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I Hold 6 Nov's (Notice
of Variation) on Echolink and eQSO,
144.825,
50.540,
430.1625,
29.530,
70.4125
and
1299.850
(GB3BK-R), except for 29.530 and 70.4125
where there is no CTCSS, all other links use CTCSS
103.5 for access. |
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All link radios,
software, interfaces have a maximum key down time
of 4 minutes, inactivity timeout is set to 1 minute. |
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Tip:
RF
users using any of the links please set your Radio
to narrow deviation (NFM), if your Radio does not
have NFM then taking the microphone away from your
mouth slightly will certainly reduce the chances of
over deviating any of the Rf gateways. |
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How to use Internet
Gateways you will need Acrobat Reader (PDF) you can
get it
Here
or Click
Here
to read the article. |
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About Echolink. |
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EchoLink®
software allows licensed Amateur Radio stations to
communicate with one another over the Internet,
using voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology. The program
allows worldwide connections to be made between
stations, or from computer to station, greatly
enhancing Amateur Radio's communications
capabilities. There are more than 170,000 registered
users in 158 nations worldwide!,
Echolink is offered free of charge to licensed Amateur Radio
operators worldwide. Please note that you must hold a valid Amateur
Radio license in order to use EchoLink. |
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Basic Operation |
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This section describes how to use the basic
functions of EchoLink from your Computer. |
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Callsign Validation |
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If you
have never used EchoLink before, the callsign you entered will need
to be validated by the system before you will be able to access it.
This process may take several minutes or several hours, since each
call is individually validated by hand. During this time, the
Station List area of the screen will be blank, or may display a
message indicating that your callsign is being validated. Once
validation is complete, you will see the list of stations appear in
the Station List area, and you can proceed to use EchoLink. |
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For more information about guidelines for
callsign validation, see the
Support section of the EchoLink Web site. |
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Connecting
to a Station |
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To connect to another station, find the
station's callsign in the Station List. Use the tabs at the bottom to select
either Index View or Explorer View, depending on your preference. Once you've
located the station you're looking for, double-click on the station's callsign
to connect to it. After a few seconds, you should see the station's callsign and
name appear near the bottom of the screen, and you should hear the "connected"
signal. You are now in direct contact with the other station and you can begin
conversing. If, after about 30 seconds, you see the message
"Cannot connect" instead of "Connected", it means that the attempt to connect to
the other station failed. This can happen for several reasons. The other
station may have already established a contact with someone else, or may have
just logged off the system. Another possibility is that a network "firewall"
problem is preventing your PC from receiving data from the remote station. If
you suspect this might be the case, see
Firewall Issues for more
information. You may also be able to find solutions in the
Support section of the EchoLink Web site. |
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Speaking
Back and Forth |
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Once you're connected, you can converse with
the remote station as in an ordinary QSO. The space bar works as a locking
"push-to-talk" switch. Tap the spacebar once to begin "transmitting", tap it
again to stop (don't hold it down). A red TX indicator appears on the screen
whenever EchoLink is "transmitting", that is, sending audio over the Internet to
the connected station. If you prefer, you can click the "lightning
bolt" icon near the upper left corner of the screen, instead of using the
spacebar. You can also change the software so that the spacebar is held down to
transmit and released to receive, more like a push-to-talk switch. See
Preferences for details. You can switch to Transmit only when the other
station is not already transmitting. When the other station is
transmitting, the letters RX appear in the status bar at the bottom right, and
the sound-level meter moves from left to right to show incoming sound. If you
