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Experimenting with a new map layout -- comments and feedback requested. ? Screen capture of 30 meters APRS-over-VARA activity on the new 10.148.200 Mhz USB channel as of 3:16 PM Eastern US Time on 22 Dec 2024.???

Note that late at night and in the early morning hours, I am copying G4HYG from the UK on this channel nearly every day -- that's why I have expanded the map to stretch across the Atlantic to cover western Europe.

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I'm listening. Trying to figure out how to get pinpoint 2.1, Vara and my FTdx-3000 to talk.

73 de K3FZT / Steve

--

Steve Davidson K3FZT | GMRS: WRVS468

Winlink Gateway K3FZT-10@...?direct or via W3EOC-3

Supporting VARA FM Wide/1200bd Packet

WIRES-X Room #85218 "MARC-DARBY" 444.050 mHz

K3FZT@...?FN20ja

?

1)?? Forget all the CAT nonsense and hassle -- set the radio on 10.148.200 USB or "DATA-U" if it has that mode manually. ? ?

2)?? Set the passband or DSP bandwidth tuning of the radio to allow the bandpass of around 1000 Hz to 2000 Hz.? (The VARA signal is about 500 Hz wide, centered on 1500 Hz.)

Depending on the nature of the slope of your passband filter edges, you may be able to screw down the bandwidth narrower. (Most filters start having phase shifts and ringing at the passband edges, limiting how narrow you can set the filters without mangling the complex multi-tone VARA signal.)

3)??? Enable the KISS-over-IP function in VARA under "Settings", "VARA Setup". Be sure to check the box "KISS interface".? This becomes a TCP/IP server.?

4)??? Select KISS-over-IP as a TNC source in PinPoint. This becomes a TCP/IP client connecting to VARA's server.? Note that the IP PORT # in both programs must match.? (Normally this will be the default VARA KISS-over-IP port number of 8100.)?? The IP address of both programs will be "localhost" a.k.a.? "127.0.0.1" meaning both the server and the client are on the same machine.?

Details on my web site at:

- APRS over VARA? --
??

??

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

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Hmmm. In USB-Data mode I can key the radio using DTR on COM3 but I see in Pinpoint:

WA8LMF-6>APU25N:>150213zThis is the new APRS-over-VARA Channel beginning 1 Jan
WA8LMF-6>APU25N:}KJ4ERJ-15>APZTLE,TCPIP,WA8LMF-6*:;ISS ? ? ?*213954h5045.75S\03104.32WSMsg4Pass }k1niNe`ZpLz<t3N<(L"Z,e<iN{!w1#!
WA8LMF-6>APU25N:}KJ4ERJ-15>APZTLE,TCPIP,WA8LMF-6*:;ISS ? ? ?*214153h4835.22S\02013.22WSMsg4Pass }k1njNfa[qLz;s2N;)L"[+f;jN{!wD{!
WA8LMF-6>APU25N:}KJ4ERJ-15>APZTLE,TCPIP,WA8LMF-6*:;ISS ? ? ?*214352h4523.80S\01029.94WSMsg4Pass }k1mlNga[qKz9q0N9+K"[+g;lN{!w\U!

I was seeing three lines of text at one time. I think was in USB-CW mode for that.

On most radios, the main difference between "USB" and "DATA-U" is that the audio input/output is from the front panel on USB and a rear-panel "data port" on "DATA-U".?? The receive tuning shouldn't be any different.?? USB-CW is again normal USB receive, but the input on transmit is the CW key jack, rather than any kind of audio from a soundcard program.

I am transmitting these on the new APRS-overVARA channel (10.148.200 USB) as WA8LMF-6 to give adopters something to receive and verify that they are on the right frequency.

You are seeing one line of APRS Bulletin transmission, and three lines of the KJ4ERJ space station object.??

APRS Bulletins are like APRS text messages, but addressed to everyone (not a specific station).? They require no ACKs (since they not sent to a specific station), and are repeated endlessly until disabled.? (Normal messages addressed to a specific station are repeated only a few time?if they receive no ACK, and then stop .)?

Bulletins are typically used to announce weather alerts, upcoming events, disaster info, etc.? Further, sending the same BLN # with new content will cause the like-numbered bulletin line at receive stations to be updated (overwritten) with the new content. ??

KJ4ERJ originates the space station objects every two minutes showing the current location of the space station itself (an APRS point object) and of it's radio footprint on the earth (APRS area object). He inserts them into the APRS Internet System.? I fish them out of the APRS-IS and re-transmit them over 30M RF.? [I am assuming that if someone is far enough out in the boonies to be using HF APRS rather than 2 meters, that they might also be interested in knowing when the ISS and it's VHF digipeater is overhead. ]?

Note that most APRS clients fail to decode and correctly display APRS area objects though they will display the point object directly under the ISS.? (UIview is one of the few APRS clients that WILL properly decode and display area objects on it's maps.? (You will periodically see the ISS "photo-bomb" my APRS screen caps from UIview.)

