Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide.
Winlink is a global system that lets amateur radio operators send and receive standard email, complete with attachments, over HF, VHF, or UHF radio instead of an internet connection. It was built for exactly the situation where it matters most: when normal infrastructure is down and a message still absolutely has to get through.
How a Winlink message actually moves
You compose a message in the free Winlink Express software, the same way you would write any email. Instead of hitting send over WiFi, your radio transmits it as a digital signal to an RMS (Radio Mail Server) gateway station, one of hundreds of volunteer run stations worldwide that bridge the radio network to the internet. If the gateway has internet access, your message is delivered like any normal email, and replies come back the same way, radio to gateway to your inbox. If there is no internet available anywhere in the chain, Winlink can still relay messages purely radio to radio between stations, which is exactly the scenario served agencies plan around.
The connection methods
On VHF and UHF, Winlink typically runs over Packet or VARA FM, giving decent speed over relatively short, line of sight distances. On HF, it runs over PACTOR or VARA HF, trading speed for the ability to reach an RMS gateway hundreds or thousands of miles away, which matters enormously when local infrastructure, repeaters included, is the thing that is down. VARA has become the more common modern choice on both bands, since it is free to receive and reasonably priced to transmit, though PACTOR modems remain in use, especially among long time EmComm stations.
Why served agencies lean on it
- It produces a real, formatted message with attachments, not just a short voice report that someone has to transcribe by hand.
- It works without any internet infrastructure at all when needed, which is the entire point during a genuine communications emergency.
- Standard forms exist for common EmComm traffic, ICS forms, health and welfare messages, damage assessments, which agencies like ARES and RACES groups train on regularly so the process is familiar before it is ever needed for real.
- It scales from a single operator with an HF rig and a laptop up to organized nets moving dozens of messages during an exercise or an actual activation.
Getting started
Winlink Express is free, and setup for VHF or UHF packet is one of the simplest ways in, needing only a radio, a sound card interface like a Digirig, and a nearby RMS gateway. Once you can send a test message to yourself, try connecting through an HF gateway with VARA HF to feel the difference in reach. Most local ARES and RACES groups run monthly Winlink practice nets specifically so operators stay comfortable with the software before an actual emergency puts it to real use.
Winlink is a staple of ARES and RACES operations, and pairs well with the ICS-213 message format. For a lighter-weight alternative that doesn’t need Winlink’s infrastructure, see What Is JS8Call?