Don't want to enter the part of the debate specific to ARRL.
Leave this to ARRL members...
Just as an information:
The most instructive document I found on Pactor utilization is the following one
http://home.tiscalinet.ch/hb9brj/ptc.html
"List of PACTOR BBS, gateway and mail drop stations operating in unattended
mode" (link from SCS mainpage)
It is interesting because, it shows that
- though the IARU R1 bandplan already specifies the maximum bandwidth
usable by band segment, you can find many region 1, Pactor3 unmanned stations
proudly claiming operation in the narrow band segments (500hz), for example
3580-3600, 10140-10150, etc...
- the problem is broader than Winlink itself (most of the stations listed are
not part of the winlink network)
I agree with most of the comments expressed by Ekki, except one:
Pactor is a commercial, non-public protocol and though it was admissible to
experiment it in ham-bands at an early stage, I think it has nothing to do
anymore in our bands, for several reasons, like the fact that it is very
difficult to know the origin and the content of a transmission once two
stations are connected. IMHO only the FEC mode (unproto) may be admitted in
ham-bands (but in practice this mode is only used for CQ'ing...). Btw this
explains why a certain number of Pactor-users do not really care about making
interferences to other narrow-band users, like it happens almost every evening
in the 3580/3583 segment...
Now on PactorIII , I would say that even SCS agree that it is not an amateur
mode...
QUOTE
Today the PACTOR® mode has evolved from a pure Amateur Radio mode into a mode
for world wide professional data transmission on shortwave. Based on our modems
we offer a wide variety of solutions for your worldwide data communication
problems: from pure chat mode, to FTP like data transfer, to a true TCP/IP
transparent link for e-mail services over shortwave!
UNQUOTE
Now on Winlink, I think this, also coming from SCS mainpage speaks by itself...
QUOTE
Around the world with PACTOR-III.
Online with PACTOR-III from the high seas. Travel around the world and send your
daily snapshots, log entries, or business email from any point on the globe via
PACTOR SSB email services. Check out which service provider is best for you...
Global Link Network
Kielradio
BernRadio
SailMail
Winlink
Bushmail
CruiseEmail
Monaco Radio
Radiomarine Network
UNQUOTE
Where you can see that, winlink, using ham frequencies, is considered on the
same level than commercial providers like Bern-radio or Bushmail.
To be noted that a "non profit" organization like sailmail
http://www.sailmail.com/ provides the same type of service, but outside ham
bands - which is logical...
Last but not least, the fact that pactor, or winlink "maybe used for emergency"
is not an argument.
Any mode may be used for emergency communications, and IMHO preferably public
domain modes like SSB, CW, RTTY, PSK, MFSK,...
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