Using cli.
I'm able to create the files for archiving. How do I get the files off the router without Webfig or Winbox?

Ssh / ftp / smb / ... you can even mail them to yourself.
Plenty of options.

more specifically. I'm in a ssh session to the router.
What mechanism (from the router) can you suggest to put the files on the ssh host connection...or ftp to our
external ftp server?

I don't see an ftp command from the cli session, I tried running an scp connection to the router, no luck.
any other ideas?

New to the device, trying to get another device setup based on the working router configuration. Read about how you need to edit the
configs when importing into a new device.

From the router, you have /tool/fetch mode=sftp (or =ftp):
https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/spaces/R ... 8514/Fetch

Otherwise from Linux/etc, scp will work like ssh. But AFAIK there is no scp from router to another device.

scp worked.
I was using:
scp admin@192.168.80.1:/file/cluster.txt.rsc /home/bret/cluster.txt.rsc (errored out, assumed the /file was location)

This worked:
scp admin@192.168.80.1:/cluster.txt.rsc /home/bret/cluster.txt.rsc

Appreciate the suggestion. Stayed with it. Now I'll try importing.

Cold here in Northern Cal.