[RTTY] New Winlink usage

[Michael Adams]

Actually, I thought the point that NQ4U was trying to make is that much of the time when there's an issue with Winlink QRM in North America, it's likely because an actual human simply clicked "connect", perhaps disregarding warnings about the frequency being occupied, and without listening an appropriate length of time to see if the frequency is in use.

This doesn't, of course, alleviate the need for effective listen-before-transmit on the automated station's side...but it should partially deflate the concerns about Winlink nodes connecting amongst themselves in a fully automated manner, at least within areas under the FCC's jurisdiction.   This also doesn't alleviate the need for Airmail users to exercise extra care, using their ears since Airmail lacks RMS Express' spectrum display.   And, this doesn't excuse the occasional Winlink sysop who sets up their node either outside the automated subbands, or with more than 500Hz badwidth configured.

-- 
Michael Adams | N1EN | mda at n1en.org

-----Original Message-----

N5UWY wrote:
On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 4:40 PM,  <nq4u at mtars.org> wrote:

> One of the things that folks need to remember about using the WINLINK 
> system in the U.S. is that an operator (the end user) must initiate 
> the contact to the RMS. It is legal for operators in some other 
> countries to use the automated forward system on Amateur frequencies 
> but not in the U.S. The RMS that is either listening on a single 
> frequency or scanning five frequencies DOES NOT initiate the contact at least in the U.S amateur bands.

Which rule do you claim these hosts meet?

Either mailhosts are an "automatically controlled digital station"
under 97.221, and hence are limited in bandwidth and by band plan, or they are being remotely controlled by stations under 97.213's telecommand provisions, in which case they can only be controlled by wireline or auxiliary station and the stations remotely controlling the mailhosts never meet the definition of an auxiliary station.

Which is it?