see that the other station is speaking, but you do not hear audio from your PC
speakers, you may need to increase the volume on your sound device. Click the
loudspeaker icon near the bottom right-hand corner of your Windows screen to
adjust. Also, be sure the volume knob on your speakers is turned up. While transmitting, speak into the microphone
and watch the sound-level meter at the bottom-center of the EchoLink screen. The
meter moves farther to the right as the sound gets louder. For best results,
adjust your Windows Recording Volume settings so that the meter moves
vigorously, but does not reach full-scale except on peaks. |
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Chat |
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If the other station is also sitting in front
of his PC (rather than communicating over a radio link), you can "chat" while
connected by typing messages back and forth. Type a brief message in the box
near the bottom-right corner of the screen and click Send. The message you sent,
and any response you might receive, appear in the Chat window just above
it. Note that you can send a Chat message even while the other station is
transmitting. |
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Disconnecting |
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Once your conversation is finished, click on
the red "broken link" icon near the top of the screen to disconnect. You should
hear the "Disconnected" signal, and see the message "Not connected" near the
bottom of the screen. |
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How to use the DTMF functions, from RF
to Internet. |
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Command |
Description |
Default |
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Connect |
Connects to a station on the Internet, based on
its node number. |
num |
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Connect
by Call |
Connects to a station on the Internet, based on
its callsign. |
C+call+# |
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Random
Node |
Selects
an available node (of any type) at random, and
tries to connect to it. |
00 |
|
Random
Link |
Selects
an available link or repeater (-L or -R) at
random, and tries to connect to it. |
01 |
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Random
Conf |
Selects
a conference server at random, and tries to
connect to it. |
02 |
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Random
User |
Selects
an available single-user station at random, and
tries to connect to it. |
03 |
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RandomFavNode |
Selects
an available node (of any type) at random from the
Favorites List, and tries to connect to it. |
001 |
|
RandomFavLink |
Selects
an available link or repeater (-L or -R) at random
from the Favorites List, and tries to connect to
it. |
011 |
|
RandomFavConf |
Selects
a conference server at random from the Favorites
List, and tries to connect to it. |
021 |
|
RandomFavUser |
Selects
an available single-user station at random, and
tries to connect to it. |
031 |
|
Disconnect |
Disconnects the station that is currently
connected. If more than one station is connected,
disconnects only the most-recently-connected
station. |
# |
|
Disconnect All |
Disconnects all stations. |
## |
|
Reconnect |
Re-connects to the station that most recently
disconnected. |
09 |
|
Status |
Announces the callsign of each station currently
connected. |
08 |
|
Link
Down |
Disables EchoLink (no connections can be
established). |
(none) |
|
Link Up |
Enables
EchoLink. |
(none) |
|
Play
Info |
Plays a
brief ID message. |
* |
|
Query by
Call |
Looks
up a station by its callsign, and reads back its
node number and status. |
07+call+# |
|
Query by
Node |
Looks
up a station by its node number, and reads back
its callsign and status. |
06+num |
|
Profile
Select |
Switches to a different stored set of
configuration settings (0 through 9). |
B#+num |
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Listen-Only On |
Inhibits transmission from RF to the Internet. |
0511 |
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Listen-Only Off |
Restores normal transmission from RF to the
Internet. |
0510 |
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EchoLink®
software is offered free of charge to licensed
Amateur Radio operators worldwide, for Amateur Radio
use only. Please note that you must hold a valid
Amateur Radio license in order to use EchoLink. |
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See who's logged on to the system,
Go to
All Current Logins,
Conference Servers,
Links,
Users. |
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Windows Vista
EchoLink has been tested for compatibility with all
versions of Microsoft Windows Vista, the newest
edition of the Windows operating system. If you are
running EchoLink on Vista, please be sure you have
installed the latest version of EchoLink (2.0 or
above).
