Written by @NC3Z Gary - Gary Mitchelson.
Last revision: Auh 5th, 2023
VarAC will allow you to run multiple and separate instances of VarAC. Depending on your radio or radios you will be able
to operate VarAC on multiple bands at once using a single install of VarAC.
Running multiple VarACs in a cluster format allow all VarAC instances to share the same resource such as log files, ADIF file as well as ,mailbox.
This allows you for example to act as a cross-band mailbox while VMails that are parked on bane A will be forwarded on Band B.
To form a VarAC cluster, all that is required is:
Separate .in file for each instance in your one VarAC folder, each properly configured.
Each .ini file will need to be configured with a unique “Instance Number”
Only 1 install instance of VarAC is required.
Separate VARA HF folders for each instance.
In Image 1 there are 4 instances running on the same PC and using the one instance of VarAC. The radio is a Flex 6500 which can operate as 4 radios at once. But you could easily be using any number of separate radios.
Image 1: Multiple VarAC instances working as a cluster sharing the same VMail Mailbox
Step #1
Separate VARA HF folders for each instance. From your first install of VARA HF just make additional copies of the VARA HF folder, of course with a unique folder name (example below).
Step #2
Configure each VARA HF with its own unique ports (COMMAND, DATA and KISS) that do not conflict:
STEP #3
Create separate .ini files for each instance in your one VarAC folder, each properly configured (e.g. Radio settings):
Each .ini file will need to be configured with a unique “Instance Number” Image 2:
Image 2
Step #4
You will need to make sure each VARA HF is using their own ports (COMMAND, DATA and KISS) that do not conflict Image 3:
Image 3
If you use Monitor you will need to do the same and take the same precautions. Alternatively, you can also edit these port numbers in each VARA HF ini file if you choose Image 4.
Image 4
Step #5
Once all that is set you will need to tell each VarAC instance which .ini file to use. That is simply done with a command line switch in the shortcut image 5. If you want to run instances from separate PC’s you will need to do this using a “Shared” drive for SQLite to work properly image 6.
Image 5: Example of shortcut for one of the instances
Image 6: Shared” drive for SQLite
Additional cluster configurations
In the VarAC.ini file there is a section with VarAC cluster parameters. Here is an example:
[VARAC_CLUSTER]
ClusterEnabled=ON
InstanceNumber=1
CountersRefreshRateSec=60
PTTLock=OFFLets delve into each and everyone:
ClusterEnabled=
Possible values: ON/OFF
This set the instance as part of a cluster.
This means that cluster will report to the shared database about its status so all other cluster member will be aware of its existence.
InstanceNumber=
Possible values: number (a unique identifier)
This is a unique identified of a cluster instance.
Every instance should have its' own dedicated number (ex: 1,2,3...)
CountersRefreshRateSec=
Possible values: Number of seconds (default 60)
A VarAC cluster can be used to forward Vmails between different bands as all instances share the same VarAC.db file. All instances refreshes their Vmail counters every minute. Once a Vmail is received in one instance inbox, it will show up on the other instance inbox counters in up to 60 seconds. You can change this refresh time using this parameter.
PTTLock=
Possible values: ON/OFF
This parameter defines what happens if one of the instances is currently transmitting. If set to ON, then when an instance is currently transmissing (in QSO/Beacon/Broadcast/CQ/TUNE...), then all other instances will disable their PTT to avoid multiple instances transmitting at once.
This is useful in case some of your cluster members are using a shared transceiver (such as SDR) that can listen on many frequencies but can only transmit on one at any given moment.
When an instance is busy transmitting, all other instances will show a "Instance Busy" alert and their PTT will be disabled until the transmitting instance finishes.
73s
Gary NC3Z & Irad 4Z1AC
Although there are few radios that can support more than 1 band at a time, with the Flex being by far the easiest, I just got a new to me FTDX101D which had dual receive. So I decided to see if I can run 2 independent VarAC instances on 2 different bands with this radio and indeed I am able to!
To overcome some short comings with VARA HF you have to do some virtual audio routing. Although the FTDX101's sound card outputs the Main radio on the Left channel and the Sub radio on the Right channel, and VARA HF can select either Left or Right for receive, it does not have further settings to do this for Transmit audio. So VB-Audio Matrix to the rescue.
And unlike the Flex radio with unique com ports (serial or TCP) for each receiver the FTDX101 just has 1 com port. But a virtual com port splitter (VSPE) fixes that.
The FTDX101 CAT commands let me address each receiver uniquely so all I had to do was add an entry in the VarAC_cat_commands.ini to treat the Sub radio as a unique radio. So how does this all look?
Although I do not have one, in looking through the CAT command manual for the IC-7610 it looks like the same could be done.