Is VarAC legal? Is it even desirable?

I enjoy using digital modes. My favourite used to be PSK31 and these days I find Olivia 8/250 excellent for chatting to people who have high local noise. It gets through.

Quite often I've had people urge me to switch to VarAC which is a chat mode with handshaking and re-transmission, rather like Flmsg, it uses a software modem called VARA.

Mostly use Linux for ham radio and macOS for other computing. VarAC required modem software called VARA and both seem to require Microsoft Windows to operate.

The VARA modem specification says "VARA HF Modem is a propietary system developed by Jose Alberto Nieto Ros EA5HVK and can be used under shareware license".

They do say that it is actually an OFDM modem using an error correction technique called Turbo Codification.

Documentation on VarAC is not from the authors. The english manual says "Please note : These manual were written by brave VarAC users who wanted to contribute to the VarAC community. They may not be up to date... but they are super helpful!".

The VarAC Terms of use

• Selling of VarAC, whether standalone or integrated, is prohibited.
• Reverse engineering of the software is not allowed.
• Copying any part of the software is strictly prohibited.
• Modifying the software files is not permitted.
• It is forbidden to distribute VarAC through any means other than the VarAC official website (varac-hamradio.com)
• Please note that I bear no responsibility for any damage to your computer or transceiver.
• By submitting your email, you permit its use for news, updates, and marketing.
• Show courtesy to your fellow ham radio operators by avoiding the use of offensive language, discussing politics, or engaging in any behavior that deviates from the amateur radio regulations.
• You MUST use an authorized copy of the VARA modem software. Either free or paid version.
• VarAC is free for non-commercial use ONLY. For commercial use, please contact us.

The Amateur Radio operating procedures in Australia have a section as follows:

Encryption/scrambling

Transmissions from an amateur station must not be encrypted or scrambled, except for signals used to control a satellite, signals used to control a remote amateur station or by stations participating in emergency services operations or exercises.

Comments

I'm sure it works well as there are enthusiastic users but it seems to me that it's a proprietary version of an OFDM modem hosting a proprietary chat protocol. Also, VARA only runs on a proprietary commercial operating system from Microsoft. 

The authors are clearly in this to make money, for example an alert is shown every time I do anything asking me to either transfer 68 euros or "continue evaluating" it. I pushed the Tune button in VARAC and it shows an alert saying that to Tune you must pay.

This all seems to go against the open philosophy of amateur radio.

Tech talk on ABC Radio

Our "tech life" affects every member of the family. Scams, supporting the elderly (who are particularly vulnerable to scams), and how long you should keep devices are all covered in Nightlife. Tim Webster is joined by our regular technology commentator Peter Marks, a software developer from Access Informatics and calls from our listeners. 

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nightlife/tech-life-and-avoiding-scams/104772860  

I hadn't met Tim Webster before, he's a bit of an Australian ledgend of TV, and a real pro. My anxiety about being on national radio for much of an hour was dispelled and even Tim commented on how quickly the time went. 

We had wonderful contributions from the audience.

FNIRSI LCR-P1 Component tester review

Component testers are handy for doing a quick check of components grabbed from the junk box. Those little coloured rings get smaller every year and it's easy to pick up the wrong resistor. Some transistors have surprising lead ordering (I'm looking at you BD139s). 

I've been using my multi-meter, a nicer L/C meter, or a cheap component tester that runs from a 9V battery but recently I noticed a very smart looking new tester called an FNIRSI LCR-P1.

It's smaller than my other testers, has a USB-C rechargeable battery and a bright colour screen.

I purchased it in Australia on eBay for AU$44 which seems comparable with prices on AliExpress etc.

It has the ability to measure zener diodes and some sort of decoder for infrared remote control transmitters but I haven't tried either of those features yet.

Accuracy seems the same as my existing testers so while it's not a calibrated piece of lab gear it is handy for not accintally using a component that's out by orders of magnitude.

The infra-red decoding feature is pretty cool. Not sure that I have a use for it but it certainly works.

The zero insertion force component socket can be removed and replaced with a version designed for surface mount components. I kind of wish the ZIF socket was sunken into the body so the whole thing would actually fit in a pocket. Here's what you get in the box:

When plugged in to a computer via the USB-C port it comes up as a serial device. Presumably this could be used to flash the firmware. I tried connecting a serial terminal to it and sending a few return keys but got no response.

Vendor ID 0x1a86 is QinHeng Electronics. Product ID 0x7523 appears on some Arduino serial ports. 

