August 18, 2021--On The Air Podcast host Steve Ford, WB8IMY, has a nice chat with Oliver Dully, K6OLI --the LA region's DEC-- about Winlink from the user's perspective. On The Air is the ARRL magazine for beginning to intermediate hams and the podcast supplements an issue's contents. Listen to the program and learn about Winlink Global Radio Email at the link below:

ARRL's On The Air Episode 20

Thanks to the ARRL and to Oliver!

June 11, 2021 Honolulu -- Michael Miller KH6ML and Joe Speroni AH0A report a very successful King Kamehameha Day celebration and K6K Special event operation. Aloha and Big MAHALO to all the volunteers that made K6K a huge success! The results were grand and allowed operators worldwide to contact K6K stations.

2937 QSO’s
6 Continents
61 Countries
49 States (only VT Missing)
40 volunteers, 1497 Grids (6), 18 Hours
2129 Unique Calls
55 P2P Winlink messages received from 20 stations (OH was the DX)

Successful radio contacts are eligible to receive a special inscribed certificate bearing the full-color rendition of K6K: King Kamehameha Celebration.

For many, it was their first time to contact Hawaii over the Radio. If you contacted our Special Event Station, look up your call sign on the following link and print your own certificate:

https://sites.google.com/view/k6khawaii

Kainoa Danes, chairman of the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission said:

“I understand this served as a dual-purpose event of being part of the 149th Celebration and also giving local trained amateur radio volunteers a chance showcase their talents in our remote location of the Hawaiian Islands to communicate around the world.” He added, "It was fascinating to learn about Winlink radio email with no internet needed. It’s nice to know they can be called on in times of crisis or disaster.”

For more info: https://sites.google.com/view/k6khawaii

Gainesville, FL-- The amateur radio communications team of the Florida Baptist Disaster Relief has created a multi-site radio communications exercise designed to bring together volunteers and local authority agencies across northern Florida and beyond, for two hours in the evening of Friday March 19, 2021. Invitations to Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES(R)) volunteer groups, county-level emergency managers, state communications experts, and volunteers in a federal radio system have been widely disseminated, including national coverage by the ARRL.

During exercise Whirlwind Boom, volunteers will practice transmitting formal reports about the utility, water, and safety situations in their county, all sent out of simulated disaster areas supposedly struck by a swarm of tornadoes and then worsened by a terrorist bombing of a telephone system, without using cell phones, landlines, or the Internet – only radio transmitters and receivers. Many of the particpants will make communications across hundreds of miles from portable radio gear powered by car batteries or small generators, often using the WINLINK data system, and also using anything else that works -- voice, PSK31, etc.

Direct To The Public Service: As part of the two-hour exercise, simulated survivor messages outbound to friends and family will also be transmitted by WINLINK.

The intensity grows as groups receive secret instructions from exercise management advising them of unexpected handicaps that mimic what happens during disasters – and their tasks become even more complicated. Flexibility and ingenuity rise to the top at such moments in these exercises, which are structured in accordance with Department of Homeland Security training guidelines.

Contact:
Gordon L. Gibby MD, [email protected], (352) 246 6183

For additional information:
https://www.qsl.net/nf4rc/whirlwindboom.pdf