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SafecomLink V13 is here! With AI Gateway, Path Analyzer, Broadcast Inquire, change-frequency Notifications, Show my Beacons/Call-out and much more!

Updated: Dec 9, 2025

Boy oh boy, we’ve prepared one heck of a version for you! Although time constraints forced us to delay this release, development never stopped. The bottom line: we have plenty of exciting announcements. Take a deep breath… here’s what’s new in SafecomLink V13.


📢 Introducing: AI Gateway

So you’re out there, off the grid, facing a challenge like a failing engine and in need of knowledge to solve it. Surfing the web over HF isn’t an option, as even a simple webpage can take dozens of KBs to download. That’s where Safie—the SafecomLink AI Gateway assistant—comes to the rescue.

Safie bridges this gap by delivering maximum value with minimal emission and transmission time, bringing you exactly the information you need.


You simply connect to a station that’s on the grid and offering an AI gateway, then type: “AI: How can I fix my Ecotech 2.4L engine that does not start?” Safie will provide the information you need and continue the conversation with you until the issue is resolved.


Here is how it works:

 

  1. Enable the AI Gateway under Settings → AI. Follow the instructions under the “?” button.

  2. Once a station connects to you, they will be notified that you provide an AI Gateway service.

  3. If they need Safie’s assistance, they simply type “AI:” followed by their question.

  4. Safie will respond, and upon her first reply the other station will automatically enter AI Mode, allowing them to chat with Safie without typing “AI:” before each message.

  5. Safie has access to the entire conversation context, so she can follow the flow of the discussion—not just the last message.

  6. She also has knowledge of the station hosting her (name, Address, locator, rig, callsign) as well as the connecting station, enabling her to tailor responses more precisely.

     

Safie is a revolutionary way to use AI in ham radio, bridging the gap between lengthy internet HTML pages and the answers you truly need.



You can limit AI conversations in three ways:


  • Restrict the number of characters in each Safie response.

  • Set a maximum number of chat message responses per Link.

  • Allow AI gateway access only for specific callsigns.

 

For complete instructions on setting up your SafecomLink AI Gateway, see this LINK.


Now, let's dive into propagation and SNR reports. As you know, SafecomLink collects vast amounts of data that can be leveraged for propagation analysis.


📢  Introducing: Path Analyzer

 

Path Analyze lets you explore the SNR reports stored in the SafecomLink database and answer questions such as:

 

  • What is the average SNR per hour? Per band?

  • What is the best time of day for me on 20M?

  • What is the average SNR I receive from a specific Grid locator on 40M throughout the day?

  • I want to chat with my HQ— what is the best hour and band to reach him?

  • What are the activity times of the HQ on each band?

     

These are just a few examples of how you can use this tool.


You can access Path Analyze from the Tools menu, or, when connected, you now have two SNR graphs:


  • Live — which you’re already familiar with.

  • Past SNR — which opens Path Analyze, focusing on the connected station and band.




The Inquire module is widely used to gather valuable information from your Link partner, but until now, it was limited to live chat sessions only.

 

📢  Introducing: Broadcast Inquire

 

YES! You can now send a broadcast using some of the Inquire tags and retrieve this information without being connected to the other station. More Inquire features for Broadcasts will be added in upcoming versions.

 

Please note: Inquire requests can only be sent to a specific callsign — sending to "ALL" is not supported.

 

📢 Broadcast Inquire




Speaking of broadcasts, we’ve added a cool new feature: you can now let others know when you’re about to Change-Frequency to a different frequency:



📢 Introducing: Change-Frequency Notification



In the broadcast window, you’ll now see a new 'FREQ.' dropdown on the right. Just pick a frequency from the list, and SafecomLink will automatically send out a notification.


Sending Change-Frequency Notification


And it’s not just about sending a Change-Frequency notification—the broadcast itself is clickable! When someone clicks your Change-Frequency broadcast, their rig will instantly switch to that frequency.

 

But wait—there’s more, especially for our EmComm enthusiasts:


During a crisis, when operating an EmComm station, you want to ensure everyone on the frequency gets a heads-up before you Change-Frequency to another frequency.

 

While using a frequency scheduler in EmComm mode, you can enable this feature so that, before a Change-Frequency occurs, SafecomLink sends a Change-Frequency notification to everyone on the frequency. Shortly afterward, it automatically Changes-Frequency.