My tester has firmware version 1.0.5. I can see on their page that 1.0.6 is available via a link to Google Drive containing a RAR file. Windows appears to be required to update the firmware.

I have now updated the firmward to 1.0.6 after a YouTube comment noting that it doesn't correctly report the connection direction of diodes. Tip on firmware update: hold the Zener button while powering on to put it in firmware update mode.

Manufactured PCB for Termination Insensitive Amplifier

The termination insensitive amplifier described by W7ZOI & K3NHI is a useful building block for the RF home constructor. I've been making these using copper pads glued on to copper boards but wondered if there were PCB designs available. I know about the Mostly DIY RF boards and kits but as the boards are out of stock I thought I've see if I could get boards made myself.

I found Craig Weston, VE3CBW, has kindly drawn up a design in KiCAD and shared it publicly. It opens up just fine in KiCad. He has a blog post here.

Craig has done a wonderful job of laying out the board in a logical way.

To get a board made I chose PCBWay, who I've used in the past. I followed their instructions on exporting the Gerber files. There are layers for the copper, hole drilling, solder mask and text - a bit daunting but I just did what they said and as you can see it worked just fine:

I've now populated the board and it works nicely.

The instructions on exporting the required files from KiCad are for an older version but I muddled through and made a zip of all the output files which was uploaded to PCBWay. I can see that they make a plugin for KiCad that does it all and I plan to try that next time. Here's what I zipped and sent. Not sure if everything is required but there were no complaints.

I ordered 10 boards for US$15.60 including postage on 6th December and they arrived on 23rd December. I chose the slowest postal shipping - you can pay much more for a courier if you need it faster.

My thanks to Craig. I would like to comment on his blog but it requires a login to something and I haven't figured out how to get through that so if you read this - thanks! Craig has a fascinating blog and a YouTube channel.

Local ham catchup including Peter, VK3YE

Yesterday, in a Melbourne park, I had the pleasure of a catch up with a bunch of old friends. Ham Radio Home brew hero, Peter, VK3YE, was there and of course he set up a squid pole and was soon making contacts on 10m FT8 and SSB.

Peter inspires me in a number of ways - home brew construction and getting out and participating on air.

His portable gear is satisfyingly minimal and shows beautiful wear and tear from regular use. For FT8 he uses an Android phone with a simple home made coupler.

Here's Peter's wonderfully worn FT817 and the famous home brew L Match:

It was great to catch up with everyone and I took the opportunity to quiz Peter on what I should do about my latest home brew amplifier which is operating with great efficiency as a 150kHz oscillator.

Tech news spot on ABC Radio

Nightlife Tech Guru Peter Marks, a software developer and technology commentator from Access Informatics, joined Philip Clark on Nightlife to discuss the latest news in technology. This week: Apple Intelligence launched in Australia. The way we search is about to change profoundly, and there are new scams to watch for this Christmas. 

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nightlife/tech-talk-with-peter-marks/104738420 

MeSQUAREs alternative - 1/32" board

MeSQUAREs are excellent. I've purchased them from QRPme in the past and used them with great success. I get through them very quickly and find it a bit unfortunate that the postage costs more than the product. 

I've been looking at ways to do copper board prototyping in various ways including recently cutting circular pads.

Cutting copper board is difficult. It can be done with a hacksaw or Dremel but it's a tedious process and it's very hard to make small bits of board. The obvious answer is to use "tin snips" to cut the board but I find it splinters badly. 

Recently I discovered 1/32 inch copper board. Kevin, VK2KB, kindly sent me a few boards and I ordered some via eBay. It seems to be used for some sort of craft activity. It cuts quite easily:

I've been able to quickly manufacture a collection of useful little squares:

As an experiment, I've built a simple, one way, 10dB gain, Termination Insensitive Amplifier as described by Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, and Bob Kopski, K3NHI:

It works nicely! The copper does curl a bit when cut but I found it can be superglued down quite easily. I used a weight on the long power rail shown above.

Here's how I hold components while soldering the first lead:

My second attempt at a TIA is much more compact:

TIAs are very useful and I thought it might be nice to get some PCBs for them. I have bought from MostlyDIYRF in the past but the shipping US->Australia is extravagant. Looking around I found that Craig Weston has done a PCB design in KiCAD and generously shared it here.

Tech news spot on ABC Radio

On ABC Radio Nightlife I talked about Australian Government's efforts to reign anti-competitive actions by multi-national tech giants. Also age verification approaches, disruption of Uber, AI at the Commonwealth bank and how to kill an Ear-worm.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nightlife/tech-talk-with-peter-marks/104680640