Amateur Radio Safety Foundation

What Amateur Radio Safety Foundation does

The Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, Inc. (ARSFi) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation incorporated in Florida on January 1, 2006 (Federal ID 20-5586920). The organization's primary purpose is to provide formation, training, maintenance, and testing of volunteer licensed amateur radio emergency services and networks using state-of-the-art communications technology, serving the public by facilitating emergency, health, or welfare communication in times of disaster or communications emergencies. Its primary project is Winlink, a worldwide system of volunteer resources supporting email by radio with non-commercial links to internet email, combining Amateur Radio, DHS NCC SHARES, and other volunteer organization resources.

ARSFi operates two named products: the Winlink system itself (a worldwide radio email network) and Winlink Express, a software client that provides the user interface for radio email communications. The Winlink system is described as a 100% volunteer effort functioning through the efforts of hundreds of Amateur Radio operators worldwide, with no commercial sales force. Revenue is generated through two streams: voluntary software registration fees for Winlink Express ($24 per callsign, up to 17 callsigns per transaction, with keys that never expire and are unique to callsigns) and tax-deductible charitable donations. Distribution is entirely self-serve via the foundation's websites (arsfi.org and winlink.org) with payment processing through PayPal, supplemented by traditional mail (check/money order).

The foundation serves a diverse customer base across government and humanitarian sectors, including the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES), American Red Cross, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Salvation Army, US Coast Guard, and various federal, state, and local government agencies worldwide. The organization has documented operational participation in major disaster responses including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Dennis, Jeanne, Ivan, Frances, Charley, and Isabel, the Asian Tsunami, Western US floods and fires, the failure of IntelSat 804, and Indian and Chilean/Peruvian weather disasters, in addition to continual support to Search and Rescue authorities.

Name

Amateur Radio Safety Foundation

Legal name

Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://arsfi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Amateur Radio Safety Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates Winlink, a worldwide volunteer-run radio email system providing emergency communications for government agencies, humanitarian organizations, and licensed amateur radio operators during disasters and infrastructure outages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Communications Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Amateur radio communications
• Emergency radio networks
• Radio email systems
• Disaster communications
• Volunteer radio services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockledge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Software Registration Fees: Winlink Express registration fee of $24 per callsign, up to 17 callsigns per transaction. Keys are unique to callsigns and never expire. Supports foundation projects and ongoing operations.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible cash donations (501c3 corporation) to help defray costs for equipment and supplies needed to provide services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Amateur Radio Safety Foundation operates the Winlink system, a worldwide volunteer-run infrastructure that provides email-by-radio communications with non-commercial links to internet email for use during emergencies and by licensed amateur radio operators without internet access. The foundation also develops and distributes the Winlink Express client software, which is voluntarily registered by individual operators and agencies to support ongoing Winlink operations. Services extend to formation, training, maintenance, and testing of volunteer licensed amateur radio emergency services and networks.

Product overview

The Amateur Radio Safety Foundation operates Winlink, a worldwide radio email system that connects amateur radio operators to internet email through volunteer resources. The organization was incorporated on January 1, 2006 as a non-profit Florida Corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The primary project is Winlink, supplemented by Winlink Express software which provides the user interface for radio email communications. The system functions as a 100% volunteer effort supported by donations and operates as an emergency communication service for areas impacted by disasters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Winlink: A worldwide system of volunteer resources supporting email by radio, with non-commercial links to internet email. Provides valuable services to emergency communicators and licensed operators without internet access.

Products and services

• Winlink A worldwide system of volunteer resources supporting email by radio, with non-commercial links to internet email. Provides valuable services to emergency communicators and to licensed operators who do not have access to the internet. Combines Amateur Radio, DHS NCC SHARES, and other volunteer organization resources.
• Winlink Express A software application for amateur radio email communications. Registration is voluntary ($24 per callsign, up to 17 callsigns per transaction) and supports Amateur Radio Safety Foundation projects, ongoing Winlink system operations, and development of new programs and radio modes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported multiple major hurricane responses including Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Dennis, Jeanne, Ivan, Frances, Charley, and Isabel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DHS NCC SHAREScoreOthersDepartment of Homeland Security National Coordinating Center SHARES (SHAred RESources) program provides emergency radio communication resources integrated into the Winlink system.
• Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)coreOthersNational amateur radio emergency service organization that utilizes Winlink for emergency communications during disasters.
• Australian Maritime Safety AuthoritycoreOthersContinually provides assistance with Search and Rescue coordination through Winlink communications.
• PayPalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment processing partner for software registration fees and donations. Enables secure credit card payments without requiring a PayPal account.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• International Amateur Radio Union (IARU): Worldwide federation of national amateur radio societies; broader international umbrella whose member societies have overlapping emergency communications objectives with ARSFi/Winlink.

Regional players

• Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL): Japan's national amateur radio society; mirrors ARSFi's role in supporting emergency communications preparedness, focused on the Japanese licensee base.
• Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB): National amateur radio society in the UK with comparable nonprofit structure and emergency communications support mission; serves a similar licensee base in a different geography.
• Deutscher Amateur-Radio-Club (DARC): Germany's national amateur radio association with similar not-for-profit structure and emergency communications (Notfunk) programs; comparable mission across European geography.
• Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC): National nonprofit association representing Canadian amateur radio operators; analogous governance model and emergency communications mandate, but operating in Canada rather than the US.

Others

• Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS): DOD-sponsored volunteer amateur radio program providing auxiliary emergency communications for the military; closely allied with Winlink and a named ARSFi customer, but government-run rather than independent nonprofit.
• DHS SHARES: Department of Homeland Security shared HF radio resources program for federal emergency communications; ARSFi integrates DHS SHARES resources into Winlink, making it a directly interoperable peer in the emergency radio ecosystem.

Direct peers

• American Radio Relay League (ARRL): The principal national nonprofit association for amateur radio in the US, also a 501(c)(3); operates the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), which is itself a Winlink customer. Most directly comparable in mission, structure, and constituency.
• Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN): Amateur radio emergency communications network operated under the Salvation Army, one of ARSFi's named served agencies; directly competing/parallel volunteer network for disaster HF communications.

Emerging players

• Beartooth: Commercial off-grid radio communication device company offering push-to-talk without cellular networks; represents the consumer/commercial substitute that competes for the same emergency communications use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amateur-radio-safety-foundation-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Amateur Radio Safety Foundation