Posted: 12/8/2015 5:45:38 PM EDT
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Okay, here's the tough part about this. I don't know enough to ask proper questions. So I'll be pretty general, and hope that someone will come up with something.
I was going to try to reach some friends via 2 Meters, 2500 miles away. I looked at Echolink, and it appears that an Internet-connected computer has to be involved at at least one end of the conversation. That doesn't work, for my purposes. Am I overlooking something? Is there another method (besides HF or landlines)? Or do I need to wait for technology to catch up to my requirements? Basically, assume this.... Two independent hunting parties, out of range of cell towers, and on opposite ends of the country, want to keep in touch via their 2-meter HTs. Assume both can hit local repeaters. Maybe I'm not asking the right questions? |
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start reading about IRLP. This will work if both of you can hit an IRLP via your HTs (small chance but possible depending on your area)
http://irlp.net/ |
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ok, it is easy to block out:
radio over ip ROIP guy on a radio <--> cool repeater connected in some fashion to a computer running an roip flavor <--> da internet <--> another cool repeater connected in some fashion to a computer running the same flavor of roip <--> guy on a radio. NOW, the echolink is just a shade different in that it has a couple of ways of using echolink enabled repeaters or links WITHOUT a guy on a radio. so you got a guy on one end of the chain above but a guy on a computer with a mic and speaker on the other running echolink software on something. like a tablet or phone or pc etc etc. NOT required though. you can certainly use radios on both ends of an echolink 'connection'. most of the other 'flavors' of roip require a guy with a radio on all ends concerned. hoping to keep the amateur radio in the thick of it since there are plenty of non amateur radio voip solutions out there. that's the short of it. the suggested reading is good but i'll plug: allstarlink.org since that's what I run on my repeater system. I used to run irlp back in the 3 digit days but strayed away then just picked up allstar. be glad to help ya more if ya need. 73 'monkey Quoted:
Okay, here's the tough part about this. I don't know enough to ask proper questions. So I'll be pretty general, and hope that someone will come up with something. I was going to try to reach some friends via 2 Meters, 2500 miles away. I looked at Echolink, and it appears that an Internet-connected computer has to be involved at at least one end of the conversation. That doesn't work, for my purposes. Am I overlooking something? Is there another method (besides HF or landlines)? Or do I need to wait for technology to catch up to my requirements? Basically, assume this.... Two independent hunting parties, out of range of cell towers, and on opposite ends of the country, want to keep in touch via their 2-meter HTs. Assume both can hit local repeaters. Maybe I'm not asking the right questions? |
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Quoted:
I was going to try to reach some friends via 2 Meters, 2500 miles away. I looked at Echolink, and it appears that an Internet-connected computer has to be involved at at least one end of the conversation. That doesn't work, for my purposes. Am I overlooking something? Is there another method (besides HF or landlines)? Or do I need to wait for technology to catch up to my requirements? Basically, assume this.... Two independent hunting parties, out of range of cell towers, and on opposite ends of the country, want to keep in touch via their 2-meter HTs. Assume both can hit local repeaters. What exactly is the scenario you're planning for here? Two groups separated by 2500 miles will be able to do precious little to help each other, especially if both are reduced to only having 2m HT as sole-source comms. If one party has internet, then sure, any number of repeater linking solutions exist, and the connected party can call 911 if somebody gets hurt in the woods. If neither party has any workable internet, then yes, both parties will need an HF operator who really knows their shit, preferably with relays and other infrastructure in between. |
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Quoted:
What exactly is the scenario you're planning for here? Two groups separated by 2500 miles will be able to do precious little to help each other, especially if both are reduced to only having 2m HT as sole-source comms. If one party has internet, then sure, any number of repeater linking solutions exist, and the connected party can call 911 if somebody gets hurt in the woods. If neither party has any workable internet, then yes, both parties will need an HF operator who really knows their shit, preferably with relays and other infrastructure in between. Quoted:
Quoted:
I was going to try to reach some friends via 2 Meters, 2500 miles away. I looked at Echolink, and it appears that an Internet-connected computer has to be involved at at least one end of the conversation. That doesn't work, for my purposes. Am I overlooking something? Is there another method (besides HF or landlines)? Or do I need to wait for technology to catch up to my requirements? Basically, assume this.... Two independent hunting parties, out of range of cell towers, and on opposite ends of the country, want to keep in touch via their 2-meter HTs. Assume both can hit local repeaters. What exactly is the scenario you're planning for here? Two groups separated by 2500 miles will be able to do precious little to help each other, especially if both are reduced to only having 2m HT as sole-source comms. If one party has internet, then sure, any number of repeater linking solutions exist, and the connected party can call 911 if somebody gets hurt in the woods. If neither party has any workable internet, then yes, both parties will need an HF operator who really knows their shit, preferably with relays and other infrastructure in between. This is not an emergency scenario by any stretch of the imagination. This (if it happens) has more to do with extended family, on simultaneous hunting trips, with 3 birthdays and a 50th anniversary all happening during the trip. The biggest catastrophe I envision is that my buddy won't be able to wish his uncle a happy 78th birthday. Thought it would be a nice gesture and something special for the old guys if I can pull it off. And the knowledge is one more tool in the box. |
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Quoted:
... not an emergency scenario...The biggest catastrophe I envision is that my buddy won't be able to wish his uncle a happy 78th birthday... Ah, then forgive me - I thought we were leaning towards something entirely different. Your solution will involve commercial internet, then. If no IRLP or Echolink repeaters exist, you could always make your own (on both ends) on shared/non-coordinated pairs and use Allstar for your link. Doable by the average hobbyist, probably not going to be cheap if you're on your own, though. |
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Useful info so far, thanks to all!
