This is an abridged data log from (02/20/17) Monday night's D-Rats training on the w5aw ratflector - it omits intermittent chatter and retains the primary lesson dialogue. 

D-RATS vdaily-02232012

Copyright 2012 Dan Smith (KK7DS)

[19:39:28] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Session number three entitled email will begin at the top of the hour.

[19:55:26] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Okay it looks like the unttended mode tonight is KB4RG, KE7TDR, KG5KUQ and WB5NOQ.

[19:55:53] [W5AW] KB5HPT: WE will be deviding the group up again tonight.

[19:56:00] [W5AW] KG5KUQ: No, I'm here

[19:59:02] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Before we get started when we send emails tonight I want the following to send to me. KN3RD, N0NAM, W5WI, WF1RE and KF5QFN.

[19:59:40] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Everyone else that I did not mention will send email to Lloyd, W5LND.

[19:59:48] [W5AW] KB5HPT: STANDBY FOR A MESSAGE

[20:00:24] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Please turn off any QSTs that might be running.
Please remove the filters we created during the last sessions.
You should have an Email account setup specifically for D-RATS. You should have also setup the configuration file for Outgoing Email, Email Accounts and Email Access. With this done we can get directly to sending and receiving email via the Internet. But first we should discuss some things briefly about email and D-RATS.  
All stations check in and reply to the questions.
1.    Have you successfully sent yourself and received an email from your prime email account? (Yes or No)
2.    What is your D-RATS email address?

[20:01:21] [W5AW] KB5HPT: W5DTB you will send your email to Lloyd, W5LND

[20:04:04] [W5AW] KB5HPT: As I have stated before D-RATS is a plain text email program. HTML based email is not supported. For this reason, you should setup an account especially for D-RATS use. I highly recommend Gmail simply because it is the easiest to get setup and working.

[20:04:28] [W5AW] KB5HPT: If you are using a Gmail account, make the settings that I have shown above. Of course, use your Callsign and password. If you are using another provider I recommend going to their Support page and looking up the Server Name and Port number. Also, check to see if TLS is required. When you have finished click on Save.

[20:04:37] [W5AW] KB5HPT: ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

[20:04:44] [W5AW] KG5KUQ: The email form asks for a destination callsign.  Can you just put a regular email address in there?  That's why I didn't send to my prime account.  Received fine.

[20:05:21] [W5AW] WF1RE: I have been able to sen e-mail from drats to other accounts and can send to my dratswf1re@gmai account, I have just not been able to pull up the email from the d-rats program. 

[20:05:52] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Yes you will use a regular email address in the destination call field

[20:06:47] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Otherwise it will be handled as a chat email which is not what it intended to be used for.


[20:11:57] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Let's do an exercise

[20:12:26] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Exercise: Go to the W5ELP Repository. Download and read Email Primer.txt. To read the file go to your D-RATS Shared Folder on the Desktop and open the file. To connect to the repository, click on the FILES TAB. In the right-hand column select the correct port. Then select W5ELP from the stations drop down list. Then click on Connect. Highlight the file and then click Download.
If your local RATflector has a repository, then use that one.

[20:13:03] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Remember to use W5AW Ratflector repository


[20:14:24] [W5AW] KB5HPT: ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

[20:25:12] [W5AW] KB5HPT: You can have multiple email accounts to receive email from as I have, but you can only send email from one account. I believe you can have up to ten receive accounts.  
If you are using a Gmail account, make the settings that I have shown above. Of course, use your Callsign and password. If you are using another provider I recommend going to their Support page and looking up the Server Name, Port number and do they use TSL and/or SSL.
The Poll Interval is set to 5 minutes by default. This is the time D-RATS takes to automatically poll your email, and WL2K accounts. By shortening the time, we will speed up the time to automatically send and receive our email. You will not have to continuously click on the Send/Receive button. D-RATS will automatically send the contents in your Outbox, and download any email from your Email or WL2K accounts. However, clicking on the Send/Receive button will override the Poll Interval. I have my polling time set to 2 minutes as shown in the screen shot above for speed during the training sessions. In an actual deployment situation for EMCOMM I would lengthen the time. You may find out that the email or memo may need to be edited, and the short delivery time doesnt allow for that.
The Action feature has two options. Form and Chat can be selected. When Form is selected, the email is handled as a normal email. When Action is set to "Chat" the text of the e-mail is transmitted by your station as if typed in the chat screen.
When finished click on OK then click on Save.


