Winlink

WinLink, actually WinLink 2000 is a global network for the transmission of e-mails about amateur and marine radio to the Internet. It provides the end user the opportunity without direct availability of regular communication networks ( etc. eg dial-up or leased line, Internet via satellite, mobile Internet) and to gain independent of the position on or above the earth's surface access to Internet services. These are limited to asynchronous means of communication, especially the sending and receiving of e- mails with attachments, position information or blog entries or requesting Auskunftssdiensten such as weather maps. It is also designed for emergency and disaster communications.

Network structure

The WinLink network was established to provide a composite network services for radio amateurs and sailors. Because of the possibility to globally send to e- mail addresses, regardless of local communication infrastructure information in the form of text messages and files, WinLink reached high popularity especially in the field of digital emergency communications. The system consists of five news servers (Common Message Server ) with regularly synchronized redundant databases in Brentwood, Tennessee, San Diego, Vienna, Halifax and Perth. These are located on different continents to provide a global resiliency in the event of failure of the server. Only one remaining server would be sufficient to enable the forwarding of e-mails. Access to the WinLink network via radio, so on an amateur or marine band is performed by a so-called Radio Mail Server (RMS). This acts as a bridge between the CMS, to which is an internet connection and the end-user who has an amateur radio or ship station.

For example, it is for a radio amateur in Antarctica, which has neither a connection to a commercial communications network, or a network power supply, it is possible using an amateur radio and autonomous power supply (eg battery or photovoltaic ) an e -mail to any e -mail to transfer address via short wave with the sound card-based WINMOR transmission protocol to a German RMS and received. The RMS forwards the e -mail to the CMS on, which then sends it to the provider of the recipient.

Transmission protocols

The resources available for WinLink modes and transmission protocols used for error-free transmission of the messages various methods. The forward error correction is used already during transmission through the ISS (Information Sending Station, dt transmitting station ) using redundant records the lowest possible error rate in the IRS (Information Receiving Station, dt receiving station ) to obtain. This not only reduces the error rates at low signal to noise ratio, but also in short-term disturbance pulses and even dropouts without the appropriate package must be requested again (active). This is important because the error-free transmission of packets mainly on shortwave at WINMOR and Pactor of many confounding factors such as interference from other stations on adjacent frequencies ( QRM ) and the propagation conditions is dependent and thus is vulnerable to short disturbances such as sferics. In order to guarantee a truly error-free transmission, further the ARQ protocol is used. A emitted from the ISS packet must be acknowledged received by the IRS as successfully before the next packet is sent out. The verification of the correct reception of a packet is done using a check bit. The current data packet is repeated until the ISS has received confirmation of correct reception by the IRS.

Supported modes and access

Shortwave

Ultra-short wave

  • D -STAR

AX.25

Internet

  • Telnet
  • HTTP

Software

Asynchronous I/O Sailing Brentwood (Tennessee) Halifax (Vermont) Amateur radio station Radio propagation Automatic repeat request D-STAR
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