About 10 months ago, I started the VRWS project to allow anyone using VarAC (a chat application that uses the VARA modem) to access the internet if needed. I stopped working on the project for months after I ran out of ideas and motivation. Recently though, I've been reminded of this and I decided to work on this again.
The server has a lot of built-in commands which allow you to:
View a website (either in plain text or raw HTML)
Perform a quick search
Get the weather forecast for a given city + state
Download a given URL (download is encoded into base64 to allow download through text, instructions for how to decode are given alongside the download)
View and create threads and comments in the community section of the GitHub of the project
Print server info and logs
I've read Part 97 of the FCC and I've made sure my server is fully legal.
My end goal for the project is to have hundreds or thousands of servers hosted around the world, and anyone anywhere with access to an HF radio and a computer can connect to one of those servers and access the internet through VarAC and other VARA chat applications.
The server and instructions for how to host your own are listed at the GitHub:
To connect to a server, make sure you have VARA and VarAC installed. Once those are installed and working correctly, go to 14.110 MHz USB and call CQ. (Both 500 Hz and 2300 Hz bandwidths are supported.) Wait for at least 2 minutes. If a server has heard you, it will call back and try to connect with you. The list of commands and other instructions are sent once you're connected.
I need testers and server hosters to properly see if the server will work correctly in the real world! If you aren't using your radio at the moment, and if you have a computer connected to the radio, you can get the server running in 10 minutes and just let it sit in the background, waiting for a connection, with no further hassle needed.
For more info or if you need help, email me: jpradiophone@gmail.com