Winlink Thursdays: Now Every Week, Still Always Optional
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to expand its contents]
EmComm-Training.org Announces new Weekly Practice exercises for 2026!
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EmComm-Training.org Announces new Weekly Practice exercises for 2026!
ETO is introducing a new set of weekly practice Winlink training exercises, starting January 1, 2026. The exercises are short “message passing” exercises, where we expect you to provide a “letter-perfect copy” of the instructions. These are not “content creation” exercises. Here’s the cadence for the Winlink Thursdays exercises:
The new 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Weekly practice messages must be addressed to ETO-PRACTICE, while the 3rd Thursday, monthly training exercises should continue to be addressed to your normal clearinghouse and to ETO-BK. ETO is continuing our monthly training exercises on the 3rd Thursday of each month, but with the new exercise window of Saturday 00:00 UTC through Friday 08:00 UTC. ETO is responding to feedback from both our participants and our volunteer team of exercise writers and reviewers stating that some of our monthly training exercises have become too complicated. We’re responding by creating this new stream of weekly practice exercises. These new exercises focus on what we consider to be among the most important of the various Winlink forms. Rather than asking our participants to submit the same message week after week, each week’s instructions will be computer generated and unique. What isn’t changing is our commitment to provide meaningful feedback to our participants on how well their message response met our expectations. This need for feedback arose from participant frustration in being told that “you didn’t do it right” but not being told what we did wrong! ETO believes that this combination of challenging exercises and feedback makes our monthly training exercises valuable to the Winlink community, and we’re now bringing the opportunity to participate to the community on a weekly basis. |
Winlink Thursdays: How Do They Work?
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Step One: Find your Clearinghouse Tactical Winlink Address here... |
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Step Two: This Week's Winlink Thursday assignment: |
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[to find pre-2026 Winlink Thursdays, and their results, click here] |
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NEW!! To find January 2026 thru August 2026 Exercises, and their results, click here |
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General Notes on Frequently-Seen Mistakes... Please Read!

General Notes on Frequently-Seen Mistakes... Please Read!
General Notes:We see many of the same mistakes being repeated week
after week, across different exercise types, so we think it’s worthwhile to call these out.
Sending incorrect longitude and latitude dataWe use the latitude and longitude data to plot you onto maps. Sometimes that map data
is obviously incorrect. This occurs when folks in the Western Hemisphere omit the minus sign in front of
longitude or when folks in the Southern Hemisphere omit the minus sign in front of latitude.
The use of a GPS dongle helps to mitigate against this. If you’re not using a GPS dongle,
do take extra care in copying/pasting or entering those numbers
Incorrect format when answering a multiple choice questionWhen we ask a multiple choice question on a Winlink Check In message, we require the
answer to be in a specific format: a single character, uppercase letter on the first line of the Comments field.
We don’t want any punctuation before or after that single letter. We don’t want an explanation.
We just want a single letter.
Here’s a partial list of answers that we consider “not valid”:
Not sending to an ETO clearinghouseWe use a group of volunteers to act as the “Clearinghouses” for most exercises.
The purpose of the Clearinghouses is to divide the work that we do to process your messages. Each Clearinghouse
has a specific Winlink tactical address: ETO-01 through ETO-10 (corresponding to USA FEMA regions), plus ETO-DX
for non-US participants and ETO-CAN for Canada.
If you don’t address your message to one of these tactical addresses, we won’t receive
your message.
Even though some Winlink Templates, such as the Winlink Check In, allow you to address
your message directly from the message itself, we strongly discourage this. Instead, we would strongly encourage
you to create a Winlink “contact” for your clearinghouse.
Then, after you hit the [Submit] button on the template, click on the [To:] button and
select your clearinghouse contact.
Yes, it’s a bit more work to set up, but once you have it correctly set up, you will not
make an accidental mistake by entering “ETO-1”, or “ETO-O1” ( with a letter "O" next to the "1" ) when you meant
to enter “ETO-01” ("eee-tee-ohh-dash-zero-one").
