The Winlink Digital Communications System

Using Winlinkfor LDS EmComm

Clatsop County EOC During a (SET) Simulated Emergency TestDon WA7TEM & Nate KD7NNQ Sending and Receiving Winlink Messages

Who Is Using Winlink Now?Oregon Emergency Management.

County Emergency Managements.

Between County Emergency Management and other Entities such

as shelters and some city agencies.

Some area Hospitals such as Providence.

The Rainier Stake is now using Winlink – We are using it

between the Coast and inland to a member of the Rainier

Stake Presidency in St Helens.

How Could We Benefit with Winlink?Stakes would have digital communications with their County

EOC’s.

No matter how remote a Stake is, they could still communicate

with the Bishops Storehouse (BSH).

Communications between the Bishops Storehouse and Salt Lake

would be very quick and easy.

How Could We Benefit with Winlink?

You can send a Winlink message into someone's cell phone in a

non affected area telling them you need Comm Support at the

Bishops Store House for your Stake. That message would get to

them instantly, as a text message, right in to their cell phone.

With proper equipment the Bishops Storehouse would be able to

keep up with the amount of Radio traffic it would get from all the

Stakes in the outlying areas.

Where Do We Start?

Setup Digital Equipment at BSH to access local area Winlink

VHF/UHF RMS sites.

Setup Digital Equipment at BSH to access distant Winlink HF

RMS sites in other states using a Pactor 3 TNC.

Start a Winlink training program so we have hams with not

only the ability, but also the capability to utilize this World

Wide Winlink system.

Where Do We Start?Have a goal to get a few people in each Stake with the capability

to use the Winlink systems using VHF/UHF and HF bands.

Many people already have the equipment, they just need

training in setting up and using their equipment for Winlink.

We need to establish a list of LDS Hams who are using the

Winlink System.

Why Should We Do This?Why we have VHF/UHF RMS Sites:

We need local RMS sites so that during a disaster users in an

effected can utilize a RMS site in a non-affected area.

It helps to have your RMS site on legacy packet node frequencies

so you can digi to a distant RMS site that still has a internet

gateway.

Your local RMS site gateway will most likely be used by someone

in an area that can’t access their own, but maybe yours, if it is up

and working.

Why Should We Do This?Why we use HF RMS Sites:

We do not need to rely on a local digital system to keep working.

During large scale disasters you may need HF Winlink so you can

access distant RMS sites out of the affected areas, if the local nodes

are not operational to send and receive Winlink messages.

We need Redundancy in our Emergency Communications.

Winlink is a proven system, and it works very well.

Unfortunately, in today’s World, we cannot predict the frequency, size, nature or location of our disaster

areas! We Must Prepare NOW!Local? Regional?

Global?

Winlink 2000 is a very dependable, Emergency Communications System

that bridges any distance around the World.

Radio Radio

What Equipment Is Needed?

Some of you may already have the equipment at home. So

all you may need to do is download the software and

configure it so you will be off and running using the

Winlink System without anymore cost.

What’s Needed to Use the System

Computer with Airmail software

To Access an RMS Packet Gateway (Local)

To Access an RMS HF Gateway (Worldwide)

VHF/UHF Radio

Computer with RMS Express or Airmail software

HF Radio

Packet TNC (KPC-3+, TNC-X, etc or Radiowith integrated TNC)

TNC with – Pactor 1,2 or 3or WINMOR Virtual TNC like a SignaLink USB

“AirMail” and/or “RMS - Express” Software:AirMail and RMS Express software can be used to send messages directly

between stations without going through the WL2K system. This is very easy to

do and should also be practiced by Ham Radio Operators who are in

communications range of each other.

Peer To Peer Message’s

Software Used for Winlink

Airmail is one of the Software packages used for Winlink. You can download it at: http://www.winlink.org/ClientSoftware

RMS Express can be download from that same website: http://www.winlink.org/ClientSoftware

The look of AirMail and RMS Express

AirMail and RMS Express software for Winlink looks and acts like regular email. In fact it can interact with regular email.

