Winlink 2000www.winlink.org

Jon Brown

PMBO - WB5KSD

Located Near Farmersville, TX.

Mobile E-Mail (RV’ers & Cruisers)

• Works Transparent with Internet E-Mail– Callsign@winlink.org

• Must be registered

– Airmail is the Client User Program, by Jim Corenman KE6RK• www.airmail2000.com

– Public PMBOs on HF (43)– Special ARES PMBOs for Emergency Traffic

• Non-Public• Using MS Outlook or MS Outlook Express, the Paclink mini-email

server can replace a network of computers (behind a router) as a transparent substitute for normal SMTP mail.

– WL2K uses no external source for sending or receiving Internet email.

– It is a stand-alone function which interacts directly with the Internet rather than through any external Internet service provider.

Bulletins• Bulletin Distribution

– On-demand from a Catalog Listing– Over 700 available weather, propagation, and information

bulletins, including, instructions for using the system, World news, and piracy reports

– Can contain basic text, graphic fax or satellite images, binary or encoded files like GRIB or WMO weather reports

– Local processing is used to re-process images to sizes suitable for HF Pactor transmission

– Prevents bulletin duplication and automatically purges obsolete time-sensitive weather bulletins and replaces them with the current version

– System also has the ability to contain bulletins with attachment information which is local to each participating PMBO

• Especially useful for the non-public ARES PMBO which may house valuable procedural information or complex instructions which may be needed by specific agencies in a community emergency

Message Access

• Access to Radio Messages with a Web Browser– www.winlink.org– Password protected– Limited to text

• Access to Radio Messages via Telnet– Airmail provides a super-fast replica of WL2K radio operations

while directly connected through the Internet to one of the participating network station (PMBO) telnet servers

– User must be listed as a radio user and obtain a password from each PMBO Telnet server

– Currently over 25 Winlink Telnet Servers Operational

Networked Configuration

• Supports File Attachments– Limited in Size and type, User Controlled– Airmail for HF, Outlook/Outlook Express for Paclink Servers

• No Need for a Home PMBO– Winlink Notes which PMBOs a user has connected to over the

past 90 days, all messages are sent to each of these mailboxes– The very first time a user connects to a PMBO, all of his

messages will be sent there so they will be waiting next time– Can be pictured as a “star” network

• User Selectable Preferences– Airmail Options Message Form– Size of acceptable attachments, alternative email or radio

address for temporary message forwarding, Bcc internet messages, etc.

• System Wide User Notices

PMBO

• Participating Mail Box Requirements– Up to date PC– Full time connection to the internet– HF Pactor I,II,III (VHF/UHF packet optional) radio and SCS TNC– B2F Compressed Binary Format is used for all traffic

• Internet is used to Forward Messages between each PMBO and the CMBO– All automatic message transfer is accomplished over internet– Rapid delivery of messages to radio users anywhere in the world – Because of this “internet like” relationship, Winlink 2000 is now

finding itself used in by those involved in emergency preparedness

Flexibility

• Facilitates Rapid Position Reporting– Interconnected with APRS, ShipTrak, and the YotReps networks

• Weather Reporting– Supports weather reporting from cruising yachts at sea

• YotReps

• NOAA MAROB voluntary marine observation reporting program

• All PMBOs are monitored– www.winlink.org/status– Extensive Traffic Reports Maintained– Daily Backups at each PMBO, as well as the CMBO– All mail is automatically monitored and scanned with the latest

virus definitions

• Spam is controlled by using a Secure Acceptance List

Middle East          A71BY - Jabor,  Murali  & Abdul  in Qatar*         South Africa   ZS5S - Joost in Howick             Thailand

  HS0ZER - Rudolph in Bangkok  *

          United States & Hawaii:

  AB7AA - Bill in Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii  *  AH6QK - Richard in Kaneohe, Oahu, Hawaii  *  KA6IQA - Tom in Rancho Santa Fe, California  *  KB6YNO - Eric in Hamilton, Massachusetts  *  KF6NPC - Mike in Riverside County, CA. *    KN6KB - Rick in Rockledge, Florida *+  K4CJX - Steve in Nashville, Tennessee  *+  K4SET - Scott in Murray, Kentucky *  K6CYC - Scott in Los Angeles, California  *+  W7IJ - Bill in Spanway, WA *+  K6IXA - Grady in Atwater, California  *  K7AAE - Ronald in Woodinville, Washington  *   N8PGR - Hans in North Royalton, Ohio  * 

