While I agree the First Net Article is a good sound one.
It is a bit dated as it is 4 years old and the Data Rate Limits for Amateur Radio communication have been lifted
to the effect that Pactor Levels of data may now be used at any time, not just when the FCC authorizes it for a specific emergency.
No longer as of early this year
does the FCC limit us to Data,
only limit is Bandwidth of transmissions.
So where the article states…………
ARES training (such as EC-001: Introduction to Emergency Communication) notes specific instances where
cellular service can aid the ARES mission, such as
passing private information or large amounts of data
(except for limited availability on HamWAN — 4G LTE
exceeds the data rate of all other amateur radio modes)
That last sentence which I highlighted in Bold text may not be correct
if the ARES members are using WinLink with Pactor 4 data rates.
Pactor 4 has a maximum data throughput of 10,500 bps with PMC using text and 5,512 bps without compression.
Pactor 4’s symbol rate is up to 1,800 symbols per second
Prior to the rule change we Amateur radio Ops were data speed limited, no more.
As long as our Bandwidth does not exceed standards.
ARES members should all do one thing Learn WinLink
and even those that are not ARES members that have any level of valid License should learn WinLink.
It is the best tool set we have for immediate access to communicate,
if a Communications blackout occurs.
A presentation of WinLink 101 (basics)
at a club meeting might be valid.
Or at least an ARES Training session separate from the club meeting.
Cheers!
Steve KG5VK
ARRL NTX Section Manager