The next two slides show samples of what it looks like.

AirMail Message Screen

RMS-Express Message Screen

Digital Communications Are:Much faster to send and receive messages compared to

voice communications.

Able to get to the recipient with no errors.

Capable of being sent to multiple recipients when

going thru Winlink.

Able to accept attachments such as images when it is a

critical need.

Digital Communications Are:Very quick and easy to learn.

Able to have the messages typed up by the originator,

and then handed off to a Ham Radio Operator so it

can be sent off to its destination.

Easy to duplicate if a paper copy of the message gets

lost.

Winlink is very easy to use• It looks like e-mail and acts like regular email

• You have an address book and a spell-checker

• The software allows multiple recipients (to:, cc:)

• You can send and receive attachments

• It is a very easy system to learn

What Can We Provide ?

• We can Provide ICS 213 formatted messages and this is already being used by the County EOC’s and the State EOC – Oregon Emergency Management.

• We can provide attachments to the Winlink messages if it is a critical needed item.

• “Formal,” Structured written emergency traffic.

Brief Overview ofHow The Winlink System Works

…do Hams do that?

How ?

CMS Halifax CMS San Diego CMS Perth Redundant Common Message Servers – 5 Servers Worldwide (Share the load but any ONE can run the ENTIRE system) -callsign@winlink.org

Internet

Existing Packet Ham Radio Networks

ConventionalEmail Users& Agencies

Radio Message Servers (RMS)RMS HF Gateway = HFRMS Packet Gateway = VHF

Users RunningAirmail & Winmor

Links:HF RadioVHF/UHF RadioD-Star data radioWiFi, Telnet, Web

This Is How:The WL2K System Works

Upper LevelCMS-sites

Mid LevelRMS-sites

User Level

Upper LevelCMS-sites

Rad

io A

cces

s

User LevelUsers = Ham Radio Operators

At The User-Level of the Winlink SystemHam Radio Operators are Running AirMail and/or Winmor Software Over Ham Radio Equipment To Send and Receive Messages for Served Agencies.

RMS-SitesRMS = Radio Message Servers

At The Mid-Level of the Winlink SystemThese are gateways that Ham Radio Operators connect to, and then His or Her message is routed automatically on to one of the 5 World Wide CMS Sites. This can be done with VHF, UHF, or HF

VHF/UHF-RadioRMS Sites

VHF/UHFRadio RMS Site

Near Bishops Storehouse

HF-RadioRMS Sites

VHF/UHF-RadioRMS Sites

HF-RadioRMS Sites

CMS-SitesCMS = Common Message Servers

This is The Upper-Level of the Winlink System

CMS CMSCMS CMSHalifax, Nova ScotiaPerth, Australia San Diego, CA Wien, Austria (Vienna)

Worldwide Winlink CMS-SitesCMS=Common Message Server

CMSBrentwood, TN

There is no substitute for

PracticeWe must use our Radio Equipment

This will insure that:• We know how to use the equipment• Our equipment is ready and working• We know how to interact with the agencies we serve, whether it is the Red Cross, a Hospital, the Police station, a County EOC , maybe even between Stakes around the region.

AirMail and Telnet for Practice

I have put together a list of Instructions so people canstart now using AirMail with Telnet (over the Internet).

You will be able to send and receive messages with theWL2K system without a TNC for now.

This is a great way to practice, so that during anEmergency you will be able to help out using this HamRadio Communications Tool.

After you get a TNC, you can then do this with your HamRadio Equipment.

Your Handout includes:

1) Downloading and Installing the AirMail Software

2) The Setup Process for AirMail

3) Configuring AirMail for Telnet

4) Creating your Address Book

5) Sending your first AirMail Message

Thank YouJeff & Roxann Holwege

ECS’s for the Rainier Oregon Stake