[Ares-races] Message Form ?

[JOE]

I have said the same thing for years that you are saying, but the local NTS 
people insist on using the ARRL Radio-Gram format.  In an emergency 
situation, especially at the beginning, the radio-Grams are not 
effective.  I am interested in what you discover.

The closest thing I have found years ago to an effective packet program (if 
you are using packet) is ARESPACK.  Unfortunately, this software is DOS 
based and never caught on Nationwide.  It was an excellent program that 
allowed you to make message forms up ahead of time.  You could then fill 
them out and send them via packet radio.  You could even send messages to a 
remote packet station that had a printer.  A command in the packet message 
would automatically turn the printer on and print out the message.  The 
packet station could be literally unattended and deliver messages to non-hams.

There is talk of the packet network going TCP/IP which supposedly would 
allow us to use mail clients such as Outlook and Eudora to send email via 
packet.  Anyone know about this?  This would make the packet stations 
extremely user friendly to hams operating the packet station.

I am still looking for a good voice message form, as I believe you are 
looking for too.

73, Joe, k1ike


At 07:38 PM 6/17/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>After working another Hurricane drill with the local Red Cross chapter we
>are re-visiting the need to develop a better message form.  The ARRL
>Radio-Gram will not do as most will agree.  Also, the need to log and or
>track each message and in most cases a signature of the person receiving the
>message (to CYA the operator) is a part we want to add.  We have a very
>basic form we use, nothing special.

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