D-rats and PacLink together

Transcription

1 D-rats and PacLink together D-rats currently supports via Winlink. It uses Telnet to accomplish this. The RF connection by way of a Kiss TNC or AGW. The connection handshake with an RMS packet gateway is a prototype and does not work in all cases. The author of D-rats is aware of this. As such PacLink software from the Winlink2000 group can be used to facilitate Winlink connectivity.

2 Why use Paclink and D-rats together? You can process generated by any D-rats station that can reach you via RF. Your station becomes a HUB for processing internet via WinLink. You can handle a primary outbound Winlink address with automatic connect features. Multiple differing inbound Winlink address can be handled by manually sending to your D- rats connected stations. If internet is available you can Telnet to Winlink via that function. But if internet is not available you have two RF options, packet radio and HF Pactor.

3 A solution that offers more Paclink is a WinLink group product that has been available for years. It's primary purpose is to allow any client to connect to it. Paclink is server software to allow you to generate on your day to day client software and have it sent to Winlink. It can do this by way of Telnet, Packet radio, or Pactor HF. It allows you to handle multiple registered Winlink address's. D-rats by way of SMTP and POP can communicate with Paclink on the same computer.

4 PacLink RF options You can have a local network of RF D-rats stations for use in any emergency where the local infrastructure is affected. Picture laptop's with D-rats running and ICOM D-star HT's or mobile's that can use Digital Voice simplex to reach you, the HUB. Or a single stand alone DV repeater that is still on the air after a major event. Now if the HUB can see an Winlink RMS Packet gateway direct or via a digipeater and as long as that RMS gate has internet you can process .

5 RF options, more If there is no internet capable RMS packet gateway to access then you can use Pactor. This means you can reach beyond the affected area to handle Winlink based by way of any Pactor RMS HF gateway that you can find. Pactor 3 and 4 are the recommend modes. Winmor is being planned as a later addition to PacLink. Telnet and Packet can be auto send/receive with PacLink. Pactor is a manual, but simple, connect due to unattended rules in the USA. (Pactor 4 not yet legal is USA, but it is in the works)

6 Set up You should configure D-rats and Paclink to work standalone first with what ever radios you will use. Refer to PacLink's documentation or the many set up tutorials available on the internet. At this point do not configure D- rats or Paclink for any SMTP or POP access. Remember to use WinLink you must have a Winlink account set up. Several screen shots have been taken as examples of the SMTP/POP setups. This is one laptop (n6kzb-1) acting as a field station communicating to HUB station (n6kzb) with the HUB moving the message via the WinLink network.

7 Paclink Screen shots This is the primary set up for the HUB station N6KZB

8 Paclink We use a Kantronics TNC, many other types are available in the pull down menu for TNC Type.

9 Paclink This is the set up for the SCS Dragon modem at the HUB station.

10 Paclink Here is where you set up the sending and receiving of from Winlink automatically. Telnet and Packet only. Pactor HF is manually selected with one mouse click.

11 Paclink You add the call signs of all the Winlink address that Paclink will check for. This must also match what you have in D-rats at the Hub station.

12 D-rats HUB n6kzb

13 D-rats Hub n6kzb

14 D-rats Hub n6kzb

15 D-rats Hub n6kzb

16 D-rats Hub n6kzb

17 D-rats Hub n6kzb This is where the address is placed. D- rats can only SMTP to one account, but POP for many.

18 LapTop station D-rats n6kzb-1 This is the field station some distance from the HUB and on VHF DV simplex.

19 D-rats n6kzb-1

20 D-rats n6kzb-1

21 D-rats n6kzb-1

22 D-rats n6kzb-1 Create an Here I generate an on the laptop to send by way of the HUB to the internet.

23 n6kzb-1 Send Via selection to sending of to n6kzb for processing

24 arrived at n6kzb from n6kzb- 1 on Digital simplex VHF Notice it goes direct to outbox for processing as the recipient was an address.

25 Paclink at n6kzb hub sent to RMS gate via packet radio. was STMP's to Paclink where it sent it via Packet radio to RMS Gate XE2GF-10 on Mhz.

26 arrives at Gmail account Then I did a reply and sent the message back.

27 Reply back to PacLink via packet. Notice the Pop3 connections on the right, this is D-rats polling Paclink for inbound for n6kzb-1 and winlink.org. ALL replies come back to n6kzb@winlink.org. D-rats can only add one outgoing address but user generated to n6kzb-1 and n6kzb will also arrive.

28 Reply now at n6kzb Hub inbox. Move to outbox and change destination call sign to n6kzb-1 and use Forward via button to transfer. If you manually POP for n6kzb and then n6kzb-1, you can tell who it was meant for. D-rats does not know how to parse the address to change to a destination call sign. But after a few times you get used to it and can handle inbound .

29 Again destination call sign n6kzb-1 use Forward via button

30 now back to n6kzb-1 D-rats will also allow n6kzb-1 to check for new mail at the HUB manually. As long as it is in the HUB's outbox and the destination call sign in n6kzb-1.

31 Reply in full being read at n6kzb-1

32 Notes D-rats allows only one selection for SMTP outgoing mail, but multiple selections for incoming POP. In other words PacLink on the same computer always sees n6kzb (D-rats) for outgoing as and that is the address placed on all outgoing . But Paclink can query the Winlink system for as many accounts as you have on their system. Outgoing from n6kzb-1 will be sent as The caveat is you still have to have a D-rats POP account for n6kzb-1 set up on D-rats and Paclink for the POP side to work. Remember we are asking D-rats to do more than it was designed for, multiple SMTP accounts.

33 Notes, more It does seem a bit confusing, but if you substitute n6kzb and n6kzb-1 for your needed calls signs and play somewhat with it, you can skirt the minor issues. Sending always works, and automatically from as many D-rats stations to the HUB as you have. But return mail only comes into the HUB station s established Winlink address. If there was some way to make D-rats allow multiple SMTP accounts, then you could in fact see full two-traffic back to each station. However in most events, the outlying stations are most likely sending one-way traffic. Fully automatic sending of to Telnet or Packet through via WinLink works every time. Return mail has to be manually dealt with at the HUB. Pactor HF needs to be manually sent via Paclink, easy to do.

34 Final comments File attachments seem to be stripped from the PacLink to D-rats connection and vise-verse, so just don't try to send attachments. Also you can only use the form, as the others are seen by WinLink as HTML being embedded and it doesn't work. Keep in mind this was a first blush to try to interface two good emergency capable systems and I hope the software writer will see the value and make changes to improve. The big issue was the ability to use Pactor HF to move outside an area without internet. Just one more tool to use. Thank you, Mike n6kzb/xe2