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Over the last two Wednesdays we got Winlink Express running, first over the internet and then over the air with VARA FM. Now let’s send something useful. When ARES or a served agency needs a message passed during an emergency, they usually want it on an ICS-213 General Message form. Winlink Express has that form built in, so the person on the other end gets a clean, standard message instead of a wall of text.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate  |  Time: About 15 minutes  |  Note: Winlink Express updates its forms automatically when it starts up with an internet connection, so your form may look a little different from the one I describe.

What You’ll Need

• Winlink Express set up from the last two weeks
• Any working session type: Telnet (internet), VARA FM or packet
• Optional: a field operations guide or go-kit binder to keep printed copies of the forms you use most

Step 1: Open the ICS-213 Template

1. Start a new message in Winlink Express. Leave the fields blank.
2. Click Select Template.
3. Open Standard Templates > ICS USA Forms and pick ICS213. Double-click it, or click Select.

The form opens in your web browser. Always use the Standard Templates folder; that’s the one Winlink keeps up to date.

Step 2: Fill It Out

Fill in who it’s to, who it’s from, the subject and the message. Keep the message short and plain. Write it so someone who wasn’t there can act on it. Add your name and position at the bottom, the way you’d sign a paper form.

Step 3: Submit the Form

Click Submit at the bottom of the form, click OK, and close the browser tab. Back in Winlink Express, check three things: the subject line is filled in, there’s an .xml attachment, and the body shows a plain-text copy of the form. That attachment is what lets the other end see it as a proper ICS-213.

Step 4: Address It and Send

1. Put the recipient’s call sign or email address in the To field. For practice, send it to yourself.
2. Check the Send as drop-down above the To field. Set it after the form is attached, because Winlink Express can reset it to the default.
3. Click Post to Outbox, then open a session that matches your Send as choice and click Start.

Gotchas

• Send as doesn’t match the session. A Winlink message won’t go out in a peer-to-peer session, and the other way around. Match them.
• No .xml attachment. If you only see text, the form didn’t submit properly. Open the template again and click Submit.
• Long messages. Over RF, shorter is faster and more reliable. Say what’s needed and stop.

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Last Week’s Challenge: Shout-Outs

Last week’s challenge was to check into a local net. Thanks to everyone who gave it a try. If you checked in and haven’t posted yet, drop your call sign and the net in the comments and I’ll add you here.

This Week’s Challenge: Send an ICS-213 by Winlink

Use today’s steps to send one ICS-213 by Winlink. Send it to yourself, to a friend, or to a Winlink practice net if your area has one. Bonus points if it goes out over the air instead of the internet.

Done it? Post your call sign in the comments and tell me how you sent it. Everyone who completes the challenge gets a shout-out next Wednesday.

Your Turn

Does your ARES group or club use Winlink forms? Which ones do you send most? Tell me in the comments, and ask any Winlink question there too. Catch up on the earlier Winlink Wednesday posts on the Weekly How-To page.

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