I discovered today that I had not used Winlink Express since late 2019, and therefore I could no longer log in. Restoring things was simple, I just made a Telnet connection and the system restored me.
With that accomplished it was time complete the upgrades and to install a new high-performance modem, VARA-HF. It does have a free evaluation mode that will run at reduced throughput, but I decided to purchase a license ($69) and am awaiting details on how to enable it.
Despite my username expiring out, upgrading to the latest Winlink Express was simple and retained all my prior settings for my K3s. All I had to do was configure the VARA-HF soundcard settings, close it down, then open Winlink Express (which automatically launches VARA-HF). Gone was the older internal Winlink Modem, replaced by a “Vara HF Winlink” choice. Opening that presented me with the familiar “Session” window, and I was able to update the forecast and channels via the internet.
I found a familiar station in Nova Scotia on 40m, and quickly established a connection via RF VE1YZ. A tweak of the TX modulation level and I was on the air!
