Echolink - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

EchoLink is a free computer-based Amateur Radio system that allows radio amateurs to communicate with other amateur radio operators using Voice over IP

Voice over IP

Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...

(VoIP) technology on the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

for at least part of the path between them. It was designed by Jonathan Taylor, a radio amateur with callsign K1RFD.

The system allows reliable worldwide connections to be made between radio amateurs, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio's communications capabilities. In essence it is the same as other VoIP applications (such as Skype

Skype

Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...

), but with the unique addition of the ability to link to an amateur radio station

Amateur radio station

An amateur radio station is an installation designed to provide radiocommunications in the amateur radio service for an amateur radio operator. Radio amateurs build and operate several types of amateur radio stations, including fixed ground stations, mobile stations, space stations, and temporary...

's transceiver

Transceiver

A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...

. Thus any low-power handheld amateur radio transceiver which can contact a local Echolink node (A node is an active Echolink station with a transceiver attached) can then use the Internet connection of that station to send their transmission via VOIP to any other active Echolink node, world-wide. No special hardware or software is required to relay a transmission via an Echolink node.

Before using the system it is necessary for a prospective user's callsign to be validated. The EchoLink system requires that each new user provide positive proof of license and identity before his or her callsign is added to the list of validated users. There is no cost for this service, and it ensures that this system is used only by licensed amateur radio operators.

The software is written to run on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows. Another edition of the software runs on Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad), and is available from the Apple App Store. Finally, an Android version is available on the Android Market.

Uses

Radio amateurs using the EchoLink software can operate it in one of two modes:

Single User Mode. If they have an Internet-connected computer, they can use the computer's microphone and speakers to connect to (or through - see below) other EchoLink-enabled computers over the Internet and talk to the amateur at the other end.
Sysop Mode. This entails connecting their own VHF or UHF transceiver to their Internet-connected PC with a specially-designed hardware interface. Doing this enables another radio amateur with their own transceiver, who is within radio range of this station, to communicate with (or through) any other EchoLink-equipped station anywhere in the world. This is the unique feature of EchoLink.

Radio amateurs without the EchoLink software or a computer connected to the Internet can take advantage of the EchoLink network if they are within radio range of a sysop mode EchoLink station. It is also possible to link a sysop mode EchoLink station to a local repeater

Amateur radio repeater

An amateur radio repeater is an electronic device that receives a weak or low-level amateur radio signal and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power, so that the signal can cover longer distances without degradation...

, further enhancing the communication possibilities.

Smartphone Editions

Editions of EchoLink are also available for two of the major smartphone

Smartphone

A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...

platforms. In February 2010, an edition of EchoLink was released for the Apple iPhone

IPhone

The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

, iPad

IPad

The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...

, and iPod touch

IPod touch

The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...

on the App Store. In August 2010, an edition of EchoLink was released for the Android platform, and is now available on the Android Market. Both the iOS and Android editions were created by Jonathan Taylor (K1RFD), the author of the original Windows edition.

EchoLink-compatible software for other operating systems

Open source

Open-source software

Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...

software packages that are largely compatible with EchoLink are available for Macintosh (EchoMac) and Linux (echoLinux or SvxLink/Qtel), but at the present time (February 2007) they have limited features compared to the Windows version, at least when comparing the desktop applications.

If only the sysop mode is required, the SvxLink Server for Linux is a good alternative. It has features that go beyond the original software and its openness makes it quite easy to extend with new functionality.

EchoIRLP is a software add on for IRLP which enables an IRLP node to operate as a sysop mode EchoLink station.

Note: the EchoLink software, which is designed to run on Microsoft Windows, has also been known to work on several Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

builds as well if loaded through Wine

Wine (software)

Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...

. This route may be the best route to go for the beginner Linux user as many of the Linux applications require some expertise to install.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Uses

Smartphone Editions

EchoLink-compatible software for other operating systems

See also

External links