Email With Or Without The Internet

Is there an emergency and you need wireless communication? Got Winlink? “Winlink is an all-volunteer project of the Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, Inc. (ARSFI), a non-profit public benefit corporation.” BTW, you need an amateur radio license to operate.

“Winlink is a worldwide radio messaging system that uses amateur-band radio frequencies to provide radio interconnection services that include email with attachments, position reporting, weather bulletins, emergency relief communications, and message relay.”

This is Amateur Radio HF email at its finest. Email via HF can be used nearly everywhere on the planet, and is made possible by connecting an HF single sideband (SSB) transceiver system to a computer, modem interface, and appropriate software.

It usually includes: PACTOR, Winmor, and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE).

“PACTOR-I, WINMOR, HSMM (WiFi), AX.25 packet, D-Star, TCP/IP, and ALE are non-proprietary protocols used in various RF applications to access the Winlink network systems.”

Think Puerto Rico and Hurricane Irma: Hurricane Irma Skirts Puerto Rico, Leaves 1 Million Without Power.

Also, if Irma wasn’t enough devastation for the island, Maria was not far behind.

It could be months before power could be restored, according to some reports.

What is Winlink (Worldwide system for sending/receiving email via radio)?