Pactor Tutorial - Ham E-Mail

[GordMay]

“Getting Started with Ham Radio Email - A Pactor Primer”
by Jim Corenman KE6RK
http://www.airmail2000.com/pprimer.htm

This document is intended as a guide for the mobile ham who is new to the world of message forwarding via the ham radio HF Pactor network. It is written by the author of the AirMail personal mailbox program, primarily for cruising sailors and RV travelers that want to stay in touch via amateur radio and email. Subjects covered include advice on equipment selection and installation, getting started with the AirMail program and getting connected to the Pactor network. The last section also covers doing it the hard way, using a dumb terminal program.

Contents:
1. Overview of the network
2. Choice of Equipment
3. Installation Basics
4. Getting Connected with Airmail
5. Using a Terminal Program
6. Glossary
7. Links - For further browsing

And another from Peg and Tom Maynard (N2WJY), aboard their forty foot sailboat, “Starboard Home”
(Last “Yachtrep” - 2004/06/01- 10:12 @ 038̊ 43' 00" N x 016̊ 07' 00" E - Arrived Vebo Vaelentia, Italy 6/1/2004
http://www.gate1.net/starboardhome/G...o/abouteml.htm

About HF E-Mail:

Onboard e-mail using long range high frequency (HF) radios is possible using either marine single sideband (SSB) radio and commercial frequencies or Amateur Radio (Ham) equipment and assigned frequencies. Both work basically the same: messages are prepared on an onboard computer, converted to radio signals via a special computer-to-radio modem (called a terminal node controller or TNC), and then transmitted by the radio to a shore station. The shore station places the message on the internet for conventional delivery. Email to the boat is sent to the shore station where it is held in individual mail boxes for pick up by the boat the next time the boat checks in. Once the contact between the boat and the shore station is made, the transfer of messages is usually automatic ... (see the link above)