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DeKalb ARES
DeKalb County, Georgia
Next meeting Sat, Aug 15 · 1:00 PM Weekly net Sun 8:00 PM
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Resources · Digital modes

Digital modes & Winlink

Digital modes — Winlink for email-over-radio, VARA HF/FM for high-speed HF and VHF data, APRS for position reporting, and packet for message handling — are how DeKalb ARES moves structured information when voice isn't enough and the internet is stressed. This page is the curated set of tools and tutorials we actually use.

Our AEC for Digital Communications is Greg Mann, WC4Y. Email for setup help.

APRS

APRS — the Automatic Packet Reporting System — is the go-to for position reporting and short-message traffic during public-service events and drills. DeKalb ARES ran county-wide APRS drills in March and April 2026 that led to a permanent local deployment.

Local APRS infrastructure

W4BOC-1 — DeKalb ARES digipeater and iGate on the Stone Mountain summit, online since April 2026. Operating on the national APRS frequency 144.390 MHz, with a coverage radius of approximately 106 miles per APRS.FI.

→ Live W4BOC-1 coverage on aprs.fi

→ APRS introduction (video, KK4ODA)

Winlink

Winlink moves email over radio — useful in an activation when commercial internet is down. DeKalb ARES runs two gateway stations under callsign WD5EMA-10; full station details live on the Nets page. Members are encouraged to check in to the Sunday practice net via Winlink — just address your check-in email to WD5EMA@winlink.org.

Installing Winlink Express

A local setup guide exists from a 2017 DeKalb ARES meeting — slightly dated on the UI, but the fundamentals are unchanged:

→ Install Winlink Express (PDF, 2017)

Check-in template

When checking in to the net via Winlink, use the standard Winlink check-in template so we collect consistent information. In RMS Express: Select Template → Template Manager → Standard Templates → General Forms → Winlink check-in.txt.

Video tutorials

Walkthroughs by Facundo Fernandez, KK4ODA.

Welfare messages (RRI "I Am Safe")

After a disaster, one of the most useful things an operator can do is relay short "I am safe" welfare messages out of the affected area for survivors and shelters. Radio Relay International's I Am Safe program standardizes these as the Welfare Radiogram and the Quick Welfare Message. There are two ways to send them, depending on whether you have a radio path or an internet path. Both carry the same standardized message; only the delivery path differs.

For how families search and which official channels to point them to, see Finding people after a disaster.

Sending via Winlink (radio)

The RRI welfare forms ship with Winlink Express as standard templates, so on a current install you usually do not need to install anything. The form is a template, not a ready-made message file: you fill it out and Winlink Express builds the radio message for you. You never copy anything into the Outbox by hand.

  1. New Message, then Select Template.
  2. Under Standard Templates, choose the RRI Welfare Radiogram or Quick Welfare Message.
  3. Fill out the HTML form in the browser window, then click Submit. The form populates the To, Subject, and Body for you. When the recipient is known, address it to their email address; Winlink hands it off to the internet at the gateway.
  4. Click Post to Outbox. Queue as many as you need.
  5. Open a session (Telnet Winlink over the internet, or a radio session such as VARA HF/FM or Packet) and click Start. One session flushes everything sitting in the Outbox.
If the form is missing

Only if the RRI forms are not already in your Standard Templates, install them into Global Folders, never Standard. Extract the RRI template zip to C:\RMS Express\Global Folders\Templates\ (a subfolder such as \Templates\RRI\ is fine); they then appear under Select Template → Global Templates. Anything dropped into the Standard Templates folder is wiped on the next auto-update.

Sending via regular email (offline forms)

RRI also publishes the same welfare forms as offline HTML files that run straight from a thumb drive, with no radio and no Winlink. This is the path for a shelter data-entry station (a "digitizer") that has ordinary internet but still wants the standardized welfare format.

  1. Open the offline form in a browser and fill it out for each survivor.
  2. The form produces a formatted welfare message you can save or copy.
  3. Send it to the recipient by normal email. Many can be collected and sent as a batch from one workstation.

RRI's bundled help files and SOP are the authoritative word on exact addressing and clearinghouse routing, so confirm against those before an activation rather than relying on the generic steps above.

Download the RRI forms and docs

Local copies mirrored from radiorelay.org in June 2026, so they are on hand during an activation even if that site is unreachable. Check the live page for the most current versions.

VARA HF, VARA FM, and VarAC

VARA is the high-speed modem behind most modern amateur digital messaging. VarAC is a chat client that runs over VARA HF or VARA FM. DeKalb ARES has invested heavily in VARA infrastructure — our Stone Mountain VARA FM gateway on 145.530 MHz is the newest addition.

VARA HF install →

Basic install for Winlink or VarAC operation on HF

VarAC install →

How to install VarAC for HF

VarAC 2m install and setup →

Advanced — watch the basic VarAC install first

VARA FM digipeater setup and testing →

Setting up VARA FM as a digipeater

Packet FM digipeater setup and testing →

Classic packet digipeater setup

Regional VARA HF gateways

Frequencies of nearby Winlink VARA HF gateways used by DeKalb ARES members (verify current operation before relying on these in an activation):

DigiPi

DigiPi is a Raspberry Pi-based digital toolkit that bundles Winlink, APRS, and packet in a small footprint — ideal for a go-kit. DeKalb ARES received an internal presentation from Pat DeLoe (N4MPC) and Facundo Fernandez (KK4ODA) on setup.

Digirig

Digirig is a compact sound-card interface that pairs well with HTs and mobile radios for digital operation.

→ Digirig Lite setup manual

Winlink on mobile

For members who want Winlink without hauling a laptop — two solid mobile clients:

External training resources

Curated references from Winlink, other ARES groups, and Ham Radio University — ranging from introductions to deep-dive technical material.

Credits: much of the hands-on tutorial content on this page was produced by Facundo Fernandez (KK4ODA) and Pat DeLoe (N4MPC) for DeKalb ARES members.