OE3XEC: Winlink 2000 from Near and Far
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A small team from ARENA Notfunkgruppe of Austria has been busy testing Pactor and packet radio applications, and the focus has been on Winlink 2000 (WL2K). This global radio e-mail system was being considered due to the positive experiences of EmComm organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia and the Far East. WL2K was in use by amateur radio organizations in 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, forest fires, earthquakes and floods and it's success has convinced public service authorities that its technology is a meaningful complement to existing telecommunications facilities. In the USA, MARS (Military Affiliate Radio System), and ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) are activated for disasters, and they employ WL2K if required. Press articles make it clear that these operations by local organizations were invaluable. Without doubt, radio amateurs in other countries have a higher priority in public service than here in Austria.
Currently, the team of Winlink developers are preparing new software to meet the needs of coming regional and global disasters. These are the software modules RMSPactor, RMSPacket, RMSRelay (RMS = Radio Message Server) and PacLinkMP (client software). The WL2K Development Team is an all-volunteer effort and their efforts are supported by donations through the non-profit organization: http://www.arsfi.org. More information about WL2K may be found on the Internet at http://www.winlink.org.
In Austria, there were only two WL2K gateway stations: namely Rudi, OE4XBU in Eisenstadt, whose WL2K-Pactor station served the carrier's sailors around the clock on 14 and 21 MHz, and Wolf, OE7FTJ, civil officer of the LV7, whose VHF/UHF packet gateway station OE7XLR-13 operates from Innsbruck.
At Kaiserkogel in Lower Austria the OE3XAR-10 Packet Gateway on 438,550 MHz has been operating for several months. For national coverage we lacked only an 80 and 30m shortwave station for meeting our emergency needs. As of March 1, 2008, it is ready!
With the kind assistance of AMRS (Austrian Military Radio Society), the ÖVSV LV3, and with the help of voluntary donations and services of the operator teams (OE3DNA, OE3FQU, OE3GSU, OE3ZK), the station OE3XEC (EC = Emergency Communications), was established in Amstetten. The station monitors around the clock, on 3607 KHz USB(dial frequency), Pactor mode 1-3. Other frequencies are planned for EmComm and testing purposes. Access is only possible with Winlink client software (PacLink MP or Airmail).
For more information, please visit http://www.oe3.oevsv.at/opencms/notfunk/Digitalbetrieb
We would be pleased to have you work the station and participate with us. Send QSL reports to oe3zk@gmx.at. You can donate to OE3XEC using the donations code: 20202 Savings Bank city of AMSTETTEN KtoNr: 04-005732. We look forward to further contributions!
73,
Gert, OE3ZK