APRSlink provides a link between the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) and the Winlink Global Radio Email system.

APRSlink monitors all APRS traffic gated to the internet, worldwide, and watches for special commands that allow APRS users to:

1. read short email messages sent to their callsign@winlink.org account (no SSID)
2. send short email messages to any valid email address or Winlink user
3. perform email related maintenance (see commands below)
4. be notified of pending Winlink email via APRS message
5. query APRSlink for information of the closest Winlink RMS packet station

APRSlink provides a very special capability for the Kenwood TH-D7, TH-D72, TM-D700, TM-D710 and Yaesu FTM-350, FTM-400, VX-8DE/GE radios for sending and receiving email from the radio front Panel without any need for a PC. ( Of course APRSlink does work with APRSIS32, APRMAP, UI-View and simular message programs and so can be used for HF-APRS as well. [remark SA7SKY] )

Properly licensed Amateur Radio operators are automatically registered in the Winlink 2000 system the first time they send a message through the system. For someone to send email to you, you must first become registered by sending a message through the system.

Note: Your Winlink account cannot be established using APRSlink. You must send at least one message using Telnet or RF to create your Winlink email account (before you can use APRSlink).

Additionally, your APRS station must have sent at least one APRS position report (beacon) prior to attempting to access this service. In that way, APRSlink can know your Amateur callsign, location, and station type for use with some commands.

LOGIN - Send any command to initiate login (meanwhile required). The CMS will respond with a challenge consisting of three digits who's values represent positions of characters within your password (ex: LOGIN[123]).

[RESP] - This is a six character response to the login challenge. Respond with three password characters corresponding to the positions in the challenge plus three additional characters of your choosing (in any order). Example: Password is ABC123. Login challenge is: 425. You send '1B2AZ5'. ABZ21TY would also be valid since it contains the characters 1, B, and 2.

LOGOFF - Your login will expire after approximately two hours. You can manually log out anytime by issuing the "B" or "BYE" command.

Here's how it works: You send an APRS message using WLNK-1 as the destination callsign with one of the above commands as the message text. APRSlink responds by sending APRS messages back to you via your IGate. Of course, your IGate must be configured to gate those messages back to RF - it should be.

APRSlink will detect if your request is from a Kenwood TH-D7/D72 or TM-D700/710, and attempt to format retrieved messages to fit the display of those devices. For a TH-D7, this means you are limited to receiving a maximum of 48 characters per APRS message, and a maximum of 64 characters for the TM-D700/710. When you request to read an e-mail from the Winlink system, APRSlink will send one or more APRS messages back to your station. Reading large messages (over a few lines) is not appropriate, and APRSlink limits the number of APRS messages it will send back to your station.

APRSlink is tailored to fit the needs of remote TH-D7/D72 and TM D700/710 users, but is fully functional for other clients as well. To allow easy entry using the D7/D72 or D700/710 keypads, you can use a keypad letter instead of a number for the second part of commands that require message line numbers. For example, to read message 3 you can send Rd instead of R3; use Rj for message 5, etc. Actually, any letter on the key will be interpreted as the number on that same key for any command that uses a number following the command character.

If you desire notification of pending Winlink email just add the callsign of the APRSlink server (WLNK-1) somewhere in your station's position comment (or status text) and you'll be notified with an APRS message whenever you have unread mail on the Winlink system. Notification is sent once per day (when it's detected that your station is on-line) but is reset whenever you use APRSlink to access your Winlink email. In that way, mail received after you have read the current batch of messages will trigger another notification.

The following text is inserted into messages sent through APRSlink to the Internet. Messages addressed to a ham callsign or to a callsign@winlink.org email address do not contain this disclaimer.