You may be surprised to learn there are very few setting changes you need to make to get your rig to send Emails via VARA/Winlink. In fact, my Yaesu FT-60, and VX-6R only needed the squelch to be set to 0 (Off) after a factory reset, and they were sending Emails.

To test the radio settings on my HT’s, I first reset them to factory specs. This ensured that all settings were at their default settings. Next, I tested each radio without making any changes. They Yaesu’s worked with only a squelch adjustment. The Baofeng’s did not work until I disabled the squelch tail-elimination function.

Below are my recommended radio settings:

• The frequency you choose must be in simplex mode.

• The squelch must be turned off (Set to 0).

• PTT must work.

• VOX must be off.

• Dual-mode should be off.

• Power-saver mode on both Xmit and Rcv should be off.

NOTE: These settings are only a guide. Your radio may need other setting changes. Experiment until you achieve success.

In the following pages, you will find the detailed settings of my rigs. I will add more as I complete more testing.

• Baofeng UV-5R*

• Baofeng BF-F8HP*

• Yaesu FT-60

• Yaesu VX-6R

* The Baofeng radios did not connect to the remote CMS unless the HT volume was at the maximum setting, and the Windows speaker sound card setting was at 100%. This pinned the VARA VU gauge to the right