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EchoLink User`s Guide

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1. To enable this feature choose Sysop Settings from the Tools menu select the RX Control tab and choose Serial CD Serial CTS or Serial DSR EchoLink User s Guide System Requirements EchoLink is designed to work on personal computers meeting the following minimum requirements e Intel Pentium or compatible CPU 133 MHz or higher The program has been tested successfully on a 486DX4 at 75 MHz but a 133 MHz Pentium is recommended as a minimum system e Any of the following Microsoft Windows versions o Windows 95 Winsock 2 and Internet Explorer 4 0 or above also required Windows 98 Windows 98 Second Edition Windows Me Windows NT 4 0 Workstation or Server Service Pack 3 or higher Windows 2000 Professional Server or Advanced Server Windows XP All editions o Windows Server 2003 e Color display with resolution of 800x600 or higher The program will work with 640x480 resolution but with diminished usability e 8 or 16 bit sound card or built in sound hardware with appropriate Windows drivers Full duplex capability is recommended for all modes and required for Sysop mode e Dial up or dedicated Internet connection 24 kbps or higher in each direction 128 kbps upstream ISDN cable modem DSL or better is recommended for Conferencing capability For TCP IP port requirements see Firewall Issues p 65 e Approximately 5 MB free disk space e Sufficient RAM to meet the minimum operating system requirements
2. 40 EchoLink User s Guide Disable Link In Sysop mode enables or disables the program When EchoLink is disabled your callsign will no longer appear in the Station List and incoming connections will not be accepted Choose this item again to re enable the link Listen Only Mode In Sysop mode prevents any transmissions received over the RF link from being sent over the Internet to the remote station This is useful for monitoring a conference while assuring that any local RF activity IDs squelch tails etc does not interrupt it inadvertently Select this item again to clear Listen Only mode and return to normal operation EchoLink will also return to normal operation automatically when the current connection is dropped Setup Opens the Setup dialog which provides access to basic configuration of EchoLink For more information see Setup p 10 Preferences Opens the Preferences dialog which provides access to user preference options For more information see Preferences p 16 Sysop Settings This item is available only if EchoLink is running in Sysop mode Opens the Sysop dialog which provides access to advanced features applicable only to Sysop mode For more information see Sysop Settings p 23 Link Setup Wizard Starts a wizard that creates a basic Sysop configuration based on answers to a few questions about your link This Wizard is recommended for first time users who have a transceiver connected to the PC fo
3. 210 sc Receive time irri fo sec Insetiviy timeout 0 see Receive hang lime 1200 msec Connect Attempt Specifies how long EchoLink will try to establish a connection with another station If there is no response from the other station by this time EchoLink cancels the request The default is 30 seconds Transmit Time Limit Specifies how long EchoLink will allow a single transmission from this computer to another station on the Internet to be If the time limit is approaching a special warning message appears near the bottom of the screen If the limit is exceeded EchoLink automatically stops transmitting The default is 210 seconds Enter O to configure no such time limit 12 EchoLink User s Guide Receive Time Limit Specified how long EchoLink will allow another station s transmission from the Internet to this computer to be If the limit is exceeded EchoLink automatically disconnects the other station Enter O the default to configure no such time limit Inactivity Timeout Specifies how long EchoLink will allow a connection to remain connected if neither station is making a transmission If the time limit is exceeded EchoLink automatically disconnects Enter O to specify no such time limit which is the default Receive Hang Time Specifies how long EchoLink remains in receive mode after the remote station has stopped sending This value is specified in milliseconds 1 second 1000 ms The default is 1200 ms o
4. a dial up Internet service for example or a fast one Choose the option which best describes the type of connection you have Interface If you selected Sysop mode you ll be asked to indicate which type of interface board you are using and which COM port it is connected to The list of COM ports shows COM1 through COM8 although not all 8 ports may be installed on your machine Be sure to select the correct port and verify that the port is not already in use by another application For more information about the types of interfaces EchoLink Supports see Interfacing p 7 Import If you have previously used LINK on the same computer the Setup Wizard offers you the option of setting up EchoLink the same way by importing your iLINK EchoLink User s Guide settings Unless you have a specific reason to begin with different settings choose the Import these settings option You can always make changes later Settings If you have not previously used LINK or chose not to import the original settings you ll be asked to enter some information about your station Callsign Set the callsign exactly as you wish to be registered with EchoLink If you have already registered use the same callsign you used previously The callsign must be at least 3 characters long and may not contain spaces or punctuation except as part of a L or R suffix If you are planning to run in Sysop mode put an L or R at the end of your call to
5. but ignore other incidentals such as the tail the courtesy tone and the squelch crash at the end This is very important when two repeaters are linked to each other to prevent endless ping ponging of one repeater bringing up the other Here are some tips for adjusting the VOX for use with a repeater 1 Set the VOX threshold carefully This is the horizontal slider below the audio level indicator The VOX threshold should be set just above the audio level of the repeater s dead carrier so that it trips on voices but not on the repeater s tail Watch the purple SIG annunciator while adjusting the VOX threshold 2 If necessary adjust the VOX delay The default value of 1200 ms is appropriate in most situations If you decide to change the value type it in directly rather than using the up down buttons 3 Use the Smart VOX feature Checking the Squelch Crash Anti Trip box on the RX Ctrl tab enables this When this feature is enabled EchoLink s VOX will ignore short noise bursts such as the repeater s courtesy tone and the squelch crash when the repeater s carrier drops Set the time constant to a value slightly higher than the longer of these two signals Typical settings are 250 ms for a repeater with a short courtesy tone or 80 ms for a repeater with no courtesy tone Note that the Smart VOX feature does not necessarily Suppress these signals in the audio path it merely prevents them from triggering or holding open
6. communicate over a single connection such as a connection to the Internet Routers have become more common in homes as home networks and high speed connections such as cable or DSL have become more popular Typically cable companies and DSL service providers allocate only one Internet address to an entire household in which there may be several computers The router must decide which computer should receive each packet of data that comes in from the Internet Using Firewalls and Routers with EchoLink Firewalls are usually configured to allow your computer to make requests anywhere on the Internet and receive replies Some programs however must be able to accept unsolicited data from the Internet EchoLink is an example of such a program When you are connected to another station using EchoLink you and the other station take turns sending data to each other so each station s PC must be able to receive data without having requested it The protocol for this type of exchange is called UDP or User Datagram Protocol If you are using a firewall or router to connect to the Internet you will probably need to configure it to accept UDP information on specific ports A port is part of an address EchoLink uses UDP ports 5198 and 5199 To use EchoLink you must configure your router to direct all incoming data on these two ports to the PC on which EchoLink is installed Typically there are two ways to configure this e Forwarding Most rou
7. echobrk_ ong 20 are busy veo On 04 04 port SMS ORY node 41308 51149 dh SSSLICE R on 04 02 Cele Morenia 434 900 Saa ES 4404 n O4 01 435 425 Oslo jo5ku 47947 CASA Busy 05 01 Three Rivers 5 Africa 5710 ES YAHI 14 Paro AAD a darte rr 53535 The heading above the list shows the number of stations currently logged on and the percentage of stations whose status is busy Columns in the list show the station s type and callsign status local time location and node number These columns are described in detail below Station Displays the callsign and an icon indicating the station type Station types are repeaters links users and conference servers Note that repeater links have a R suffix after the callsign and simplex links have a L suffix Each station type is also shown in a different color stations that are on your Alarms list are displayed in red Use the keyboard or mouse to scroll or select a station in the list To connect to a station double click it or select it and press Enter Status Indicates whether the station is available for a QSO On indicates that the station is free or ready Busy indicates that the station is already ina QSO or is otherwise not accepting connections Time Shows the local time as reported by each station This is helpful for understanding time differences among stations around the world Since this is the time to which the station s PC clock is set you may notice some err
