E-mail over HF radio

Last updated: 12 May 1998
Contents
Any and all feedback please to ben@ocha.unon.org. I am trying to re-do this page without the use of tables to it can more easily be e-mailed and faxed. Thanks to the many people who have helped me with information on this topic. I will endeavour to keep it up to date. Of course all this information is subject to change, and any errors are mine alone.
- Basics
- Service providers
- Modem choices
- Popular modems
- Do it yourself software options
- Further Information
Basics
You have a remote place without telephone and you want to connect via Internet e-mail. You want to use HF e-mail. You will need a radio transceiver, antenna, modem, as well as a computer, cables and software. You will also need agreed frequencies, probably some kind of license to operate radio equipment and compatible HF modems at each end. A number of service providers can provide this service already. Some I have found are listed below.
When considering options in this area, it would be wise to at least consider e-mail over satellite phone - phones now cost about $4,000 and calls are $2.50 per minute. Also Inmarsat has announced e-mail services on their C-terminal range. In ranges of less than 50km, VHF radio is an option and is probably cheaper and faster. New GPMCS systems like Iridium and Globalstar may offer data services too.
Service providers (in no particular order)
Fastest comm mode | Client software | Gateway / hub software | Minimum hardware costs | Software costs | Monthly costs | Traffic costs | |
Non profit providers |
|||||||
WFP (Uganda) (private, non-profit) | Codan 9002 | cc:mail | cc:mail | about $6,000 | ? | n/a | n/a |
MAF (non-profit) | Pactor-1 | cc:mail | cc:mail+"Mlink" | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Commercial providers |
|||||||
RadioMail (Wilken Uganda) | Clover 2000 | Barrett 923 | Barrett 923 | about $7,500 full base station | about $7,500 full base station | Signup: $250 $150 per month | $0.24 above 100kb per month |
Bushnet (Uganda) | Codan 9002 | cc:mail | "bushpoll" | $6,300 | ? | different options (from $0.30 per kb) to $500 per month unlimited | about $0.30 per kbyte |
Bushlink (Tanzania) | SCS PTC-II | Pegasus mail + PMFIDO | FIDO node+Bushlink | PTC-II modem: $985 | $250 | $40 | $0.20 per kbyte sent/received |
DTS (Benin) | Clover-2000, Clover-500, Pactor-1 and Pactor-2 | DTS | DTS | $4,000 | $50 | unlimited | |
Sistec (Angola) | Colver-2000, Pactor-1, SITOR | SISDATA 2000 | derived from DTS | $50 | unlimted | ||
Globe Wireless (USA) | Clover | ||||||
P-SeaMail | SITOR? | $149.95 | |||||
Message Center, Inc (USA) | SITOR | ||||||
Bernradio (Switzerland) | Clover-2000, Pactor-2, Pactor-1, SITOR | DTS + fax, telex, snail mail gatway | DTS: CHF 500 | 10 CHF low traffic, 50 CHF per month high traffic | 0.30 CHF per 100 chars | ||
Pinoak (USA) | "Podlink f" modem looks like a PTC-II? | Podlink F | $1,720 hardware and software | $1,720 hardward and software | $275 per year | $0.95 per kilobyte |
Modem and "mode" choices
As a very crude guide, you will need at least Pactor 1 to do any reasonable amount of e-mail. Pinoak has a description of various HF data modes at http://www.pinoak.com/p_tech.htm. A very basic summary of that paper is that PACTOR 2 outperforms PACTOR 1, CLOVER, G-TOR and AMTOR. I haven't yet found a clear comparison of CLOVER-2000, Codan 9002, and other faster modems. However, many other factors come in including performance under bad conditions, medium distance compared to inter-continental distances, long files compared to short files, lenght of handshaking, external/internal compression, binary files vs ASCII files etc etc. A comparison of Clover 2000 and Pactor 2 is at: http://www.halcomm.com/clvr2k.htm
As you might imagine, the perfomance of the modes is somthing of considerable importance, if not controversy, between the vendors. Any modem to be used with "normal" e-mail software will obviously benefit from built-in compression in the protocol, although external compression can be used before transmission as is commonly done in fidonet.
The confusing number of open/licensed/other "standards" is, I venture, a pity, and holds back the potential of the technology. At the risk of getting ripped apart by the experts, I try a list here. Most of these speeds are those provided by external experts, checked against what the vendor claims.
Mode | Maximum speed and comments |
SITOR ARQ | 100 bits/second Open standard, upper case only, no error correction |
CCIR-476 | Same as SITOR |
AMTOR | Same as SITOR |
PACTOR-1 | 200 bits/sec |
G-TOR | 300 bits/sec |
PACTOR 2 | 508 bits/sec |
Clover-400 | 600 bits/sec |
Clover-500 | 750 bits/sec |
Clover-2000 | 3000 bits/sec (minus overhead: 1936 bits/second uncompressed) |
Codan 9002 | 2400 bits/sec + built-in compression = 6000 bits/sec or 1475 bits/sec uncompressed |
Mil-std-110 | open standard |
Fed-std-1052 | |
Stanag 4285??? | |
Rohde & Schwartz | 2700 bits/sec |
All speeds quoted not considering compression where possible.
