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Glitch
Mar 15, 2025
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
The RWS project allows anyone using a radio and a computer to access the internet from anywhere if needed, either because of an emergency or if you simply go somewhere that doesn't have internet.
The current implementation of the server uses the VARA modem, which is free, though the uncapped speed version costs $70. (But, if you call CQ and a server with a licensed copy of VARA answers, there won't be any restrictions, and vice versa for any unlicensed server hosters)
The server has a lot of built-in commands which allow you to:
• View a website (either in plain text or raw HTML)
• Perform a quick search
• Get the weather forecast for a given city + state
• Download a given URL (download is encoded into base64 to allow download through text, instructions for how to decode are given alongside the download)
• Create and view posts and comments in our forum, hosted on the GitHub of the project
• Chat with a callsign, but chats are stored and sent over the internet (across servers) and history is saved
• Print server info, logs, and global active servers
I've read Part 97 of the FCC and I've made sure my server is fully legal.
My end goal for the project is to have hundreds of servers hosted around the world, which would allow coverage for almost everyone on Earth.
The server and instructions for how to host your own are listed at the GitHub:
https://github.com/Glitch31415/rws
To connect to a server, make sure you have VARA and VarAC installed. Once those are installed and working correctly, go to 14.109 MHz USB and call CQ. (Both 500 Hz and 2300 Hz bandwidths are supported.) Wait for at least 2 minutes. If a server has heard you, it will call back and try to connect with you. The list of commands and other instructions are sent once you're connected.
I need testers and server hosters to properly see if the server will work correctly in the real world! If you aren't using your radio at the moment, and if you have a computer connected to the radio, you can get the server running in 10 minutes and just let it sit in the background, waiting for a connection, with no further hassle needed.
If you want an external helper for dealing with the downloads and base64, KC3VPB has created a helper that can decode base64 automatically and save it to a file. https://github.com/Caleb-J773/rws-tools-release/releases
For more info or if you need help, email me: jpradiophone@gmail.com
Discord invite link: https://discord.gg/muYEBCjqsM
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Glitch
Dec 20, 2024
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
With RWS, not only do you not need internet, you don't even need a radio link with someone to chat with them!
All you need to do is connect to an RWS server, enter the callsign you want to chat with, and you can message them using the RWS server's internet to bridge the gap when RF doesn't work.
Someone in northern Africa could use a server hosted in South Africa to chat with someone from Alaska who uses a server hosted in Canada.
This isn't the only feature that RWS offers.
The RWS project allows anyone using an HF radio and a computer to access the internet from anywhere if needed, either because of an emergency or if you simply go somewhere that doesn't have internet.
The current implementation of the server uses the VARA modem, which is free, though the uncapped speed version costs $70. (But, if you call CQ and a server with a licensed copy of VARA answers, there won't be any restrictions, and vice versa for any unlicensed server hosters)
The server has a lot of built-in commands which, as well as chat with people in the way shown above, also allow you to:
• View a website (either in plain text or raw HTML)
• Perform a quick DuckDuckGo search
• Get the weather forecast for a given city + state
• Download a given URL (download is encoded into base64 to allow download through text, instructions for how to decode are given alongside the download)
• View and create forum posts and comments in the community section of the GitHub of the project
• Print server info, logs, and global active servers
I've read Part 97 and I've made sure my server is fully legal.
My end goal for the project is to have hundreds or thousands of servers hosted around the world, which would allow coverage for almost everyone on Earth.
The server and instructions for how to host your own are listed at the GitHub:
https://github.com/Glitch31415/rws
To connect to a server, make sure you have VARA and VarAC installed. Once those are installed and working correctly, go to 14.110 MHz USB and call CQ. (Both 500 Hz and 2300 Hz bandwidths are supported.) Wait for at least 2 minutes. If a server has heard you, it will call back and try to connect with you. The list of commands and other instructions are sent once you're connected.
I need testers and server hosters to properly see if the server will work correctly in the real world! If you aren't using your radio at the moment, and if you have a computer connected to the radio, you can get the server running in 10 minutes and just let it sit in the background, waiting for a connection, with no further hassle needed.
