Using Airmail with both Sailmail and Winlink
The same copy of Airmail can can be used to access both the SailMail system and the ham radio stations.
The SailMail Association is a non-profit association of yacht owners that operates and maintains a network of private coast stations in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service. Sailmail provides low-cost email service to its membership, which is limited to recreational vessels. Users must be registered, details and registration information are available from http://www.sailmail.com/. The advantage for hams is that Sailmail has no restrictions on third-party traffic or business-related messages. The stations are also in different places which might provide easier access from some locations.
In order to activate the Sailmail mode for Airmail you need to copy a system definition file (System.Sailmail.ini) to the airmail folder. This is normally done by the same download that brought you this note. (Alternately, send a blank message to: stations@saildocs.com).
When you restart Airmail it reads the definition file and makes the appropriate changes to airmail.ini to add a system called "Sailmail" in addition to "Ham".
Connecting to Sailmail:
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In order to handle other stations such as Sailmail, a new level of control was created called "System". Logically speaking, each system includes a set of stations, and each station includes a set of frequencies. Airmail (as downloaded from the Airmail site) comes configured for the "Ham" system alone.
When a second system is defined then a new pull-down box appears to the left of the "Station" box in the Terminal Window, for "System" - HAM, SAILMAIL, etc. When you choose a system it will remember the previous station and frequency and set the appropriate mode if required.
So first select the appropriate system, then the station and (if the remote frequency interface is connected) then choose a frequency. To connect click the green "Connect" button (or use the F5 key), exactly as before.
Posting outgoing messages
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Sending messages to a ham station is done in the same way as before, by posting to the station's callsign (or multiple callsigns). A message can also be posted "WL2K" for any Winlink-2000 station, or to "Ham" to send it to any connected ham station. There should be a default entry in your Auto-post list (Tools/Options, Routing Tab) that says "Default=Sailmail" or "Default=WL2K" or whatever, if it is not there then add it. This will cause any message to be automatically posted to that system, unless specified otherwise in the Address Book or Message Header "Via" box. You can always change the posting with the File/Change Posting menu (or by right-clicking the message in the message index).
Messages to Sailmail are addressed to the gateway name "EMAIL" rather than "NEXUS", but Airmail will take care of this automatically. Messages for Sailmail should be posted to the system name "SAILMAIL" rather than the station callsign. Messages posted to "Sailmail" will be sent to any Sailmail station which is connected to. So an address book entry for a message which should always go via Sailmail would specify "Sailmail" in the Via box.
Be sure to add a "support@sailmail.com" entry to your address book as above, that is how you send a note to the Sailmail support folks in case of any difficulties or questions. And for membership questions, send a note to: admin@sailmail.com