DK3WN and PA3GUO, report that they have successfully -enabled- RAFT VOICE Mode and tested it over Europe.

Enabled, this means that any station may TURN ON voice mode over his country with a single CONNECT RAFT packet. The voice synthesizer will remain on for 2.5 minutes. Only the CONNECT packet is required of that station. After his connect packet brings up RAFT, then he can force a disconnect so he can try an APRS MESSAGE to TALK. But he must force the disconnect without RAFT hearing it, or it will disable the voice and no one will know.

Once the VOICE synthesizer is ON, then anyone can send a UI APRS formatted MESSAGE to the callsign of "TALK" and RAFT will speak it (if it decodes it)... For those without APRS, a message can be typed into the CONVERSE mode of a TNC as follows ":TALK.....:Speak this if you get it..." and RAFT will speak the part after the second colon. Note that the 5 dots shown, are actually 5 required SPACES.

RAFT is very weak and hard to hear except on HIGH overhead passes, even with beams. Please do NOT attempt to turn on RAFT or to send TALK messages if you cannot hear it. You may be QRMing other stations.

Thanks Bob Bruninga, WB4APR US Naval Academy Satellite Lab