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Take a Tour
or see who is on the Echolink system right
now click
Here |
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Download the Echolink
user Guide you will need Acrobat Reader (PDF) you can
get it
Here
if already installed click
Here |
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EchoLink
Trouble-shooter If you're having trouble getting EchoLink to work
correctly, the EchoLink Trouble-shooter utility may
help. The Trouble-shooter helps solve the two most
common problems that new EchoLink users might
encounter, Cannot connect to other stations
(firewall/router issues), and Problems with audio
(sound card settings). |
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EchoLink and Windows XP SP2 For
computers running Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft will soon provide an
update known as Service Pack 2, or SP2. SP2 has some important new security
features. However, to use EchoLink with SP2, you will probably need to
make adjustments to the Windows security settings, click the link for
further information. |
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Echolink Vanity Node Numbers
are now available! This is a great way to get a short,
easy-to-remember ID for your node, and to help support
EchoLink. Most of the daily costs of running the EchoLink system are
offset by the Vanity Node Numbers program. |
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Echolink Proxy
Is a peer-to-peer system, by design. This means that when your node is
connected to another node over the Internet, the voice and text signals are sent
directly from one node to the other, rather than going through some central
server. This helps ensure that the system is scalable and reliable. |
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EchoLink Proxy List The following "public" EchoLink Proxy
servers have reported their status within the last 10 minutes. The
owners of each of the following servers have indicated (in their proxy
configuration file) that they welcome any registered EchoLink user to
use their EchoLink Proxy. These are shared resources; please be
considerate and use them sparingly. |
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Echolink proxy lookup
Operators of EchoLink Proxy servers have the option of
registering their server with this Web site, as a way
to track the server's public IP address, which may
change from time to time. If you have configured your
Proxy server for automatic registration, use this page
to discover your proxy server's current IP
address. You will need to know the RegistrationName
that appears in your ELProxy.conf configuration file. |
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Google Earth
is a desktop application that
provides detailed views of the Earth's surface by
combining a variety of data sources, such as maps
and satellite images. If you have installed this
program on your computer, you can also use it to
view the location of many active EchoLink nodes.The
Link Status
page now offers an option to view the location of
all active EchoLink nodes using the Google Earth
software. If your -L/-R node doesn't yet appear on
the Link Status page, be sure to enter the lat/lon
information in the EchoLink software on the RF Info
tab of under Tools->Sysop Settings, for Help and
FAQ go
Here |
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Echolink News Catch up with all the
latest news. |
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 This group is
for users of Echolink, to subscribe
to this group click on the logo. |
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The book contains plenty of detailed
information about EchoLink and other VoIP
systems, and answers many of the most
frequently-asked questions about Internet
linking. It's also a great way to help support
EchoLink, since a portion of the author's
proceeds from the book go directly to the
costs of operating the EchoLink system. |
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For details, Click
Here |
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Click
Here to read the reviews. |
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Echolink Add-ons. |
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Echostation Is a repeater-control program for Windows which
makes it easy to set up a complete, fully-functional repeater or
"announcement machine" using a personal computer. The software even lets you
set up an "announcement machine" which plays scheduled voice announcements
over your club's existing repeater, using a radio at another location, such
as a home station. Echostation
is perfect for portable and emergency use, or for clubs wishing to use a PC
instead of specialized hardware to control a repeater. It also makes
an excellent "store and forward" simplex repeater when connected to a single
transceiver. |
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EchoAnswer
Automatically answers
EchoLink calls when you can’t. It lets the person calling, leave a message
for you. It has both Answer-Record and Announce Only modes. You can
customize it with your own personal outgoing voice messages. EchoAnswer,
Freeware Version, will store up to five incoming messages. |
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EchoTime
TTS
(Text to Speech) is a free program that works with EchoLink by to
provide extra functions for an EchoLink node. |
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EchoCell Is a program that provides you with THE FINAL
solution for your EchoLink communications needs. Tired of dragging that
clunky HT around when that little flip phone fits so nicely in your shirt
pocket? Toss that HT, you won't be needing that thing any more! |
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EchoButtons Is a program that provides you with forty "Buddy
