VarAC V16.1.8 is here! With Live Activity Map, VMail Attachments, Antenna Rotator Control, AI Customization, Sci-Fi theme, Email Gateway address Inquire and much more!
This release has a map in it. A real one: every beacon, CQ, QSO and broadcast VarAC hears, plotted on a world map, as far back as six months.
There is a lot more in V16.1.8 than the map, from rotator control to a way of teaching ACie what your local EmComm group needs her to know. Rotator owners in particular, keep reading.
First, a quick word about our other product. VarAC is free and it stays free. SafecomLink for PACTOR is our professional HF messaging system, and because so many hams asked for it, there is a Ham Radio Edition for operators who own a PACTOR modem.
Already have a PACTOR modem sitting on the shelf? All you need is a SafecomLink license. Starting from scratch? WiMo sells a new SCS PXdragon DR-9400 with SafecomLink bundled. Either way, the calling frequency is 14.120 MHz and you will find us there.
Please note: a SafecomLink station talks only to another SafecomLink station, the same way VarAC works.
Now, let's get back to VarAC.
📢 Introducing: Live Activity Map
Hit the new MAP button above your Beacons list and you get the whole band activity on a world map: Beacons, CQs, QSOs and Broadcasts.
Pick a time window, and filter by band. Stations in Emergency (EmComm) mode and stations sending Alerts are highlighted, so they stand out from the crowd.
Leave it open and it keeps itself current. New beacons, QSOs and broadcasts show up as they come in. Right-click any station and you get the same actions you already use in the Beacons list, like Connect and Lookup. You can also pin the map on top of your other windows.
PLEASE NOTE: only stations with a known location (grid locator) appear on the map.
Live Activity Map
Yes, it’s finally here! 🎉
📢 Introducing: VMail Attachments
VMail attachments are now available in VarAC! This is still a Beta feature, so things might be a little bumpy at first.
You can now compose a VMail with one or more attachments. VarAC automatically compresses all attachments into a single ZIP file and sends it together with the VMail.
Works just like regular VMails:
VMails with attachments behave like any other VMail:
They can be sent directly to another station.
They can be parked at a mediator station when the recipient is unavailable.
Email Gateway support:
Attachments also work through the Email Gateway in both directions.
That means you can send a VMail with attachments to an email recipient, and attachments received through the Email Gateway can also be delivered to VarAC as part of a VMail.
File size limits still apply:
VMail attachments follow the same file size limits you already have configured for automatic incoming files.
If an incoming attachment exceeds your maximum allowed automatic file size, VarAC will ask for your permission before downloading it.
Both sides must support attachments:
PLEASE NOTE: VMail attachments work only between VarAC stations running V16.1.8 or later.
To make this safe and backwards-compatible, VarAC automatically checks whether the other station supports attachments:
During the Service Announcement phase of a connection, a station will announce whether it supports VMail attachments.VarAC uses this information to determine whether attachments can safely be sent.
If a Service Availability list is not received, VarAC performs a discovery call using the <SQ> tag.
Only if the remote station responds with attachment support will VarAC allow the VMail with attachments to be sent.
This means you don't need to worry about accidentally sending an attachment to an older VarAC version that cannot handle it.
VMail Attachments
But that's not all...
📢 Introducing: Antenna Rotator Control
VarAC can now drive your antenna rotator through PstRotator. Turn it manually, or let VarAC turn it for you when a connection starts.
Go to Settings → RIG. There is a new section where you set the PstRotator IP and port, a default azimuth for standby, and the Auto-rotate mode.
In fully automatic mode the antenna rotates on every incoming and outgoing connection, then goes back to the default position you configured once the link is over.
Antenna Rotator Control
Now, about ACie.
📢 Introducing: AI Customization
ACie, your on-air AI agent, now takes a prompt of your own. Change her tone, her expertise, what she knows.
This is where it gets useful for EmComm groups. Load her up with local information, like shelter locations and emergency frequencies, and she can answer people who ask for it on the air.
ACie custom prompt
📢 Introducing: Email Gateway - Raw format
Those who send VMails through the Email Gateway may have already noticed that VarAC adds some additional metadata at the end of the email.
Some services, such as Saildocs.com, which is widely used by mariners, do not handle additional data appended to emails very well.
So, when composing a VMail and you want to keep the email completely clean of metadata, simply check the 'Raw' checkbox.
