[drats_users] E-Mail SMPTE Connection

[Les Rayburn]

Dan,

First of all, let me congratulate you on all the hard work you've put into D-RATS. We're using it as the "official" software of choice for D-Star Slow Speed data during this year's Simulated Emergency Test here in Alabama. I'm hoping that many of our ARES volunteers will take advantage of it's "forms" function to send NTS formatted message containing situation reports and requests. 

Prior to using D-RATS, many here had been experimenting with D-Star COMMS, another software product for slow speed data. One feature that it contained that I thought had critical importance for EMCOMM was the ability send and receive short e-mail messages, and allowing stations connected to the Internet to function as "gateways" for this type of traffic. 

During a disaster, the impacted area and it's EMA might well lose Internet connectivity. In theory, amateurs could use D-Star with it's slow speed data capability to send and receive e-mail by linking to a station outside the area who still had connectivity to the Internet. I personally saw Winlink 2K used to fill this need in Gulfport, MS after Katrina. 

Would it be possible to add this or a similar feature to D-Rats? I think it would go a long way towards making it a complete EMCOMM tool. Again, my thanks! 

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
ARES Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator
NCS-SHARES NCS-047
---------------------------------------------
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 35114
(205) 253-4867
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://intrepid.danplanet.com/pipermail/drats_users/attachments/20080923/4658ffcf/attachment.html