I love the way the ham community has embraced the digital age. There are lots of examples of integration between computers, the Internet, and ham radio. Some are just technically interesting, others are significant advances in communication. My new favorite is Weblink.
Weblink supports Internet-free email. Hams can send and receive email via radio and/or the Internet. This is super useful. Imagine that a storm, wildfire, or earthquake has wiped out cell towers, electricity, and the Internet. Other than a satphone (too expensive for most of us), communication with the outside world is cut off.
Weblink allows a ham to create and send emails via radio. The Weblink Foundation provides an interface with the Internet. There are many scattered around the world. A ham station can send and receive emails. I can imagine a situation where my wife and I are separated when a disaster occurs. Weblink provides a way for us to reconnect. Unlike direct radio contact, we don’t have to be on the air at the same time.
I think that’s a critical benefit. One of email’s significant advantages is that it is stored until the recipient can pick it up. Weblink’s independence from the Internet keeps email safe from natural or governmental interference.
This isn’t the ham radio world of my youth. My HF radio isn’t so much radio as computer. It’s an SDR, software-defined radio. Incoming analog radio signals are converted to digital information. All processing is done with software. The same is true of transmissions. The signal is generated digitally, converted to analog RF, and amplified at the output.
This design allows amazing signal processing ability. It also integrates with my PC flawlessly. Weblink extends the radio’s capability. Best of all, you can use weblink for free. They ask for a $24 contribution to register. I paid it. They deserve the money.