Text 527, 71 rader
Skriven 2007-05-12 13:36:18 av Richard Webb (1:116/901.0)
    Kommentar till text 526 av Jay Talbot (1:116/901.0)
Ärende: Winlink 2000?
=====================
following up a message from Richard Webb to Jay Talbot:

RW> THen I'm sorry, but I'd rather put emergency or priority traffic in
RW> the hands of humans right now, so that I know it isn't languishing
RW> on a hard drive somewhere while that agency's version of MIchael
RW> Brown's griping about having to stand in line too long On other
RW> traffic, same goes.  I could go on.  I work with folks interfacing
RW> with it a lot, both through the maritime mobile service network and
RW> our shiptrack and marob reporting and with national traffic system. 
RW> IT works well for the folks at sea, and Also the weather
RW> information the blue water sailors provide to noaa is beneficial to
RW> them.
AS I said, it has its good points.  WHen a lot of data needs to be transferred,
and you're fairly certain that the party on the other end is going to be
answering or dealing with the information it's another tool in the box. SINce
you're a fairly new ham I note let me explain the big holes I see in it for
emcomm.

Since you're in 5-land somewhere I can pretty well tell you what kind of routes
third party traffic is going to take from your part of the world to the rest.
so, let's do the hypothetical and play "what if" for a moment.

A local disaster has forced you to evacuate your home.  YOu've brought along
your trusty vhf/uhf gear and enough hardware to get up an antenna on a mast.
YOur new temporary digs are a tent somewhere, or a cot in a school building.

AFter you've handled some local tactical traffic for the agencies providing
relief you send out health and welfare advisory radiograms for folks at the
shelter who wish to advise family and friends that they're safe.  Among those
messages you send one to your aunt in upstate NEw York.

YOur message to your aunt in NEw York finds its way through the system to a
regular liaison with that part of the world and he bundles the message with
others going to the eastern area.  HE sends these all on winlink to his usual
contact up that way. NOw just suppose that his contact doesn't get a chance to
check radio or regular email.  SUppose this contact that would move this
traffic up and down the eastern seaboard falls from a stepladder and is now
hospitalized for a few days.  YOur message to your aunt will languish on a hard
drive, possibly for a week or more.

WIth other modes, including pactor II there was the ability for relay stations
to reroute.  FOr example our long haul guy who put the message to NEw YOrk on
winlink put it on his pactor bbs system instead (as he has one available.)

OUR long haul guy from the south tries to connect to his eastern seaboard
contact for a day or so, but no joy, any band.  Still he isn't going to make
the phone or cw schedules the next day or so. HE can now take the hold off this
traffic, and any station that has possibilities of moving it on further can now
pick it up when connecting to him.

AT this point a fellow in MIchigan connects with his pactor bbs and sees
there's traffic listed for the eastern seaboard.  Along with your NEw York
state there's a NEw JErsey, a NEw Hampshire, A Massachusets and a NOrth
Carolina.  Even though these are all eastern area our MIchigan station can't
help with the NOrth Carolina.  HE *can* move the NEw YOrk, the NEw JErsey and
the Mass. however through a regular contact.

OUr MIchigan station downloads the traffic he can move, kills it on the pactor
bbs, makes his contact with his buddy in PEnnsylvania later that night.  NOw
about 48 hours after it left your hands your aunt receives it.
 your aunt knows you're safe and well but temporarily displaced.

COntrast that with the broken link on the winlink because the key station that
was supposed to route the traffic onward couldn't check his/her email.

73 de nf5b

           Richard
... Amazing how much tape is on a 10" reel when it's not.
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Radio REscue on fidonet       (1:116/901)