8. plus approximately 8 MB the amount of RAM used by EchoLink e Mouse or other pointing device recommended e Microphone and speakers for Single User mode e ASCII or direct serial rig interface for Sysop mode For more information see Interfacing p 7 e Packet terminal node controller TNC for APRS option in Sysop mode The TNC serial port must run at 9600 bps Although EchoLink is believed to work with most TNCs only the AEA PK 232 has been tested e TAPI compatible voice modem for dial in remote control in Sysop mode Windows 95 users must install the TAPI 1 4 and Unimodem V updates if this function is desired O O O O Oe sO EchoLink User s Guide Configuration Setup Setup allows you to set basic features of EchoLink Choose one of the tabs along the top to view the MyStation Servers Timing and Audio options Each of these tabs is described in detail below MyStation Tab The MyStation Tab configures the system mode callsign and other information about your station Servers Timing Audo Mods Single User Sysop Caltign JEIRFD Change Callsign Password m _ E Store password locally Hanne Honthan Location Fidgefekd CT Eral Addr i 1d Tete com A one o Mode Choose the appropriate mode for EchoLink The following modes are available e Single User no radio connected to your PC e Sysop System operator radio locally connected to PC For a complete
9. signal and see the message Not connected near the bottom of the screen EchoLink User s Guide Modes EchoLink operates in one of two modes The choice of modes is made during Setup and can be changed at any time via the MyStation tab p 10 on the Settings screen Single User Mode Choose Single User mode if you expect to use your PC to connect to other EchoLink Stations over the Internet using your PC s microphone and speaker to communicate This option is appropriate if you do not expect to connect radio equipment to your PC to operate a repeater or link node For this mode no special interface is required to use EchoLink If you plan to use single user mode enter your callsign without any special suffix Sysop Mode Choose Sysop mode if you have connected or intend to connect a transceiver to your PC in order to make your rig accessible to other EchoLink users connecting over the Internet This mode generally requires a special hardware interface between your PC and your transceiver For more information see Interfacing p 7 If you plan to use Sysop mode enter your callsign with either a L or R suffix L signifies a Simplex Link and R signifies a Repeater Please use R if your link will be tuned to the frequency pair of a local repeater or directly connected to it even if the callsign is not the same as that of the repeater Simplex Link A simplex link is typically a transceiver tuned to a quiet simplex f
10. 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 EchoLink User s Guide 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 If you see the red TX indicator while transmitting but see no indication on the sound level meter while speaking into the microphone see Sound Card Issues for more information Chat 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 Disconnecting 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
11. One advantage of using VOX is that no other connections between the receiver and the PC are required VOX is particularly useful when EchoLink is connected to a transceiver that is monitoring the output frequency of a repeater The VOX will trigger only when a station is actually speaking through the repeater and will not generally respond to the repeater s tail which could be as long as 10 seconds after each transmission However VOX is not completely reliable since it is unable to detect a dead carrier Also it introduces an additional delay of a second or so after each transmission To help circumvent these issues EchoLink also supports a direct connection between the receiver and the computer s serial port for positive carrier detect This type of connection is especially useful for simplex links EchoLink User s Guide Many transceivers have a back panel connection called busy or carrier detect that tracks the squelch circuit directly This can be wired to the CD DSR or CTS pin of the PC s serial port and EchoLink can be configured to respond to it instead of using VOX Typically this connection must be made through a simple interface such as a one transistor circuit The circuit should drive the CD DSR or CTS pin high 5V or above when the squelch is open and low OV or below when it is closed Several versions of the interface products mentioned above also support this feature check the product literature for details
12. PTT Control p 18 for more information Sysop Setup f H x Foch TC DTMF idert Options Signals Web AF Into 2 MF Decoder Min Interchgt Time met 0 H Egam Log All Commands niemal o eg C Auto Mis Advanced TT Disable During PTT Enable Remote Pad Reset to Cel aults DeadkKey Prefer Connect ConrectByCal Disconnect Disconnect Al DTMF Tab Items on the DTMF tab list each of the functions EchoLink supports by entering DTMF a k a TouchTone commands over the local link or a secondary link receiver DTMF commands may be used to activate or de activate the link or to connect or disconnect a distant station DTMF Decoder Select one of the three options depending on your equipment set up External Select this option if you are using a WB2REM or VAS3TO interface board or equivalent These interfaces have an on board DTMF decoder that communicates with EchoLink using ASCII characters over the serial port Internal Select this option if you are using another type of interface such as a RIGblaster When this option is selected EchoLink itself detects DTMF tones as they are received at the PC s sound input using digital signal processing techniques Disabled Select this option if you do not wish to accept DTMF commands When this option is selected none of the items in the DTMF Command list will be available Min I nterdigit Time Sets the minimum amount of
13. SAAMICH B E Can y el tbe Erase A 40910 813 Halong on opgrus 21 sre busy In Conference SCAN CAN EchoLink User s Guide Getting Started Initial Setup The first time you run EchoLink after installing it the Setup Wizard will appear to step you through the basic setup The Setup Wizard gathers enough information about your system to get you started using EchoLink Each screen of the Setup Wizard is described in detail below Mode The first choice you will need to make is whether you want to run EchoLink in User mode or Sysop mode User Mode Choose User mode if you expect to use your PC to connect to other EchoLink stations over the Internet using your PC s microphone and speaker to communicate This option is appropriate if you do not expect to connect radio equipment to your PC to operate a repeater or link node Sysop Mode Choose Sysop mode if you have connected or intend to connect a transceiver to your PC in order to make your rig accessible to other EchoLink users connecting over the Internet This mode generally requires a special hardware interface between your PC and your transceiver For more information see Interfacing p 7 For more information about each mode see Modes p 6 Customize You will be asked what type of Internet connection you plan to use Certain EchoLink settings will be adjusted depending on whether you are using a slow Internet connection
14. Sienra ds 68 ONIINE SUPDO Cin seis nen euenendav antes essnasanasdeeiesvenevussres 69 TECHNICAL Credits a5 corcecovantetenunensacavacnaldruernuuncennuceeentmumeenanneransecasmuasscanscsscns 70 Legal NOtICOS iia oia 70 Introducing EchoLink Congratulations on installing EchoLink EchoLink is software that allows Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet using voice over IP VolP technology The program enables worldwide connections to be made between stations from computer to station or from computer to computer The sections that follow introduce the basic capabilities of EchoLink and outline the system requirements All of the information in this document is also available in the Help file provided with the EchoLink software package 4 EchoLink K1RIFD L Station E Free Bus Total m tcl Repasses 160 0 180 EchoLink 14 Linke 25 23 254 DE Descripbor i 19 123 MU Ge Asia 21 Montr gt KIRFD L Corf Scie ie Europe 46 St athanase o 88 North America 687 AIR montr al laval frane 1 KIRFD al EA Longueuil Qc Canada AKB P Dom Republe 1 grand mere que canada Miega 4 Sony Tim busy 1 ii United States 610 Elbot Lake Ontari 1 Hi Oceanis 10 Trenton Gnt Phone hy Australas 6 fig New Zealand 4 R Colingwood On Ca FE C Hode Types F 52 525 amp Toronto dy Alsrms iF Somiy Ontario Ca CJ New 39 PSE call later CE Favorites Salmon arm B E Canada M
15. Web site 66 EchoLink User s Guide Sound Card Adjustment Modern PCs are usually equipped with a sound card which allows sounds to be captured and reproduced by the computer EchoLink relies on the sound card or built in equivalent to exchange audio with other stations on the Internet The most common configuration for EchoLink is to connect a pair of amplified Speakers to your computer s speaker out connector and to plug a microphone into the mic in jack Many other multimedia programs work with this same configuration Playback Volume The Windows operating system includes a utility program for adjusting the levels or volume of sound going in and out of the sound card You can access this utility called Windows Volume Control by double clicking on the small loudspeaker icon near the bottom right hand corner of your screen You will see a set of sliders similar to the diagram below E volume Control E a x Wolume Control Wave Synihesizal CD Plegar Line Microphone Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance p F 4 ra o Fa pe Fdo Fo A Wok Volume Volume A Yoluma Wobr T T ph pH phi ph Mute all Mute ls Mute E Mute e Mute i Mute Crystal SoundPusiond tin Be sure the Volume Control and Wave sliders are about halfway up and the Mute box is not checked for either one You may wish to check Mute for all other Sliders or slide them down to the bottom to prevent interference
16. Your system may use names other than Volume Control and Wave such as Master Volume and Wave Out Recording Volume A separate set of controls sets the levels or volume for the microphone To access these controls follow the steps above for Playback Volume and then do the following 1 From the Options menu choose Properties 2 Inthe section marked Adjust volume for choose Recording 3 Choose OK You will see a different set of sliders similar to the diagram below 67 EchoLink User s Guide ME LD Player Lines Microphone Wawa Ot Mex Balance Balance Balance Balance 9 Falo alo falo 4a The Recording Volume controls vary considerably from computer to computer In the example shown above there are separate controls for Line and Microphone If you have a microphone connected to the computer s mic jack slide the Microphone slider halfway up and check the Select box for it Your computer may also have a master recording slider if so move it halfway up Move all other sliders to the bottom to prevent interference If you are using EchoLink in Sysop mode you will probably have your receiver s audio connected to the computer s Line In connector rather than Mic If so raise the Line slider and lower or de select the Microphone slider Monitoring Your Levels While you are speaking with another station using EchoLink watch the Audio Level Meter near the bottom of the screen as you speak The meter should