Popular modems
Modem prices usually include software.
There is a difference between the SCS PTC-II Pactor-2 and the Swiss PTC-II Pactor-2 modes from Schuemperlin. The Swiss version is somehow encrypted, leading to the mode being known as "private" mode (also known as UN(DP) mode, thanks to adoption by parts of the UN). I have not listed SITOR compatibility, which many of these modems have, as it would be a pretty unsatisfactory mode for any serious amount of e-mail.
Model | Price | Pactor 1 | Pactor 2 | Clover-500 | Clover 2000 | Codan | Suitable transceiver |
SCS-PTC II | $985 | yes | yes | no | no | no | |
Codan 9002 | see note | no | no | no | no | yes | Codan 9360 |
Swiss-PTC-II | 2850 CHF | yes | yes | no | no | no | |
SCS PTCPlus | yes | no | no | no | no | ||
Barrett 923 | see note
|
yes | no | yes | yes | no | Barrett 550 (base station $3395) |
HAL DSP-4100/2K | $1795 | yes | no | ||||
HAL DSP-4000/2K (internal card) | $1495 | yes | yes | yes | no | ||
HAL DSP-4000/2K with FSK (internal) | $1620 | yes | yes | yes | no | ||
http://www.halcomm.com/p38.htm HAL P38 (internal card) | $350 | yes | no | yes | no | no | |
Kantronics Kam+ | $350 | yes, also G-TOR | no | no | no | ||
Datron/Transworld | ? | yes | no |
notes:
Swiss-PTC may offer AT-commands like the Codan 9002 in an upcoming version. Refer to a Codan dealer for exact prices, but a complete base station including modem, transceiver and antenna would start at no less than $6,300 Barrett 923 complete base station withj modem comes at about $7,500
Do it yourself software options
These packages may allow you to put together your own HF radio - Internet e-mail service just for your own organization or as a service provider.
Software: | Wavemail |
Compatible with: | Swiss PTC-II |
Comments: | new, internet mail gateway called wavenet expected soon |
Further info: | http://www.schuemperlin.com |
Software: | DTS/EURAF |
Compatible with: | Most modes |
Comments: | $4,000 per client |
Further info: | http://dtsdata.intnet.bj |
Software: | F6FBB |
Compatible with: | Packet and Pactor II |
Comments: | Freeware BBS (DOS/Windows/Linux) - internet gateway? |
Further info: | http://www.f6fbb.org |
Software: | Any |
Compatible with: | Codan 9002 |
Comments: | modem takes AT commands |
Further info: |
Software: | UN/OCHA/UNOG GL-Plus+Perl scripts |
Compatible with: | Swiss PTC-II |
Comments: | Used in Central Africa - gateway in Geneva |
Further info: | Contact sjacobson@unog.ch |
Software: | Barrett 923 |
Compatible with: | Clover 2000, Pactor 1 |
Comments: | Client and hub/gateway, derived from DTS |
Further info: | e-mail: aburt@dial.pipex.com |
Software: | Winlink/Netlink |
Compatible with: | Pactor 1 and 2 |
Comments: | BBS + internet gateway (freeware/shareware) |
Further info: | http://www.win-net.org |
Software: | Airmail |
Compatible with: | SCS PTC-II, Kam+ |
Comments: | BBS + internet gateway (freeware/shareware) |
Further info: | http://www.win-net.org |
Software: | KA9Q/TNOS/JNOS |
Compatible with: | Pactor 1? |
Comments: | Complex OS-based idea, mainly used for packet radio |
Further info: |
Software: | Rhode & Schwartz Message Handling Software PostMan |
Compatible with: | R & S XK2000 transceiver with built-in GM2100 modem |
Comments: | TCP/IP over HF |
Further info: | http://www.rsd.de/PRODUKT/239a.htm |
Further Information
Providers:
- DTS:dtsdata.intnet.bj
- Bushnet:info@bushnet.net
- Bushlink:pauls@yako.habari.co.tz
- Globeemail:www.globewireless.com
- Pinoak:www.pinoak.com
Manufacturers:
- Scheumperlin: http://www.schuemperlin.com
- Codan: www.codan.com.au
- Datron: http://www.dtsi.com
- SCS:SCS PTC-II
- Barrett:Barrett 923
- HAL: www.halcomm.com
Software
- More softrware: http://www.halcomm.com/third.htm
- FBB: http://www.f6fbb.org (BBS system - DOS/Windows - also for Linux)
General information
- Clover bibliography: http://www.halcomm.com/clvrbibo.htm
- Pactor Primer: http://WinLink.org/AirMail/pprimer.htm
- Ham radio FAQ: http://www.mv.com/ipusers/wd1v/hamradio.faq.html
- Yahoo: http://www.yahoo.com/News_and_Media/Radio/Amateur_and_Ham_Radio/
- www.hfradio.com
- http://www.teleport.com/~moana/radio-email.html
Mailing lists
- Linux-Hams might be useful for Linux types
- VITA runs a mailing list called Gateway on this topic: contact listproc@vita.org