGates.
?
40m was rock solid this morning.
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
Yesterday evening's results. Not bad, but the band was very weak as I got towards the end destination.
?
The dark hours definitely become a killer of the band.
?
|
Re: PinPoint with Vara HF problem.
On 40m, almost all of us do RF beacons only. We never send it to the servers. That way as you described, we can see who has heard us. Why not just go this route? Very is very slow for sure, so things definitely do have to be done differently.?
|
Re: PinPoint with Vara HF problem.
Some years ago I was the author of APRS Messenger.
?
It's main feature was to send APRS beacons and messages over PSK, GMSK and MFSK modes on HF.
?
One feature I added to it was a timer to delay the beacon sent to the APRS-IS by 10 seconds so that the RF sent beacon heard by an igate would be sent to the APRS-IS first.
?
This worked really well
?
You could view the raw packet data on APRS.FI and see all the stations who heard your beacons and if it was a direct APRS-IS beacon from your station it meant that no igate had heard that beacon.
?
If you are in contact with the author of Pinpoint maybe you could ask him to add it as an option?
?
It would be an idea to time how long it takes to send a typical VARA APRS beacon first to get the right timing between RF and APRS-IS beacons.
?
10 seconds was OK for MFSK-16 beacons but VARA may be slower.
?
Regards,
?
Chris GM4HYG
|
PinPoint with Vara HF problem.
I have two stations running PinPoint with Vara on 30M. Both are acting the same. I noticed that when PinPoint is connected to APRS-IS all I see on raw data are position reports through the internet. When APRS-IS is not connected I see stations all over the country I-Gating my position.
My station is sending position reports on APRS-IS and over RF at the same time. I verified this but with Vara I have no idea what is sent with the internet connected.
I have been in communication with Frank, AB0WV, PinPoint developer, about this.
?
I would appreciate hearing from anyone else running PinPoint with Vara about this problem. Are you seeing the same thing on your station?
Example below.
Wayne WA5LUY
?
2025-01-07 02:02:19 CST:?>APIN21,TCPIP*,qAC,T2USANW:!3428.23N\09307.26W-VARA?I-Gate
2025-01-07 02:22:19 CST:?>APIN21,TCPIP*,qAC,T2USANW:!3428.23N\09307.26W-VARA?I-Gate
2025-01-07 02:42:19 CST:?>APIN21,TCPIP*,qAC,T2USANW:!3428.23N\09307.26W-VARA?I-Gate
2025-01-07 03:02:39 CST:?>APIN21,APRS,qAR,:!3428.23N\09307.26W-VARA?I-Gate
2025-01-07 03:22:39 CST:?>APIN21,APRS,qAR,:!3428.23N\09307.26W-VARA?I-Gate
2025-01-07 03:23:28 CST:?>APIN21,APRS,qAR,:!3428.23N\09307.26W-VARA?I-Gate
?
?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
This morning's results. Top is APRS.fi. 1 packet gated. Bottom is beacon. 30m was rough! 40m is looking good this morning.?
?
?
|
Re: FT-DX10 WJST Hamlib error
|
FT-DX10 WJST Hamlib error
In setting up radio in WJST I get HAMLIB error when I try to connect. Using Windows 10.?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
Still have to run a windows pc with the vara tnc running. Its only the aprs client.?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
On 1/6/2025 10:43 PM, Michael - NA7Q via groups.io wrote: VARAdroid is a custom version of APRSdroid that I originally created to deal with VARA HF's slowness, which is now in my APRSdroid releases. So it originally allowed settable message retry limits, and the times at which it retries. It now also includes suppressing the acks to RF within X time, typically 60 seconds per ack. As responding to multiple IGates leads to more time on air, and more acks than we'd ever want to send sometimes. I presume that APRSdroid runs on some flavor of Android OS.?? How does it actually generate the VARA audio waveform for transmit, given that VARA is (as far as I know) a Windows-only closed-source program. Or have you reverse-engineered the VARA waveforms in it's various speeds?
|
Re: 30 Meter VARA APRS - Test Run Today!
VARAdroid is a custom version of APRSdroid that I originally created to deal with VARA HF's slowness, which is now in my APRSdroid releases. So it originally allowed settable message retry limits, and the times at which it retries. It now also includes suppressing the acks to RF within X time, typically 60 seconds per ack. As responding to multiple IGates leads to more time on air, and more acks than we'd ever want to send sometimes.?
For example. We receive 4 identical messages from 4 igates. If all decoded within 60 seconds, we'd normally have to send 4 ack. But with the new feature, we only send one ack, despite getting 4 messages. This really reduces the congestion in a very beneficial way. It's the little things that matter.
As for the timing thing. I created a custom IGate software (still in beta) that a bunch of us have been running for over 6 months. We went from clashing 90% of the time or more, to almost never! Truly made a big difference. So each station is simple set at a slightly longer delay than another. So one is 3, the other is 5, or 7, etc. Keeping it to the least possible within the coverage of others. It's all very well coordinated amongst our network.?
The problem with VARA is that it's random TX start time is not enough. I keep forgetting to get in touch with Jose about this. As something in VARA would be better for a native solution that can work for everyone regardless of software.
I have some other ideas for the future to tackle these issues, I just haven't gotten around to them yet, as things work well despite the "beta" status of my own software. I have many things in the future I plan to release that will help all users enjoy the VARA APRS networks, whether on 30m, or 40m, or something else. We're all here to have fun. I want to help promote that fun, regardless where you do it!
|
Bob Watson
wa5luy