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[Click on above ▶ or this link,
to expand its contents]
Weekly Practice for September 24th, 2026
Weekly Practice for September 24th, 2026
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[PDF] Instructions for 9/24/2026 Weekly Practice |
Complete Instructions
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ETO Exercise Instructions for Thursday, 2026-09-24
Task: Complete an ICS-205 Incident Radio Communications Plan Message
Exercise window: Sat 2026-09-19 00:00 UTC - Fri 2026-09-25 08:00 UTC
Use the following values when completing the form:
Setup: agency or group name: EmComm Training Organization
Incident name: ETO Weekly Practice
Date/Time: (click in box and accept date/time)
Operational Period Date From: 2026-09-19
Operational Period Date To: 2026-09-25
Operational Period Time From: 00:00 UTC
Operational Period Time To: 08:00 UTC
Basic Radio Channel Use:
line 1
Ch #: 1
Function: Coordination
Channel Name: Repeater
Assignment: amateur
RX Freq: 147.210
RX N or W: N
RX Tone:
Tx Freq: 147.810
TX N or W: N
TX Tone: 74.4
Mode: A
Remarks: Primary repeater
line 2
Ch #: 2
Function: Tactical
Channel Name: Simplex
Assignment: amateur
RX Freq: 446.150
RX N or W: W
RX Tone:
Tx Freq: 446.150
TX N or W: W
TX Tone:
Mode: A
Remarks: Primary simplex
line 3
Ch #: 3
Function: InterOp
Channel Name: UTAC42
Assignment: public safety
RX Freq: 453.7125
RX N or W: N
RX Tone: 156.7
Tx Freq:
TX N or W:
TX Tone:
Mode: A
Remarks: Receive only. Do not Transmit!
Special Instructions: Exercise Id: 575-849-2915
Approved by: Levi Dean
Approved Date/Time: (click in box and accept date/time)
IAP Page: 8
Attach CSV: (No)
Send the message via the Session type of your choice to ETO-PRACTICE.
Refer to https://emcomm-training.org/Winlink_Thursdays.html for further instructions
about the weekly practice exercises and/or monthly training exercises.
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September 17th: "Blood Availability Report" |
Exercise Message Submission Window
- September 12th 00:00 UTC — September 18th 08:00 UTC
Summary:
Difficulty Level: Advanced
Purpose:
- Introduce ETO participants to the Blood Availability form.
- Learn or reinforce the ability to download GIS enabled report forms XML export file, along with importing the XML file into Winlink Express to be reviewed and utilized for exercise.
- Making use of the imported messages to learn or reinforce the skill of employing the Mapping/GIS function to generate, filter, and save a trimmed map and a CSV file.
- Utilize the CSV file to compute a sum of requested data.
- Create a new message using the ICS-213 form, attaching the map and CSV file to a properly addressed ICS-213 form with the two requested data in the message box.
Important: Download this file; you will need it to complete the exercise:Exercise Messages XML File: |
Objectives:
- Download an XML file containing 16 Blood Availability Reports.
- Import and review the messages into Winlink Express. These messages contain the Blood Availability reports representing 16 hospitals in Colorado.
- Use Winlink features to generate GIS Map, with filters, and a CSV file of the 16 Blood Availability Reports.
- Create a new ICS-213 message.
- Crop and resize the generated map to a specific size in kilobytes, and attach this modified map to the ICS-213 form.
- Employ the CSV file to compute the requested data and place this number in line 2 of the message section of the ICS-213.
- Transmit the completed ICS 213 General Message with the attached jpeg map and CSV files to your ETO Clearinghouse and the tactical address ETO-BK.
Further details will be in the instructions.
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Instructions: Blood Availability Report [PDF] |
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September 10th, 2026: Results of Weekly Practice |
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Results Map by Feedback Count |
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NEW!! Results Pie Charts |
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NEW!! Standard Responses CSV File for Download |
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"How do I find my Check-In on the Map?"
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[Click on the ▶ or the line of text above, to expand its contents]
[Click on above ▶ or this link,
to expand its contents]
Weekly Practice for September 10th, 2026
Weekly Practice for September 10th, 2026
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[PDF] Instructions for 9/10/2026 Weekly Practice |
Complete Instructions
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ETO Exercise Instructions for Thursday, 2026-09-10
Task: Complete an ICS-213 Resource Request Message
Exercise window: Sat 2026-09-05 00:00 UTC - Fri 2026-09-11 08:00 UTC
Use the following values when completing the form:
Setup: agency or group name: EmComm Training Organization
Incident name: ETOID-2026-09-10
Date/Time: (click in box and accept date/time)
Resource Request Number: ETOID-2026-09-10
Order Items (leave Estimated and Cost empty)
line 1
Qty: 1
Kind: Team
Type: Type 3
Description: Type 3 IMT for Incident management
Requested Time: 14:00
line 2
Qty: 2
Kind: Equipmnt
Type: Type 1
Description: Type 1 Heavy Rescue Truck for Extrication
Requested Time: 14:00
line 3
Qty: 2
Kind: Equipmnt
Type: Type 1
Description: Type 1 Generator for Power restoration
Requested Time: 14:00
Delivery/Reporting Location: Side Entrance
Substitutes: no substitutes allowed
Requested by Name/Position: Madeline Marks / Travel Officer
Priority: Low
Section Chief Name for Approval: Derek Dorsey
Ensure that you have a valid and appropriate Latitude and Longitude.
