EchoLink - Ham Radio over the Internet by K5HUM Ham Radio on the Internet Hints and Tips for EchoLink Users by G.Mike Raymond - K5HUM also published as Chapter 21 in the ARRL's new Amateur Radio Public Service Handbook. ISBN: 978-0-87259-484-5 Last updated Wednesday 4th of March 2015 RSS Subscribe If you havent checked out The Briefings Room yet, try it now! Hints and Tips is now available to D/L in PDF Format What is EchoLink? About EchoLink Hints WHO CREATED ECHOLINK GOOD OPERATING PRACTICES CONNECTION PROBLEMS ICON REPRESENTATION NODE NUMBERS The SPACEBAR Your PROFILE TIMEOUTS CONNECTION ATTEMPT TIMEOUT BUSY MODE (the Hand) CONFERENCING TEXT CHAT Callsign LOG TEST SERVER The ALARM SECURITY LOST YOUR PASSWORD Locating Echolink Data Files PORT BLOCKS Android APP for Smart Phones Additional EchoLink RESOURCES *********************************** What are PodCast? and HAM's who Podcast HAM VOIP RESOURCES Other Non Ham VOIP Clients Text Chat with a Browser only! Free DNS Services REMOTE Desktop VIEWING Software SDR or Software Defined Radio Preventing Internet Hanky Panky FREE Google Phone Service http://arc.tzo.com/ham/echolink.php#TOP4[3/4/2015 11:08:28 PM] EchoLink - Ham Radio over the Internet by K5HUM Viewer Comments About K5HUM Latest info on PopNote! FreeWare worth Investigating! Send a PRIVATE E-Message Return Welcome and thank you for visiting. For non Ham curious visitors, Echolink is a means by which Licensed Ham Radio operators can use the Internet to expand their typical radio only capability. Echolink is a free software program that runs on a computer and utilizes special servers to connect, relay and facilitate connections. If you find this Blog useful, or wish to critique it, your Comments" are welcome. If you are an experienced Echolink user, I hope you learn a new trick during your visit here, and if you know of a trick or have a useful tip that's not mentioned here, please tell me about it so it can be added here. Credit will be acknowledged! Im also pleased to report that this "Echolink Hints and Tips" article was selected by the ARRL to be published in the first edition of their new "Amateur Radio Public Service Handbook". The ISBN# is 978-0-87259- 484-5 Thanks! Return Why EchoLink Hints? After using EchoLink for some time I noticed a lot of users, both new and old, who might benefit from some of these Hints and Tips. Here is most everything you need to know about using EchoLink for basic peer to peer or round table (conference) chatting. If you find this Blog useful, or wish to critique it, your Comments are welcome. Return WHO CREATED ECHOLINK EchoLink was created by Jonathan Taylor, chief engineer of the Synergenics http://arc.tzo.com/ham/echolink.php#TOP4[3/4/2015 11:08:28 PM] EchoLink - Ham Radio over the Internet by K5HUM Corporation, also known as K1RFD to his Ham friends. Jonathan gave EchoLink as a gift to the Ham Radio community. He also created EchoStation, a repeater-control program for Windows, for which he charges a small reasonable fee. Return GOOD OPERATING PRACTICES Before continuing with this article, I suggest you read Arguments for Proving Identity. New to EchoLink? Although most Hams are eager and willing to help those new to EchoLink, it might save some time and frustration if you first connect to the EchoLink TEST Server (found under the "Station" sub menu "Connect to Test Server"). Reason? Here you can transmit then listen to what you just sent (called your echo). This allows you to hear exactly what others will hear and tweak your audio levels if required. This insures readability BEFORE you attempt to communicate with others. Some Hams monitor for new connections and immediately connect to those with high Node numbers offering assistance, but it is best not to depend on it. Although you can reasonably assume that anyone shown as "active" wants to chat, you should think of EchoLink as if it were a typical ham band. How often have you heard a station calling CQ but failed to get a QSO going? If you are scanning the active user list for a QSO and you succeed in getting a CONNECT, please do NOT wait for the other Ham to start the QSO after you make the connection. It is considered proper form to talk first with an invitation to engage in a QSO. Would you knock on a door and then after it opens just stand there silently? If you are running EchoLink, but temporarily leave your terminal un monitored (like when taking a landline call), I suggest you put EchoLink in "Busy" mode by clicking the white hand in the