AussieWinlink reaches out to Island Nations

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU NEED A TRANSLATION OF THIS EMAIL INTO YOUR LOCAL LANGUAGE WE WILL ATTEMPT TO GET IT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION.

As we learned from the Tsunami disaster that struck South and Southeast Asia, disasters and other national and international emergencies can strike at any moment. As they say in English: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." In other words, it is better to anticipate and prepare for an emergency than to wait and witness the tremendous loss of life and meet the high cost of conducting emergency relief operations later.

As always, the amateur radio community came forward and provided significant communication support in the areas struck by the disaster. For the majority these were local radio amateurs. However, among the supporters is the Winlink digital amateur radio communications network. Unfortunately, just at the critical moment the Winlink relay station in Thailand ceased operations. Sadly, it is time again to ask whether your organization, or one of your members, might be interested in providing additional support to your local and the international communities by hosting a Winlink relay station in your country.

Significant developments have taken place during 2003 and 2004. For example, the World Radio Conference of 2003 significantly liberalized amateur radio operations. Many national regulators have brought local regulations up to date. For example, Australia has now approved Winlink digital amateur radio communications. In a short time since, Australia has launched three Winlink relay stations and another two are under discussion.

You club is obviously dedicated to support voice-operated amateur radio communications. These, of course, play an indispensable role also, among other, in marine safety for recreational yachtsmen. There are, unfortunately, also a few downsides to voice operation. One is that propagation conditions are often quite difficult for voice operation. Another limitation is that it is virtually impossible to operate such volunteer services 24 hours per day – every day of the year as would be required during emergencies.

There now is an option to supplement the regular voice with radio communications in digital format - at no cost to the Users. Digital radio communications can support amateurs “round-the-clock”, that is, nonstop for 24 hours per day for 365 days of the year. A digital system can be set up to operate in a virtual automatic mode. Therefore, it hardly ever requires operator attention – generally, only in the rare event that a power failure shuts the system down; if it were ever needed in the absence of the control operator, system performance can be remotely computer-controlled by an other club member; and, finally, the digital mode can operate flawlessly under conditions when voice or even Morse code communications would fail. Its built-in error correction feature ensures that digital radio signals can be transmitted flawlessly even when they cannot be heard by the human ear – sometimes down to minus(-)18 dB.

Digital communications can include: (a) email – valuable for staying in touch with family and friends during "normal" and emergency conditions; (b) automatic position reporting – to give others the opportunity to track your progress on a chart displayed on the Internet; (c) filing of float plans or itineraries – also of importance when travelers are thought to be missing and Search and Rescue might be contemplated; and (d) transmission of photographs and technical drawings – should this be necessary for insurance or maintenance purposes. Digital communications also provide for: (a) downloading weather charts and GRIB-file overlays; (b) uploading of actual weather observations for sending these to weather forecasters; (c) in the unfortunate event that it is ever needed, it can be used also to obtain medical and veterinary advice in text format; and, finally, (d) it can send and receive emergency alerts, including piracy reports - round the clock.

Digital amateur radio communications have become of critical importance when large volumes of data files (like missing person lists) have to be transmitted during Disaster and Emergency Relief operations. Winlink stations operating out of Australia did a great job during the tsunami aftermath. However, the recent experience shows that Region 3 countries are poorly served - if at all. Clearly, at the very least there should be one Winlink station in each country facing the world's major oceans (Those that are already served include North America, Europe and Australasia)

This digital communication mode is already available for free – worldwide. It is provided by an amateur radio network, called Winlink 2000. It was established by radio amateurs in the US but now has about 45 networked land-based stations in countries around the world. While the over-air part of the communication is always handled by radio amateurs anyone with Internet email access can exchange email messages with distant travelers.

The Winlink system is interfaced with the Internet so that, say, an international cruiser nearby or on the high seas within radio range of Region 3 countries has a reasonable chance to make digital radio contact at any time during the day or night. In addition, it should be mentioned that the system serves equally well land-based travelers in the world’s isolated areas, including the Indian and South Pacific archipelago nations. Your country is in a very strategic location for supporting the Winlink digital amateur radio network.

The foregoing leads me to the question: “Does either your organization or just even a single public-spirited radio amateur have an interested in setting up and running a Winlink 2000 relay station?” Existing Winlink 2000 station operators claim that joining the Winlink network was the best thing they ever did in their amateur radio life. At this stage, no firm commitment is asked for - just an expression of interest. Ample information can be provided later, if needed, to the prospective station operator.

73s.

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Click here > IARU Region 3 or on the link below for a list of Region 3 IARU-affiliated amateur radio clubs.