Hello.
Installed Vara products on a new/refurbished Panasonic tough pad. They appear to be running just fine initially, then I realized I’m an idiot and gotta install a driver for the digirig.
I install it, now the VARA FM modem starts freezing when I try to open it. Task manager shows it eating about 40% of my processor speed. VARA HF modem starts fine, only using 2-3% of CPU.
I tried installing VARA FM again but it keeps freezing.
Issue occurs regardless of how many times I reset or if I have the radio connected/disconnected. I don’t think it matters but the radio is an AR152 w/ a baofeng cable
in your varafm folder, try renaming or deleting the varafm.ini file
then start up varafm
good luck
kb0wlf
you’ll need to uncheck the folder options box that says:
hide extensions for known file types
then you’ll see the .ini
most likely, it is the one named varafm and labeled ‘text document’
good luck
kb0wlf
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Checked the block to show hidden items.
No file labeled with the ending .ini
Deleted the varafm text document
problem remains, still freezes.
i’m sorry, i guessed wrong.
i cranked up the shack pc to look
looks like the file labeled configuration
i’m sorry i couldn’t help more, good luck
kb0wlf
Holy crap I think it worked.
Thanks Homie
We have all been through these kinds of issues.
Please tell us more about your system. How are you using VaraFM? I don’t think VaraFM requires any drivers, but you may need to install drivers for an external audio device or serial port device for PTT. Which driver did you install, and why? Which version of os-windows? Is there enough hardware memory for VARAFM and other applications running? The computer is a refurb, but did they run a hardware memory check?
Maybe the situation is clear to you, but more information might help users in this forum.
73 Constrainted
Good morning,
Excellent point.
So I ordered a Panasonic toughpad - I wanted one on the cheap-cheap, and found a refurbished model with windows 11 on Amazon. No clue what kind of checks or anything like that was done, so I guess you could say was a bit of a trust-fall when i bought it. Seems to be running ok.
My radios, both my 891 manpack for HF, and a few handhelds run with the digirig. I want to say the toughpad did not have a driver for the digirig because when I plugged in my setup, it didn’t show up under a comm port but some other device. I used the cp210x driver. For whatever reason, after i installed the driver, i had the VARAFM modem freezing problem that caused this original post. Not confident enough to say there was causation there, but it was coincidental.
What all do i use VARAFM for? Winlink.
I honestly can’t think of any other applications for it. If there are, please let me know.
Thought process is i have a work bag with a few prepper odds/ends —IFAK, water bottle, meshtastic unit, EUD w/ ATAK offline maps and of course a hand held radio. A tough pad + digirig gives me the option to hit local email gateways in the area in the event of a cell phone outage.
The toughpad will come in handy as well for HF operations in the field as opposed to using my fragile laptop.
Hope that helps
Thanks for your response.
VaraChat and VarAC.
The Digirig + HT + VaraFM + Winlink combination works for many operators.
Check out:
and
73 Constrainted
as @Constrainted mentioned, there are few keyboard to keyboard uses.
also, vara fm and hf are also used in BBS/node applications.
my BPQ32 node has a vara fm port on 70cm.
so i can ‘high speed’ connect to my node, read non winlink mail as well as winlink mail.
connect to the keyboard to keyboard chat server
connect via telnet to all the fun telnet stuff like Discworld MUD or telehack etc.
all over radio (on my client end that is)
glad it’s going
kb0wlf
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