Good afternoon,
Thank you to everyone who participated in the first test of Weekly Winlink With KE7ADD — WWW-KE7ADD. For a first run, the test was a strong success and gave us the information needed to improve the scoring system, check-in process, bingo challenge, and public leaderboard.
Congratulations and thank you to our test participants:
- KJ7NUZ — Armando Martinez: 40 points
- KE7ADD — Chip: 26 points
- KK7APK — Eric: 20 points
- W7VVF — Dan Bissell: 19 points
- KF7RSF — Thomas: 16 points
Your participation helped identify several issues and directly contributed to the updated system now going into production.
The New Season Begins Today
The updated WWW-KE7ADD net and contest begins today, August 6, 2026, and will continue through the end of the year.
The new rules and new Winlink template take effect today and will remain the official version of WWW-KE7ADD for the rest of 2026. No additional major rule or template changes are planned before the end of the year.
The full rules, scoring information, bingo card, and operator instructions are available here:
Net Rules and Check-In Page:
https://ke7add.us/weekly-winlink-with-ke7add/
Current standings and season results will be posted here:
WWW-KE7ADD Leaderboard:
https://ke7add.us/www-ke7add-leaderboard/
Important: The Old Winlink Template Will No Longer Work
The previous WWW-KE7ADD Winlink template is no longer compatible with the updated scoring system.
Everyone participating in the new season must visit the net page and download and install the new Winlink template before submitting a check-in.
Please remove or replace the old template so it is not accidentally used. Check-ins generated by the old template may be missing required information and may not process or score correctly.
The new template includes the updated mode names, VarAC support, the KE7ADD RMS connection field, and the exact single-line format required by the automated scoring system.
Again, this new template is the version that should be used from today through the end of 2026.
Major Rule Changes
The updated system now recognizes:
- Winlink VHF VARA
- Winlink VHF Packet
- HF Winlink
- APRSLink
- Telnet
- VarAC
VarAC has been added as a mode and now occupies the bottom-right square of the monthly bingo card.
Monthly bingo has also been expanded. Operators now earn five points for completing any three squares in a straight line, including:
- Horizontal rows
- Vertical columns
- Either diagonal
There are eight possible scoring lines each month, allowing operators to earn up to 40 monthly bingo points.
The updated system also continues to award points for different Winlink methods, first seasonal mode use, portable or mobile operation, emergency power, ICS forms, and the one-time KE7ADD RMS seasonal bonus.
Thank you again to KJ7NUZ, KK7APK, W7VVF, and KF7RSF for helping test the system. I hope everyone will join us for the new season, try some unfamiliar communication methods, and help build practical digital emergency-communications experience.
Please remember: the old template will no longer work. Download and install the new template before your next check-in. The new rules and template will remain in effect through the end of the year.
73,
Chip Delyria, KE7ADD
Weekly Winlink With KE7ADD
https://ke7add.us/weekly-winlink-with-ke7add/
Leave a Reply