Send the message via the Session type of your choice to ETO-PRACTICE.
Refer to https://emcomm-training.org/Winlink_Thursdays.html for further instructions
about the weekly practice exercises and/or monthly training exercises.
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September 3rd, 2026: Results of Weekly Practice |
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Results Map by Feedback Count |
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NEW!! Results Pie Charts |
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NEW!! Standard Responses CSV File for Download |
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"How do I find my Check-In on the Map?"
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[Click on the ▶ or the line of text above, to expand its contents]
[Click on above ▶ or this link,
to expand its contents]
Weekly Practice for September 3rd, 2026
Weekly Practice for September 3rd, 2026
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[PDF] Instructions for 9/3/2026 Weekly Practice |
Complete Instructions
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ETO Exercise Instructions for Thursday, 2026-09-03
Task: Complete an ICS-213 General Message
Exercise window: Sat 2026-08-29 00:00 UTC - Fri 2026-09-04 08:00 UTC
Use the following values when completing the form:
Setup: agency or group name: EmComm Training Organization
THIS IS AN EXERCISE: (checked)
Incident Name: ETOID-2026-09-03
To (Name/Position): Sebastian Lee / Volunteer Manager
From (Name/Position): Isabella Ross / Operations Manager
Subject: ETO Practice Exercise for 2026-09-03
Date: (click in box and accept date)
Time: (click in box and accept time)
Message: Water distribution uninterrupted.
Approved by: Amelia Dean
Position / Title: Security Specialist
Ensure that you have a valid and appropriate Latitude and Longitude.
Send the message via the Session type of your choice to ETO-PRACTICE.
Refer to https://emcomm-training.org/Winlink_Thursdays.html for further instructions
about the weekly practice exercises and/or monthly training exercises.
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August 27th, 2026: Results of Weekly Practice |
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Results Map by Feedback Count |
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NEW!! Results Pie Charts |
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NEW!! Standard Responses CSV File for Download |
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"How do I find my Check-In on the Map?"
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[Click on the ▶ or the line of text above, to expand its contents]
[Click on above ▶ or this link,
to expand its contents]
Weekly Practice for August 27th, 2026
Weekly Practice for August 27th, 2026
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[PDF] Instructions for 8/27/2026 Weekly Practice |
Complete Instructions
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ETO Exercise Instructions for Thursday, 2026-08-27
Task: Complete an ICS-205 Incident Radio Communications Plan Message
Exercise window: Sat 2026-08-22 00:00 UTC - Fri 2026-08-28 08:00 UTC
Use the following values when completing the form:
Setup: agency or group name: EmComm Training Organization
Incident name: ETO Weekly Practice
Date/Time: (click in box and accept date/time)
Operational Period Date From: 2026-08-22
Operational Period Date To: 2026-08-28
Operational Period Time From: 00:00 UTC
Operational Period Time To: 08:00 UTC
Basic Radio Channel Use:
line 1
Ch #: 1
Function: Coordination
Channel Name: Repeater
Assignment: amateur
RX Freq: 440.550
RX N or W: N
RX Tone: 162.2
Tx Freq: 435.550
TX N or W: N
TX Tone: 162.2
Mode: A
Remarks: Primary repeater
line 2
Ch #: 2
Function: Tactical
Channel Name: Simplex
Assignment: amateur
RX Freq: 146.415
RX N or W: W
RX Tone:
Tx Freq: 146.415
TX N or W: W
TX Tone:
Mode: A
Remarks: Primary simplex
line 3
Ch #: 3
Function: Information
Channel Name: WX7
Assignment: weather
RX Freq: 162.550
RX N or W: W
RX Tone:
Tx Freq:
TX N or W:
TX Tone:
Mode: A
Remarks: Receive only. Do not Transmit!
Special Instructions: Exercise Id: 874-856-2130
Approved by: James Reed
Approved Date/Time: (click in box and accept date/time)
IAP Page: 7
Attach CSV: (No)
Send the message via the Session type of your choice to ETO-PRACTICE.
