Tag: winlink

  • Pat Winlink Client: Setup and Your First Message

    Winlink Express is the client most hams default to, but it’s Windows-only, which leaves Mac and Linux users, along with anyone running Winlink from a Raspberry Pi, looking for an alternative. Pat fills that gap: a free, open-source, cross-platform Winlink client that runs pretty much anywhere. Why Pat exists Pat was built to give non-Windows…

  • Setting Up Winlink: RMS Express, VARA, and Sending Your First Message

    Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. I’ve explained what Winlink is and why EmComm operators rely on it, but I’ve never walked through actually setting it up. This is that post: getting RMS Express and VARA installed and sending a real message through the system for the first time. What You Need A…

  • Private, Secure, or Obscure? What Part 97 Actually Lets You Do With Your Comms

    FCC Part 97.113 bans encoding messages to hide their meaning, but that still leaves a lot of legal room for OPSEC, signal obscurity, and data integrity. Here’s how privacy, security, and obscurity actually break down across analog, digital voice, and data modes on the ham bands.

  • What Is VARA, and Why Winlink Depends On It

    If you’ve set up Winlink recently, you’ve almost certainly installed VARA, even if you weren’t entirely sure what it was doing behind the scenes. It’s the software modem responsible for actually getting your email-over-radio message from your station to a gateway, and it’s become the default choice for most Winlink users. A software modem, not…

  • ARDOP vs VARA: Winlink’s Two TNC Modes Compared

    If you’re setting up Winlink, you’ll need to pick a modem to actually move your messages over the air, and the two real options are ARDOP and VARA. They solve the same problem in different ways, and the right choice depends more on your priorities than on either being objectively better. ARDOP: open source, built…

  • What Is Winlink, and Why EmComm Operators Rely On It

    When the internet and cell towers go down, Winlink lets you send and receive real email over radio. Here is how it works, and why served agencies lean on it so heavily.

  • VARA vs. PACTOR: Choosing a Winlink Modem

    VARA and PACTOR compared for Winlink, and which one actually makes sense for a home EmComm setup.

Categories

×