Buttons" for quick and easy connections thru EchoLink. No more scrolling
thru the list looking for the station you normally connect to. |
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Echo Tone
This is a Free courtesy tone system for Echolink, the system will send
the required tone as the Transmit or receive event completes. The Morse code
character used is only transmitted to the RF side of a line even if you have
vox enabled. |
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Echolink DTMF
This is a small
dialler program which allows you to generate DTMF tones with your PC
for use with the RF side of EchoLink |
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EchoAddons.com
Collection of EchoLink Add-Ons That can be use with
the K1RFD EchoLink® Program. |
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Echolink
hardware used on 430.1625 MHz with CTCSS
103.5. |
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Icom IC-449E, 10 watts in to a vertical Tri-Bander
base station aerial for 6m/2m/70cm. |
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ULI interface by
WB2REM &
G4CDY. |
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Echolink hardware used on 29.530 MHz no CTCSS. |
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Radio Shack HTX-10, 10 watts into a vertical Solarcon
A99. |
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ULI interface by
WB2REM &
G4CDY. |
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About eQSO. |
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eQSO system uses the Internet and a number of servers
to provide a voice communication link between RF
gateways and PC users. The system was developed by
Paul M0ZPD and is intended specifically for use by
Radio Amateurs,
eQSO
is a client / server software program designed by
Amateur Radio enthusiasts for linking Amateur Radio RF
gateways and repeaters via the Internet, the software
may be used by licensed Amateur Radio operators and
Short Wave Listeners provided the rules are followed. |
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eQSO
has now moved to a full registered system, you will
need to download the new version of the software. To
apply for registration go
Here or to download the
software click
Here |
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eQSO
Gateway list, to add your gateway or find out Who's
Online\Offline go
Here |
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This group is for users of eQSO, to
subscribe to this group click on the logo. |
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eQSO is a voluntary organization. It relies on
generous donations of time, money and
equipment to operate. Without the donation
eQSO as
we know it could simply not exist. |
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eQSO
hardware used on 144.825 MHz with CTCSS 103.5. |
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Alinco DR-130E,
10 watts in to a vertical Tri-Bander aerial for 6m/2m/70cm. |
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ULI interface by
WB2REM &
G4CDY. |
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eQSO
hardware used on 50.540 MHz with CTCSS 103.5. |
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Alinco DR-M06TH,
10 watts in to a vertical Tri-Bander aerial for 6m/2m/70cm. |
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ULI interface
by
WB2REM &
G4CDY. |
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eQSO hardware used on
GB3BK 1299.850 MHz with CTCSS 103.5. |
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Icom ICRP-1210,
1.2 GHz Amateur Repeater 10
Watts
in to a Diamond X-5000 Tri-Bander aerial
for 2/70/23,
with LDF-450. |
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Ami-2 all mode interface by
WB2REM &
G4CDY used on GB3BK. |
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Tait 2000, 10 watts in to a Sirio CX 4-68,
4 meter vertical aerial, eQSO rf gateway frequency is on 70.4125,
no ctcss required, this link is operated
with GB3BK which operates its own
dedicated server. |
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ULI interface
by
WB2REM &
G4CDY
used on 70.4125. |
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About
GB3BK. |
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The history of
GB3BK started in September 2006 when 2
enthusiasts G0TOD (Todd) and M1DMN (Bob) were
looking to get a new
23cm voice repeater to go on air in or
around London/Kent boarders, they finally ended
up banging on my front door asking if I was
interested in housing the repeater at my home QTH,
they didn't have to ask me twice I jumped at
the chance to help and to give my support in
any way I can. When the first application
was applied for there were some mixed feelings
the biggest being would it get
approved or rejected by the CAA (Civil
aviation authority), well it did get
rejected by the CAA so we
started to look at other possibilities maybe a 3 meg split
repeater but this didn't seem feasible the
question was would the cavities tune with
the odd split there was some doubt, we then
looked at maybe a parrot box as the last
resort, not wanting to be defeated or give
up it was
then someone suggested we apply again this time for another frequency
but further up the band, it took just over a
year to get the application though once it
was approved, our thanks go to Dave G7UZN
who tuned the repeater with the new crystal, retuning the
cavities to the new frequency and installing
the logic, TX
is 10 Watts
in to a Diamond X-5000 Tri-Bander aerial
for 2/70/23. |
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It has
taken all involved some time to get GB3BK on
air but its been worth the wait, maybe its
opened doors for any others or groups who
have been rejected in the past and want to
re-apply for a 23cm Voice repeater further
up the band.
