How to send Email from a Handheld

Using only a Handheld! You can send your Satellite EMail from the Kenwood TH-D7(g) shown above, or the new Yaesu VX-8R (or the TM-D700 and 710 APRS mobile radios) via PCSAT-1, ISS, or GO32. . . Just press the MSG button, select INPUT on the MSG Menu, enter EMAIL as the address, and make the first text of the message be an email address followed by your message. . In the example below, an EMAIL to A3XYZ@AMSAT.ORG says OK in OceanCity with HT & whip!. .

If your email is digipeated via the satellite, then you will see MY MESSAGE flashed on the screen indicating success. . Now, all we need is a plan, a schedule, and some volulnteer SSET net-controls to take check-in\'s on the appropriate birds. . Then we need a coordinating team to assemble the results into a meaningful format for consideration. . And that is only a hint of what these HT\'s can do (see event data entry example).

ANY TNC WILL DO: . If you do not have an APRS radio or mobile, you do not even need APRS to participate in this test. You can use any packet TNC or packet softare and any radio to send your Simulated Emergency Test check in. . It is trivial to do. . Just type your email into your BTEXT and send.

73

Aprs Moving Hams On Radio And The Internet: A Guide to the Automatic Position Reporting System

Strange things do happen

I rarely use valet parking but this strange story is about that experience during a recent trip.

As it turns out, the valet attendant could not get my car to start.  It would unlock but the key would not work in the ignition switch.

How strange is that?

As they are driving me to the car as I am making mental preparations to call Motor Club, we pull up to the little red Cavalier parked next to a silver Tahoe.

Key works fine in the little red Cavalier.  It unlocked the Tahoe.

I know there are only so many likely key combinations but the mathematical computations to arrive at the percentage of chance that my car would be parked next to another vehicle and that the valet would have written down the wrong parking tag was, to me, nothing short of interesting.

How strange is that?

Communications for small groups

This question came up on the Community Emergency Response Team list.

--- In CERT@yahoogroups.com, "h0chus_p0ckus"  wrote:
>

> But does anyone have suggestions for really outstanding software, which can do more? Like, voice conferecing, so you can "call the group" and have everyone's phone ring for a conference call? Or, send a group email to the same list, instead of creating different lists in different apps?
>

I have had good success with cel.ly and groupme.com where both have free accounts.  The Virtual Operations Support Team group on Twitter uses the latter as a callup text message effort.

Both have the capability for groups to send messages from the web and text.  The former also pushes messages out to email.

I also use Rondee.com for quick and dirty conference calls.  I have toyed with the idea of having a "perpetual" conference bridge that folks could call into, if they get a dial tone.  Having a GETS card will help the likelihood of the call completing. http://gets.ncs.gov/

Free Conference Call http://freeconferencecall.com and http://www.totallyfreeconferencecalls.com/ are alternatives.

I have an account at http://www.dialmycalls.com/ and have used

Our VOST also uses Skype for conference calls and text messaging.

You might also look at AnyMeeting and SmartMeeting for cheap GoToMeeting alternatives.

If you have a small team, you might enjoy callingpost.com as well as http://groupcall.me/ and http://crowdcall.me/.  I have had good results with the former and latter.  I have little experience with GroupCall.

Then there are the "walkie-talkie" applications such as ZELLO and TIKL.  Zello allows "channels" for small groups and works across multiple platforms, including the PC.

How would you answer?

Lets talk tools

Back in the early days of #SMEM, early adapters adapted based on their favorite tools.  Then the tool ended, ex. "RT @twitcleaner: In case it wasn't obvious from visiting the site, Twit Cleaner has now officially shut down. The blog is up though and I'll still be here."

Then the scramblers raced to find a new tool to replace the old tool.  Even others developed multiple "favorite" tools to do multiple jobs.

Is it over?  Nope.  People still are looking for tools and new tools are being developed to help with new platforms of social media.

Looking at tools today may be necessary, but ONLY after one develops the need for using social media.  

This article focuses on tools that can foster and forge team building and communication.

Tweet scheduling (including Facebook and Google+)

Should there be a need to schedule tweets, a number of services exist to facilitate that effort.  Leading the pack has always been Hootsuite, though Buffer and SocialOomph are finding followers among the adapters.  

Each has different features.  For example, @NavyMARS uses SocialOomph to schedule Bravo Zulu posts, saving the post as a template and changing the verbiage as necessary.

