I think it is a good idea to Compress VMAIL text files before transmission, for speeding up VMAIL transfers. We could use ZIP, RAR, LZH or other well known compression programs, just like WINLINK uses B2F compression. FCC never complained about WINLINK using B2F compression because B2F is not encryption. If someone can capture all the transmission they can easily decompress it and read the transmitted text. 73 de SV1UY

I think that for EMCOMM purposes, it would be great if VarAC could actually shrink (resize) a picture we shot using our laptop's camera, or any other webcam and make it the size we want before transmission via the send facility. WINLINK has this feature and I find it very useful. On the other hand, maybe there is some program that can do this, but all simple picture manipuating programs I have tested, if they offer a menu to resize a picture they do not have the option for the user to actually tell the program how many kilobytes they want their picture to become. Anyone know a program that can do this? I think a feature like this would be very neat if one can do it from VarAC. 73 de Demetre M0SUY

Would it be possible for VarAC to have an API so that external applications such as JS8calUtils can talk to it and send GPS DATA every so often so that we do not need to alter My Information setup page with the locator manually when we are on the move? I spoke to Mark M0IAX, who wrote a nice external application called JS8callUtils for JS8call and he said that he would be interested to write a similar application for VarAC but he told that he needs VarAC to have an API for him to be able to interface a VarACutils applicato with VarAC. This would be also extremely helpful if we could send a POSITION BEACON via VarAC's BROADCASTING feature using a GPS in our laptop, although it would also be great if we could include a 6 digit LOCATOR in VarAC BEACON itself.

Hi Irad and group, When I am in QSO typing away in the "New message" window at the bottom and a POP up appears, I end up always pressing OK without having time to read it and maybe OK is the wrong answer. This always happens when someone wants to send me a file which exceeds the size I have put in settings for maximum file size limit. It happened today when someone wanted to send me a looooong file and I accidentally pressed OK because I was typing away. This can also happen when I get a POP UP with a QSY invitation. Is there a way to tackle this problem? Not sure what would be the best way to deal with it! BTW this has always happened from the beginning of VarAC. 73 de Demetre M0SUY

Hi Irad and group, This is not a BUG, I would call it a feature request. The problem is as follows below: When I am out of the house operating VarAC mobile or portable, I always use /M or /P as a special suffix. If I send a VMAIL to someone and he replies back his reply is addressed to M0SUY/M or M0SUY/P which is normal. When I return home and I receive a VMAIL RELAY NOTIFICATION, I receive to my callsign without the special suffix which is normal because when I am at home I do not use a special suffix. Then I click at the RELAY button hoping to receive my VMAIL which is waiting for me at the other station! Here is the big problem: When I connect to the RELAY station I do not receive anything because the VMAIL is addressed to M0SUY/M or M0SUY/P. If I disconnect, change temporarily M0SUY to M0SUY/M in Settings-My info and reconnect, then I receive the VMAIL which is waiting for me! I propose that you change the code to enable VarAC ignore anything afterethe "/" including the "/" and connect to M0SUY even though the VMAIL is addressed to M0SUY/M or M0SUY/P just like it happens to the RELAY NOTIFICATION Mechanism. The way VarAC works now is very mileading and many guys who use a special preffix and when they return back home they will be wondering why do they connect to the RELAY station and they never receive any VMAIL eventhough they have received a VMAIL NOTIFICATION from the RELAY station. 73 de Demetre M0SUY

I think BEACONS and probably BROADCASTS too should be treated exactly the same way as CQ CALLS or CONNECT REQUESTS in VarAC, i.e. wait for the frequency to clear and as soon as it is clear they should be transmitted immediately, not wait for 10 or 20 seconds because when there is a Contest the participants transmit 1st then they listen for 3 seconds and they transmit again. 10 seconds is a loooooooong time. As the program is now, our BEACONS of BROADCASTS might have to wait all day until the contest is over, or the propagation stops before it transmits our BEACON or BROADCAST Message! Furthermore, no other MODE has got a BUSY Detector, only VarAC/VARA. I think something has to be done about this problem! 73 de M0SUY

I think GPS support in VarAC would be a great asset for VarAC during EMCOMM ops. We could TX our position via BROADCAST or even better TX it via BEACON or CQ if we can ever convince Jose to make some changes in the CQ of VARA. 73 de Demetre M0SUY

I think that since VarAC in EMCOMM has been announced and because we usually see on VarAC more operators who BEACON than operators calling CQ, BEACONS play an important part in VarAC so they should be treated equally or better than CQ Calls. So the waiting time of 20 seconds after the BUSY indicator goes off should be reduced to 5 seconds because now with so many ops still insisting having their QSOS in the calling frequency, BEACONS never get the chance to ever been transmitted in time and in many cases they have to wait too long. Also I think that we should be able to BEACON more often than every 15 minutes, i.e. every 5 minutes in special occasions such as EMCOMM situations! 73 de M0SUY

Many times PINGS take a looooooong time occupying the calling frequency for no good reason. I suggest to put a timeout in how long a PING can last. I think 60 seconds or even less might be a good start. If within 60 seconds a PING cannot be completed then the information that we might receive at the expense of occupying the calling frequency is not of any value really. 73 de M0SUY

Hi Irad, Is it possible sometime in the future to introduce a 1 minute delay in the transmission of the "I'm away" message and during this minute if the operator types something to the console of VarAC, then the "I'm away" message should be cancelled and a QSO can take place. Maybe if VarAC sense that the operator starts typing something, the "Welcome message" should be transmitted instead otherwise the "I am away message" should be transmitted. I think this will save us a lot of grief and save a lot of missed QSOS because many times I am in the radio shack doing something else and I have not touched VarAC for more than the I'm away (Auto) set period, so when someone connects to me he/she sees the "I am away message" immediately and rightly so, he/she thinks that I am really away when I am not away! I know of another program called APRSIS32 that does this. After APRSIS32 receives an APRS TEXT message, if the operator does not open it to read it whithin 1 minute, the program automatically sends the "AA: QRL, 73" message so the other operator knows we are away! 73 de Demetre M0SUY (SV1UY) ..

Hi Irad, Is it possible to be able to select FIL1, FIL2 or FIL3 at startup according to your needs when you have an ICOM Radio, i.e. an IC-705 or IC-7300 etc? Now it forces FIL2 and I feel I need FIL3. It would be better if you could set you own preference if possible! 73 de M0SUY

Hi Irad, I wonder if when you make VarAC/VARA the way you like, can we ever have a VarAC/PACTOR for us PACTORists??? I hope you haven't sold your PACTOR Modem! Hihihi! 73 de M0SUY/SV1UY

What about locator info on BEACON and CQ ???

HI, it would be great if VarAC supported File transfer, binary and text and also Picture transfer ala SSTV style, between 2 stations! 73 de Demetre M0SUY/SV1UY