You may now wonder: if the other side replies to the Email Gateway, how does the gateway know where to send the reply? Simple:
If VarAC does not find the 'Reply-to' metadata in the email body, it uses the 'TO:' name as a fallback as it holds your callsign. So rest assured, the reply will still be routed safely to your inbox.
Please note: when sending a VMail through a gateway using RAW format, only updated gateways will support this operation.
Raw Email Gateway Format
Something for the eyes (and ears):
📢 Introducing: Sci-Fi theme
Under Settings → Appearance you will find a new theme called Sci-Fi. If you like R2-D2 sounds and futuristic animation, this theme is for you.
The Sci-Fi theme
Next, the Inquire module gets a new button.
📢 Introducing: Email Gateway Address Inquire
Press EMAIL GATEWAY ADDRESS in Inquire and the other station sends you its Email Gateway address. It works during a link and over broadcast.
Inquire → Email Gateway Address
One small icon, a lot less frustration.
📢 Introducing: Frequency Scanner status in Beacons
You can now see straight from the Beacons list whether a station is running the Frequency Scanner. Look for the ≫ icon next to the callsign, or hover over it.
If you see it, be patient when you try to connect.
Scanner indicator in the Beacons list
And for those of you running a multi-node cluster:
📢 Introducing: Cluster instance names
Every Cluster instance can now have a proper name, like "20m Node", instead of just a number. The name shows up in Inquire operations and on the map. You set it under Settings → Cluster.
The same screen has a new Database timeout setting. When a cluster gets really busy, the shared database can become a bottleneck. Now you can give each instance more time to get access before it gives up.
Settings → Cluster
When you view Last Heard data from a Cluster, the entries are now grouped by Cluster node.
Cluster Last Heard, grouped by node
Okay, there's more to discover in V16.1.8. For the next set of updates, we will be switching to "auto" mode:
Always Send Welcome Message - Welcome messages now go out even when you are away. The new settings are under Canned Messages settings.
VMail notifications on Ping - When you ping a station, VarAC now lets you know if you have VMails waiting.
Read Frequency on by default - New installations now read the frequency every 2 seconds out of the box.
Gemini model selection - The AI Gateway now lets you pick which Gemini model to run.
BBS without a link - The BBS module now opens even when you are not connected, and a new button takes you straight to your own shared BBS files.
Quieter VMail queueing - You can now turn off the popup that warns you a new VMail will be queued because you are not connected.
Debug mode indicator - When Debug mode is on, the application header now says so clearly.
Compact GPS display - The GPS coordinates in the bottom status strip take up less room.
To upgrade from an existing VarAC version:
Download the VarAC Installer and run it.
Select the current folder where your VarAC resides.
The installer will keep your existing settings and history.
Just reminding you all that we are always there for you on our Forum, our Facebook group, and also on our Telegram group.
73, Irad 4Z1AC & the VarAC team.
For Linux / Pi / Mac users:
Bug Fixes:
Hobby Profile line breaks - New lines in Hobby Profile elements now arrive as real line breaks instead of a literal "\n".
Beacons after modem disconnect - VarAC no longer keeps trying to send beacons once the modem is disconnected.
Beacons while connecting - Beacons are now properly paused while you are trying to connect to a station.
Application Launcher crash - Illegal characters in Application Launcher filenames no longer crash VarAC.
New AI API keys - Fixed an AI issue that affected newly generated API keys.
Beacon button blinking - The Beacon button no longer blinks abnormally. The cause was several message-queue threads running at the same time.
Relay notification crash - Deleting a Relay notification no longer crashes VarAC.
Image Shrinker screen - The bottom part of the Image Shrinker screen is now visible on the screen configurations where it used to be cut off.
Linux/Wine checkboxes - Checkboxes in the Settings screen now display correctly under Linux/Wine.
Manual Frequency Scanner start - If you have Scanner frequencies but no Scheduler frequencies configured, you can now enable the Frequency Scanner manually.
Email Gateway confirmation - When the sender node is different from the connected node, you now get the confirmation that your email was sent (the <ER> tag).
Disabled buttons - Disabled buttons now clearly look disabled.
Duplicate Vmail-to-Email - Sending Vmail-to-Email between two Email Gateways no longer relays the message back, so the email goes out once, not twice.
AI engine errors - When the AI engine cannot process a request, the other side now gets an error notification instead of no answer at all.
PTT in Cluster mode - Fixed an issue where PTT could occasionally stay disabled in Cluster mode.
Empty callsign - The My Information form no longer accepts an empty callsign.
