Getting Started with Winlink Express WINLINK GLOBAL RADIO

Getting Started with Winlink Express WINLINK GLOBAL RADIO EMAIL

What is Winlink? • Worldwide system for sending/receiving e-mail via radio • Provides e-mail from almost anywhere in the world. • Mature, well-tested and full featured system. • Adopted for contingency communication by many federal, state and county government agencies • Used by the National Guard • Used by infrastructure-critical NGOs such as International & American Red Cross, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, DHS Tiered, AT&T Disaster Response & Recovery, Fed. Ex, Bridgestone Emergency Response Team, etc.

Primary Winlink Networks • Amateur Radio - Over 10, 000 amateur users are registered. • Winlink is used by most off-shore sailors. Operates within the international amateur radio frequency space. • SHARES - Federal system providing HF radio contingency communication for federal agencies. SHARES operates on NTIS, federal frequencies that are not part of the amateur radio frequency space. • MARS - Military Auxiliary Radio Service. Provides contingency communication for U. S. military. Operates in NTIS MARS radio frequency space.

What Winlink Offers for Em. Comm • Reliability, Accuracy and Flexibility: • High reliability (99. 99% availability for 15 years) • 100% accurate message transmissions. • Radio connection bridge to Internet e-mail • Radio-only store and forward without Internet • Geographical dispersion and redundancy for reliability • Peer-to-peer connections between radio end-users • Various levels of security including message encryption • Interoperability: Connect different types of systems

What Winlink Offers for Em. Comm Continued • Bridge different radio capabilities (VHF/UHF/HF) • Bridge protocols: Pactor, Winmor, Ardop, VARA, Packet. • Standard e-mail format with many features • Binary file attachments (pictures, pdf, spreadsheets) • Automatic message compression/decompression • Encrypted attachments using the encryption program you choose. No need to convert to letter groups. • Time independence and frequency agility • Not limited by station-to-station propagation

Winlink Definitions Client system – Radio, computer with Winlink Express software, TNC (or sound card) and you, the end-user! Radio Message Server (RMS) – Radio gateway between the client (end-user) and the Winlink system backbone. Common Message Servers (CMS) – Winlink backbone. • Multiple CMS locations. • Redundant, fault-tolerant. • Located on 3 continents. • One CMS is sufficient for normal system operation.

Winlink Architecture CMS RMS (Gateway) Client (You)

Winlink Connection Modes • HF Pactor – Fast but expensive - $1, 500. • HF WINMOR – Much slower, but reliable (Sound card mode) • Ardop and VARA – Faster alternatives to WINMOR (Currently available in BETA update of Winlink Express) • VHF/UHF Packet – 9600 baud, $400. 1200, $100. • Telnet – Non-radio connection through the Internet. • Iridium GO! – Satellite phone connection. • MESH network to Winlink “Post Office” (RMS Relay). • Telnet peer-to-peer between to Winlink Express users.

Winlink Express Email Client

System Requirements Microsoft-supported 32 or 64 bit Windows OS (Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 2003 Server, or later), or under Windows on Apple Mac machines using a VM engine or dual boot arrangement. We no longer recommend Windows XP for common support and security reasons, and we will not address technical problems that arise as this OS ages without Microsoft support. The program makes minimal CPU demands with the exception of WINMOR operation. The heavy DSP demands of WINMOR require a computer of at least 700 MHz Pentium/Celeron class and at least 512 Meg of memory. If multiple applications are running concurrently, we recommend a faster computer and more RAM.

Download Winlink Express Go to Winlink. org, click on the link to Winlink Express, and follow the instructions to download. You will download a Zip file containing the installation package.

Typical Home or EOC VHF/UHF Winlink Station using Packet/Pactor

Typical High-Speed Pactor 3 HF Winlink Station

A Winlink Express Station (using Winmor, Ardop, or VARA sound card modem)

WINMOR Winmor is an HF digital soundcard mode designed primarily for use with the Winlink 2000 radio-email network. Winmor provides an alternative to expensive PACTOR hardware modems at speeds between Pactor 1 and 2.

Amateur Radio Digital Open Protocol - ARDOP The ARDOP project is a joint development effort among amateur radio developers that seeks to provide a specification and implementation (software or hardware) for a modern versatile open digital protocol. • Open Source Design • Flexible Implementation • Audio bandwidth options (200 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz) • Supports FEC and ARQ operation • Strong resistance to multipath propagation • Flexible Operating modes and radios

Amateur Radio Digital Open Protocol - ARDOP

VARA is a High Performance HF modem based on OFDM modulation. VARA Modem, brings state of the art Military grade technology to new and existing HF data. Introduces a new standard of technology available for Amateur and Commercial use. Designed for operation within a SSB Bandwidth of 2400 Hz.

VARA

WINMOR RMS

ARDOP RMS

VARA RMS

Packet RMS

PACTOR RMS

Winlink Setup

Get a Winlink Account Steps Download, install and configure Winlink Express (or other client software). Connect with the system (send a message) to create your account. Your radio email address is YOURCALL@winlink. org. Use the form (lower right) to have a password sent to your new address. Retrieve it using your client program. Use your callsign as your username, and password to log in here. Winlink accounts stay alive only with radio use. Accounts off-air for 400 days are automatically purged. Use it or loose it!

Preferences

Best Channel Setup

RMS EXPRESS MAIL BOX

Compose a message

Check Winmor, Ardop, or VARA Capture Device

HF Channel Selector

Wait for channel to be clear…

Start Session

Observe Session

Check Sent Items and Outbox

Troubleshooting ◦ Check soundcard settings to be sure correct input and output devices are selected. ◦ Adjust levels so receive audio is in the green.

Now get on the air!