[nos-bbs] Local Emergency communications but able to do e-mail if necessary

[KV9U]

Our ARES EC's husband (who plays a major role with providing statewide 
communications for our military and who does everything from portable 
satellite links, to expanded localized cell phone, to HF duplex via 
digital links, and much more), did a presentation on Winlink 2000 this 
past weekend. He has been explaining to our local club about digital 
operation in general and packet more specificially.

He concurs with me that Winlink 2000 really doesn't do all that  we 
need. We need a system that is primarily locally connected between home 
stations, portable stations, mobile stations, for voice and then for 
digital modes that work well for messaging. It must be decentralized as 
possible to avoid single point failures and yet easy to set up and 
maintain. It must interface with internet e-mail so that non amateurs 
can communicate through this system when this is necessary. Ideally, it 
would also have the ability to reach out to more distant points via HF.

Does anyone know if anyone is thinking about or perhaps even working on 
such a system? Or are our expectations for such a system just too 
unrealistic?

73,

Rick, KV9U