1	Ad Hoc Committee on ARES Communications (ARESCOM) January 2004 Progress Report Number 1 Mission -- The ARESCOM committee mission is to develop a comprehensive program to enhance the current ARES emergency communications capability to include rapid and accurate handling of long range (inter-state, national, and international) emergency related message traffic. This committee was appointed by President Haynie as a result of Minute 25 of the July 2003 BOD Meeting.
2	Ad Hoc Committee on ARES Communications (ARESCOM) January 2004 Progress Report Number 1 Recommendation -- After a review of the Local and Section ARES, RACES and national NTS and NTSD requirements for public service, and desiring to provide a means of rapidly moving high volumes of radio email traffic nationally, the committee judges that the Winlink 2000 system (WL2K) is the most feasible platform for this purpose when added to existing resources or deployed for the first time. (Italics added.)
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4	NOTE Due to unforeseen circumstances the presentation and demonstration on March 27, 2004 of Digital Messaging in Support of EMCOMMs for the N. FL. ARES meeting at the State EOC in Tallahassee was abruptly halted shortly after it started. This is the Power Point presentation as it had been planned minus a few slides only required for a live presentation. Slides explaining the planned on-the-air demos have been included at the appropriate place in this presentation. If you were in attendance at the meeting please accept my apologies for the inconvenience. 73, bud Thompson N0IA
5	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO KEEPING E-MAIL CONNECTED WITHOUT AN INTERNET CONNECTION
6	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO BASIC CONCEPTS
7	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Basics E-mail requires internet connection
8	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Basics If an internet link is broken (as inside the Last Mile) e-mail cannot flow.
9	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Basics
10	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Basics E-mail via Ham Radio can replace the internet e-mail link across the Last Mile.
11	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Basics E-mail via Ham Radio can provide e-mail without the internet within the Last Mile.
12	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO HOW DO HAMS DO THAT?
13	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO How do Hams do that? A digital ham radio station can tie any served agency to internet e-mail using Amateur Radio networks and digital messaging.
14	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO How do Hams do that? When the internet connection is not available the ham radio digital station can send e-mail messages over the Amateur Radio digital networks to a participating station that has internet access. (Bridging the Last Mile.)
15	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Look, Ma, no wires!
16	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO How do Hams do that? If it looks like e-mail If it uses an e-mail editor like Outlook Express If it has an address book like e-mail If it can send attachments like e-mail If it can include cc addresses like e-mail If it has a spell checker like e-mail It is Paclink- the ham radio e-mail client program.
17	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO How do Hams do that? Messages are transferred by Amateur Radio using- the vhf/uhf Layered network in Florida or High Frequency point-to-point anywhere in the world. No telephone, cable, or satellite connection to the internet is needed inside the Last Mile.
18	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO How do Hams do that?
19	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Why e-mail messaging?
20	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO Why e-mail messaging?
21	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO KEEPING E-MAIL CONNECTED WITHOUT AN INTERNET CONNECTION
22	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO HOW DO HAMS DO THAT?
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25	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO KEEPING E-MAIL CONNECTED WITHOUT AN INTERNET CONNECTION
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27	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO BASIC CONCEPTS
28	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO WL2K
29	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO WL2K PMBO is linked to CMBO through PMBO’s ISP
30	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO WL2K PMBO is an e-mail server to users
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32	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO WL2K TELPAC - WL2K’s New Telnet Packet Bridge (See October 2003, QST)
33	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO WL2K Telpac – cheap extension of the network
34	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO WL2K PMBO is an e-mail server to users
35	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO KEEPING E-MAIL CONNECTED WITHOUT AN INTERNET CONNECTION
36	E-MAIL VIA HAM RADIO HOW DO HAMS DO THAT?
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38	LANS - THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE FLORIDA LAYERED PACKET NETWORK. The primary function of the layered packet network is to provide a local ham radio community with an interference-free Local Area Network (LAN) on 2M. This is effected by each community (i.e. county or groups of counties) being assigned a coordinated frequency. That way, packet operations may be carried out simultaneously on adjacent LANS without interference.
