In collaboration with the Dutch Army, DARES took part in exercise 'Civil Challenge' from June 22 to June 24, 2010. DARES' task was to establish an email link between the locations of the Army in Vught and Budel with an additional LAN-network provided at Budel for the number of users there. Six tactical email accounts, 1 in Vught and 5 in Budel were created to support the exercise.

To realise this email link, the Winlink system  with existing, new or temporary RMS Packet Gateway stations was used for this exercise. DARES also took the opportunity to organise 3 Master Classes, in which the operation and use of the VHF / UHF Winlink system was explained and demonstrated to the participants (20 in total). For DARES it was also a training exercise with an opportunity to test all their new TNC-X modems.

DARES felt that they proved they are capable of providing a robust email system to users in their country with the system working well all the three days. On the last day of the exercise, they were asked if they could provide a mobile Paclink station in Oosterhout, near Breda. Aad PE1RCA and Louis PE1RNT took on this challenge with excellent results.

Overall it was felt to be a very successful exercise. The results of the DARES efforts have been  included in an evaluation report, which will soon be reviewed with the Army and in September DARES look forward to participating in their next exercise with the Army.

Thanks to the following DARES stations for helping to make the exercise a success Hans Vreeswijk PA3GJM,  Aad Kooiman, PE1RCA, Chris van Gorp, PA7RHM, Roel Sijbrandi, PE2CVF, Louis Scheele PE1RNT, and Leo Leisink, PA0LSK.