I just got this in USB-CW:

WA8LMF-5>APU25N::BLN07 ? ?:New 30M VARA Channel ? 1 Jan 2024

WA8LMF-5>APU25N::BLN09 ? ?:30M VARA Freq Info -

NS3X>APIN21:!3940.77N/07655.35Wy ? ?ns3x@... FM19mq 752 ft ASL

Wrong year I think.

Apparently you are switching between the new channel and the old channel.??

This is the old VARA-over-APRS channel (10.147.600 MHz). I have been using bulletins here to? announce/talk? up the new APRS-over-VARA frequency change to people still on the old VARA channel.????? Yes there was a typo on the year -- now fixed.??? After Jan 1st, I will leave a "night light" beacon, from a second transceiver,? on the old frequency for a couple of weeks announcing that the APRS-over-VARA frequency has changed.?

Yes, I've had VARA in KISS mode throughout, though it complains it isn't seeing anything on port 8300 it's connected to pinpoint on the default of 8100.

The two primary VARA ports 8300 (Command) and 8301 (Data) are used by WinLink, VARAchat and VarAC Chat.? They are NOT used by APRS over VARA - the single port 8100 (KISS) handles everything APRS-related.

2)?? Set the passband or DSP bandwidth tuning of the radio to allow the bandpass of around 1000 Hz to 2000 Hz.? (The VARA signal is about 500 Hz wide, centered on 1500 Hz.)

Depending on the nature of the slope of your passband filter edges, you may be able to screw down the bandwidth narrower. (Most filters start having phase shifts and ringing at the passband edges, limiting how narrow you can set the filters without mangling the complex multi-tone VARA signal.)

3)??? Enable the KISS-over-IP function in VARA under "Settings", "VARA Setup". Be sure to check the box "KISS interface".? This becomes a TCP/IP server.?

4)??? Select KISS-over-IP as a TNC source in PinPoint. This becomes a TCP/IP client connecting to VARA's server.? Note that the IP PORT # in both programs must match.? (Normally this will be the default VARA KISS-over-IP port number of 8100.)?? The IP address of both programs will be "localhost" a.k.a.? "127.0.0.1" meaning both the server and the client are on the same machine.?

Details on my web site at:

- APRS over VARA? --
??

??

---

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

Skype:??????? WA8LMF
EchoLink:? Node #? 14400? [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]
Home Page:?????????

30 Meter?? APRS-over VARA? Frequency Change
Coming 1 Jan 2025.?? Details Here:
???? <



"Studio B" Ham Shack on Wheels
??

-
?

---

--
73 de K3FZT / Steve

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Can't get VARA to trigger the PTT of my Kenwood TS-890.... No matter what I do. It works fine in winlink but can't get it to function when connected to Pinpoint.

_._,_._,_

---

?

1)??? Have you enabled the KISS mode in VARA????? WinLink and VarAC Chat use the "Command" and "Data" ports in VARA.?? APRS uses the "KISS" ports instead.?

2)??? Have you selected? KISS-over-TCP/IP? in PinPoint as the "TNC"?

3)??? Are the TCP/IP port numbers for KISS-over-IP in VARA and PinPoint the same?? VARA defaults to IP port # 8300, though it can be changed in VARA's "Setup", "VARA Setup..." dialog. ?? Ensure the port number in PinPoint is the same.?

4) ? Don't try to use Winlink at the same time as APRS-over-VARA. ?

?

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Started using AMTOR and PACTOR more than 30 years ago. Today I'm using VARA with Winlink and VarAC.

Fortunately I downloaded PinPoint some time ago. My first 30m beacon was received by GM4HYG-10:

2024-12-23 19:07:38 CET:?>APIN21,WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1,qAR,:!4741.75N/00838.43E-PinPoint?v2.1

?

73, Markus HB9BRJ

_._,_._,_

---

WIDEn-N paths are NOT used on HF!??? I have been several new users running PinPoint without changing this factory default.??

Digipeaters are heavily discouraged on HF since they double the time your transmissions occupy the channel, which becomes significant with the slower data rates on HF.?? Further, the path information adds needless length to the transmitted packet, reducing the probability of the packet being successfully decoded.

I read your post and then tried to access the pinpoint aprs website and it
seems to be down. (Forbidden message).
Am I missing something? Here is the url I am attempting:
[1]

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Rick? -? KJ7ROX via groups.io <rick.lovdahl@...> wrote:

I read your post and then tried to access the pinpoint aprs website and it
seems to be down. (Forbidden message).
Am I missing something??
Here is the url I am attempting:
[1]

Looks like their webserver is misconfigured. You could try to get what
you want via the webarchive site:



-dominic

The PinPoint website seems to be missing in action.??? I've put a copy of the most recent PinPoint on MY web site at at:

??

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?Screen cap of new 30M APRS-over-VARA channel as of 1700 Eastern Time today as monitored on my test setup (TS-2000 and G5RV ant).? This is captured from a 1388x720 "half-HD" screen.

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For comparison, here is what I am hearing on the 30-meter classic AX.25 AX.25 packet APRS channel that is using the same radio and antenna as the new APRS-over-VARA channel. ?