17. and reads back its 06 num callsign and status Switches to a different stored set Profile Select of configuration settings 0 B num through 9 Listen Only On Inhibits transmission from RF to 0511 the Internet Restores normal transmission from Listen Only Off IRF to the Internet pane Connect The default for the Connect command is to simply enter the 4 5 or 6 digit node number to which you wish to connect To prevent interference with other DTMF functions however you may wish to configure a special prefix such as A or 99 Link Up and Link Down No defaults are provided for these functions To enable these functions enter a DTMF sequence for each one using the DTMF tab of the Sysop Settings page Profile Select Profiles are numbered from O to one less than the number of profiles shown under File gt Profiles Profile O is always MAIN Station Shortcuts Custom DTMF commands can be created to connect to specific stations These commands are called Station Shortcuts and are not shown in the table above To manage your Station Shortcuts click the Station Shortcuts button on the DTMF tab of Sysop Settings Entering Node Numbers To enter a node number for the Connect or Query by Node commands enter the 4 5 or 6 digit node number If the specified node is not among the stations currently logged on EchoLink will say NOT FOUND Entering Callsigns To enter a callsign for the Connect by Call or Query by C
18. and the local microphone is connected to Mic In This feature is not available in single user mode Note In Sysop mode you can also choose to have the CTS signal activate the local transmitter s PTT in addition to transmitting over the Internet To enable this feature see the TX Control tab on Sysop Settings p 25 Middle Mouse Button If you are using a three button mouse or a mouse with a clickable wheel check this option to use the middle mouse button as a TX control as an alternative to the space bar This option is not available if Windows does not detect a three button mouse Station Information File EchoLink sends a text message to the other station when you establish a connection which appears on the other station s screen By default this message is Station XYZ where XYZ is your callsign Choose Edit to make changes to this message or choose Choose to select some other file besides info txt as your Station Information File 19 EchoLink User s Guide If Edit is grayed out not available it may mean that the station information file has been deleted If this happens use Windows Notepad to create a new one then click Choose to locate it so it can be used by EchoLink Show Alert when Doubling Normally EchoLink does not allow two stations to transmit at the same time However due to Internet latency it is possible for two stations to double if they begin transmitting at exactly the same m
19. description of each mode see Modes p 6 Callsign Set the callsign exactly as you wish to be registered If you have already registered use the same callsign you used previously The callsign must be at least 3 characters long and may not contain spaces or punctuation except as part of an L or R suffix If you have selected Sysop mode put an L or R at the end of your call to indicate a repeater or link respectively for example K1RFD L Use L if the link is tuned to a simplex frequency or R if the link is tuned to the frequency pair of a local repeater If you have selected Single User mode do not use a suffix after your callsign 10 EchoLink User s Guide Password If you have registered previously with EchoLink type your original password here Otherwise select a password you can easily remember and it will be assigned to you as you register Once established you cannot select a new password using EchoLink but if you realize you had entered it incorrectly you can re enter it after choosing Change Callsign For protection against casual glances the password is shown only as a series of asterisks To display the actual password click the question mark icon Store password locally Leave this box checked if you want EchoLink to store your password on the PC encrypted This will allow EchoLink to log on automatically each time the program is started If your PC is used by others you may want to un check t
20. entered from the keyboard Key Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 F6 Shift F6 Alt PgDn Tab Space Ctri F10 Ctri F9 AIt A Alt B Ctrl C Alt C Alt D AIt E Ctrl F Alt M Ctrl 0 Ctrl P Alt P Alt R Ctrl V Ctril Z Del Ctri X F1 Alt F4 Alt F10 Alt F11 Alt F12 Alt F2 Function Activates the Station List area Activates the Text Message area Activates the QSO Status area Activates the Text Chat area Activates the next area in the sequence above Activates the previous area in the sequence above Switches between Index View and Explorer View in the Station List Switches between the left and right sides of Explorer View or between sections of the Text Chat area Begins or ends transmitting Keys or un keys the local transmitter Sysop mode Simulates COS function of local receiver Sysop mode Alarms List Me As Busy Copy Connect the selected station Disconnect Setup Find Server Message Connect To Print Preferences Reconnect Paste Undo Delete Cut Help Contents Exit Alarm Log Station Summary Statistics Recording start stop 44 EchoLink User s Guide F5 Refresh station list AIt F9 DTMF Pad Alt Y Sysop Setup Explorer View Shortcuts The following keyboard commands are available when Explorer View is active Key Enter Tab UpArrow DownArrow RightArrow LeftArrow on num pad PgUp PgDn Function Connect to selected station or expand sel
21. indicate a repeater or link respectively for example K1RFD L Use L to denote a simplex link or R if the link is tuned to the frequency pair of a local repeater If you are expecting to run in User mode do not use a suffix after your callsign Password If you had used EchoLink previously type your original password here Otherwise select a password you can easily remember and it will be assigned to you as you register Be sure to make a note of it in case you need to re install the software First Name This name will appear on the other station s screen when you establish a contact Enter the name by which you wish to be called Location Enter the location of your station or a description of its function This will appear in the list of available users Examples Ridgefield CT or Link to W2ABC R NYC Email Addr Please enter your e mail address This address will be used only if EchoLink Support needs to contact you and will not be published or displayed anywhere Region You will be asked to indicate in which general region of the world you are located This information is used to select the nearest set of addressing servers for EchoLink to use All servers carry the same set of information so this choice is not particularly critical but may yield slightly faster refreshes of the Station List EchoLink User s Guide Basic Operation This section describes how to use the basic functions of EchoLink As
22. profile called LINK use echolink exe pLINK This allows you to create a set of shortcuts to invoke different EchoLink profiles from your Windows desktop In Sysop mode a DTMF command Is available ProfileSelect which will switch the system from one profile to another remotely By default this command is B n where n is the number of the desired profile The MAIN profile is always O and the other profiles are numbered according to the order listed on the Profiles window beginning with 1 Use this command with caution since the selected profile might switch EchoLink into single user mode in which DTMF commands are no longer accepted to switch it back Conferencing With EchoLink Conferencing refers to EchoLink s ability to be connected to more than one station at a time over the Internet Each such station becomes a participant in a conference It is conventional for participants in a conference to take turns transmitting in roundtable fashion When connected in this fashion each member of the conference can hear each other member s comments Text Chat messages are also sent to all Single user participants EchoLink supports conferencing as an option in either the Single User or Sysop modes Conferencing is disabled by default To enable conferencing change the settings on the Connections tab of the Preferences window For more information see Preferences p 17 Conferencing is not recommended if you are connected to the Intern
23. related problems To display the Connection Statistics window choose the Connection Statistics item from the View menu The window floats over the EchoLink screen and can be moved as desired by dragging the title bar Connection Statistics xj HARI LUISA Recelwed Control Packets Data Packets Sent Control Packets O Data Packetz O _ Audio OO The upper half of the window shows each station that is currently connected by callsign and name along with its hostname or IP address If one of the connected Stations is currently transmitting its callsign is highlighted in yellow Right click on any station s callsign to display a menu of the following options Disconnect Disconnects this station This is particularly useful when a conference is IN progress and you wish to disconnect only one station from the conference Station Info Display s the station s Information file which is normally shown on the main EchoLink screen except when a conference is in progress This is a convenient way to read a station s Information file while a conference Is in progress The lower half of the window displays counts of packets that have been sent or received during the current connection or since the first connection if more than one station is connected The Compensation item displays the number of packets added or dropped to compensate for mismatched sample rates if the Auto Sample Rate Compensation option is e