39	LANS - THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE FLORIDA LAYERED PACKET NETWORK. The primary function of the layered packet network is to provide a local ham radio community with an interference-free Local Area Network (LAN) on 2M. This is effected by each community (i.e. county or groups of counties) being assigned a coordinated frequency. That way, packet operations may be carried out simultaneously on adjacent LANS without interference. The secondary function of the layered packet network is to provide interference-free inter-LAN communications. This is accomplished using point-to-point backbones on coordinated UHF frequencies between adjacent LANs using packet switches. A typical packet switch has three packet radio ports: a 2M LAN, and a UHF backbone to each of two neighbor LANS.
40	LANS - THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE FLORIDA LAYERED PACKET NETWORK. The primary function of the layered packet network is to provide a local ham radio community with an interference-free Local Area Network (LAN) on 2M. This is effected by each community (i.e. county or groups of counties) being assigned a coordinated frequency. That way, packet operations may be carried out simultaneously on adjacent LANS without interference. The secondary function of the layered packet network is to provide interference-free inter-LAN communications. This is accomplished using point-to-point backbones on coordinated UHF frequencies between adjacent LANs using packet switches. A typical packet switch has three packet radio ports: a 2M LAN, and a UHF backbone to each of two neighbor LANS. If every ham radio community supported a LAN and backbones to its immediate neighbor (adjacent) LANS, by default the network would cover vast portions of the state of Florida.
41	LANS - THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE FLORIDA LAYERED PACKET NETWORK. The primary function of the layered packet network is to provide a local ham radio community with an interference-free Local Area Network (LAN) on 2M. This is effected by each community (i.e. county or groups of counties) being assigned a coordinated frequency. That way, packet operations may be carried out simultaneously on adjacent LANS without interference. The secondary function of the layered packet network is to provide interference-free inter-LAN communications. This is accomplished using point-to-point backbones on coordinated UHF frequencies between adjacent LANs using packet switches. A typical packet switch has three packet radio ports: a 2M LAN, and a UHF backbone to each of two neighbor LANS. If every ham radio community supported a LAN and backbones to its immediate neighbor (adjacent) LANS, by default the network would cover vast portions of the state of Florida. In the following schematics, LANS in three counties in East Central Florida are schematic of building blocks on the Florida Layered Packet Network.
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49	NOTES March 2004 In February a test switch was installed at Clermont to serve Lake County. It will become a full-featured three-port switch in April, 2004. This will link to Ocala on the north and Orlando on the east. It will link to Tampa sometime this summer. When the Orlando switch is moved to a new location (soon!) the network along the east coast will be continuous from Jacksonville to Hollywood. Telpac nodes are springing up all around the network. Your group is encouraged to install one or more Telpac nodes on your LAN. Several hospitals in East Central District have enquired about getting established on the network. EOCs in Seminole and Volusia Counties are on the network. Encourage your EOC to have a presence on the network 24/7. ARES Districts are encouraged to have their Gateway Stations on the network.
50	PLANNED ON-THE-AIR DEMONSTRATOINS Demonstrations sending and receiving e-mail messages to/from the internet and between packet stations were planned. HF Pactor to any of several stations around the country. VHF packet to the local Telpack node VHF between two packet stations
51	ON-THE-AIR DEMONSTRATIONS Testing Antennas on Friday On Friday we set up the computer, hooked it to the projector, set up the Yellow Thingy and successfully tested antennas on HF and VHF. Near perfect Pactor 3 e-mail exchanges using Airmail on 20M included PMBOs W9MR in Illinois, WB5KSD in Texas, and WB0TAX in Louisiana. We successfully sent and received e-mail messages using Paclink/packet through the new Tallahassee Telpac node on vhf. We then set up a Paclink station across the room on a dummy load and successfully exchanged Paclink-to-Paclink (packet) e-mail messages with the computers projecting to side-by-side large screens. Two ham EOC staff members watched the screens intently during these contacts and seemed to enjoy.
52	ON-THE-AIR DEMONSTRATIONS The Plan for Saturday We had several e-mail messages canned in the Airmail program as to not take presentation time to compose. Anyone attending whose e-mail address we had access to earlier was on a TO: or CC: list for at least one message. We also had a WL2K APRS-type location request message for several sailboats. The first HF link to a PMBO would have (1) sent the few messages posted, and (2) received four return messages from Friday’s testing. I would then post two remaining canned messages and go to another PMBO where they would be sent. At least one return message would be received – a cc: back to me from the first session, and perhaps a return of the APRS location request. During these HF sessions the screen presents a lot of information including the speed of the transfers and even the difference in frequency between the user station and the PMBO (usually less than 25 hertz!) The HF radio would be run hands-off as the Airmail program totally controls the radio for frequency changes, etc. After posting a message (the equal of SEND LATER in Outlook Express) only three mouse clicks are required: (1) the target PMBO, (2) the frequency , and (3) “GO”.