 

Please note: This automatic Change-Frequency notification feature is limited to EmComm mode only and will not work on official SafecomLink calling frequencies, as it could jam the channel with Change-Frequency notifications.



Let’s talk about Beacons and Call-outs — your Beacons and Call-outs.


Wouldn’t it be great to see your own Beacons and Call-outs on the Last-Heard list? This gives you real-time feedback and reassurance about how your Beacon or Call-out appears to others.


📢 Introducing: Show my Beacons/Call-out


You can now turn this feature on or off in the Settings.



For all Email Gateway operators: Until now, only Gmail was supported. Now, you can use any SMTP/IMAP service by configuring both your username and password.



Many of you use GPS—or at least share a fixed GPS location when Inquired. We’ve added a neat enhancement: GPS tags are now clickable! When a GPS location is shared, clicking it will open Google Maps at that exact spot.



But there is much more... here is list of additional new features and enhancements in SafecomLink V13:


  • Path Finder Focus – Callsign box is auto-focused and ready for typing.

  • Database Fixer – under Tools → Database Fixer to repair SafecomLink database issues

  • Broadcast Narration – Separate narration settings for incoming and outgoing broadcasts.

  • Alert Center – Added “Delete All” button for archived alerts.

  • Clickable Links – Links in VMails are now clickable.

  • IMAP Username – Configurable IMAP username for non-Gmail gateways.

  • CAT Command Wait Time – New parameter DefaultPortWaitTimeMs for rigs with slow baud rates.

  • Reply Button Visibility – “Reply” button shown only in Inbox and Sent folders.

  • Alert Tags – Increased from 10 to 20 configurable alert tags.

  • Last Frequency Load – Works even without rig frequency control.

  • New Theme – Added appearance theme “Alister.”

  • Updated Tags – <UTCTIME> → <UTCDT>, <MYTIME> → <MYDT>.

  • New Time Tags – <UTCT> for UTC time only, <UTCD> for UTC date only.

  • RING! Attention – Brings SafecomLink to the front and shakes window for visibility.

  • Callsign Tags – New menu item to edit your tag list.

  • Grid Locator – Locator now mandatory in “My Information” settings.

  • Call-out Slot Sniffer – Extended duration to 8 seconds.



Bug Fixes:


  • Added support for SMTPS (port 465) in addition to STARTTLS (port 587).

  • Fixed an issue where composing a VMail with a line break in the subject caused sending to SMTP servers to fail.

  • Fixed an issue where emails received via the gateway and redirected to a callsign with a prefix/suffix (e.g., 4Z1AC/QRP) were stored in the Parking folder instead of the Inbox.

  • Prevented typing into dropdown menus in the “Send VMail” form.

  • Resolved random exceptions when loading canned messages in the “Send VMail” form.

  • Fixed issues and exceptions with QO-100 frequencies (above 1 GHz) in the “Callsign History” form.

  • Removed incorrect “Broadcast Reply” option from right-click menu in the Datastream.

  • Fixed cluster behavior where, if the PTT lock mechanism was disabled, the keep-alive signal for that instance was not working. This caused other nodes to incorrectly assume it was inactive and affected recognition of gateway sender nodes.

  • Fixed issues when loading old Link with QO-100 frequencies.

  • Fixed dependency requiring “VMail Parking” to be enabled under Link settings for Email Gateway to work.

  • Fixed double-click on a Call-outnot always working (only triggered when clicking on text).

  • Corrected sorting by Slot ID in the Call-out list to sort numerically instead of alphabetically.

  • Improved alert message when sending VMail to Email without a valid “Reply-to” address.

  • Fixed issue where the ✉️ icon remained after collecting a VMail from a station listed in the beacon list.

  • Fixed bug where Relay VMail messages without a timestamp stored invalid datetime values and propagated them forward.

  • Corrected GPS tooltip to show actual seconds without GPS data instead of the placeholder string {{seconds}}.

  • Fixed issue where the “Verbose GPS” checkbox remained active after disconnecting.

  • Fixed bug preventing Advanced Beacons/Call-out from being decoded if no locator was configured.

  • Corrected “Last Heard” peek results to return UTC instead of local time (for both “ALL” and “CALLSIGN” ).

  • Fixed issue where right-clicking on a row in the Call-outsection did not automatically highlight the row

  • If the word "HTTPS" in a link is not written entirely in lowercase letters, the link will fail to open.

 
 
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