The Internet has become the e-mail medium of choice for most hams, but there is a sizeable group of amateurs who often travel beyond the reach of the Internet. This group includes hams at sea, travelers in recreational vehicles (RVs), missionaries, scientists and explorers. No doubt the day will come when wireless, affordable Internet e-mail access will be available from any point on the globe. Until that day arrives, however, Amateur Radio HF digital operators have a very capable substitute!
More than 21 HF digital stations worldwide have formed a remarkably efficient e-mail network known as WinLink 2000. Running WinLink 2000 software and using primarily PACTOR or PACTOR II, these facilities transfer e-mail between HF stations and the Internet. They also "mirror" (share) messages between themselves using the Internet, allowing amateurs to pick up their e-mail from any WinLink 2000 station.
The network evolved in the 1990s from the original AMTOR-based APLink system. APLink was a network of stations that relayed messages to and from the VHF packet network. As PCs became more powerful, and as PACTOR and Clover superceded AMTOR, a new software system was needed. That need brought about the debut of WinLink, originally authored by Victor D. Poor, W5SSM, with additions from Peter Schultz, TY1PS. WinLink itself evolved with substantial enhancements courtesy of Hans Kessler, N8PGR. To bring the Internet into the picture WinLink stations needed an e-mail "agent" to interface with cyberspace. To meet that requirement Jim Jennings, W5EUT, added NetLink. The entire system was integrated and overhauled last year to create Winlink 2000.
Thanks to these advancements, an HF digital operator at sea, for example, can now connect to a WinLink 2000 station and exchange Internet e-mail with nonham friends and family.
WinLink stations scan a variety of HF digital frequencies on a regular basis, listening on each frequency for about two seconds. By scanning through frequencies on several bands, the WinLink stations can be accessed on whichever band is appropriate according to your location and the propagation conditions at the time.
You can access Winlink 2000 stations using just a basic PACTOR setup. However, most users also rely on a piece of software known as Airmail to handle uploading and downloading automatically. Airmail is a 32-bit program that runs under
Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0. Airmail supports the SCS PTC-II and IIe PACTOR-2 processors, as well as the Kantronics KAM+ and KAM-98, AEA/Timewave PK-232 and PK-900 modems, and the MFJ 1276 and 1278B. You can download a copy of Airmail online at www.airmail2000.com. To learn more about WinLink 2000, see K4CJX's Web site at www.winlink.org/.