So, there were a few bugs with 4.8.5 that were missed, and, funny enough, I was getting ready to post something on that subject. But, instead a new VaraHF 4.8.6 hits and resolves a lot of “hearing but not decoding” issues people have been having the last week.

There are also a couple new features.

There is now an option for “Ignore KISS DCD.” A number of people have been having issues with the VaraHF DCD hearing adjacent RTTY traffic, and hold off on sending APRS packets. The “Ignore KISS DCD” will let VaraHF sent APRS packets when instructed, and not wait for a clear band. It will continue to hold transmissions for VaraHF APRS, but the modem will be deaf to other modes. This option will automatically default to off whenever the app is restarted.

Finally “RA-Board PTT” has been duplicated to the main Vara Setup window. Because the PTT options does not show up in settings until you have a TCP/IP connection, I suspect this helps DRA type devices get settings correct when setting up VaraHF for the first time.

73!