24. the Morse ID is played concurrently with the announcement Each time a station disconnects f this option is selected your callsign will be announced immediately after the disconnected announcement when a station disconnects At end of transmission every n min Select this option and enter the number of minutes to have EchoLink announce your callsign periodically during a lengthy connection If this option is selected your callsign will be announced immediately after the remote station has finished speaking and just before EchoLink un keys the transmitter but not more often than the number of minutes specified While active every n min Select this option and enter the number of minutes to have EchoLink announce your callsign periodically while the link is in use The ID will be played the first time the transmitter is keyed and then at n minute intervals thereafter if there has been any transmission since the last ID If the option Wait for clear frequency is selected EchoLink will defer the ID if the link receiver is busy when it comes time to ID While not active every n min Select this option and enter the number of minutes to have EchoLink announce your callsign periodically when there has not been any transmissions on the link regardless of whether anyone is connected The first ID will be played when EchoLink starts up If the option Wait for clear frequency is selected EchoLink will defer the ID if the link receiver
25. time in milliseconds that EchoLink will allow between incoming DTMF digits Set this to O for the default timing Set this to a higher value such as 200 or 500 ms if you find that noisy Signals are causing single digits to be interpreted as multiple digits 26 EchoLink User s Guide Log All Commands When this box is checked EchoLink will log all DTMF sequences that are received even those that do not trigger a function These entries will appear in the System Log Auto Mute When this box is checked EchoLink will Suppress DTMF signals received over the local link from going to the remote station over the Internet DTMF signals are suppressed completely if the Internal decoder is used when using the External decoder the first part of the first digit may sneak through Disable During PTT When this box is checked DTMF signals are not decoded while the local link transmitter is keyed In some audio configurations audio from the sound card might be fed into either the internal decoder or an external decoder This can cause DTMF signals received over the Internet to be interpreted by EchoLink s decoder which may be undesirable Enable Remote Pad When this box is checked stations connecting to your link using EchoLink version 1 6 or above can send DTMF commands to or through your link radio using the program s built in DTMF encoder pad Enable this feature if there are DTMF controlled repeater or remote base functions you wish
26. use the pound sign as a terminator 34 EchoLink User s Guide If the telephone line and the voice modem both support Caller ID the caller s name and telephone number will appear in the System log RF Info Tab The RF Info tab is used to provide information about your link that may be helpful to nearby stations trying to locate it EchoLink includes an implementation of the Automatic Voice Reporting System AVRS which uses the APRS network and protocols to disseminate real time information about VolP links such as EchoLink nodes This feature was developed in collaboration with Bob Bruninga WB4ABR The program also provides a mechanism for collecting and displaying this information on the Web as an adjunct to APRS Sysop Setup i r AX Chi TX Chl DTMF Ident Options Signals Web RF Info Deg Min dad mmmnn Lae oo fo000 Noth FrealMHzk 248 075 Lor ooo 00 00 west Plane Mae Power at 35 Antenna Gain dE f HAAT ft EST Dect Omra M Repol Status via APRS TNC Interface COM i Auto lniiakze Urngprolo Path RE LET bf Include name of connecdied sationds in siaiu If you wish to disseminate basic information about your simplex link or the repeater to which your repeater link is connected you can enter it here By default the information is transmitted to a central database on the Internet upon startup and again each time a station connects or disconnects from your link This inf
27. 2 2004 Synergenics LLC All rights reserved 70
28. 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 Speaking Back and Forth 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
29. EchoLink User s Guide Version 1 8 i Jonathan Taylor K1RFD www echolink org Table of Contents Introducing ECNOLINK cuina AAA 1 Getting Started usina iio id 2 Nital S CLUD iaa aan 2 MOGE akc ania A wea cere at en a it Rin eee aad eee cee at 2 CUSTOMIZE 2 a 2 MESAS tii e a 2 DOF ranuras a casew E emeansaemebouneseinoeenseaucene 2 S CUISINE AO eee 3 RCM iO Nan 3 BasiCc OPDeratiOoN aia 4 POS ia ao 6 DUES Tick GING cossas a Ea widen sid alaic aba aeietdetulvice a aeiecalwiede 7 HAterlace TY DCS ii catalan tae era AAA 7 Carner Detect ed 7 System Requirements aaa aaa aaa 9 CONTIQUFACION wississdcasaassanavesnnntarsaatataewshanatensudetecdesssaderwaeataseasesceananans 10 SOU Disa Sada acs eee weve A on 10 MyStation Taba aia 10 Servers Vad seta bh 64 sues hele dah tse eek ae hen tai 11 ICING A phates PO A a tack Oe ct uniecaea up orca ine E O teehee 12 M8 O i PER rt Ft or Pe OS Ree een 13 Preferences ninia 16 LISA Tabu o N 16 Connections Ta ca 17 SECY Tara dl ist 20 SIONES TD a cua 21 SVSOP SOTO O Si A A AAA A 23 AA olaa aL TaD n AAA 23 XE ONTO Dada a ida E 25 DTME Tab o a oa eos 26 dentlcacion EoD rra aaa tal 28 ODIOS TD iaa A AA AAA AA 29 SIGS Taurina paa dd ide 31 Remt Remote Control Tab cccoccccccccccccccccccanccnrrnnr rr 33 REMATO A e E 35 Features and Functions sssssss2s225225u25u25u22u2022uu20u20u2uunsunnunnnnnnnnnnnnn 37 The ECROLINK SCreeN ninas 37 MENUS ANG LOOID AIS cuicira
30. F Functions p 52 Identification Tab For general courtesy and to help comply with your country s Amateur Radio regulations EchoLink supports automatic identification of your link over the air A Morse ID or voice ID either an internally generated one or your own custom recording can be played at the beginning and or end of a connection and periodically while the connection is active EchoLink can also play an ID periodically when no connection is active if desired FX Chi TX Chl DTMF Ident Options Signals Web AF info Stabion bdenhhcatan Morse EIA FDI Settings Spoken Voice KIRE Te C Esemalfle Ider Each tive a elation connects Each tev a dain ditcormect T Atend of transmission every 10 min f While active every 6 H min While not active every 10 min he wal for clear lrequency Lm cw ne Voice ID Source Choose whether to use the internally generated ID or a custom WAV file you have created Morse Enter the callsign you wish to use to identify When the time comes to identify EchoLink will send the callsign as entered in Morse mixed with any other audio that may be present The main advantage of a Morse ID is that it tends not to interrupt or delay the progress of a QSO Click Settings to adjust the Morse speed pitch and audio level Internal Enter the callsign you wish to use to identify When the time comes to identify EchoLink will read th
31. Reminder sound is played only if Play activity reminder is enabled on the Options tab Note that the events in list apply only to Sysop mode Speech Speed Select Normal Slow or Fast If Fast is selected words are overlapped slightly to shorten announcement time if Slow is selected extra space is placed between words to improve intelligibility These settings do not apply to any Custom WAV files Tone Burst Some repeaters require a brief tone signal to activate them If the local repeater has such a feature EchoLink can send a tone burst at the beginning of each transmission or when a remote station initially connects Several tone frequencies are available 1750 Hz is the most common and the duration is adjustable 32 EchoLink User s Guide Remt Remote Control Tab For convenient wireline remote control EchoLink has two built in options The first is a built in password protected Web server which allows the station to be remotely controlled from any Web browser connected to the Internet The Web server displays an HTML page which displays the current status of the program and allows the link to be enabled or disabled and stations to be connected or disconnected The page also shows recent entries from the System log Settings in the top section of this tab control whether the Web server is enabled and how it is configured The second option works with a voice modem connected to your PC and allows EchoLink to
32. ace by choosing Toolbar from the View menu Station List The Station List shows each station that is currently using EchoLink including the station s callsign status local time location and node number The list refreshes itself periodically while EchoLink is running Two different views of the Station List are available by selecting the tabs at the bottom Index View and Explorer View Both views list the same stations but in different formats For details see Station List p 46 QSO Status The OSO Status window shows information about the station that is currently connected The station callsign country and Internet address or hostname are shown Audio level meter Incoming and outgoing audio levels are shown on a bar graph type meter with zero at the left end and maximum level at the right A red line shows the peak level The meter is visible only when EchoLink is connected to another station or when using Sysop mode Status Bar The status bar at the bottom of screen shows descriptions of menu items when selected The status bar can be shown or hidden to save screen space by choosing Status Bar from the View menu Annunciators Nine areas at the bottom of the screen indicate when certain functions are active From left to right these annunciators are described below 37 EchoLink User s Guide DTMF In Sysop mode this area displays DTMF digits that have been received Connected Indicates when EchoLink is