[20:26:04] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Read the part about the poll interval carefully

[20:27:15] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Be careful with the ACTION ferature too.

[20:27:27] [W5AW] W5WI: Got it!

[20:27:58] [W5AW] WF1RE: understood

[20:28:04] [W5AW] KB5HPT: ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

[20:28:50] [W5AW] KB5HPT: LET'S CONTINUE ON.

[20:29:22] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Email Access
Click on File>>Preferences>>Email Access>>ADD

[20:29:44] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Make sure your Callsign is entered and select Both from the dropdown box. Leave Email Filter blank. Click on OK the Save.

[20:30:06] [W5AW] W5WI: Done

[20:30:06] [W5AW] KB5HPT: ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

[20:30:29] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Exercise time

[20:30:52] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Exercise: Go to the W5ELP Repository and download Email Exercise PART 1.txt then read it and do the exercise.

[20:31:22] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Again use W5AW Repository

[20:33:41] [W5AW] KB5HPT: ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

[20:34:11] [W5AW] KB4RG: Completed exercise

[20:35:42] [W5AW] W5WI: Message sent and received as well as two from gmail telling me I have lowered my security settings!

[20:38:24] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Click on File>>Preferences>>Email Access>>ADD is this set correctly?

[20:38:44] [W5AW] KG5ROT: completed

[20:38:53] [W5AW] W5LND: Successful

[20:42:52] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Check your settings in gmail account and D-RATS outgoing 
[20:47:08] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Check your settings in D-RATS outgoing page Email account page and account access page.

[20:51:51] [W5AW] KB5HPT: HOW MANY HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH THIS EXERCISE?

[20:52:17] [W5AW] KE7TDR: ke7tdr was successful

[20:58:20] [W5AW] KG5QFN: I restarted DRats and they all came in for me now!  Task completed!

[21:00:33] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Let's try another exercise 

[21:00:34] W5DTB: Now Online: Online (D-RATS) (Port W5AW)

[21:01:20] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Exercise: Go to the W5ELP Repository and download Email Exercise Part 2.txt. Read it and do the exercise. Use the W5AW Repository.

[21:02:11] [W5AW] KB5HPT: Remember who you are sending your email to. Either W5LND or me.

[21:06:54] [W5AW] KB5HPT: You are not supposed to put WL2K in the destination call field.

[21:07:52] [W5AW] KB4RG: If you have set up a Winlink account, send a WL2K email from your D-RATS station to your D-RATS email account, but include the "WL2K:" (without the quotes) in front of the normal email account, e.g. WL2K:kb5hpt@gmail.com. Where does this go?

[21:08:07] [W5AW] KF5WDJ: How do you include the email to copy to ?

[21:08:36] [W5AW] KF5WDJ: I'm asking about the second email?

[21:09:23] [W5AW] KB4RG: I am not able to send the first e-mail in Exercies part 2.

[21:10:01] [W5AW] KB5HPT: You are not looking at the correct file. Go to W5AW Repository and download Email Exercise Part 2.txt

[21:16:14] [W5AW] KB5HPT: You can not use cc with D-RATS you put all email addresses in the destination call field.

[21:16:42] [W5AW] KF5WDJ: What seperater do you use?

[21:17:08] [W5AW] KF5WDJ: comma or semicolon?

[21:17:10] [W5AW] W5WI: comma

[21:17:15] [W5AW] KF5PDF: ok no luck in exercise two either however i was able tosend emails yesterday

[21:26:55] [W5AW] W5LND: Lew I have to wrap it up here for the night.. 

[21:26:59] [W5AW] KB4RG: I think I have completed the exercise. The revised messages have left the outbox.

[21:29:55] [W5AW] KB4RG: W5LND - the exercise says to send to kb5hpt

[21:30:58] [W5AW] W5WI: I sent to him also!

[21:31:04] [W5AW] KG5ROT: lol W5LND is spazing now he is getting everyones stuff

[21:31:13] [W5AW] W5LND: OH.. yes I have //WL2K emails from David KF5DWJ, George KG5FUQ, Pepper WF1RE, Daren W5DTB

ARES   Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Lloyd Duck, W5LND
Emergency Coordinator
Howard Co, Texas 
Email: w5lnd@arrl.net
Cellphone: 432-210-3473