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The Echo-Link Ham Radio Site Ring This web ring owned by W5MET Frank Lombardi |
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Proud Member Of The
PLEASE NOTE MY WORK HOURS HAVE CHANGED SO THE SYSTEM WILL ONLY BE UP WHEN I AM HOME.
HOURS WILL BE 5:00 PM TO 10:00 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME
144.940 PL 100
I am involved in internet linking, I enjoy this mode of Communications very much, it is fascinating that this works at all with very good audio quality.
I Use The EchoLink System
Click Here To Read More Or To Download Your Own Copy.
Amateur Radio linking direct or through repeaters using Internet or Radio
Easy to use interface showing active users and their location
Allows mobiles to have control enabling quick switching of links
Has security including call sign verification
Software is free, usage and access are free in the true Amateur Radio Spirit.
Details? Read The Article In QST February 2003 Page 44
OR Read About It Now By Clicking Here
Special Useful Commands
Simply Key Up And Dial
211 Local Weather
311 Weather Forecast
411 Current Time
511 Node Status
811 Information/Help
911 Severe Weather Alerts
*99* WWV Report
* Help And System Info
# Disconnect Link
9999 Test Number, See How Your Radio Sounds
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH NODES BY
LOCATION
OR
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE STATION LIST
IT IS PRINTABLE
OR
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE STATIONS MAP
Good Info !
Station Operating Hours Are 6:00AM---11:00PM
This System Is Monitored By A Control Operator During These Hours.
To view my web cam when on CLICK HERE
A Special Welcome to HAM'S Traveling Through The Area, Feel Free To Use The System All You Want, There ARE NO SPECIAL CODES, this System Is Open And Just Use The Standard Echolink Default Commands.
Here Is A Great Map For All Stations, Click here.
Here is what my link station consist of.
466 Mhz E-Machine Computer
Yaesu 1500m Mobile 50 Watts
MIRAGE 160
Watt Amplifier
35 Watt Astron Power Supply
Special Control Board
Cushcraft Ringo Ranger II
Remote control shut down via dedicated web link
and dedicated phone line
I operate the system on simplex Frequency of 144.940 PL 100
with a coverage area of 40 miles
Feel free To Use The System All You Want !
To Connect To A Random Station Dial 01
To Disconnect After A Call Dial #
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH NODES BY
LOCATION
OR
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE STATION LIST
IT IS PRINTABLE
OR
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE STATIONS MAP
Good Info !
Note: You MUST be a licensed ham and observe the FCC rules at all times when on the system .
When Connecting To Another Station, Wait To See If A QSO Is In Progress Before You Transmit After It Connects !
Special Useful Commands
Simply Key Up And Dial
211 Local Weather
311 Weather Forecast
411 Current Time
511 Node Status
811 Information/Help
911 Severe Weather Alerts
*99* WWV Report
* Help And System Info
# Disconnect Link
9999 Test Number, See How Your Radio Sounds
A good way to see if you are close enough is send the * star key and see if you can hear a recording, if you can then you are in range! have fun.
00- Random
Connect To Any USER
01- Random Connect To Any REPEATER
02- Random Connect To Any CONFERENCE
* - HELP Instructions
# - Disconnect
If you don't know what to do, just dial 01, you will connect to
some random station.
Remember, the system is automated and has safeguards, you can't
hurt anything.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instructions For EchoLink the Poor Mans IRLP FREE System,
Feel Free To Pass This Along To Other Hams
To see if you are in range of the system simply send the * (star)
and the system will play a recorded message if it is hearing your
signal. If it can hear you them you are all set to connect to the
world.
1) Tune to 144.940 PL 100 Simplex
2) To make a call press in your push to talk and hold it while
entering any of the node numbers.
3) If the code took you will hear a message
4) When the connection is made it will tell you connection made.
Listen for about a minute before talking because you might drop
right in the middle of a conversation. If the other city is busy,
it will disconnect you.
5) Always wait for the beep after the other guy stops talking
before you talk or he won’t hear you, there will be a beep
or a gong then you will see the signal on your radio drop off
then you can talk.
6) You must I.D. Every 10 Minutes
7) When you are finished with the link, key up and press # you
will hear a message saying that the link is down And
Disconnected.