Buffer and Hootsuite allow scheduling to Facebook pages.  Also, using If This Then, one is able to update Twitter with Facebook posts and vice versa.  One can see why tools should not be the focus in social media when one considers that ManageFlitter can allow Google+ updates to Twitter.  Hootsuite also supports Google+ as does If This Then. 

A competitor to Hootsuite is Gremln, a platform that supports Twitter, LinkedIN, and Facebook.

Twitterfeed takes your Really Simple Syndication feed and pushes it out to Twitter. So does DLVR.IT, Hootsuite, and Google's Feedburner along with If This Then.

Are you seeing the pattern?  Focus on the why and the how becomes easy.

Do you have your social media plan in place?  Which tools do you use to support it?

U.S. Citizens Services | Embassy of the United States Manila, Philippines

You got an email from a close friend, relative, or even an acquaintance.

Hello     This message is coming to you with great depression due to my state of discomfort. I came down here to Philippines with my family for a short vacation but unfortunately, we were mugged and robbed at the park of the hotel where we stayed. All cash, credit cards and cell phones were stolen off us but we still have our lives and passports. We've been to the embassy and the police here and they have done the best they can. Our flight leaves in less than 12hrs from now but we are having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills which is $2200. I am contacting you to ask for a short loan which I will refund immediately I get my family back home safely. Let me know if you can help. Looking forward to positive response. OH NO!  Not only are they in trouble, they are in another Country!   Did they tell you they were going?  Ask yourself.  This may be a clue. A quick reply: On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 7:12 AM, Courtney  wrote: We've been to the embassy and the police here and they have done the best they can. Our flight leaves in less than 12hrs from now but we are having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills which is $2200. Go back to the Embassy.  I will call them after church at 1 p.m. my time.  We will make arrangements there.  Let me know if this is OK. Which brought back, Glad you replied back, We have nothing left on us right now and we are lucky to have our Life and passport with us it would have been worst if they had made away with my passport. Well,All we need is $2200 to sort out the hotel bills,you can have it wire to my name via any Western Union outlet I'll show my passport as ID to pick it up here,I promise to refund it back as soon as we arrive back home. Here's the info you need: Name: Courtney Winfield Address 48, Simon street, Malate Country:Manila Philippines As soon as it has been done, kindly get back to me with the MTCN confirmation number.Let me know if you are heading to a western union outlet now..    I owe you a Lot..

Are you seeing a pattern here?  OH, and by the way, I contacted Courtney on Facebook.  She is alive and well in the USA.  The email account has been hacked.

Thus, I wrote:

On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 8:25 AM, Courtney  wrote:

> Well,All we need is $2200 to sort out the hotel bills,you can have it wire
> to my name via any Western Union outlet I'll show my passport as ID to pick
> it up here,I promise to refund it back as soon as we arrive back home.
> Here's the info you need:

It is Sunday here. Western Union is closed.

Go back to the Embassy.  I will call them after church at 1 p.m. my
time.  We will make arrangements there.

BTW, how is little Sam?  Was he attacked?  Did they take his medicine too?

There is NO Little Sam.  Courtney never named her children anything close to that.

Yet, they are pretty persistent.

On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 11:11 AM, Courtney  wrote:

The embassy are not helping issues at all and our return flight leaves tomorrow and we are having problem sorting out the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave until we sort out the bills at the hotel, this is the reason why we need your help urgent help here, we can wait till tomorrow when the bank opens as soon as it is open at 9:00am kindly go ahead and have the cash wire to me via Western Union all you need is our name and present location here.. I promise to refund back the cash to you as soon as we are back home safety.

It's not that I don't trust you, Courtney.

The US Embassy there put this on their web page:

In case of an Emergency outside business hours,        
American citizens may reach the Embassy 
Duty officer through theEmbassy operator

at (63)(2) 301-2000. 

for this very reason.

The Duty Officer assured me he will help you.  There is a process in place THERE to get money to you.

Please bring your passport with you.

I look forward to a call from the Embassy that you are there.  You were not there at 1 p.m.  Please email me when you go to the embassy so I can call you there.  

So, traveler, if you did not buy traveler's insurance, realize that the State Department has processes in place to help you.

Check with them first before going.

U.S. Citizens Services | Embassy of the United States Manila, Philippines: "In case of an Emergency outside business hours,       
American citizens may reach the Embassy
Duty officer through the Embassy operator
at (63)(2) 301-2000."

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