Refer to https://emcomm-training.org/Winlink_Thursdays.html for further instructions
about the weekly practice exercises and/or monthly training exercises.
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August 20th, 2026: Results of "Tactical Addressing" Exercise |
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Results Map by Clearinghouse |
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Results Map by Feedback Count |
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NEW!! Results Pie Charts |
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NEW!! Standard Responses CSV File for Download |
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"How do I find my Check-In on the Map?"
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[Click on the ▶ or the line of text above, to expand its contents]
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August 20th: "Tactical Addressing" |
Exercise Message Submission Window
- August 15th 00:00 UTC — August 21st 08:00 UTC
Summary:
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Purpose:
Learn how to create a Tactical Address in your Winlink Express installation, and send messages from it.
Objectives:
- Create a Tactical Address in Winlink Express.
- Using Winlink Express, send a message from an associated Tactical Address account.
- Create a Personal Exercise Folder to save operational traffic in.
Further details will be in the instructions.
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Instructions: Tactical Addressing exercise [PDF] |
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August 13th, 2026: Results of Weekly Practice |
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Results Map by Feedback Count |
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NEW!! Results Pie Charts |
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NEW!! Standard Responses CSV File for Download |
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"How do I find my Check-In on the Map?"
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[Click on the ▶ or the line of text above, to expand its contents]
[Click on above ▶ or this link,
to expand its contents]
Weekly Practice for August 13th, 2026
Weekly Practice for August 13th, 2026
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[PDF] Instructions for 8/13/2026 Weekly Practice |
Complete Instructions
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ETO Exercise Instructions for Thursday, 2026-08-13
Task: Complete an ICS-213 Resource Request Message
Exercise window: Sat 2026-08-08 00:00 UTC - Fri 2026-08-14 08:00 UTC
Use the following values when completing the form:
Setup: agency or group name: EmComm Training Organization
Incident name: ETO Weekly Practice
Date/Time: (click in box and accept date/time)
Resource Request Number: Exercise Id: 937-238-2021
Order Items (leave Estimated and Cost empty)
line 1
Qty: 940
Kind: quarts
Type: n/a
Description: Honey
Requested Time: 15:00
line 2
Qty: 7500
Kind: pounds
Type: n/a
Description: Chicken Thighs. Boneless, skinless and cubed.
Requested Time: 15:00
line 3
Qty: 1875
Kind: quarts
Type: n/a
Description: Soy Sauce
Requested Time: 15:00
Delivery/Reporting Location: Conference Room A
Substitutes: no substitutes allowed
Requested by Name/Position: Kylie King / Drill Planner
Priority: Routine
Section Chief Name for Approval: Vanessa Vance
Send the message via the Session type of your choice to ETO-PRACTICE.
Refer to https://emcomm-training.org/Winlink_Thursdays.html for further instructions
about the weekly practice exercises and/or monthly training exercises.
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August 6th, 2026: Results of Weekly Practice |
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Results Map by Feedback Count |
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NEW!! Results Pie Charts |
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NEW!! Standard Responses CSV File for Download |
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"How do I find my Check-In on the Map?"
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[Click on the ▶ or the line of text above, to expand its contents]
[Click on above ▶ or this link,
to expand its contents]
Weekly Practice for August 6th, 2026
Weekly Practice for August 6th, 2026
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[PDF] Instructions for 8/6/2026 Weekly Practice |
Complete Instructions
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ETO Exercise Instructions for Thursday, 2026-08-06
Task: Complete an ICS-213 General Message
Exercise window: Sat 2026-08-01 00:00 UTC - Fri 2026-08-07 08:00 UTC
Use the following values when completing the form:
Setup: agency or group name: EmComm Training Organization
THIS IS AN EXERCISE: (checked)
Incident Name: ETO Weekly Practice
To (Name/Position): Wesley West / Drill Coord
From (Name/Position): Gavin Gates / Educator
Subject: ETO Practice Exercise for 2026-08-06
Date: (click in box and accept date)
Time: (click in box and accept time)
Message: Exercise Id: 630-618-8971
Approved by: Ethan Ellis
Position / Title: Finance Officer
Ensure that you have a valid and appropriate Latitude and Longitude.
Send the message via the Session type of your choice to ETO-PRACTICE.
Refer to https://emcomm-training.org/Winlink_Thursdays.html for further instructions
about the weekly practice exercises and/or monthly training exercises.
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Weekly Practice (Winlink Thursdays Basic)
Monthly Exercise (Winlink Thursdays Intermediate)


