A Brief Introduction to Winlink WINMOR

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1 A Brief Introduction to Winlink WINMOR WINMOR is a sound card mode that has been developed for HF messaging within the Winlink 2000 system. WINMOR is intended to provide a lower cost alternative to the PACTOR II and III modes which require expensive, proprietary modems. The client software that is used for WINMOR is RMS Express. Various windows within RMS Express are used for composing and viewing messages (much like any client) and setting up and performing the connections required to transmit and receive messages. RMS Express is in its final stages of development so technically it is in beta testing. As a side note, there is also a VHF Winlink system. This is of limited utility in our area as there is only 1 VHF Winlink RMS station in Maine (N1MEA-2 in Ellsworth) and that is out of useful range.. Winlink/WINMOR/RMS Express communications are of two forms: RF to Internet (and vice versa). The Winlink system consists of 5 Common Message Servers (CMS) that are redundant hubs within the network. The CMS locations include Perth (Australia); Vienna (Austria), Halifax (Canada), San Diego and Washington, DC. Radio Message Server (RMS) stations are more prevalent and are located throughout the world. These serve as the RF to internet gateways. The client HF station contacts an accessable RMS which then transfers messages to one of the CMS sites via the internet. Peer to Peer: Two Winlink stations may connect to each other using the RMS Express client software. Message transmissions are error corrected by ARQ. Keyboard to Keyboard: This is under development and should be in testing later this summer. The Winlink home page is at Information on WINMOR may be found at A ways down on this page are a number of supporting documents and files. Two key ones are: WINMOR Primer installation instructions (Acrobat document). This contains simple step by step instructions for installing and configuring RMS Express. Full installation package (RMS Express <Rev> Full Install.zip). Updates occur regularly so the rev level may change. With RMS Express installed on an internet connected PC, updates are performed automatically. To communicate via Winlink/WINMOR you need the following equipment: HF transceiver with SSB Sound card interface (SignaLink or equivalent) Windows PC with XP or later OS and Microsoft NET framework 3.5 installed Free RMS Express software (a modest donation is requested but optional)

2 The WINMOR Primer is detailed and cover all aspects of installation, set up and use. The remainder of this document will just show some screen shots along with brief descriptions. Here is the main RMS Express screen. It looks like just about any client because that is basically what it is. You can enter text, attach files, etc. The screen shot shows the inbox with a received message from KB1TCD s regular address. I had sent a message to him via RF to the internet and he got back to me via his internet connection to RF. From his viewpoint, he received an in the normal fashion and replied in the same way. From my perspective, I sent and received the s through the radio. The Winlink system is set up so that internet can only be received from addresses that have previously had an sent to them through the Winlink system. This keeps spammers and the like out of the system. To send a message I click on the Message item in the toolbar to create a new message. When done I move the message to the outbox where it is queued to be sent. I then click on Open Session which gives me a choice of transmission modes including WINMOR (selected), PACTOR and telnet (direct to internet). On the next page is the Session Window:

3 The next thing is to select a station to make my connection to. (Notice that I can also make this connection a peer to peer connection if I wanted to communicate directly with another WINMOR equipped station.) By clicking on Channel Selection I get the following screen:

4 This is really neat: RMS Express includes a program for propagation path prediction. Based on where you are you get a listing of RMS stations and the estimate of how good the connection will be using a scale of At this time that this was done, my best bet would be to use KN6KB-5 who is located in Florida. I click on this line and the information is moved to the previously shown Session Window. Please note that, since WINMOR is fresh out of development, the number of WINMOR stations available are only a fraction of the total number of Winlink RMS stations. Now we re just about ready to start. One thing we need to do is set the transmitter frequency. The program tells what the waterfall center frequency is and the dial setting (upper sideband mode). (RMS Express can be set to control via the rig s CAT connection. At the present the channel is busy with another transmission. This will change from moment to moment. Before initiating a connection wait for the channel to clear. To see what s going on during the connection, click on Show/Hide TNC. You will see the following window: This window shows us all of the activity during the connection. The WINMOR Primer explains the functions of each feature within this window. Once you have connected and uploaded your message and downloaded any messages that are in the queue for you, RMS Express will disconnect. Again, this is just like getting your from your internet host. If you can t connect, then try another station. Remember the propagation program is a predictor and cannot take into account any other factors that may play into the quality of your connection. Antenna type and pattern, solar flares, etc. will have an effect. Don t we know! Steve KB1TCE, Revised 2 July, 2010

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