If you want an external helper for dealing with the downloads and base64, KC3VPB has created a helper that can decode base64 automatically and save it to a file. https://github.com/Caleb-J773/rws-tools-release/releases
For more info or if you need help, email me: jpradiophone@gmail.com
Discord invite link: https://discord.gg/muYEBCjqsM
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Glitch
Oct 15, 2024
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
i'm the guy who's making the RWS server thing. someone tried running a server on their icom 7300, but that radio doesn't have data VOX so PTT wasn't able to work. is there a way to have VARA control PTT or do you have to do it yourself in realtime with the "PTT OFF" and "PTT ON" TNC commands
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77
Glitch
Aug 18, 2024
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
lmao
i'm on my mobile setup so i'm very surprised i heard you
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Glitch
Jul 16, 2024
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
The RWS project allows anyone using an HF radio and a computer to access the internet from anywhere if needed, either because of an emergency or if you simply go somewhere that doesn't have internet.
The current implementation of the server uses the VARA modem, which is free, though the uncapped speed version costs $70. (But, if you call CQ and a server with a licensed copy of VARA answers, there won't be any restrictions, and vice versa for any unlicensed server hosters)
The server has a lot of built-in commands which allow you to:
• View a website (either in plain text or raw HTML)
• Perform a quick search
• Get the weather forecast for a given city + state
• Download a given URL (download is encoded into base64 to allow download through text, instructions for how to decode are given alongside the download)
• View and create threads and comments in the community section of the GitHub of the project
• Print server info, logs, and global active servers
I've read Part 97 of the FCC and I've made sure my server is fully legal.
My end goal for the project is to have hundreds or thousands of servers hosted around the world, which would allow coverage for almost everyone on Earth.
The server and instructions for how to host your own are listed at the GitHub:
https://github.com/Glitch31415/rws
To connect to a server, make sure you have VARA and VarAC installed. Once those are installed and working correctly, go to 14.110 MHz USB and call CQ. (Both 500 Hz and 2300 Hz bandwidths are supported.) Wait for at least 2 minutes. If a server has heard you, it will call back and try to connect with you. The list of commands and other instructions are sent once you're connected.
I need testers and server hosters to properly see if the server will work correctly in the real world! If you aren't using your radio at the moment, and if you have a computer connected to the radio, you can get the server running in 10 minutes and just let it sit in the background, waiting for a connection, with no further hassle needed.
If you want an external helper for dealing with the downloads and base64, KC3VPB has created a helper that can decode base64 automatically and save it to a file. https://github.com/Caleb-J773/rws-tools-release/releases
For more info or if you need help, email me: jpradiophone@gmail.com
Discord invite link: https://discord.gg/muYEBCjqsM
(In case you've already seen this post, I'm not trying to spam, just raising awareness)
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134
Glitch
Mar 28, 2024
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
About 10 months ago, I started the VRWS project to allow anyone using VarAC (a chat application that uses the VARA modem) to access the internet if needed. I stopped working on the project for months after I ran out of ideas and motivation. Recently though, I've been reminded of this and I decided to work on this again.
The server has a lot of built-in commands which allow you to:
• View a website (either in plain text or raw HTML)
• Perform a quick search
• Get the weather forecast for a given city + state
• Download a given URL (download is encoded into base64 to allow download through text, instructions for how to decode are given alongside the download)
• View and create threads and comments in the community section of the GitHub of the project
• Print server info and logs
I've read Part 97 of the FCC and I've made sure my server is fully legal.
My end goal for the project is to have hundreds or thousands of servers hosted around the world, and anyone anywhere with access to an HF radio and a computer can connect to one of those servers and access the internet through VarAC and other VARA chat applications.
The server and instructions for how to host your own are listed at the GitHub:
https://github.com/Glitch31415/rws
To connect to a server, make sure you have VARA and VarAC installed. Once those are installed and working correctly, go to 14.110 MHz USB and call CQ. (Both 500 Hz and 2300 Hz bandwidths are supported.) Wait for at least 2 minutes. If a server has heard you, it will call back and try to connect with you. The list of commands and other instructions are sent once you're connected.
I need testers and server hosters to properly see if the server will work correctly in the real world! If you aren't using your radio at the moment, and if you have a computer connected to the radio, you can get the server running in 10 minutes and just let it sit in the background, waiting for a connection, with no further hassle needed.
