Advanced Beacon

In VarAC, there are two types of beacons: Standard and Advanced. A Standard Beacon is a basic signal that announces your presence and includes minimal information, making it highly robust—even at very weak signal levels (down to -22 dB).

An Advanced Beacon, on the other hand :

• Uses the AX25-KISS protocol (similar to broadcasts)

• Operates at SL2 (Speed Level 2), allowing more data to be sent.

• Can still be decoded at -18/-19 dB (compared to -22 dB for standard beacons).

• Includes your Grid Locator.

• Carries additional data such as Email Gateway Announcements, EmComm station status, and more exciting features in the future.

Set this beacon under the Settings --> Rig Control and VARA configuration --> CQ/Beacon