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Winlink in US-wide Emergency Network
Emergency and Disaster Preparation
Even
without the encouragement by the recent World Radiocommunications Conference, US
States and County local governments are well ahead in gearing up their
communication facilities. In the US the Amateur Radio Service is recognized as
an important national resource. This recognition runs that deep that the US
Congress, already several years ago, exempted US radio amateurs from the payment
of radio or license fees. Licenses are issued for ten (10) year periods - for
free. This combined with relatively low import duties on amateur radio equipment
has created the enabling environment that spurred the US Amateur Radio Service
on to play its role. Accordingly, many of these official emergency and disaster
relief operations are supported by the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service.
RACES is equivalent of Australia's WICEN (Wireless Institute Civil Emergency
Network).
AussieWinlink
received news that the Communications Coordinator, for the Office of Emergency Services (OES) - Southern Region of the State of California has set up an
experimental Winlink system on 40 meters. It provides links with San Diego and the Southern Region Communications Center in Los Alamitos. He has
successfully linked with a similar Pactor system set up by Riverside County Fire Communications Manager.
It is part of the experimentation with the
Riverside County RACES on digital communications between HF mobiles and the Internet. Using a Pactor modem, AirMail - the end user software, the system makes it possible to send and receive email messages over the HF
radio bands. WinLink2000 (or "WL2K") is the HF digital service that automatically transfers such messages between mobile amateur radio operators
and the Internet e-mail system. Messages can be transferred automatically with any station supporting the BBS or F6FBB
protocols.
This news followed
closely the announcement that the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in Southern
Texas had concluded experimentation and had decided to support Winlink. It was
further reported that: "Every (US) State and county has (by now) some form of digital communications that
can interface into Winlink 2000."
It is
understood that Australia's WICEN, through the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA),
will as part of the recently announced government review of Australian Amateur
Radio Service, seek a similar recognition and financial support from the
government for Australian radio amateurs to facilitate training and preparation
for emergency and disaster communications.
AussieWinlink
2 September 2003
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