33. al VOX circuit and keys the transmitter For most installations however a connection to the PTT circuit is preferred ASCII Serial Select this option if you are using a WB2REM G4CDY or VA3TO interface board or an equivalent This type of interface board is designed to receive ASCII commands from your computer s serial port From the Serial Port list select the port to which the board is connected The serial port speed is preset to 2400 bps check the box marked 9600 bps if you are using an older interface that operates at that speed RTS and DTR Select one of these options if you are using a RIGblaster or equivalent PC to radio interface This type of interface activates the transmitter s PTT line when either the RTS or DTR pin of the serial port is asserted From the Serial Port list select the port to which the board is connected Key PTT on Local Transmit Check this box to force the transceiver s PTT to be keyed when you tap the spacebar to begin transmitting and to un key when you stop This feature is useful if you are running a Sysop link and also wish to be able to join an EchoLink QSO from the local keyboard and microphone 25 EchoLink User s Guide This feature can also be used in conjunction with the Serial Port option on the PTT Control screen of Preferences Connections If Auto Select Mic Input is enabled EchoLink will switch automatically between the transceiver audio and the local mic when transmitting locally See
34. all commands press two digits for each letter and number in the callsign The first digit is the key on which 53 EchoLink User s Guide the letter appears using 1 for Q and Z and the second digit is 1 2 or 3 to indicate which letter is being entered To enter a digit press the digit followed by 0 When finished end with the pound key For example the letter K is entered as 52 the letter Q is entered as 11 and the digit 7 is entered as 70 Callsigns need not be entered in full If a partial callsign is entered EchoLink will find the first match among the stations currently logged on If no match is found among the stations currently logged on EchoLink will say NOT FOUND Examples These examples assume that the default DTMF codes are configured To connect to node number 9999 Enter 9999 EchoLink responds with CONNECTING TO CONFERENCE E C H O T E S T followed by CONNECTED because 9999 is the node number of conference server ECHOTEST To get the status of K1RFD Enter 0752107233314 EchoLink responds with K 1 R F D 1 3 6 4 4 BUSY because 13644 is the node number of station K1RFD and K1RFD is currently busy To connect to a random link or repeater Enter O 1 EchoLink responds with CONNECTING TO K 1 O F REPEATER followed by CONNECTED because K10OF R was selected at random 54 EchoLink User s Guide Signals EchoLink can play sounds called signals when c
35. be remotely controlled from a touch tone telephone The program answers an incoming call accepts DTMF commands over the call and allows the l Enable Web remote control TCP Post ES Username FIRFD Enable dakin remole control Woce modemn device Ciesinge Modem Blaster Y 32 POI 0 Aniv on fi ia E Timeo sec 30 Audo Level I dio Honto Parscode 5314 Enable Web remote control Select this option to enable the built in Web server If you select this option be sure to enter the other information below TCP Port The TCP port number on which the Web server will operate The default is 8080 to avoid conflict with other Web services which may already be running on port 80 You may need to change this setting if your firewall or ISP does not permit inbound traffic on port 8080 Username Password If you would like the Web server to be password protected recommended enter a user name and password When accessing EchoLink from a remote Web browser a box will pop up prompting you to enter this information in order to gain access Notes If you have activated the Web server on port 8080 the URL for accessing it will be http hostname 8080 where hostname is the name or IP address of your computer If you are using a dial up or DSL connection to the Internet keep in 33 EchoLink User s Guide mind that your hostname and or IP address may change each time you reconnect to the Inter
36. ch has the following options Push to Talk Settings x Choose arg of the holowsrg method DE mp A Keyboard Key Comcel a moa a PA Momeniay Num Pad Erte Fs Wida Help W Seia Pod CTS M Auto Select Mic Input M Middle Mouse Button Keyboard Key Check this box and choose the keyboard key to be used if you wish to control the TX from the computer s keyboard The choices are as follows Space Bar Left Ctrl Key the Ctrl key at the lower left corner of the keyboard Right Ctrl Key the Ctrl key to the right of the space bar Num Pad Plus the key on the far right hand edge of the keyboard Num Pad Enter the Enter key on the far lower right corner of the keyboard You can choose between two options for how this key behaves as a TX control When the Momentary box is not checked the default tapping the key once will switch to TX and tapping it again will switch out When 18 EchoLink User s Guide Momentary is checked press and hold the key to TX and release it to stop like a conventional push to talk switch Note that the key you select for TX cannot also be used for its normal purpose For example if you select Left Ctrl Key the left hand Ctrl key cannot be used to invoke Ctrl commands such as Ctrl V However if Space Bar is selected the space bar can still be used to create space characters in the Text Chat window Normally the selected key will activate TX only when EchoLink has focus
37. connected to another station over the Internet TX Indicates when EchoLink is sending audio to a station over the Internet RX Indicates when a station is sending audio to EchoLink over the Internet SIG In Sysop mode indicates when a signal is being received by the local receiver J Busy indicator In Sysop mode indicates when EchoLink has determined that the local frequency is in use PTT In Sysop mode indicates when the local transmitter is transmitting a Low bandwidth indicator Flashes when the Internet connection is not fast enough to send voice data See Low Bandwidth Indicator p 64 Text Chat Comments typed at the keyboard from the other station s appear here To send a comment type it in the line at the bottom and click Send or press Enter Text Chat is only available while connected Text Message A welcome message from the station to which you are connected may appear here If you are a member of a conference this window lists the callsign of each station with a small arrow indicating which station is currently speaking 38 EchoLink User s Guide Menus and Toolbars As with other standard Windows applications EchoLink offers a set of pull down menus in a bar across the top and a toolbar with clickable icons as shortcuts to many of the commonly used menu items The Toolbar The EchoLink toolbar is shown below For descriptions of each function see the descriptions of the matching menu items be
38. creased since the last refresh are displayed in green counts that have decreased are displayed in red and counts that have stayed the same are displayed in black The lower half of the window shows the count of stations by country in descending order according to the station s callsign prefix Names of countries and their derivations from callsign prefixes are based on the ITU Prefix list so it does not necessarily reflect DXCC entities 51 EchoLink User s Guide DTMF Functions In Sysop mode EchoLink can be configured to accept commands through the local receiver using DTMF tones TouchTones These commands are used to enable or disable the link or to connect or disconnect a station on the Internet Each command consists of a sequence of digits or the special keys andA through D Although a set of default sequences is assigned to each function any sequence can be customized using the DTMF tab of the Sysop Settings page p 26 The table below lists each of the DTMF commands Note If you have upgraded from an earlier version of EchoLink you may need to choose Reset to Defaults to make all of the following commands available Command Description Default Connects to a station on the Connect Internet based on its node num number Connect by Call Connects to a station on the C call Internet based on its callsign Selects an available node of any Random Node type at random and tries to 00 connect to
39. date Location erty with stabus fe Send station list to all stations Allow mulli conferencing Loceten Descnphon Free Ridgelield CT Bus Ridgeheld CT IY Show name of conrecied cornia ena FTT Loontrol Staton Information File miota Choose Show Alert when Doubling Edt orcs mo Allow conferences Check this box if you wish to allow more than one other station to connect to your EchoLink software at a time In the box beneath enter the maximum number of stations you wish to allow at once not including yourself to a maximum of 99 The conferencing feature is not recommended if your PC is connected to the Internet over a slow link such as a dial up modem For more information about conferencing see Conferencing p 60 Update Location entry with status If this box is checked EchoLink will automatically update your station s entry in the Station List with a notation about the number of stations which have joined the conference This allows other stations who have not yet joined to see the status of your conference The notation is a number in parentheses added to the end of your Location Description entry Note 17 EchoLink User s Guide that your station will be listed as On rather than Busy as long as the maximum number of connected stations has not yet been reached Send station list to all stations If this box is checked EchoLink will periodically update the text screen
40. e PTT and beginning an announcement The default is 150ms This can be extended if announcements are being clipped at the beginning when heard Signals Tab The Signals Tab controls announcements that are made on air when certain system events occur 31 EchoLink User s Guide Sysop Setup xj FX Chi TX Chi DTMF Ident Options Signals web RF Into Select an event from the k hen choose either Default or Custom Courtay Ti i Activit eerie Speech Speed Fast gt ES Tore Burst Ser Have Freq Ht firs Duration mat 500 toed He For each event in the list there is the option of using either the Default announcement or a custom WAV file you provide Note that any custom WAV files you provide must be in 8 bit 8000Hz PCM Mono format Selection of any other type of WAV file will produce an error message To change the setting for a particular event select the event in the list and select either Default or Custom If Custom is selected choose Select to locate the WAV file you wish to use To test the announcement signal for an event select the event and click the loudspeaker icon This function works only when no station is connected The Station Info announcement is played whenever a station enters the Station Info DTMF sequence which by default is the star key The Courtesy Tone sound is played only if Play courtesy tone is enabled on the Options tab The Activity
