Posted: 12/20/2011 5:39:50 PM EDT
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Have any of you heard that there will be changes with DHS funding and role of ARES related stuff with FEMA? I just heard through the grapevine that there will be changes and those sort of things will be split off into a group similar to the old Civil Defense organization as far as responsibility and scope. I wish I had more details but they haven't funneled down to me yet.
This is the first I've heard of this, and an internet search turns up nothing but maybe I'm not searching for the right terms. |
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Recived the ARES Newsletter this morning and there was no mention of this yet, but this was interesting.
Army MARS Phasing Out WINLINK
The Department of the Army has announced that it has begun to take steps to phase out the use of the WINLINK System. The military chain of command that governs Army MARS feels that the Internet portion of WL2K leaves the system significantly open to possible intrusion. To deal with this it plans to replace WINLINK with a newer military e-mail system that has extensive protection against any form of intrusion. To replace the WL2K system, Army MARS will be expanding on the concept of a national network that is voice, RTTY, MIL-STD 110A and PACTOR capable. The focus of digital communication will be MIL-STD 188-110A, wide shift RTTY, and PACTOR III. PACTOR will become even more important as the new areas of focus will be "Peer to Peer" and "Keyboard to Keyboard" PACTOR communications. Amateur modes such as MT-63, OLIVIA, and WINMOR, which cannot be used by the military will be eventually phased out as well. A large contingent of skilled volunteer MARS operators will be required to make this system work effectively and this is where current and prospective Army MARS members will be needed. The goal will be to help Army MARS return to what it is really supposed to be: A radio-only system to relay long haul traffic across the CONUS and OCONUS. While these changes will affect Army MARS nationally, they are not abandoning state and local agencies. They are just moving away from giving them a winlink.org e-mail address. As they move forward, Army MARS will be able to offer these agencies the ability to relay traffic across the MARS radio-only network to anywhere across the country including such places as the Pentagon, National Guard Bureau, and the U.S. Army for requesting military support in a disaster. - Thanks, Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager I was looking at getting involved with MARS since ARES and RACES here is too bloated to begin with, but it looks like the Pactor requirements may hamper that a little bit. 
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Quoted:
Recived the ARES Newsletter this morning and there was no mention of this yet, but this was interesting. Army MARS Phasing Out WINLINK
The Department of the Army has announced that it has begun to take steps to phase out the use of the WINLINK System. The military chain of command that governs Army MARS feels that the Internet portion of WL2K leaves the system significantly open to possible intrusion. To deal with this it plans to replace WINLINK with a newer military e-mail system that has extensive protection against any form of intrusion. To replace the WL2K system, Army MARS will be expanding on the concept of a national network that is voice, RTTY, MIL-STD 110A and PACTOR capable. The focus of digital communication will be MIL-STD 188-110A, wide shift RTTY, and PACTOR III. PACTOR will become even more important as the new areas of focus will be "Peer to Peer" and "Keyboard to Keyboard" PACTOR communications. Amateur modes such as MT-63, OLIVIA, and WINMOR, which cannot be used by the military will be eventually phased out as well. A large contingent of skilled volunteer MARS operators will be required to make this system work effectively and this is where current and prospective Army MARS members will be needed. The goal will be to help Army MARS return to what it is really supposed to be: A radio-only system to relay long haul traffic across the CONUS and OCONUS. While these changes will affect Army MARS nationally, they are not abandoning state and local agencies. They are just moving away from giving them a winlink.org e-mail address. As they move forward, Army MARS will be able to offer these agencies the ability to relay traffic across the MARS radio-only network to anywhere across the country including such places as the Pentagon, National Guard Bureau, and the U.S. Army for requesting military support in a disaster. - Thanks, Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager I was looking at getting involved with MARS since ARES and RACES here is too bloated to begin with, but it looks like the Pactor requirements may hamper that a little bit. Here's a PACTOR box for pretty cheap. PACTOR box |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Recived the ARES Newsletter this morning and there was no mention of this yet, but this was interesting. Army MARS Phasing Out WINLINK
The Department of the Army has announced that it has begun to take steps to phase out the use of the WINLINK System. The military chain of command that governs Army MARS feels that the Internet portion of WL2K leaves the system significantly open to possible intrusion. To deal with this it plans to replace WINLINK with a newer military e-mail system that has extensive protection against any form of intrusion. To replace the WL2K system, Army MARS will be expanding on the concept of a national network that is voice, RTTY, MIL-STD 110A and PACTOR capable. The focus of digital communication will be MIL-STD 188-110A, wide shift RTTY, and PACTOR III. PACTOR will become even more important as the new areas of focus will be "Peer to Peer" and "Keyboard to Keyboard" PACTOR communications. Amateur modes such as MT-63, OLIVIA, and WINMOR, which cannot be used by the military will be eventually phased out as well. A large contingent of skilled volunteer MARS operators will be required to make this system work effectively and this is where current and prospective Army MARS members will be needed. The goal will be to help Army MARS return to what it is really supposed to be: A radio-only system to relay long haul traffic across the CONUS and OCONUS. While these changes will affect Army MARS nationally, they are not abandoning state and local agencies. They are just moving away from giving them a winlink.org e-mail address. As they move forward, Army MARS will be able to offer these agencies the ability to relay traffic across the MARS radio-only network to anywhere across the country including such places as the Pentagon, National Guard Bureau, and the U.S. Army for requesting military support in a disaster. - Thanks, Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager I was looking at getting involved with MARS since ARES and RACES here is too bloated to begin with, but it looks like the Pactor requirements may hamper that a little bit. Here's a PACTOR box for pretty cheap. PACTOR box Pactor III uses proprietary modems doesn't it? ETA: If it was regular PACTOR it would be a non issue, but PACTOR 3 
I will buy a really nice radio for the price of that thing! |
Thought this may be a solution.Note to self–– get up to speed on all these new digi-modes. I'm stuck in the 90's when it comes to these new fangled modes.