VARA / Winlink

Durango Amateur Radio Club, in cooperation with La Plata County Search and Rescue, supports a Vara FM digipeater on Missionary Ridge, on frequency 145.070 MHz.  Vara is a digital protocol used by systems like VarAC and Winlink.

Winlink is a ham-radio based email system.  Hams can send and receive email without any conventional infrastructure (internet, cellular, even AC power).  It is particularly popular in emergency communications contexts, but it is available to any licensed ham.

Winlink infrastructure has increased in our region over the past few years.  This map shows the Winlink RMS (Radio Message Server) stations in our area that support VARA FM in the 2-meter ham band.  All stations are on 145.070 except AC0MM-10 is on 145.050.

The Missionary Digipeater is not shown on the native map because it is a digipeater, not an RMS.  To access Winlink on 2 meters, you would connect to one of these RMS stations directly or use the Missionary Digipeater to repeat your traffic to one of the RMS stations on the same frequency.