41. e letters and digits as entered Punctuation is not recognized except that you can add a L or R suffix to generate the word link or repeater after your callsign if desired 28 EchoLink User s Guide External file If you prefer to create your own voice ID select this option and choose the button to locate the file This file must be a WAV file in 8 bit 8000Hz PCM Mono format It is recommended to keep it as brief as possible since a long announcement may interfere with smooth audio operation while in contact with another station Test Choose this button to have EchoLink key the radio and identify according to the selected options Note It is appropriate for a Sysop station to use its own callsign as the legal 1D without any sort of special suffix In the U S and likely in most other countries there is no requirement that this ID be the same as that of the repeater to which it is tuned since it is considered a separate station Identify Select any of these options in any combination to specify when EchoLink should send an on air station ID Each time station connects f this option is selected your callsign will be announced immediately before the connected announcement when a station connects over the Internet Note that if Auto Announce is enabled on the Options tab you will hear both your own call and the call of the connecting station as in K1RFD Link Connected AK8V Repeater If Morse is selected
42. e time particularly if there is a lot of hard disk access you may get smoother performance by moving the slider to the right The illustration above shows the default positions of these two sliders which is recommended for normal operation Total Audio Delay Displays the estimated delay between the moment the remote station speaks to the moment you hear the sound from your speakers This value is 14 EchoLink User s Guide updated automatically as you move the Network Buffering and PC Buffering sliders so you can see the total effect Reset to Defaults Returns the Network Buffering and PC Buffering sliders to their default positions Note If you are running Windows 98 or above you can choose Adjust Volume from the Tools menu to adjust the Playback or Recording audio levels On all versions of Windows you can also choose the Sounds icon in your Windows Control Panel or double click the loudspeaker icon that appears near the bottom right hand corner of your screen For more information see Sound Card Adjustment p 67 15 EchoLink User s Guide Preferences The Preferences window lets you customize several of EchoLink s features to suit your own taste Choose one of the tabs along the top to view the Listing Connections Security and Signals options Each of these tabs is described in detail below Listing Tab Items on the Listing tab control options for the station list area at the center of the EchoLink screen T
43. ecording a QSO as a WAV file or playing back a previously recorded WAV or MP3 file during a QSO These functions are described below Recording Mode EchoLink can record QSOs automatically when they begin and stop recording when they end This is particularly useful for Sysop nodes that wish to keep detailed logs of activity To enable this feature choose the desired Recording Mode on the Audio tab of the main Setup window The available modes are as follows No recording QSOs are not automatically recorded However a QSO already in progress can be recorded by choosing Start Recording from the Tools menu Record by QSO QSOs are automatically recorded Each QSO is saved as a single WAV file named according to the time and date the QSO began Record by Callsign QSOs are automatically recorded Each transmission during the QSO is saved as a separate WAV file named according to the callsign of the station making the transmission and the date and time EchoLink will create all WAV files in a single folder By default this is a folder called wav in the folder in which the EchoLink program file is installed To change the folder choose Setup from the Tools menu click the Audio tab and click the Folder button Note WAV files use about 27 MB of disk space per hour of audio recorded To save disk space periods of silence between transmissions are removed from the WAV files produced by EchoLink However when making recordings chec
44. ected folder Switch between left and right sides of Explorer View Select previous item in list Select next item in list Expand selected folder left side Collapse selected folder left side Expand selected folder and all sub folders left side Scroll to the the previous page of items Scroll to the next page of items 45 EchoLink User s Guide Station List The Station List area of the screen shows each station that is currently logged on to the system and each station s current status Stations are frequently joining or leaving the system or changing their status from On available for a QSO to Busy already in a QSO However the Station List updates itself periodically so it always shows fresh information Two different views of the Station List are available Index View and Explorer View You can switch from one view to the other at any time by selecting one of the tabs at the bottom of the Station List or pressing Alt PageDown Although both views display the same list of logged on stations Index View shows the stations as a single list whereas Explorer View organizes the stations into various folders and sub folders similar to Microsoft Windows Explorer Many operators will prefer Explorer View particularly when many stations are logged on at once Each view is described in detail below Index View In Index View all logged on stations are displayed as a scrollable list 147 elation on servers
45. ed To remove a callsign select the callsign and choose Remove Choose Remove All to clear all callsigns from the list If the list is empty no connections will be denied based on callsign Accept only these calls Select this option to set up an approved list of stations with which you wish to allow connections exclusively If this option is selected no 20 EchoLink User s Guide connection will be established with a station whose callsign is not listed As with the Deny function all callsigns must be fully spelled out including any L or R suffix Note Instead of or in addition to callsigns you can also enter IP address ranges in this list in CIDR notation This is sometimes useful as a short cut for accepting or denying several different stations that use the same Internet provider International Prefixes Use this feature to control access to your station according to the international prefix of the other station s callsign For convenience EchoLink manages these prefixes internally and displays only the names of each country in these lists This feature has been provided to help you comply with your country s rules regarding reciprocal control operator privileges or third party traffic restrictions The countries in the Accept list are countries with which connections will be allowed those in the Deny list will be denied To move a country from one list to the other select the country name by clicking on it and then ch
46. een when insufficient Internet bandwidth is available The indicator is a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark L When this happens the program will continue to work normally but stations at the other end will probably hear dropouts or gaps in the audio The indicator will disappear once sufficient bandwidth is restored Programming I nterface Advanced EchoLink users who are familiar with programming may be interested in EchoLink s Programming Interface which allows external programs to interact with EchoLink to implement additional features For example scripts or Visual Basic programs can be written to send commands to EchoLink and to react to significant events such as stations connecting or DTMF commands received The Programming Interface is built in to the EchoLink program file and is implemented as a COM Automation server Complete documentation is available as a separate download For details please see the EchoLink Web site 64 EchoLink User s Guide Troubleshooting Firewall and Router Issues Background A firewall is a system that isolates your computer from the Internet usually for security reasons A firewall helps prevent unauthorized access to your computer from other people on the Internet A firewall can be implemented using software on your computer such as ZoneAlarm or with an outboard hardware device such as a router A router as used in the home is a device that allows more than one computer to
47. elect one of these options if you prefer to use a directly connected carrier detect signal rather than VOX In many cases this will provide better results than VOX when operating a simplex link since it allows EchoLink to positively track the incoming station s carrier rather than relying on its audio level When this option is enabled select the Serial Port to which the signal is connected from the drop down list EchoLink expects the signal to be low inactive when the receiver is squelched and high asserted when a signal is being received If Invert Sense is checked the opposite is true For more information about this connection see Interfacing p 7 Note that the VOX Delay setting despite its name applies to any of these options as well If you are using direct carrier detect consider reducing the VOX Delay to a somewhat smaller amount than the default Squelch Crash Anti Trip If you are using VOX check this box to enable a special feature that improves VOX behavior when your link is tuned to a local repeater When this feature is enabled and properly adjusted EchoLink s VOX will ignore short noise bursts such as squelch tail crashes and courtesy tones This can Significantly improve repeater to repeater linking Set the Duration value to the size of the window in milliseconds inside of which the noise pulse must fit in order for EchoLink s VOX to ignore it Typical values are 40ms for squelch crashes and 300ms for courte
