==HFLINK SPECIAL BULLETIN==
ALE On-The-Air Week 13-23 October AOTAW-2006
"The Automatic Link Establishment International QSO Party"
START: 0001 UTC 13 October 2006
END: 2359 UTC 23 October 2006
HFLINK sponsors this new International Amateur Radio event. All ham radio operators worldwide are invited to participate in 10 days of amateur radio HF-ALE Automatic Link Establishment activity on the air. "AOTAW" is an open operating event for hams to explore ALE communications and equipment. The experience gained by operator participation is useful for HF emergency and disaster relief communications.
There are now hundreds of amateur radio operators worldwide with ALE stations. The AOTAW gives operators a chance to exercise ALE transceivers, antennas, software, systems, and operating procedures.
ALE OPERATOR CERTIFICATE for AOTAW 2006 HFLINK issues a unique ALE Operator Certificate to operators who participate in AOTAW. To qualify for an ALE Operator Certificate, the operator must initiate and complete at least 5 QSOs through Automatic Link Establishment with other ALE operators. The ALE link must then be followed by communication either by voice or texting in any mode. Additional certificate endorsements are issued by HFLINK for operators who link with 25 stations or more.
LOGS:To qualify for a certificate, please send a Date/Callsign/Frequency log of your ALE QSOs by 31 DEC 2006 via email to: aotaw2006@ yahoo.com The certificate will be returned via direct email.
OPERATING STANDARDS FOR AOTAW
All operators are reminded to be courteous and operate within the recognised Amateur Radio ALE channels and standards. Please remember, AOTAW is not a contest, there is no score. AOTAW is intended to provide a way for more operators to gain valuable practical knowledge and expertise in the operation of an Amateur Radio ALE station.
CQ - NETCALLS, ALLCALLS, ANYCALLS
1. NETCALLS: "HFL" net or "QRZ" net may be used as the general CQ calls for the event.
2. ALLCALL: SHOULD NOT BE USED in AOTAW. A QSO started by an ALLCALL does not qualify as a valid ALE link.
3. ANYCALL: Anycalls may be used. But remember, many ALE stations are not programmed to respond to Anycalls.
RECOMMENDED ALE QSO PROCEDURE AND MODES
1. Call CQ: Transmit a CALL> NETCALL to either the "HFL" net or the"QRZ" net. Wait at least 1 minute for responses.
2. Call a station: Transmit an INDIVIDUAL CALL to the station. It maybe necessary to first add the station's callsign (address) to your ALE address list.
3. Upon linking on a VOICE channel, then use USB Voice for the QSO.
4. Upon linking on a DIGITAL channel, then send a short AMD message with the linked station. 5. When QSO is completed, transmit the CLEAR LINK signal.
STANDARDS FOR DIGITAL TEXT QSO
After initial ALE link on a DIGITAL channel, use the universal short text message for ALE, called AMD. An AMD message request to the other operator can ask for other digital text keyboarding, such as:
ALE AMD: is the "universal" ALE text message system.
DTM ARQ: only by stations who are using PC-ALE or MARS-ALE software.
PSK31: (1500Hz centre) ask operator first via AMD.
Olivia: (1500Hz centre, 500/16) ask operator first via AMD.
CW: ask operator first via AMD.
ABOUT AOTAWAmateur operators who use ALE for government and non-governmental organisations may be especially interested in participation, for itprovides more chance to work with ALE linking and greater understanding of the system. It is a chance for operators to explore the various operational aspects of ALE that may not be utilised otherwise in a more structured organisation ALE network. The 10 days of AOTAW enables operators to participate as they can, for any amountof time in the event, and to experience ALE operation under various ionospheric propagation conditions. More information: HFLINK WEBSITE http://hflink.com