  N0IA - bud in Deltona, Florida  *  WA2DXQ - Dave in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  *+  

  WB5KSD - Jon in Farmersville, Texas      WB0TAX - Deni in Elm Grove, Louisiana  *+  WD8DHF - Gary in Harker Heights, Texas  *  WU3V - Jim in Great Falls, MT *  WX4J - Earl in Switzerland, Florida   *  W1ON - Doc in Bedford, Massachusetts  *  W6IM - Rod in San Diego, California  *  W7BO - John in Woodland, Washington  *  W9GSS - Charles in East Peoria, Illinois *  W9MR - Kenn in Keensburg, Illinois *

      Austria  OE4XBU - Rudy in Eisenstadt  *

             Australia  VK6KPS - Phil in Perth*  VK2SYD - Charles in Sydney

        Canada

  VE6KBS - Karl in Calgary, Alberta  *  VE2AFQ - Andre in Montreal  *  VE1YZ - Neil near Halifax *

           Canary Islands (Spain)

 EA8RCT - Fred in Las Palmas  *Caribbean

           ZF1GC - Frank in Grand Cayman Is  *+

           HP2XBA - Craig in Panama *+

           WG3G - Bernie in Trinidad *+

             NP2E - Bernie is St. Thomas, VI. *+

            Germany  DA5UAW - Andi in Rudolstadt

          Italy

  IV3XHR - Gianpaolo in Udine  *+           Netherlands

  PA3DUV - Dick in the Netherlands  *+          New Zealand

  ZL1MA - Arnold in Auckland  *      ZL2UT - Basil in Gisborne   * 

Telpac and Paclink…Streamlined AX.25 Packet Radio

Server and Client for a Full Service Ham Radio Messaging Network

Victor Poor, W5SMM

Rick Muething, KN6KB

DCC 2003

Introduction and Overview

Background on Winlink 2000 (WL2K)Motivation for Telpac and PaclinkDevelopment Approach Telpac ….The TELnet - PACket bridge for WL2K Simple setup examplesPaclink …. A Radio client for E-mail Configuration and operation examples Using the AGW Packet EngineApplicationsSummary/QuestionsDemo of Paclink and Telpac (time permitting)

DCC 2003

Winlink 2000 SystemWhat is WL2K?

• Introduced in 2000 (DCC 2000) WL2K is a modern Introduced in 2000 (DCC 2000) WL2K is a modern software implementation of a Global ham message system software implementation of a Global ham message system capable of conventional BBS functions with significant capable of conventional BBS functions with significant extensions for the Mobile user. extensions for the Mobile user.

• Biased toward the mobilemobile user.– Conventional BBS functions with routing and store and forward

for radio and E-mail messages.

– No “Home BBS” designation required (global message mirroring)

– Optimized to capitalize on Internet forwarding when possible

– On demand WX products and other Web information.

– E-mail with text/compressed binary attachments

– Position reporting and request from radio and Internet

• Currently 4300 Users (HF Pactor, Packet, Telnet, Web) delivering over 150,000 messages per month by 36 PMBOs.

DCC 2003

Telpac node

AX.25 Packet

Telnet

Internet

Radio(Pactor 1-3, AX.25 packet)

TelnetWL2K PMBO WL2K PMBO

(Telnet Server)

NPMBO BBSUSERS AirMail BBS Programs Keyboard Terminals

WL2K Central Server (CMBO)

Winlink 2000 System

User Client

DCC 2003

Motivation for Telpac and Paclink

WL2K has been very well accepted by the mobile HF communityMany requests to expand local WL2K coverage (VHF/UHF)

Emergency communicationsSmall portable terminals

Two obstacles for widespread VHF/UHF expansion: The standard PBMO setup requires a considerable computer, radio equipment and synchronized data base.