Okay, more information creates more questions. I've found a local repeater that connects with both IRLP and Echolink nodes (IRLP just requires the 4-digit tone combo, Echolink is * plus the node number). When I access the IRLP, I assume I'm going through sort of a "back door" into the distant repeater. So I don't need to worry about squelch codes or offsets. True? Also, I have not yet attempted to access Echolink through this one. Is the procedure the same? I haven't gotten any QSOs this way yet, I'm assuming that's just from a lack of local traffic. Or are there further security measures in the system that I'm not aware of? Thinking that my original plan may not work due to the lack of nodes out in the boonies. But a lot depends on who draws what tags, and for what areas. |
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Quoted:
Okay, here's the tough part about this. I don't know enough to ask proper questions. So I'll be pretty general, and hope that someone will come up with something. I was going to try to reach some friends via 2 Meters, 2500 miles away. I looked at Echolink, and it appears that an Internet-connected computer has to be involved at at least one end of the conversation. That doesn't work, for my purposes. Am I overlooking something? Is there another method (besides HF or landlines)? Or do I need to wait for technology to catch up to my requirements? Basically, assume this.... Two independent hunting parties, out of range of cell towers, and on opposite ends of the country, want to keep in touch via their 2-meter HTs. Assume both can hit local repeaters. Maybe I'm not asking the right questions? The part in red depends............................. Neither guy using an HT needs to have an internet connected computer. But, both of the local repeaters has to have an internet connected computer and be running Echolink (or IRLP or................) You get on your local repeater and encode whatever is required to bring up Echolink (or whatever), then you input the code to connect your repeater with the other repeater your buddy is using. Then you work each other from 2500 miles using two HTs. So, first you have to each find a repeater in your respective local area that you can hit with an HT that ALSO provides Echolink. This can also be done with D-Star, IRLP and probably other ways. The thing with Echolink as opposed to IRLP is that you CAN use a computer instead of a radio, or you can even use your cell phone. Both parties CAN be using some type of computer like device. Or both parties can be using a radio........................... EDIT: While I was typing, you posted and it looks like you have this figured out. |
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Quoted:
Useful info so far, thanks to all! Okay, more information creates more questions. I've found a local repeater that connects with both IRLP and Echolink nodes (IRLP just requires the 4-digit tone combo, Echolink is * plus the node number). When I access the IRLP, I assume I'm going through sort of a "back door" into the distant repeater. So I don't need to worry about squelch codes or offsets. True? Also, I have not yet attempted to access Echolink through this one. Is the procedure the same? I haven't gotten any QSOs this way yet, I'm assuming that's just from a lack of local traffic. Or are there further security measures in the system that I'm not aware of? Thinking that my original plan may not work due to the lack of nodes out in the boonies. But a lot depends on who draws what tags, and for what areas. No, you do not need PL tones or anything for the other connected repeater. You don't need to worry about anything with the other repeater. The other repeater might even be on a different band than the one you are on. You only need to worry about what it takes to get into your local repeater. The access codes for this stuff are as far as I know, is something the owner of the repeater decides. I don't believe there are standard codes you can use anywhere but I don't actually know this for sure. I very well may be wrong on this but I have never heard otherwise. I have never brought up any of this stuff on a repeater although I have worked hundreds of contacts using IRLP because the local repeater had it turned on all the time. I used to monitor the Western Reflector all the time, for many years. I worked people all over the world on it. But I just answered them: they logged into the Western Reflector, not me. If you get on one of these services, give out your callsign and it's just like being on any other repeater. If there is someone there listening and they want to talk to you, they will. I hear people get on our local repeater via Echolink and most of the time, nobody answers them simply because our local repeater has very little activity. I usually don't answer them either because I leave the radio on 24/7 and am doing something else at the time. |
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Interesting. I was checking out the local repeaters yesterday and a guy was on one of them, accessing another local repeater via IRLP to get around a mountain that was in the way.
Great information so far, I'm smarter than I was a couple of days ago, lol. Anybody else wants to check in, I'm grateful for any and all information, techniques, helpful hints, etc. And still doing the preliminary research on available linked repeaters. Don't know exactly where we'll be, though, but information is power. |