48. elect this option if you wish EchoLink to play a brief tone at the end of each transmission from the Internet To use a custom WAV file instead of the default tone select a custom signal for Courtesy Tone on the Signals tab Play activity reminder every n sec If you are running a Repeater link select this option to have EchoLink to play a brief tone in between overs on the local link periodically while a station is connected This tone serves as a reminder to stations engaged in a local QSO that at least one station is still connected to the link and thus to leave a longer pause between overs to allow the remote station to break in To use a custom WAV file instead of the default tone select a custom signal for Activity Reminder on the Signals tab Max key down time sec Enter the maximum number of seconds you wish to allow the local transmitter to remain keyed in a single transmission If an incoming signal from the Internet exceeds this time EchoLink will disconnect the station and un key the local transmitter To disable this feature enter 0 Dead carrier timeout sec Enter the maximum number of seconds you wish to allow a station to transmit to your station over the Internet without providing any audio If an incoming signal exceeds this time EchoLink will disconnect the station To disable this feature enter 0 Announcement pre delay ms Enter the amount of time in milliseconds that EchoLink should pause between keying th
49. en and may be moved or closed if desired The Alarm Log displays the list of Alarmed stations that have changed status since the program was started If Show Alarms in pop up window is checked see Preferences p 16 the Alarm Log window opens automatically when an Alarm is sounded Note that you can close and re open the Alarm Log window at any time without losing the information it contains DTMF Pad When checked displays the pop up DTMF encoder pad This is a utility that allows DTMF signals to be sent over the Internet to the connected station which is useful for certain remote control functions that the other station might be Supporting The DTMF Pad is not available unless EchoLink is connected to a station that has specifically permitted it see Sysop Settings p 26 It is also not available if either station is participating in a conference The DTMF Pad closes automatically when the station disconnects Server Message Displays any informational message that might have been returned by the server the last time the Station List was updated Check this message if you suspect that the Station List area is not working correctly System Log Offers the option to View or Edit the current System log file Choosing View opens the log using a built in read only viewer Choosing Edit opens the file using a Windows text editor such as Notepad This log file called QSOLog txt maintains detailed information about each station that connects
50. ertain events occur Two different sets of signals are used One set is used when EchoLink is in single user mode the other set is used when EchoLink is in Sysop mode Single User Mode In single user mode the default signals are sounds that are played through the PC speakers Using the Signals tab of the Preferences page you can disable any of these signals or substitute another WAV file for each The following signals are defined Connected A station has just connected over the Internet either by your own request or theirs Disconnected The station to which you had just been connected has disconnected either at their request or yours or because of a timeout Alarm A callsign in the Alarms list has just logged on or off or changed status Over The other station has finished a transmission and is turning it over to you Text Msg The other station has typed a text chat message which has just appeared on your screen Sysop Mode In Sysop mode signals are pre recorded words or phrases that are played over the air using the local transmitter Certain signals include a node number or callsign which is assembled by reading a string of digits or letters The following signals are defined CONNECTED A station has just connected over the Internet either by your own request or theirs If the Announce stations on connect option has been enabled this will be followed by the station s callsign DISCONNECTED The station t
51. et over a slow connection such as a dial up modem Even with high speed connections be judicious about setting the connection limit since each additional station in the conference requires about 17 kbps of upstream bandwidth For example a typical cable modem connection provides only 128kbps upstream which would support a maximum of about 7 or 8 stations in a conference For more information see Low Bandwidth Indicator p 64 Note that when conferencing is enabled you can assemble a conference by establishing connections to other stations yourself or by waiting for them to connect to you An interesting feature in Sysop mode is the ability to assemble a conference by entering commands into EchoLink s built in Web server from some remote location on the Internet Please use discretion when assembling a conference It is considered poor operating practice to conference in a station to an existing conversation unless you are certain the new station will welcome it Multi Conferencing Multi conferencing is the connection of one conference to another Previous versions of EchoLink included safeguards to prevent multi conferencing since there was no reliable way to detect and prevent conference loops in which more than one path is established between conferencees Support for multi conferencing is now available as an option in EchoLink version 1 7 and above Multi conferencing is disabled by default To enable it check the Allow mul
52. etMsg ENE None C Deit C Cunom The signals are as follows e Connected A station has just connected either at your own request or theirs e Disconnected A station has just disconnected e Alarm A callsign in the Alarm list has just appeared or changed status in the Station List e Over A station with which you are speaking has just finished a transmission and has turned it over to you e Text Msg A station to which you are connected has just typed a text message in the Chat window To preview any of the signals click on the small loudspeaker button The selected Signal will be heard through the PC speakers If your computer has multiple sound cards note that signals in single user mode are always played through the Windows default sound device regardless of the settings on the Audio tab of Setup These signals are used only in Single User mode In Sysop mode a separate set of Signals is used For more information see Signals p 31 22 EchoLink User s Guide Sysop Settings Sysop Settings control many of EchoLink s features when it is running in Sysop mode Choose one of the tabs along the top to view the RX Control TX Control DTMF Identification Options or Web options Each of these tabs is described in detail below RX Control Tab The RX Control tab sets up the interface between your PC and your receiver or transceiver Sysop Setup x Fox Chl TX Chi DTMF Ident Options Si
53. ex link conference server or user Busy stations are shown in blue Moving the mouse over a station s name displays additional information about the station To locate and connect to a station open the appropriate folder until the station is displayed in the list on the right hand side and then double click the station s callsign 47 EchoLink User s Guide The Explorer View can also be navigated using the keyboard For details see Keyboard Shortcuts p 44 Explorer View also includes special folders for Alarms Favorites and New stations containing information not available in Index View Each type of folder is described below Locations This folder contains logged on stations organized by continent and country Because of the large number of stations in the United States U S stations are further broken down by call area Note Location information is based solely on ITU callsign prefix not on other categorizations such as DXCC entities For this reason stations in offshore territories appear in the same folder as stations in their recognized nation even if they may be located in a different part of the world Node Types This folder contains sub folders for each of the four node types Each station in the Locations folder is also listed here New This folder contains stations that have logged on to EchoLink since the last time the list was refreshed Normally the list refreshes itself every 5 minutes You can a
54. ft blank Notes This feature requires that a TAPI compatible voice modem be installed In contrast to a conventional modem a voice modem is one that can place or accept voice calls and is often used with speakerphone or answering machine PC software The most common and inexpensive type of voice modem is the internal PCI winmodem type although not all winmodems are voice modems Check the product literature for references to telephone answering machine or speakerphone to determine if a particular modem has voice capability Although EchoLink has been tested with several different makes and models of voice modems compatibility with all models cannot be assured When installing the modem be sure that the matching voice modem drivers are installed as well Windows 95 users should also be sure that the TAPI 1 4 and Unimodem V updates have been applied since these are not present in a base Windows 95 installation When dialing in to EchoLink over the telephone EchoLink will pick up the line and announce EchoLink lt callsign gt to the caller If a passcode was configured the caller must enter the correct DTMF passcode Echolink then announces Enabled At this point it is ready to accept DTMF commands and the caller will hear the link audio if a QSO is in progress and the Audio Monitor box is checked Since there is no carrier detect over the telephone allow 3 seconds after each DTMF sequence for the command to be recognized or
