I’m having trouble using VARA FM on my Yaesu FT-65R. No matter whether I try a radio 4 km or 20 km away it fails to connect. Is it a problem with my settings?
VARA Setup: TCP Ports Command 8300, Data 8301, FM Narrow (or can set wide)
Soundcard: Device Input: Microphone (USB PnP Sound Device), Device Output: Speakers (USB PNP Sound Device)
PTT: PTT Via: COM, Port COM8 (per my PC), PTT Pin RTS
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance
The concerns are audio in, PTT and audio out.
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Do you hear the audio from remote station? Check “listen” checkbox on Digirig’s recording device to monitor.
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Does the radio key up when you are trying to transmit?
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Is your audio getting on the air? Tune in another station to the same frequency to monitor.
The transmitter definitely keys up (#2). For #1, where do I go the check the listen checkbox…how do I do it?
As for #3, TBD. I’ll have to arrange with another ham tomorrow of next day to check this.
Found and checked the listen checkbox. Set playback device through the PC’s speakers. Heard no audio from remote station.
Do you hear the static though? The squelch must be off.
Great video! I turned off the squelch and set up the various parameters on the sound settings. When I attempt to contact a nearby remote station (4 km away), VARA FM sends the 6 or so attempts to make contact. After the last attempt and VARA/WINLINK states that the attempt failed, I hear the remote station come on and seemingly respond. Yet WINLINK/VARA doesn’t recognize the response. I tried this about a dozen times and it always ends the same, with the remote station responding after my last attempt. Any thoughts? One thing that didn’t work was the sound card calibration with the remote station. It failed each time saying “no signal.”
If the remote station response to your request then you are getting on the air (Audio out, PTT). To confirm you are getting audio in check “listen” box. With everything working in principle, there still may be an issue with the audio levels or RF link quality. I would start with low audio levels with increases as needed.
Success! I had skipped a step shown in the video. That step was to set the microphone level of digirig to 20 to start. Many thanks for your help!
I have another question, this one on FT8. Should I start a new thread?
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Awesome, thanks for the update!
Yes, let’s go ahead with the new post on FT8
Good morning AI7OZ
for two days I have been dealing with the exact same issue with my Yaesu FT-65r trying to get Vara FM working. Everything is the same as you have posted. What was the fix or solutions? Same settings you have and but my port is com4. any help would be great
That’s frustrating! Did you go through the steps in the video posted above? Which step fails or gives problems?
73 Constrainted
For my it was going through the video step-by-step. One step I overlooked and had to go back was to set the microphone level of digirig to 20 to start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUDQYuvYAeI
Yes I adjusted the settings to 20 as seen in the video and post. What I don’t get is the noise as if it working I checked the box to listen unchecked AOC .
No noise? Check squelch and set it to 0.
73 Constrainted
I think I am making head way on this. But to far out to get signal at this point Never got that before.
Thanks
well it the squelch was set to off…sure it be on but set to 0
Can set up VARA FM now can I use it with VarAC using the FT-65R or Baofeng?
I haven’t used it lately, but that was the way I started with VarAC chat. There have been many releases of Vara FM and VarAC since then. Please upgrade to the latest releases of the software.
73 Constrainted.
Our ARES group sends VarAC messages on the repeater during a net and I would like to have my 2M FM radio be able to copy those messages while attending the net. If I start VarAC it automatically uses the VARA HF. I presume I need to start VARA FM first and then VarAC. But then the settngs will all be for my HF radio. I have the latest version of everything needed.