We just wrapped up a communications exercise with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency last week utilizing Winlink RMS Relay Post Office on a MESH system setup onsite. We were able to place messages on the Post Office and retrieve them from multiple stations set up at the exercise site in order to facilitate message flow between our dedicated HF/VHF/UHF stations and the command vehicle. We set up an Area Command structure and relayed messages from 5 sites throughout the state. We automated delivery of the messages as much as possible using the Winlink Post Office feature in RMS Relay set up on our MESH system and the automatic polling features just released in RMS Express 1.3.5.0
As a result of the operations we came up with some improvements, hence RMS Express 1.3.6.0 has now been released. There will be some improvements to RMS Relay coming soon that will help even further.
We also utilized a Post Office that was setup at an external site on our area MESH system.
There will be a full write-up coming soon that will describe the full operations.
That's fantastic Tom! Nice work!
Where can I find the write up please?
Any recommendations for how to set up a server on the mesh?
Ken
Hi Ken,
It's been a while, I'll have to hunt for the writeup. Setting up a Post Office "Server" is easy and can be setup most anywhere there is a dedicated computer on the MESH network. You will need to install RMS Relay on that computer. I have a Post Office running at each of our Repeater Sites with the MESH equipment. Maybe if you can tell me about what you want to do and I can give you some setup suggestions. Drop me an e-mail direct.
I'm the worlds worst sometimes at documentation. We will put something together. With the new MESH SYNC capabilities, we have discovered new ways to implement our "systems". Some of it becomes reundant, but if you think about what might happen when something fails, the configurations vary based on what you want to accomplish. We now have two sets of MESH Network Post Office stations synchronized. One "System" to handle large files >120k <5MB that don't interface with the world-wide WINLINK CMS system, and the other "System" with stations that do interface with the world so they can deliver their traffic to the main WINLINK system. To guarantee failsafe delivery, every Post Office that is ste up for SYNC is also set as a distributor.
I have just created a document. Not sure if it's 100% correct. I just sent it to Tom, K1KY.
So we have a bunch of nodes coming online via RF in our area. In my case I can't "see" any RF nodes yet, so I Vtun into 2 different Vtun Servers in Richardson, Plano, and Denton.
Just saying...
de kb5nft
BTW If you want to see my newly created file, email me at kb5nft@gmail.com
73
You are on the right track. I do the same thing in my RV when I'm on the road. VTUN works great across the system. We are able to remotely control our computers, WINLINK stations, WIRES-X nodes, etc. seamlessly regardless if they are connected by RF or Tunnel. About 25% of the areas that I go camping are in range of our Southmesh network and I can connect via RF, otherwise I mooch off of either the public accessible Comcast gateways (as a Comcast customer) or any other means that I can establish an internet connection. Sometimes I use the data capabilities of my Cellphone through a tether connection. Anything to get connected to the outside world!