Station Software · Digital Modes

The software that keeps the traffic moving.

Five programs run headless on the station PC around the clock — carrying radio email over HF, digipeating APRS on 2m, hosting a bulletin board, and gating packets to the internet when the link is up.

VarAC · Winlink · APRX · Synchronet · VARA HF Headless · unattended 24/7 Passes traffic with or without the internet

The Suite

Five programs, always on watch

Each one is ready to pass a message the moment a band opens — no operator required.

VarAC

20m Band

Real-time keyboard-to-keyboard chat over HF
Store-and-forward messaging through the beacon system
File and image transfer
Automatic station discovery and CQ calling
VMail relay for asynchronous message delivery
Built-in logging with PSKReporter integration
Runs on the VARA HF modem for reliable data transfer

varac-hamradio.com →

Winlink Express

6m Band

Full email over radio when the internet is down
Works with VARA, ARDOP, and Pactor modems
ICS/FEMA form support for emergency traffic
Peer-to-peer and relay station (RMS) connectivity
Weather bulletin and forecast retrieval
Position reporting
Automatic routing across the global relay network

winlink.org →

aprx.service — w2jkt-station

user@w2jkt-station:~$ systemctl status aprx
● aprx.service - APRS Digipeater and iGate
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/aprx.service)
   Active: active (running)
     Docs: man:aprx(8)
 Main PID: 1234 (aprx)
    Tasks: 4
   Memory: 2.1M

APRS Digipeater ready
Interface: 2m (144.390 MHz)
iGate: Connected to APRS-IS
Packets digipeated: 1847
iGate packets: 3521
user@w2jkt-station:~$ _

APRX

2m Band

Linux APRS digipeater and iGate daemon
Lightweight, headless operation on the station computer
Multi-interface — can serve several radios and bands at once
APRS-IS internet gateway connectivity
Automatic packet digipeating for local coverage
Position reporting and telemetry forwarding
Continuous unattended 24/7 operation

APRX project page →

💬

SYNCHRONET

Bulletin Board System

Synchronet BBS

70cm Band

Full-featured bulletin board system for Linux, Windows, and BSD
Message areas with FidoNet-style networking, including DOVE-Net
File libraries with X/Y/Zmodem transfers
Runs classic door games and plug-in programs
Multiple ways in: Telnet, SSH, RLogin, and a built-in web interface
JavaScript scripting for customizing menus, modules, and web pages
Free and open source

synchro.net →

📡

VARA HF

High-Speed Data Modem

VARA High Speed Modem

HF Backbone

High-speed HF data modem protocol
Adaptive data rates up to 8490 bps on HF
The backbone modem behind VarAC and Winlink
Automatic link-quality optimization
Low-latency, error-corrected data transfer
Available in HF and FM variants
Widely adopted standard in amateur digital comms

VARA modem →

See the hardware it runs on Live station status