VARA is a popular, proprietary, software modem that is used for transmitting and receiving data over amateur radio. RadioMail can interface with VARA software modems to connect to other stations.

RadioMail interfaces via TCP/IP with VARA FM and HF software modems. The modem listens on two ports, by default 8300 for commands and 8301 for data payload.

Using a network protocol like TCP/IP enables the software modem to run on a radio-connected computer, while applications such as RadioMail can operate on a separate device, anywhere on the network. However, since VARA wasn't designed to function as a service, this setup comes with certain limitations, particularly when you don't have mouse, keyboard or display access to the remote computer.

In order to allow for VARA to run on a headless computer, its lifecycle and configuration needs to be manageable entirely remotely.

Introducing varanny, a command line helper tool that steps in to address these limitations, acting as a 'nanny' for VARA. It offers the following capabilities:

📢 Service Announcement for Zeroconf

varanny uses DNS Service Discovery to broadcast the VARA modem services, making it easier for clients to locate an active VARA instance and automatically fetch its IP and port. This is similar to how your printer gets discovered on a network. Give your specific radio configuration a name and select it from the auto discovered list in RadioMail. No more fumbling with IP or port configuration in RadioMail.

🕹️ Remote Management

varanny allows RadioMail to start and stop the VARA program remotely. This is particularly useful for headless applications when VARA FM and VARA HF share the same sound card or radio interface and should not be both open at the same time. It also solves the issue of VARA failing to rebind its ports after a connection closes when running on a *nix system via Wine.

🔀 Multiple VARA Configurations

Since VARA doesn't provide command line configuration options, varanny steps in to handle multiple configurations. It switches the .ini configuration file that VARA uses, allowing for smooth configuration changes before each session and restoring default settings afterward. Now, switching between different configurations for different radios is a breeze.

🎚️ Audio Level Monitor

varanny enables RadioMail to show an audio meter reflecting the audio level from the input sound card connected to the remote computer. This helps you set the radio volume at the optimal level.

😺 CAT Control Management

varanny can launch an instance of rigctld, enabling RadioMail to control PTT and frequency changes via CAT control. This is necessary for VARA HF, where radio control is not directly handled by the VARA modem, or when running VARA under Linux where Windows COM port emulation can be difficult to configure correctly.

Installation and Usage

varanny is a command line program that can run on Windows and Linux. To download and read more about configuration options, visit the varanny project page on GitHub.

You can find guides to help you get started with

• VARA HotSpot Windows Setup Guide
• VARA HotSpot Linux Setup Guide

If you're having trouble with varanny, please open an issue on the GitHub project page.

To configure VARA FM manually in RadioMail follow these steps:

1. Open the VARA FM application. Make note of ports (8300 by default) and computer IP address. Make sure no other application is connected to VARA as it can only be used by one client at a time.
2. In RadioMail, tap Settings -> VARA FM Modem -> Default modem
3. Under Manual, select Configure host/port manually
4. Enter host and port information
5. Tap Done

When connecting to VARA FM stations, RadioMail will attempt to connect to the running instance of VARA FM modem.

If your VARA FM software does not control PTT to the attached radio directly, RadioMail can control PTT using CAT control. See section below.

To configure VARA HF manually in RadioMail follow these steps:

1. Open the VARA HF application. Make note of ports (8300 by default) and computer IP address. Make sure no other application is connected to VARA as it can only be used by one client at a time.
2. In RadioMail, tap Settings -> VARA HF Modem -> Default modem
3. Under Manual, select Configure host/port manually
4. Enter host and port information
5. Tap Done

When connecting to VARA HF stations, RadioMail will attempt to connect to the running instance of VARA HF modem.

If your VARA HF software does not control PTT to the attached radio directly, RadioMail can control PTT using CAT control. See section below.

Depending on your equipment, VARA modem can be sometimes be configured to drive the PTT of the radio on its own. In many other situations, CAT control needs to be handled independently.

RadioMail can interface with the rigctld daemon (part of the hamlib library) to control PTT and frequency changes when supported.

It can be useful to use the interactive version of rigctl (without d) first to ensure that your configuration parameters are correct for your specific radio.

Once you confirm that rigctl can talk to your radio properly, simply enter the IP and port of the device where rigctld is running in the Settings section of RadioMail.

Digipeaters are special stations that receive and sequentially re-broadcast digital data on the same frequency, extending the range of communications. You can now specify up to two digipeaters to use when connecting to a station in packet or VARA FM mode.

For each mode, you can specify and quickly toggle on or off each digipeater in the Settings interface.

When digipeating is in use, the via path is displayed in the connection dialog, and the DIGI indicator is present.

Note that packet and VARA FM digipeaters are not interchangeable since they need specific knowledge of the protocol to listen to and retransmit the data.

	Vara FM (Wide)	Vara FM (Narrow)
Level	Net Rate bps	Net Rate bps
1	566	549
2	1188	1181
Unregistered version speed limit
3	2390	2390
4	4040	3188
5	5387	4252
6	7185	5668
7	9580	7087
8	11340	8505
9	14144	9567
10	16932	11162
11	19003	12750
12	22102
13	25210

	Vara HF 2750Hz (Tactical)	Vara HF 2300Hz (Standard)	Vara HF 500Hz (Narrow)
Level	Net Rate bps	Net Rate bps	Net Rate bps
1	18	18	18
2	41	41	41
3	82	82	61
4	175	175	88
Unregistered version speed limit
5	270	270	177
6	363	363	270
7	549	549	441
8	735	735	588
9	922	922	705
10	1203	2011	884
11	2423	2682	1060
12	3230	3219	1286
13	3877	4025	1543
14	4848	4830
15	5817	5872
16	7074	7050
17	8489