I am a strong supporter and user of VarAC which I believe to be the right solution at the right time.
I have been a user of conversations digital modes like Olivia for a long time. As a retired electronics engineer, I am particularly attracted to the intersection of personal computers and radio which has drawn me to digital modes and SDR radios.
Many of my VarAC QSOs have been with first timers and/or younger hams. Many are FT-8 users looking for more than a log entry.
Using other digital modes can be challenging for new users. What mode am I hearing? What mode should I use to make a contact? What frequency should I use? VarAC takes away a lot of the guesswork and answers all of those questions.
Using a single calling frequency per band is a key feature but care must be taken to protect that frequency. Adding the automatic QSY after CQ feature in the last release is an excellent example of addressing this issue.
I suggest a modification to the beacon procedure for two reasons. First, as the use of VarAC continues to gain momentum, repetitive beacons will make finding an opening on the calling frequency more challenging. If you do the math, the number of beacons sent with a 15 minute repetition to completely block the calling frequency is not a large number. Second, HF propagation changes rapidly. Posted results of a beacon sent in the past don't indicate current propagation.
Sorry for the long setup to a very simple suggestion. Remove the repetitive option for a beacon. Allow only one beacon to be manually triggered.
I'd like to echo the original post. Trying to find a window to call CQ has been nearly impossible for the past two days on 20 meters. The calling frequency is blocked with beacon contacts. Forget the math part, here in the US in the afternoon it's really unusable. If the objective is for chat, the experience is not lost by either moving the beacon slot or by doing the same with the beacons as is now done with a CQ, i.e., forcing a move after the initial connect.