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Callsign SSID settings

Hi All,

I'm reviewing VarAC for EMCOMM and am trying to understand the ability to assign SSIDs to multiple hosts using the same callsign. We have 7 EOCs that we want to utilize many of features of VarAC when using Vara FM. These locations are identified by a single club callsign. We need them to be able to contact each other and would like to use SSIDs a the method to distinguish them from each other.

It appears that you can add SSIDs to the callsign in the ini file, but this also appears to break beaconing, which is one of the features we really want to implement.

Is there a solution to this issue?

Thanks in advance,

Stu Sheldon

AG6AG

7 comments

Comments (7)

irad d

Jan 27, 2023

VarAC uses SSIDs for various usages.

-9 as a beacon

-1,2,3,4,5 / -11,12,13,14,15 are for SLOT based CQ

You can not beacon with an SSID as there is no such things as using 2 SSIDs.

CALLSIGN-9-17

Each station will have to have its own callsign. You can however, add a FULL CALLSIGN to each station that will distinguis it in a different way once connected.

for example 4Z1AC/1 4Z1AC/2

Irad

irad d

Jan 31, 2023

Replying to

Hi Stu. Thanks for your feedback.

I have plans for an "emcomm" mode specific button that will disable all use of current SSIDs so you can use them anywhere you would like. This will is on my roadmap for the next couple of months.

73s!

Irad

Dan Huber

Mar 02

Replying to

Irad,

When you implement this change to drop the internal use of SSIDs in VarAC, will the ability to digipeat through a Vara FM station that has an SSID be available as well?

We attempted to connect two stations through a simple Vara FM modem set as a digipeater with an SSID and it did not work. However, if one of the stations was using the Vara Chat application, we could connect and 'chat' both ways with the VarAC station via that digipeater. It also worked through two digipeaters in the path.

Keep up the good work.

Dan, KN0MAP

irad d

Mar 09

Replying to

Sorry for the late reply - but yes. When I get there it will support digipeating as well

73s

Irad

stu

Jan 24, 2023

Hi All,

I've re-thought this a bit after spending a bit reading through the information is the forums and the Manuals (RTFM) as it were... Let me explain that because we have several EOCs in a small area, and we have many different operators in the EOCs working at any given time, A club call sign for all the EOCs works out as the best solution for identifying the digital stations. Without this ability, VarAC probably won't fit for us...

So what about supporting tactical call signs? We currently have tactical calls for all our EOCs. This is how we call and answer calls while in the EOC, and identifying as specified every 10 mins, Why couldn't you have an EMCOMM mode that we could enter the tactical for the location and the call sign for the group (Area Club Call). Allow the the stations to connect , beacon, broadcast, etc... under the tactical and every 10 mins have each station ID with the club callsign. This would allow us to configure the EOC equipment with the Area Club Call for the local EOCs and still allow them to connect and use all the features while configured for the single callsign. This could be very useful to operators in an EOC during a disaster.

Anyways, I really like what your are all doing. I have been playing with HF and have made a few Qs. I will be doing a Youtube Video in the next week or so and look forward to working through the FM issues we are finding while testing for serious use in an EOC.

Thanks for all you do!

Stu

AG6AG

AEC Ventura County ACS/ARES Area 2

Matt

Jun 02, 2023

Replying to

Stu, I thought I'd add a comment on "tactical" calls. VARA itself, not VarAC, doesn't have an alias function like packet, thus there is no way to identify the transmission with a legitimate callsign if you use a tactical call. It's a rough issue and it's been talked about with Jose (VARA author) several times.

Thus using a tactical call means that there is no FCC compliant identification.

Matt

AL0R