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Increase TX speed

Using VarAC V8.6.2 / VARA HF v4.8.6

I'm getting very good RX speeds generally (over 200 bps on average) but my TX speeds vary wildly, and often are 18 bps.

Is there any configuration on the modem or software that might be affecting this? Is this all driven by the RF connection between myself and my QSO partner?

I'm looking for optimization advice.

73, Mark - KD2NOM

https://twitch.com/hamradiolurker

17 comments

Comments (17)

Mark Steele

Mar 28

Thank you all for your insights. I figured it was likely propagation. I do occasionally get very good outbound speeds (in excess of 200 bps) depending on the QSO partner. I'll go thru all my settings and make sure I have them tight. One question, I typically send so that there is NO ALC, although I see the documentation encourages ALC of 1/3 meter - is that a hard and fast rule?

Glitch

Mar 29

Replying to

I personally don't recommend any ALC at all. Turn your radio to the maximum power allowed, then adjust your soundcard so the actual power transmitted is where you want it. If you absolutely want it pegged at the maximum power output possible, turn it up, and you'll notice when you hit that limit ALC will start to turn on to keep you from overdriving the rig. From there, don't allow ALC to get above 1/3 or the loss in signal quality might cause annoyance or slower connection speeds. But even below 1/3, it does affect the quality of your signal, so just to make sure everything is clean (and to protect your finals), I would drive the rig to about 50-75% max power output.