[FADCA] Winlink 2000 (WL2K) and Classic Winlink

[bud Thompson]

Deltona
Saturday March 2  0720 EST

----- Original Message -----
From: <highlandfl@telocity.com>
Cc: <fadca@mailman.qth.net>; <fadca@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2002 10:04 PM
Subject: Re: [FADCA] Fw: Internet/FBB/LINUX/FPAC


> According to the Winlink page, as given below, there are 2 Winlink
stations in Florida:
>
> Rockledge, Florida  KN6KB  on 145.090 and 441.000 + HF
> Panama City, Florida N4RNM no vhf or uhf only HF
>
> Not quite enough unless the last mile is is from 200 to 300 Miles except
Near Rockledge.  Do anyone know of more?
>
> Russ
>

Hi - Further explanation -

The two "winink" stations listed in FL are WL2K stations.  There 
is a difference between WL2K and Classic Winlink stations, the 
latter does not have a connection to the WL2K CMBO. There are 
also at least three active Classic Winlink stations in the state 
- WX4J (Jacksonville), N4SS (Pensacola), and N0IA Deltona.  AE4DO 
in Tallahassee has run a Classic Winlink in the past. 

For our Last Mile link to the outside wired world - It only takes 
one station, any one, any where. 

It doesn't have to be in FL - it can be elsewhere. 

Daily my Classic Winlink MBO station exchanges traffic with WL2Ks 
KN6KB (Rockledge/MLB) and N4RNM in the Keys, and Classic Winlinks 
WX4J and N4SS, as well as other stations in CT, TX, LA, WA, OR, 
IN, VA, NC, NV, CA, MN, OH, and TN.  Those are just the network 
stations I try to work - there are others I don't call. (Dale 
has supplied a link to the list of Classic Winlinks.)  Any one 
of those that is a WL2K is all we need to use to get outside the 
Last Mile. 

On HF I use 80, 40, 30, 20, 17 and 15 meters every day to make 
these contacts, and once in a while 10m.  HF is alive with digital. 


Any EOC or incident command could set up an AirMail station on 
vhf/hf to make these links  -anywhere an HF station might be utilized 
in a tactical operation could be used as an AirMail digital station 
to get traffic outside the Last Mile.  Ideally, "portable" or 
shelter vhf packet stations would be using Airmail and 
sending messages back to the EOC where they would be further processed.
 
 This processing could be on to the layered packet network for 
those messages not needing to go to the internet, or on to a WL2K/Airmail 
station via HF. (We should have an AirMail or WL2K station at 
the State EOC - work on that.   At the very least we should have 
a PacTOR ARQ MBO there - then we would not be so pressed to work 
the layered network all the way to Tallahassee.) 

Night time HF communications within the state do not lend themselves 
to the highest throughput rates on digital modes due to propagation. 
 While links can be made and traffic flows, the rates might be 
better on 40 or 30 meters out a tad further than 200 - 300 miles. 

In a wide-spread Last Mile, there would be several HF stations 
(ostensibly Airmail) inside the Last Mile working several WL2K/Airmail 
stations on HF outside the Last mile - effectively increasing 
the useable bandwidth. 

Yes,  we will want more stations - but we establish those as part 
of our plan for tactical operations within the Last Mile. 

An example would be here in my area where there are five counties 
in this "ARES District".  If each county EOC had an AirMail station 
on  the layered network (three LANs), and one or more of those 
had HF capability (HF Gateway), the District could get outside 
the Last Mile here - whether a five square mile area in Orange 
County or all of Seminole County.  Even if the layered network 
were the wonderful web we visualize and the State EOC were on 
it, it would be more efficient to get traffic from this distance to 
the State EOC on HF. 

The purpose is to get information (e-mail messages) generated 
within the Last Mile out to a station where there is an internet 
link - or the wired station.  We only have to get the e-mail to 
a WL2K station - any WL2K station- or to an AirMail station outside 
the Last Mile that has the link to the CMBO through the internet. 

We should have an AirMail or WL2K station at the State EOC - work 
on that, it may take a politician!

73,

bud N0IA