OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE MODEM CALLED A VARA REPLACEMENT

Developers have announced the release of Mercury, an open-source software modem that they are calling a replacement for Vara. Mercury is a digital radio OFDM protocol, which can be used for HF broadcast and peer-to-peer ARQ connections with compatible TCP interfaces.

According to Peter Bloom, general coordinator of the developer Rhizomatica, Mercury is compatible with Windows, Linux and a number of non-Intel architectures.

Peter told Newsline that Mercury, the newest element of Rhizomatica's HERMES software suite, it is built for reliable store-and-forward email and file transfer over HF radio links. He said it is compatible with most HF transceivers and it complies with ham radio use. The project coordinator is Rafael Diniz, PU2UIT.

He said that Mercury has a number of advantages over Vara, including improved performance over high-SNR links.

There is no license fee. Find additional details at the website that appears in the text version of this week's report at arnewsline.org