EchoLink for Dummies Questions/Answers

[old_man]

I am a new Ham, but in no way new to radio and communications. I have been designing spread spectrum radios for commercial and military use for years. Getting the Ham license was a breeze because the technical stuff is what I do all day.

I have used EchoLink over the web and my cell phone but now I want to connect with my 2 meter radio. Correct me if I am wrong, but I need to connect through an EchoLink enabled repeater, correct?

Once I have the radio set up for the repeater (frequencies and tones) and I am within range, how do I access an EchoLink NET? I know the net# I want to connect to.

I have run across some info about DTMF signaling but that looks like it is probably only for who ever is controlling the link.

Can someone outline a step a, b, c sequence of how to connect?

My questions may seem weird but if I am on a repeater and listening to a EchoLink Net, does that preclude anybody else from using that repeater? If I am listening and then decide to go offline, how would I relinquish the repeater?

If somebody is trying to hit the local repeater with emergency traffic, how does the net know to quit sending to that repeater?

 

[Prerunner1982]

You would need an echolink enabled repeater nearby and you would want to ask the repeater trustee if it would be ok to tie up their repeater for about an hour and put a call out on the repeater advising you will be connecting to echolink in xx number of minutes if anyone had any traffic they needed to handle.
You would need to use DTMF tones to tell the repeater you want it to connect to Echolink and to disconnect when you are done.
While you are using the repeater for Echolink anyone within RF range of that repeater will hear the Echolink connection and can check in, however the repeater can no longer be used for local communication without it also being broadcast over the echolink connection. In this case it would go to the Net.
If there was emergency traffic it would go to the net, either the net control would handle the emergency traffic or you/someone within RF of the repeater would use DTMF tones to disconnect the repeater.

Going to lunch now. Perhaps someone will chime in while I am out and finish up what I started or I will when I return.

 

[Prerunner1982]

I don't have an echolink repeater real close to play with but it looks pretty straight forward to connect.
You may key up and press 08 to check the repeater status (it should say "disconnected" or "connected to...").
You may test your audio by keying up and pressing 9999 which is the ECHOTEST node, it should talk to you and give you a chance to speak and then play it back so you can hear yourself.

To connect: Key up and enter the node #. If the system connects you should hear "connected".
To disconnect: Key up and press #. You should hear "Disconnected".

 

[Jeffrey Dill]

I was in the same boat. In fact, I actually brought it up as a topic on last week's net.

With help from @Brentc17 and getting in touch with the guy who set up the Echolink node on our local repeater, I was finally able to get connected from my mobile.

That being said, here's the steps (as I see it):

1. Find a local repeater that has an Echolink node configured.
2. Contact the person/group that maintains the repeater and verify with them that it's OK for you to utilize their node. It's possible that they only use it for their own hosting, only make it available to club members, etc.
3. Assuming you have permission to utilize the node, they'll need to detail for you how to connect to/through the node. The DTMF tones are universal but how they're recognized and responded to is dependent on how the node on your local repeater was configured. For example, on the node that I use, they have it configured to where you enter the node number you're wanting to connect to followed by the pound sign. Some nodes might be set up to expect a pound sign followed the node number, an asterisk followed by the node number, etc.
4. When you're done utilizing the node, be sure to disconnect by transmitting a pound sign via DTMF. Otherwise, your connection will remain active, tying up the local node.

I think the most important piece is to simply establish that relationship with the maintainer of the local repeater. Firstly, because you want to make sure they approve of your use and, secondly, because it's likely that you won't even be able to connect without them telling you how.

 

[old_man]

I don't have an echolink repeater real close to play with but it looks pretty straight forward to connect.
You may key up and press 08 to check the repeater status (it should say "disconnected" or "connected to...").
You may test your audio by keying up and pressing 9999 which is the ECHOTEST node, it should talk to you and give you a chance to speak and then play it back so you can hear yourself.

To connect: Key up and enter the node #. If the system connects you should hear "connected".
To disconnect: Key up and press #. You should hear "Disconnected".

The part a noob (aka ME) would not understand is where did the 08 come from? Is there a magic decoder ring somewhere you guys keep hidden?

 

[old_man]

This has been a great help. I was hoping to join the net tonight while driving across PA. I guess that wouldn't work. I'll just do it with my cell instead.

 

[Prerunner1982]

Sorry, meant to attach the DTMF common codes.

 

[old_man]

Sorry, meant to attach the DTMF common codes.

View attachment 97776

So given:
Where : Echolink Node 591550 (USA-GNG) known also as Grits N Gravy, DMR TG 1137550 and Allstar 41130 (from the thread about the OB NET)

I would simply press the PTT button and key in 06591550 to see if the node was up and running, and if so then just 591550 to join?
And when I want to leave press the PTT button and key in #?

 

[Prerunner1982]

Yes sir, that looks correct to me given the repeater is programmed to use the common codes.
But I am no expert on this subject, hopefully someone can chime in and confirm/deny.

 

[brien]

The part a noob (aka ME) would not understand is where did the 08 come from? Is there a magic decoder ring somewhere you guys keep hidden?

Great question! There are a known set of DTMF commands that can be sent. 08 is the command used to announce the status of any EchoLink connection.

Here's the full list of commands:

DTMF Functions

Edit: whoops, I should have scrolled down to see the rest of the comments before my reply. Looks like @Prerunner1982 already had this one answered!

 

[hfd376]

I'm getting my feet wet in the echolink world, so bear with me! I was a little late connecting to node 591550, and get a "no route available to the station you selected". Was this because the net had started, or operator error?

 

[TerryD]

Try connecting to me KT4OZ or Ed N7PHY and see if you can connect that way.

 

[hfd376]

I'm on now Terry, thank you!