When a CQ call is received, VarAC shows the time of the call in the "CQ calls" list but it does not show the caller slot wait time. The CQ call list is therefore of rather limited value for anyone who wants to respond to a CQ call with a connect attempt.
The caller slot wait time could be anything from 1 minute to 1 hour. Most stations use rather short wait times, so unless you see a CQ call pop up in the list or hear the voice message (great feature), your chances of success are probably close to zero.
But perhaps there could be a relatively easy remedy.
What if we transmit the chosen slot wait time in the CQ call? It could probably be done with only one byte in the CQ transmission or even less. The CQ call list could then show the slot wait time (or the wait end time) and any caller would not be wasting his effort but could instead make a targetted call with good chances for making a successful connect attempt. Alternatively, the "CQ calls" list could indicate whether a CQ call is "hot" by appropriate font or background colour.
I might have missed something but perhaps this request is feasible and worthwhile considering. Please feel free to comment & suggest.
73
Dieter, VK3FFB
hi Dieter.
For now - VARA limits the CQ FRAME to 7 characters callsign and nothing but that. If this ever expends - I have plenty of other things to include like locator, CQ type (DX/IOTA...) and maybe what you suggested. But for now - these are not possible due to VARA limitations. I will keep it in the queue though if it ever changes
Irad