There are times when knowing location is important. For ham radio operators if Winlink Express (WLE) is involved the basic describer of location is the Maidenhead grid square. See boondockecho.com for a very good/friendly explanation.
The “grid square” defines a patch of ground. In Winlink Express (WLE) the square is typically described by six characters: two letters, two numbers, two letters. Two examples for clarification: a four character “CN85” describes a location within about 100 kilometers. A six character “CN85mm” describes a location within about 5 kilometers (see above web site). That includes our Washington County EOC and Hillsboro Medical Center. The article listed above gives more specifics on location such as how close does a 5 character (or 6 character) GPS location come to your precise location.
When first setting up WLE, at minimum you are required to enter a grid square designation. This can be looked up by accessing web site “Amateur Radio Ham Radio Maidenhead Grid Square Locator Map”.
*** I encourage readers to record this information now for when you need it. ***
Figure 1 (above) I downloaded this image from levinecentral.com (link above).
It is MaidenHead Grid Square CN85mm. This shows how much ground is included in a 6 character grid square. It added the red balloon based on the location I entered. I “eyeballed” the center and added the dark “X” to indicate center (compare to WLE derived center below)
Figure 2 (below) This image is what Winlink Express displayed when I right clicked on one of my sent messages. The message header showed message origin location as “(Grid Square). The green balloon is the grid square center that WLE shows.
WLE later derived a more accurate location from a subsequent message sent after a GPS device was connected and the information “Set.” The blue balloon is pinned to an actual (more accurate) location using a connected GPS device. The message header will show message origin location as “(GPS). Some messages headers may show “location” as derived from “(Specified)” if you manually entered GPS coordinates.
Tip: After the location is set you can remove the device if you need the port. If your building blocks GPS, set the location from outside, remove GPS if you need the port, and keep the WLE program running. Verify by looking for the green cross icon. See images toward the end of this post.
You can download your Maidenhead Grid Square map image to locate it’s center using a ruler and pencil as I did. Or you can send a message and let Winlink Express show you. WLE uses the grid square CENTER location as your station location UNLESS you set a more specific location. You set your grid square in the Winlink > Settings > Winlink Express Settings page.
If you have more specific information such as from a GPS device, it can locate you more precisely in emails you send out. This is accomplished on the Settings > GPS / Position Reports page or by clicking on the Cross icon. You may set your GPS location by consulting your smartphone or other source. If you set your location with a connected GPS device, the WLE cross icon changes from RED in color to Green.
Figures 3 & 4. The red color of the encircled icon indicates that WLE does not have a connected GPS device, When connected, the icon turns green.
My original choice for a GPS device was the Global Sat USB GPS receiver BU-353-S4 USB for about $30 pre-Covid. It went up post-Covid to $60. It came with a USB A connection and a long USB cable. It is sometimes referred to as a “hockey puck.”
Many of us switched to a device resembling a USB drive (under $15) and purchased a separate USB extension cord. I bought model HiLetgo VK172 G-Mouse USB GPS/GLONASS. GPS = USA satellites, Glonass = Russian satellites. These two systems only share information one way (sending location to you).
The current (“hockey puck”) Global Sat device appears to be the model BU-355N (USB) or BR-355R (serial connection that might be modified for a Pactor modem) for about $46 (March 2024).
You might note that many of the Winlink forms are also available in the Standard Templates > Mapping-GIS forms section. These forms allow us to easily provide additional location information that can automatically AGGREGATED by Winlink Express.
*** This can be a great help to our county and city partners.***
To truly learn this information I encourage you to send messages.
First message: At first just tell WLE your Grid Square. No GPS. Cross icon is RED. Then send a message. Locate the message in your “Sent” section. Then right click on your sent message and select “Show map of message origin.” Some of the choices are to Zoom-in, Zoom-out, save a jpeg or print map. You will need to zoom in many times to display your grid square center close enough to show local details. Note that your message header will indicate that “Location” was derived from “(Grid Square).” Make a note of it.
Second message: Now enter your GPS coordinates. Send another message as before. Check your sent messages. Right click on the message and again “Show map of message origin.” Note that your message header will indicate that “Location” was derived from “(SPECIFIED).” Make a note of it. What color is the cross icon above in the task bar?
Third message: If you have a GPS device attach it to your computer. Click on the “cross icon” in the task bar up top. “SET” your coordinates by letting the device find the satellites. Click out and verify your cross icon is GREEN. Send your third message. Check message origin as above. Note that your message header will indicate that “Location” was derived from “(GPS).” Make a note of it. Is your cross icon GREEN? Now unplug the GPS device and note when it returns to RED.