tool bar. There also seems to be a great deal of impatience when users get a Connect but get no reply within 10 seconds or so. Might I also suggest one full minute before you blast off? I know there are many occasions when I am AFK for a very short time, not warranting going into Busy mode, as I am typically just refilling my coffee cup or dealing with Mother Nature. If your intention is to connect to another Ham or Link or Repeater station with the desire to only read the mail, that's fine and even encouraged. Many new Hams starting out with EchoLink do not have microphones connected or operating properly. No matter what your reason for connecting, it is still considered courteous to at least announce your presence and intention, if not by voice, then by a text message. This way, no one will be left guessing as to the purpose of your visit. Regarding station ID requirements, peer to peer (or direct connects) on EchoLink do not require signing with calls. Connects to Station Links and Repeaters do. However, as a matter of habit and courtesy, most hams on http://arc.tzo.com/ham/echolink.php#TOP4[3/4/2015 11:08:28 PM] EchoLink - Ham Radio over the Internet by K5HUM EchoLink always sign; if not everytime, then every so often. If you are a busy guy like me, you probably want to do other things on your PC while chatting on EchoLink. Here is an operational tip that will allow you to confirm EchoLink's transmit or receive status in a flash. This can be useful when you "think" you toggled back to receive yet are still in Transmit mode. Reposition the EchoLink window so that its Status Bar is just above the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your Desktop. Now, take your Browser, E- Mail clients etc and reposition them so their Status Bar rest just above the Status bar of EchoLinks. Now EchoLink's status bar will always be visible on your Desktop, above your Taskbar, indicating transmit activity by the RED [TX] Transmit flag on the right side of EchoLinks Status Bar or Green [RX] when in receive mode. In addition, you can avoid having to return focus to EchoLink (i.e. putting EchoLink back on TOP of your Desktop) in order to regain control of the transmit toggle. How? Easy, you can configure EchoLink to use the "Enter" key on the numeric keypad (my choice) to provide a "System Wide" PTT functionality. Meaning it matters not whatever program has Focus (is on top) as focus will no longer an issue. Go there vi the Tools menu, then the Preferences sub menu, then click the Connection Tab at the top, followed by clicking the PTT button). When making this change, remember it is important to put a check the "System Wide" box in the setup menu. You can also configure a few other keys for wide area PPT but I find the keypad's Enter key to be the most convenient for how I operate. Return CONNECTION PROBLEMS A frequent error message when attempting to connect to another uses is "Cannot Connect to (Users IP) - No Route Available". This means the user you tried to connect up with has blocked ports. Typically these are new users (check their node number - if over 500,000 they are relatively new). If you are interested in being a good Samaritan you can go to QRZ.COM, enter their call letters and check to see if they publish an e-mail contact address and then write offering assistance. The solutions to curing port blocks vary a great deal with your particular setup (i.e. type of modem/router and software firewalls used). Because of the large number of combination possibilities I can only offer a good "generic" solution here. Many newer DSL Modems (the Westel's in particular) have a rudimentary internal firewall that blocks all inbound traffic except on the major ports used by the Web and E-Mail clients. You should DMZ or set the Modem to "Port Follow-through" mode. Next, DMZ the router (block nothing) on the LAN IP of the PC Echolink is running on. Finally STOP Blocking (if using XP SP2+ internal firewall) when the Blocking Security alert pops up. CAVEAT: If you DMZ the Router on the Node (PC) that EchoLink is running on, its important you run a software firewall. Enabling Windows XP SP2+ built in firewall is your best bet. If anyone is intent on using their routers NAT as a hardware firewall and going thru the process of port forwarding, there is http://arc.tzo.com/ham/echolink.php#TOP4[3/4/2015 11:08:28 PM] EchoLink - Ham Radio over the Internet by K5HUM an excellent web site with many setup menus for almost all manufacturers hardware at PORTFORWARD.COM.