For more info or if you need help, email me: jpradiophone@gmail.com
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Glitch
Jun 12, 2023
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
I am hoping to add a feature to my server where you can request that your query be sent to ALL servers (in case the one you are connected to has no internet, etc) and the data associated with that will be sent through the broadcast thing. I don't know what commands you use for it though, because the sheet of commands that EA5HVK gave to me didn't include anything that seemed like it would work. The sheet I was given is attached.
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Glitch
May 13, 2023
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
See https://www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/comments/yo4moe/i_created_a_hrwa_ham_radio_web_access_server/ for the first version that used FLDigi ----- I have successfully ported the RWS (now called VRWS) to VARA! My server is running on 14.110 MHz, 2300 Hz bandwidth (but both 500 Hz and 2300 Hz connections will be accepted). Using the server, you can fetch raw HTML from a given website, do a DuckDuckGo search, look up the weather for a given city/state, download files from the web, view and create posts that anyone using a copy of my server can see, and check what other people have been doing on the server. More features are being added as fast as I can think of them! All results from the web are put through a content filter so it stays legal. You can use VarAC, VARA Chat, and possibly vARIM to connect to the server. All you need to do is send a connection request to "KJ7QQG" OR send out a CQ and if your signal can be decoded by the modem, it will automatically reply. In the future, if the server becomes popular, it will be more practical to just call out a CQ because you will not be able to know what servers are active that you can reach at any given time; calling CQ will prompt ANY server that can hear you to respond. Here is where you can download the server: https://github.com/Glitch31415/rws The version labeled "vrws" is the VARA version, "rws1.3" is the latest version that works with FLDigi. Start your VARA modem first, then run the .jar file. If you mix up the order, it will instantly error out saying "Connection refused". After you run the file, input your exact callsign (with capital letters) and the server will start. You will be able to see all VARA commands and data as well as special logs that the server will create from the command line that you executed the .jar from.
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656
Glitch
Oct 20, 2022
In Feature requests - Archive
Last night I thought of a few more features that would make VarAC even better. Add an !ALL or !GROUP thing that you would type into the "Connect" slot, and then if you hit "PING" it would act like a heartbeat in JS8, and (by order of who received you the strongest, or however you keep people from trampling each other), they would all connect, give you your report, and disconnect. If you hit "CONNECT" it would send out a ping, then the person who received you the strongest would connect to you. Good for checking if there's anyone you can reach on a certain band. With the features above, also add a "FILEBIN" or similar button that when pressed with !ALL, each person who has CAT control/is not "away" (by order of who received you the strongest, or however you keep people from trampling each other; this would require QSYing, so you need CAT control or an active operator) would send you a list of what files are in their "filebin-out" folder on their computer, the descriptions of the files, and the sizes of the files. After everyone has sent to you what files they are offering in their filebins, you can click on a certain file to QSY up to a slot that you define and start the file transfer into the "filebin-in" folder. This would work with a single callsign too, but it would be more powerful if you could ask everyone at once. KJ7QQG
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Glitch
Oct 20, 2022
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
Last night I thought of a few more features that would make VarAC even better. Add an !ALL or !GROUP thing that you would type into the "Connect" slot, and then if you hit "PING" it would act like a heartbeat in JS8, and (by order of who received you the strongest, or however you keep people from trampling each other), they would all connect, give you your report, and disconnect. If you hit "CONNECT" it would send out a ping, then the person who received you the strongest would connect to you. Good for checking if there's anyone you can reach on a certain band. With the features above, also add a "FILEBIN" or similar button that when pressed with !ALL, each person who has CAT control/is not "away" (by order of who received you the strongest, or however you keep people from trampling each other; this would require QSYing, so you need CAT control or an active operator) would send you a list of what files are in their "filebin-out" folder on their computer, the descriptions of the files, and the sizes of the files. After everyone has sent to you what files they are offering in their filebins, you can click on a certain file to QSY up to a slot that you define and start the file transfer into the "filebin-in" folder. This would work with a single callsign too, but it would be more powerful if you could ask everyone at once. KJ7QQG
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Glitch
Oct 10, 2022
In VarAC - HF discussion forum
Is there a list of vmail "mailboxes" where I can send vmail to, like Winlink? I would prefer to not have it send while already connected to the person. KJ7QQG
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Glitch
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