Telpac provides a simple Telnet to Packet bridge

The user client program has to work with most available TNCs and interface with existing E-mail clients. Paclink provides a user client that meets these objectives

DCC 2003

Development Approach

Leverage existing standardized interfaces & protocols: Existing WL2K Telnet Servers via Internet/TelnetStandard TCP communication between componentsStandard mail format and server protocols:

MIME message storagePOP3 and SMTP servers

Capture TNC drivers using a standardized TCP interfaceAGW Packet Engine

Use modern development environment and tools for improvedproductivity and reduced support

Telpac: VB6, Paclink: VB.NET

DCC 2003

Telpac…WL2K’s Telnet <> Packet Bridge

TelpacTelnet

TCP

AGWPacket Engine

TNCs/Packet Radios

or

TELnet PACket Bridge

RS232

WL2KTelnetServer

Paclink

AirMail

Terminal

Radio Client

Programs

AX.25

AX.25

AX.25

Key Features:

Easy set upNo local databaseMultiple active connectionsSupports all WL2K functionsAGW Packet Engine support

DCC 2003

Telpac…15 Minute Setup…Step 1

Install the AGW Packet Engine…

These 2 menus setup the TNC

DCC 2003

Telpac…15 Minute Setup…Step 2

These 2 menus set up the Telpac bridge.

Customize your log-on banner and beacon...

You’re a WL2K Telpac node!

Install Telpac…

DCC 2003

Paclink… A Windows Radio E-mail Client

PaclinkRadioClient

SMTPServer

POP3Server

Standard E-mailClient:

(Outlook,Netscape, Eudora, etc)

Address Book:E-mail addressesRadio addresses

TCP

TCP

Channel Layers

Telnet Pactor AX.25 Others

BBS Protocol Layers

WL2K FBB MBL/RLI Keyboard

AGWPacket Engine

TCPTelnet

PactorTNC

RS232

WL2K Or

FBB Servers

Setup:Call signs,User accts,Channel assignment, Connect

scripts

Key features:

WL2K, FBB or MBL BBSs E-mail user interfaceMixed radio/E-mailPacket Engine support

DCC 2003

[AGWPE 1] [ W4MLB via COA1 ] [KN6KB] [MLB_BBS/****]

PACTOR

PACKET 1AGW 2ENGINE 3

TELNET

Mail Acct:MLB_BBS

POP3

SMTP

[AGWPE 3] [ N0IA-1] [KN6KB-1] [BUD_DIRECT/******] Mail Acct:BUD_DIRECT

POP3

SMTP

[PACTOR] [ N8PGR ] [W5SMM] [ WL2K_PACTOR/*****] Mail Acct:WL2K_PACTOR

POP3

SMTP

[TELNET] [ K4CJX Telnet ] [KN6KB-1] [WL2K_TELNET/****] Mail Acct:WL2K_TELNET

POP3

SMTP

Paclink channel setupPaclink ports setup

E-mail client accounts

One-to-One E-mail Account to Paclink Channel Concept

Each account on the E-Mail client (e.g. Outlook) handles traffic for one Paclink channel

DCC 2003

Paclink Channel Setup

Channel Properties Port Properties

Each Paclink channelcorresponds to one E-mail client account

Name and password match E-mail client

DCC 2003

Paclink’s User Interfaces Paclink’s own simpleterminal window forkeyboard interfaces

Your favorite E-mailclient for normal BBS messages.

DCC 2003

The AGW Packet Engine with Telpac and Paclink

AGW PacketEngine

TNCSoundCardTNC

TCPIP

…

By George Rossopoulos, SV2AGW

Standardized TCP interface supports most TNCs Using KISS mode.

Supports sound card TNCs (1200 & 9600 baud)

Shares TNCs across applications Paclink, Telpac, BBS, APRS, Terminal, Monitor

Allows remote operation via TCP link TNC’s may be separated from application

DCC 2003

Telpac and Paclink Applications

Telpac as a conventional BBS for “Last Mile” wireless connectivity

Paclink as an end user client for BBS access (WL2K, FBB etc)

Paclink as the an emergency radio link for Internet E-mail Paclink provides the radio connection to a WL2K Telpac node Emergency field operators use their existing E-mail client but with a “radio” account instead of default account Multiple operators can share a single Paclink and its TNCs/radios

Paclink <> Paclink transfers (keyboard or via E-mail clients)

DCC 2003