A short, text only status query for sysops...

Yes, there's a lot going on on that map page. If you're using IE try Firefox or Chrome, they are much faster at loading up the Google map. Alternatively, you can get a quick status from the text-only status page at www.winlink.org/RMSpacketStatus. Then there's the RSS feed off of any of the map push pins. Just click one of the map push pins and then select the RSS link. You'll need an RSS reader of some sort for this last item.

Also, if you're a Google Gadget user, I created a gadget that uses the RSS feed to display packet station status. Just go to www.google.com/ig/directory and search for winlink.

And now one for HF stations as well.

How about this:

1. Post a current position report for your station. See Airmail help.
2. Using a WL2K client, send an email to INQUIRY@winlink.org with REQUEST in the subject line and WL2K_PACKET in the body.
3. Wait a few minutes and retrieve your mail from a CMS.

You will receive a text-only report of the RMS stations reporting within the last 2 days listing their location, distance from your location, frequency, baud rate, and status. Easily parsed.

Also try using RMS_PACKET in the body to retrieve the latest frequency list listing all RMS Packet stations and their status information. There are more offerings like this in the Winlink Catalog. See Airmail help for more information.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I view the report on Firefox already, and it is horribly slow and almost always pops up a "script on this page is not responding" message. If I have to send an email from the station then I already know it is running.

I've found the answer. http://www.winlink.org/dotnet/status/PacketStatus.aspx produces a "printer friendly" page that contains the status info I need and I can grep out the stations I want to know about. E.g.:

lynx -dump -nolist -width=120 http://www.winlink.org/dotnet/status/PacketStatus.aspx | grep N8GFO

And I get:

   2011/01/20 18:47 N8GFO-10 144.970 1200 EMCOMM CN84IO 2.1.0.4 Current

The leading time and date, and trailing status are the two things I want to watch. I can pipe this data to a script that will notify my if there is a problem.

The only advantage for a specific query link (like adding a "stationcall=N8GFO-10" parameter to the existing PacketStatus link) would be to reduce the load on the server.

Thanks.