8) On American Repeaters don’t call CQ, they hate that for
some reason just give your call sign just like on our repeater.
Other places in the world UK, Australia ect it’s Ok to call
CQ after connect.
9) PLEASE give the station you are calling time enough to answer,
don't be so quick to disconnect #
BE SURE TO MONITOR 144.940 BECAUSE THE OTHER COUNTRIES CALL INTO
MY SYSTEM ALL THE TIME CALLING CQ AND LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO TALK
TO.
CONFERENCE SERVERS Are where there could be many repeaters tied
together at once. These come and go.
Remember the time differences of other countries, example the UK
is 5 hours ahead of us.
All Repeaters Are NOT 24 Hours but Most Are, You May Get An
Offline Fast Busy
**** IMPORTANT! Always wait for the beep after the other guy
stops talking before you talk or he won’t hear you, there
will be a beep or a gong then you will see the signal on your
radio drop off then you can talk.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEST YOUR INTERNET SPEED CLICK HERE
Here are some questions and answers from testers/users
Q: Why did you put this station up we already have IRLP nodes on
repeaters in Atlanta?
A: Well for a couple of reasons, back in the old days hams built
their radios so since we don't do that anymore we build other
things to test and play with. Also to use the big boys IRLP
systems you must join A club to get the codes and use the system,
well you may not want to join A club but do want to use Internet
radio linking. And last, the station was built just to see if it
could be done.
Q: As I go down the list and enter codes, lots of them come back
busy or off line why?
A: Well they may be busy or off line, remember time differences
in other countries, some stations go off line after about 11:00pm
but there are many that are 24 hours. Some stations could be in
use, only one link at a time can connect. If you can get to a
computer, click on the real time link and you will be able to see
if the called station is busy or off line.
Q: How do I know when I am connected to another station?
A: The system will tell you when you are connected after it does
its thing and will tell you that the link is down after you send
the # key to it.
Q: Can me and my friends hang out on 144.940 we like to talk
simplex to each other.
A: Sure you can, remember you are not going across the Internet
or linked up unless you bring up the link or another country
dials into Atlanta so no one else will hear your QSO unless the
link is active.
Q: Is this legal?
A: Well depends on who you ask, when I first thought about
starting this station I had concerns and wanted to know also so I
asked 50 people and got 50 answers even the FCC just points me
back to the rules requiring 2 meter operations. So I do the
following, I set the system to I.D W4KDW every 10 min in voice or
CW and after the link closes. I monitor at all times and by a
scanner if not near the radio and I have people who help me with
this. I built a system so I can dial in by phone and kill it if
needed or over the air on 440. I have three systems that will
kill the transmitter if it got stuck or something, The Echolink
system does a database lookup when someone called into Atlanta
from the Internet side to make sure the calling station has a
current license if not it won't let him on the air. I have done
everything in my power to cover everything as per the rules.
Q: I monitor 144.940 and about every 10 or 20 min I hear
"Link Connected" then some guy calling CQ or calling
W4KDW, what’s happening?
A: It's another ham just like you wanting to talk to someone,
Hams in other countries have the same code sheets that you have
or something like it so they are calling in, answer them and make
new friends!
Q: Some stations that call in and I answer and they have no idea
where they are calling, are they to stupid to read the code
sheet?
A: No, there is a special code of 01 that will connect a
user to a random station so if they entered this they don't know
where they connected since it is random. 00 connects you to ANY
station this could be a repeater or a ham at his computer. 01
connects you random to ONLY Repeaters Or Simplex Links.
Q: I always talk extra loud when talking to another station to be
sure they hear me and I noticed they then say I'm breaking up?
Why?
A: You MUST talk normal, the system is AGC controlled so there is
no need to yell , if you do scream and talk super loud you will
over drive the system and it will break up on the other end due
to over modulation so just talk normal the system will turn you
up if you are to low in audio.
Q: While monitoring 144.940 sometimes I hear "Link
connected" but never hear anyone then I hear "Link
Down" after a while, what happened?
A: We have found that nothing is wrong when this happens, it
seems to be a new user calling into Atlanta that doesn’t
know how to use the system yet, we also found that sometimes it's
just other hams testing so don't worry about it all is well.