53	ON-THE-AIR DEMONSTRATIONS The Plan for Saturday- (continued) Moving to VHF, and the projection screen to Outlook Express. . . I would move two messages from DRAFT to OUTBOX and they would immediately disappear and be in the SENT folder. Meanwhile the VHF radio would connect to the local Telpack node and the messages would be transferred to the PMBO the Telpac is linked to via Telnet. - Nothing exciting to watch on the screen as all that is seen is Outlook Express. By this time any return messages from the internet for me would be received and appear as NEW messages in the Outlook Express INBOX folder. There would be no internet connection on the presentation computer for this exercise. I had asked my wife and also Russ N4KOX to send some e-mail messages sometime after 1200hrs on Saturday so we would have had a few come in on VHF as well as HF.
54	ON-THE-AIR DEMONSTRATIONS The Plan for Saturday- (continued) Now with two projection screens in use, both displaying Outlook Express – one from my computer and one from N3PPC’s computer across the room. . . . You would see us both move two messages from DRAFT to OUTBOX folders. At this point you would have experienced boredom – so (1) I would turn on a vhf HT so you could hear the packets for 30 seconds and then, (2) I would use this two to three minutes summarizing the presentation. While I would be talking, little by little you would notice first one, then another INBOX New Message appear on both screens. We would then OPEN each message to show it had been received.
55	ON-THE-AIR DEMONSTRATIONS The Plan for Saturday- (continued) Sometime during these demos, N3PPC would quietly start a message with an attached photo. Once it appeared in my Outlook Express INBOX I would open it to reveal a picture he had taken during the presentation just a few minutes before. This demonstrates using a portable digital station with Paclink/Outlook Express to provide graphic information from tactical locations. Thank you for your interest in Digital Messaging in Support of EMCOMMs
56	AMATEUR RADIO DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS (EMCOMMS) REFERENCES ON FADCA WEBSITE (Gray not yet posted) 1. The Basics of E-mail Messaging over Ham Radio – An MS Power Point show for your served agencies and hams with little digital ham radio experience. A Case for Systematic Amateur Radio Digital Communications to Support Emergency Preparedness in the 21st Century. This reference develops the need for Ham Radio digital communications in support of EMCOMMS in the 21st century, the basics of flat and layered networks, local area packet networks (LAN), message transfers between LANS, ham-to-e-mail linking, and how the state of Florida can be covered using the layered network including vhf, uhf, HF, and internet layers. Local Area Networks (LAN) - Basic building blocks of the Florida Layered Packet Network – This MS Power Point presentation shows how the network functions from LAN-to-LAN. 4. Paclink for Dummies – It isn’t that hard after you check this out, then you can load MS.NET, AGW Packet Engine, and Paclink on your computer. 5. Establishing Digital Messaging in Support of EMCOMMS for Your ARES Group – A guideline for District and Local Emergency Coordinators for incorporating digital messaging in their EMCOMMs plans. 6. No 2M LAN in Your Area on the Florida Layered Packet Network? Four ideas are presented that can bring the network to your area. 7. FAQs – Why this, why that, how do I? Certainly a growing document- check it often!
57	AMATEUR RADIO DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS (EMCOMMS) INTERNET REFERENCES A. Digital Networks in Florida The Florida Layered Network http://www.fadca.org/map/index.html SEDAN Network in Florida http://www.geocities.com/floridasedan/ B. Ham Radio to Internet e-mail connection Winlink 2000 (WL2K) www.winlink.org Telpac http://www.winlink.org/TelPac.htm Paclink tbd C. Terminal Programs Paclink http://www.winlink.org/Presentations/Paclink%20Overview.pdf Airmail http://www.winlink.org/airmail.htm Winpac http://www.btinternet.com/~g4fip/ D. Packet Radio Introduction to Packet Radio http://www.tapr.org/tapr/html/pktf.html Data Terminal/TNC to radio wiring diagrams. http://www.packetradio.com/Radio-TNC_Wiring_Diagrams.htm If you have any questions or comments, contact bud Thompson, N0IA at budt@cfl.rr.com