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GB3BK is internet link
using the callsign GB3BK-R this will be
using the eQSO system, GB3BK will operated on its own
dedicated server (No access to any
other rooms and no DTMF commands), to access the repeater via eQSO
pc client Click on See Who's on the
system
scroll down the list and click on
gb3bk.no-ip.org, then click Connect
to Selected Room, please
call CQ you never know who maybe
listening, SWL (short wave
listeners) are also welcomed using the eQSO
system. |
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On
the same
server as GB3BK there is also another eQSO
gateway that is on 4 meters 70.4125 no ctcss
required from RF that way stations can use the 4
meter link to access 23cm repeater and visa
versa, to see the hardware used click
Here. |
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GB3BK finally come on air on
Sunday the 6th January 2008, All reports and
feedback are welcomed click
Here |
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Callsign |
Channel |
Band |
Input |
Output |
Qthr |
Location |
CTCSS |
|
GB3BK |
RM0A |
23cm |
1293.850 |
1299.850 |
JO01AK |
Bromley
Kent |
(G) 103.5 |
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With only a few
23cm repeaters doted around the UK, GB3BK is
the first 23cm Voice repeater to be found in London and within the
M25 Motorway. |
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Channel |
Repeater Out |
Repeater In |
|
RM0 |
1297.000 MHz |
1291.000 MHz |
|
RM1 |
1297.025 MHz |
1291.025 MHz |
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RM2 |
1297.050 MHz |
1291.050 MHz |
|
RM3 |
1297.075 MHz |
1291.075 MHz |
|
RM4 |
1297.100 MHz |
1291.100 MHz |
|
RM5 |
1297.125 MHz |
1291.125 MHz |
|
RM6 |
1297.150 MHz |
1291.150 MHz |
|
RM7 |
1297.175 MHz |
1291.175 MHz |
|
RM8 |
1297.200 MHz |
1291.200 MHz |
|
RM9 |
1297.225 MHz |
1291.225 MHz |
|
RM10 |
1297.250 MHz |
1291.250 MHz |
|
RM11 |
1297.275 MHz |
1291.275 MHz |
|
RM12 |
1297.300 MHz |
1291.300 MHz |
|
RM13 |
1297.325 MHz |
1291.325 MHz |
|
RM14 |
1297.350 MHz |
1291.350 MHz |
|
RM14A |
1297.350 MHz |
1277.350 MHz |
|
RM15 |
1297.375 MHz |
1291.375 MHz |
|
RM0A |
1299.850 MHz |
1293.850 MHz |
|
23cm
coverage map
or
23cm
locations map |
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The
contours represent 20dBµV/m (green), and
30dBµV/m (blue) for a receiving antenna of 12dB
gain at 1.5 metres above ground level.
As is the case with all radio amateur
situations, reception may be obtained by the use
of improved gain and favourable locations,
Click on
map to expand. |
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Join
the 23cms_fm_group,
To subscribe click on the logo. |
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|
Icom ICRP-1210,
1.2 GHz Amateur Repeater 10
Watts
in to a Diamond X-5000 Tri-Bander aerial
for 2/70/23,
with LDF-450. |
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Zetron Model 38 is an advanced
repeater panel that is capable of
handling 50 CTCSS tones and 110 DCS
codes simultaneously. Its ability to
accommodate up to 160 user groups
makes it ideal for scan-based
trunking applications,
Spec-sheet. |
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Vari-Notch cavities manufactured by
TX RX
Systems Inc |
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RF
Reports. |
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What
keeps it all running. |
| |
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All
6 radio links and interfaces are powered by a 60
amp PSU. Echolink on 430.1625 and eQSO on 144.825
are operated from one computer. Echolink on 29.530 and eQSO
on 50.540 on a second
computer, eQSO on 70.4125 on a third
and running the eQSO server software,
GB3BK-R operates on a forth. |
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BT-2700HGV, This wireless ADSL modem/router
is so trustworthy that BT send it out with
their expensive business package.
It is a wireless base station for the home
or small office network that comes with a
built-in ADSL modem, and also with 4 10/100
Ethernet networking ports, providing
flexibility and compatibility! |
| |
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|
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Netgear GS608
Gigabit 10\100\1000 Power for the Home, for a
high-speed network on a small scale, these fast,
easy, and affordable Gigabit switches gives your
home network the maximum capacity to handle huge
bandwidth. |
| |
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The Belkin Gigabit
10\100\1000 Desktop Network PCI Card lets you
easily upgrade your desktop computer to full
gigabit speeds. It's backward-compatible with
your existing 10/100 network. |
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Two-Way
Radio in Motor Vehicles. |
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|
The use of 2-way radio equipment (unless the device can
also be used as a phone) when driving is not included in the new offence. It
must be remembered that there is still a risk of distraction and prosecution
under other laws should an accident occur. |
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|
If stopped by the police for operating mobile amateur
radio, the reference to quote is: |
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|
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment)
(No.4) Regulations 2003 Statutory Instrument 2003 No 2695. This lays out
clearly the exemptions under the new law. Statutory Instrument No. 2695 can
be viewed
Here |
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|