Q: I understand that you monitor but that kinda bugs me like I am
being watched or something.
A: Yes I do monitor via radio, scanner or remote dial in with
speaker phone BUT I am NOT monitoring YOU, what ever you do on
the air is between you and the FCC, remember, you are on the RF
side so all rules apply as normal. What I mean by I monitor is
since MY BASE is transmitting I MUST over see it, I am monitoring
the communications from the Internet side for violations not you.
If a violation happens from a ham coming from the Internet side I
am required to shut the system down right then. So that's what
the monitoring is about.
Q: Sometimes I call you but you don't answer, I thought you
monitored?
A: As stated above I monitor the BASE, I may be mobile or
listening to the base via HT and cannot hear you since this is
simplex but I can hear the base or I may be listening to the base
via telco link and cannot answer you. If I can hear you I would
love to chat with you!
Q: What is the range of the system?
A: well you know how simplex is, but I found it's common to get
25-40 miles mobile most of the time and base to base 50-100 miles.
The system has been accessed from as far as Tennessee North and
Athens to the East and Alabama to the West and Henry County to
the South.
Q: After I transmit from my radio I don't hear a courtesy tone
like on the repeater I stay on, I just hear nothing but I do hear
a courtesy tone after the other guy stops talking why?
A: This is not a repeater so there is no way to do A courtesy
tone back to you after you UN- key, the only reason you get one
after the other guy UN-keys is that's the way the software is
designed.
Q: When is the best time to use this thing?
A: Anytime During the the up time if the system but I have found
that more stations are online from 11:00am until 8 or 9 PM our
time but you can never tell, just go down the list and call or
use the random connect code of 00 or 01
Q: Every now and then the other station breaks up but I can see
my carrier from you is strong what's going on?
A: The voice travels across the Internet so this is packet loss,
this may happen from time to time if the Internet is real busy
Q: When I reply to another station my first few words are getting
cut off why?
A: This is a common problem caused by the user, remember this is
simplex not A repeater, you MUST wait for the courtesy tone and
the carrier to drop before you can talk because my base is still
in transmit mode so you are doubling for a few seconds if you
don't wait and the other guy cannot hear you until my base goes
back into receive mode so just slow down and don't be so quick on
the PTT button.
Q: I have the codes from my friend and I have been listening but
I am afraid to try it, I don't understand and just kind of scared
of it.
A: Just go for it you can't hurt a thing, If you mess up no one
will come and take you away, the system has safeguards and reset
features so don't worry about breaking anything.
Q: Did this cost a lot for you to set up? Will it stay? What's
the catch, when will you hit us up for money?
A: Well First, The total cost to me to put this station up was
about $500.00 but is has all new equipment, if I had used
equipment it may have cost only about $100.00 Second, it will not
go away unless it is not used, there is a 6 month waiting list to
get the special E-Link controller board so if its not used I'll
just sell the stuff to someone waiting. third, there is no catch,
I will never ask for money or make this a closed system this is a
hobby remember? let's have fun with the system it's already paid
for.
Q:This is called Echolink? is this the same as IRLP one the
repeaters?
A: IRLP is the big gun of Internet to radio and has about 200
nodes to date all over the world. Echolink is the poor mans
version, it has low cost statup and is free to users. The quality
of the free Echolink system and the Big IRLP system is exactly
the same and even operates the same. Echolink systems are new but
growing all the time, about one new repeater or simplex link is
added each week or to somewhere in the world.
Q: This is a waste of time and is stupid, I’ll never use
your $^%&% System, all you new hams want to do is get rid of
code and HF and put computers into everything.
A: This was my favorite email it was not really a question but a
comment, I don't remember who this email was from but I think
someone is stuck back in the past but here is my reply to it.
First, don't use it. 2nd CW is a contact mode just like this
system and 3rd, this will not nor is intended to replace HF
that's stupid ! This is just another way to communicate. Hams are
inventors remember? But seriously to this person why not try the
system? don't be so closed minded, give it a try.
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH NODES BY
LOCATION
OR
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE STATION LIST
IT IS PRINTABLE
OR
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE STATIONS MAP
Good Info !
