> Could you comment further on your experiences with RFSM? > > 73, > > Rick, KV9U >
My local MARS group has been experimenting with RFSM8000. Like MIXW, it is made in Russia, and the author wants to earn some money selling it. Free trial licenses are available. RFSM8000 uses the Mil-Spec modem - I forgot the modem number - but it is the same one used by MARS/ALE. It is supposed to reach 8000bps under good conditions on HF. I typically experience under 600bps. Some say its techniques to get high speed make it illegal for US Hams. European HAMs are using it. MARS does not use the HAM bands, so its OK for MARS. Just because MARS is experimenting with it, does not mean it is adapted by MARS or that it is even a desirable mode. MARS plays with everything and seems to like having almost every tool in their tool-box. MARS even has CW nets. RFSM8000 has three functions: 1. keyboarding NETs - somewhat similar to PSK31. Since we have PSk31, MT63, OLIVIA, and other modes that give similar functionality. 2. file transfers from one user to another user. Most think EasyPal is better. Maybe when we get further along in the sunspot cycle, RFSM8000 will achieve higher speeds and be the file x-fer method of choice? I don't know - time will tell. 3. Email Server. This is the most interesting function. Let's say a disaster area has no internet and can reach an RFSM8000 email server which has internet capability. Then those without internet can connect (one at a time - similar to a winlink RMS) to send and receive email. The Email server sends all users emails using the single server's email address. The subject will start with the originator's call-sign. When the recipient of the email hits reply, he needs to remove the "Re:" from the subject so the subject starts with the call-sign. The reply email goes back to the email-server's email address, and is routed to the appropriate user's mailbox for pickup by that callsign over HF radio. The simplicity of this compared to Winlink is that there are no CMS email servers that it needs to reach. It is not a huge email system. All that needs to be reachable on the internet is the SMTP server of the ISP the email server is using, and the POP3 server the email server is using. The POP3 server can be ISP's email, or some other email, like gmail, gmx, or any other free email service on the web which uses POP3. Currently RFSM8000 can not make SECURED pop3 connections, and many email systems on the internet do not allow unsecured pop3 connections. So this limits one as to which free emails one can use. Whether the RFSM8000 email server has internet or not, RFSM8000 users can send mail to CALLSIGNS which connect via HF to the RFSM8000 email server. MARS preferred message handling system is WINLINK. If Winlink is broken or unreachable this can be an option. However, it is not clear to me what kind of disaster would make Winlink unusable. Now, on my computer, I have a solution for how to connect to a SECURED pop3 email provider. I have hmailserver running on my computer - it is a SMTP and POP3 email server. RFSM8000 checks its email by going to localhost POP3 unsecured. The hmailserver routinely sucks in mail into the account from a secured POP3 email server - such as COMCAST's POP3 email server. hmailserver can use secured and unsecured pop3 email servers on the internet, and can accept secured and unsecured pop3 connections. But, it may be a bit much for the average ham to install and configure. So the initial lure is 8000bps file transfers and 8000bps email transfers. We are not seeing such high speeds under current NVIS conditions. Howard
