RMS Express is being rebranded "Winlink Express" to better describe it's function. Beta testing is proceeding well. The WDT has set the date of June 28, 2016 for the release of the public, production version of our popular client program. The autoupdate feature of RMS Express will upgrade your installation on that day if you have it enabled. The full production version can also be downloaded from the program's web page or from the Winlink FTP site using a browser that supports FTP (the File Transfer Protocol).

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On the same day, the cost to register Winlink Express, or WINMOR TNC separately, will be lowered to $24 per callsign, down from the current price of $39. Beginning on the 28th, new-price registrations can be done online at the Amateur Radio Safety Foundation site. Multiple callsigns can be registered at the same time. As always, registration is optional, and full functionality of the programs is available without registering by clicking through a reminder when starting the program. We sincerely appreciate software registrations and outright donations for the expressions of support that they are. Your dollars may be tax deductible, and they always go to benefit all users of the system, by keeping Winlink reliably online and on-air 24-7-365. Without your generous support and that of our dedicated gateway sysops, Winlink would not exist.

--The Winlink Development Team

"Cascadia Rising," the largest FEMA exercise of 2016, will get under way on June 7, and Oregon and Washington ARES/RACES organizations both will be heavily involved, with a significant investment in HF activity planned. The scenario will be an earthquake and tsunami disaster involving the entire Pacific Northwest, and the exercise will start with a blackout of all normal, regular communication systems. Amateur Radio will provide emergency/disaster alternate communication systems, and participants will include Maxim Memorial Station W1AW at ARRL Headquarters. The plan calls for W1AW to be active and monitoring, and possibly passing traffic, if necessary, W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, said. ARRL Emergency Response Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, said Cascadia Rising will also involve the Emergency Response Team at ARRL Headquarters.

"Along with participation via Winlink and HF voice, we will use it as an opportunity to exercise the ARRL Headquarters Emergency Response Team," Corey said. "This team is called up to support the ARRL Field Organization during a major disaster, when support cannot be provided during normal business hours. The last activation of the team was during hurricane Irene in 2011."

According to FEMA, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), and the resulting tsunami would present the most complex disaster scenario that emergency managers and public safety officials in the Pacific Northwest could face; Cascadia Rising is an exercise to address that disaster. The exercise will conclude on June 10.

According to FEMA, emergency operations centers (EOCs) and emergency coordination centers (ECCs) at all levels of government and in the private sector will activate to conduct simulated field response operations within their jurisdictions and with neighboring communities, state EOCs, FEMA, and major military commands. The military departments in Washington and Oregon will activate.

"Conducting successful life-saving and life-sustaining response operations in the aftermath of a Cascadia Subduction Zone disaster will hinge on the effective coordination and integration of governments at all levels -- cities, counties, state agencies, federal officials, the military, tribal nations -- as well as non-government organizations and the private sector," FEMA said. "One of the primary goals of Cascadia Rising is to train and test this whole community approach to complex disaster operations together as a joint team."

Thanks to John Core, KX7YT, Oregon ARES District 1 Emergency Coordinator for some information. Republished with permission by the ARRL.
For more information see the FEMA web site https://www.fema.gov/cascadia-rising-2016
Participating SHARES, Amateur and MARS Winlink operators may want to download, install, and practice the Washington State HTML forms package.

Registration Keys to be Applied to Winlink Express
Registration Key Price Reduction

20 May, 2016--Important announcement about several planned changes in the Winlink system:

1. In an upcoming release, RMS Express will be renamed Winlink Express to better reflect its function. To prevent disruption with current installations, the default installation folder will continue to be C:\RMS Express\, and the parameters file will continue to be called RMS Express.ini. No changes will be required by existing users. Simply update your software next week
2. Unregistered Winlink Express users will be asked to purchase a Winlink Express registration key for each callsign. If you use the same callsign on multiple installations of Winlink Express, you can enter the same registration key on each instance. You pay only once for each callsign.
3. If you've already paid for a WINMOR TNC registration key, your WINMOR registration key will work with Winlink Express. Purchasing another key is NOT needed.
4. Registration is NOT required: You can always use Winlink Express with full functionality without purchasing a key. However, if you don't enter a registration key, Winlink Express will display a popup reminder screen asking you to please register. Although not technically a donation, the purchase of a registration key supports the Amateur Radio Safety Foundation and the Winlink system. You should consult with your tax advisor whether the purchase is tax-deductible for you.
5. On release of Winlink Express, the price for both WINMOR TNC or Winlink Express registration keys will be reduced. The new price will be $24.00 per callsign. If organizations want to register more than 17 callsigns, special pricing applies. Contact the system administrator for help with group registrations.