55. gnals Flemt AF Into Came Detect i F hinnad VOX Delay ims 1000 f VIR Arii Thump mel 500 C Serial CD CiFreq Delay map 3000 C Se al CTS Se al DSR Se al Por comi gt Tr FS quelch Crash Arti Tip Duration msj Lo coe gt Carrier Detect EchoLink needs to be able to detect when a signal is being received at the receiver Normally a built in VOX system monitors the received audio and triggers EchoLink when it rises above a certain level However for more positive operation on simplex links it is also possible to connect the carrier detect signal directly from the receiver to one of the PC s serial ports Manual Select this option if you do not wish to use VOX or the serial port In order to transmit to the other station over the Internet you must click the Transmit icon or press the space bar This would normally only be selected for testing VOX Select this option if you do not have a carrier detect connection between your receiver or transceiver and your PC s serial port This is the default When VOX is enabled and a connection is established to a remote Station EchoLink will begin transmitting to the remote station whenever the peak audio level rises above the VOX threshold The VOX threshold is set using a slider that appears just below the audio level indicator at the bottom of the EchoLink screen 23 EchoLink User s Guide When VOX is enabled EchoLink monitors your
56. guration changes to the repeater itself Note that this technique can be used whether or a not a PL is required to activate the repeater 63 EchoLink User s Guide Low Bandwidth I ndicator EchoLink includes a feature that displays a warning indicator whenever the available Internet bandwidth is not sufficient to handle the rate of data being sent by EchoLink Typically this can occur when Conferencing is enabled and the Internet connection does not have enough capacity to support the number of conferencees who are connected This can easily occur over a dial up connection if two or more Stations have joined the conference For this reason enabling Conferencing is not recommended for EchoLink stations on a dial up connection Remember that for each station joining a conference the station hosting the conference needs an additional 17 kbps of upstream Internet bandwidth If two stations have joined the conference each transmission from the host station must be sent to both conferencees requiring a minimum of 34 kbps Despite its name a perfect 56k dial up connection provides only 33 6 kbps upstream which is insufficient for conferencing A low bandwidth situation can also occur over a normal one to one connection if an Internet connection slower than 28 8 kbps is in use for example if a 14 4 kbps modem is being used to connect to the Internet A low bandwidth indicator will appear in the bottom right hand corner of the scr
57. h a flat response you might be able to improve intelligibility by choosing General Purpose 13 EchoLink User s Guide Mic which adds a boost in the upper and midrange frequencies to mimic the response of a communications type mic Note that this setting has no effect on audio received from other stations over the Internet nor does it have any effect in Sysop mode Open in Full Duplex Check this box only if you sometimes receive an error message when you begin transmitting about EchoLink being unable to open the sound device When this box is checked EchoLink will keep the sound device open for Recording at all times while the program is running Do not check this box if your computer uses a half duplex sound card or driver Auto Sample Rate Compensation Check this box to allow EchoLink to compensate automatically for variations among sound cards Some sound cards may operate as much as 2 away from the desired sample rate which can cause periodic gaps in received audio even over a perfect Internet connection When this feature is enabled EchoLink detects this problem and inserts or removes packets to compensate for it dynamically You might perceive this compensation as a slight Skip or echo periodically 300 Hz High Pass Filter Check this box to invoke a software based DSP filter which rolls off outbound audio below 300 Hz This is often useful to remove bassiness and various pops and booms from your audio particularly if y
58. he software Dead Key Prefix Some repeater controllers have a feature that mutes DTMF tones so that they are not heard on the output Typically however these controllers provide a work around in the form of a prefix that can be used to disable the DTMF muting feature such as If you are running a link to such a repeater and receiving audio from the repeater s output users wishing to send EchoLink DT MF commands will have to prefix all EchoLink commands with this sequence In some cases however EchoLink receives and decodes this command prefix along with the command itself which is usually not desirable To avoid this problem enable the Dead Key Prefix option This will cause EchoLink to always ignore the chosen command prefix unless it is the only digit received 2 EchoLink User s Guide Station Shortcuts Opens the Station Shortcuts window This window allows you to create custom DTMF sequences for connecting to specific stations like a personal phone book For example you could create the shortcut 99 to connect to K1RFD This makes it easier for mobile stations to connect to a frequently used station without having to memorize the station s node number Be sure to use sequences that do not conflict with other functions two or three digit sequences are usually good choices Note that Station Shortcuts are implicit connect commands not simply abbreviated node numbers For more information about DTMF commands see DTM
59. highlighted in yellow Stations that have been added to your Alarms list are shown in red EchoLink provides several options for filtering items that are shown in the Index View These options are available on the Listing tab of the Preferences screen For details see Listing Tab p 16 Explorer View In Explorer View all logged on stations are displayed within each of several groups of folders and sub folders This presentation is familiar to users of Microsoft Windows Explorer although the information displayed is stations rather than files 762 stations on servers echobink_ 009 22 are busy 4 Locations De i Africa 1 Pe VAZAE R Montre iy Asia 29 E vammaa Lions Head Ontario H i Europe 39 vasove St Thomas Ont Canada TE North America 627 Gvawrst Eliot Lake Ontario ds A WyvAIROGR Collingwood On Ca Meson 3 LE IATE Mi CONG Mielke Tate 7 oum Many of the folders contain sub folders To see the list of sub folders click the small plus sign to the left of the folder list on the left hand side If you double click on a folder its contents are displayed on the right hand side A folder can contain stations sub folders or a combination of both The number in parentheses after a folder name indicates the total number of stations it contains including those in any sub folders Within each folder stations are listed alphabetically An icon indicates whether the station is a repeater link simpl
60. his box If this box is not checked EchoLink will prompt you for the password each time the program is started Change Callsign As a precaution against inadvertent changes you cannot enter a different callsign or password without first choosing Change Callsign Note that if you are connected to another station you will be disconnected when you change callsigns Name Enter your first name here This name will appear on the other station s screen when you establish a contact Location Enter the location of your station or a description of its function This will appear in the list of available users Examples Ridgefield CT or Link to W2ABC R NYC Email Addr Enter your e mail address This is used only if EchoLink Support needs to contact you Servers Tab The Servers tab configures the connection between EchoLink and one or more Registration Servers Registration servers maintain information about which stations are registered and which are currently on the system Normally this information does not need to be changed System Sehup My Station Servers Timing Audio Prei 1 rasestechoinkorg Pref 2 nasouthechoirkog Prof serves echoirk g Pref backupechoinko pas Rety Timeout seck 10 Automabcally Dial Connection 11 EchoLink User s Guide Pref 1 through Pref 5 Shows each of the server names or addresses in order of preference If the server at Pref 1 cannot be contac
61. his portion of the screen shows the callsign and location of each station currently on the system and whether each is Busy already in contact with another station or On ready for a new contact For more information about the Station List area see Station List p 46 Preferences xX Listing Connections Securty Signat M Update station ket automaticaly Update every 200 sec Even while connected Show m Index View M Flepesters R Iv Stations Busy F Links iL h Stations Free ha User Alamed Ony M Conference Server e Show Alarm in pop up ario M Add new 0S50s lo Favoetes IY Aleshwe warden site ared postion on startup es Le or Update station list automatically If this box is checked the station list will refresh itself periodically The box below it specifies the number of seconds between each refresh Even while connected If this box is checked the automatic refresh will occur even while you are in contact with another station On slower Internet connections this may interfere with smooth performance of the audio so you may wish to un check it If the box is un checked EchoLink will refresh the station list as soon as your contact is complete unless less than 30 seconds has elapsed since the last refresh Show in Index View This set of check boxes specifies which types of stations you wish to include in the Index View Un check any types of stations you do not wish to see For example
62. if Stations Free is checked but Stations Busy is not any station currently in contact with another will be omitted from the list Alarmed Only If this box is checked only those stations which have been added to your Alarms list will be displayed For more information see Tools Menu p 40 16 EchoLink User s Guide Show Alarms in pop up window If this box is checked the Alarm Log window will automatically open each time an Alarmed station changes status showing the Station s callsign and status You can also open or close the Alarm Log window from the View menu Add New QSOs to Favorites If this box is checked EchoLink will automatically add any stations to which you connect or which connect to you to your list of Favorites Favorites is one of the folders in the Explorer View This is a convenient way of quickly re connecting to a station you have spoken with recently Restore window size and position on startup If this box is checked EchoLink on startup will restore the main program window to the size and position at which you left it when it was last shut down Otherwise EchoLink always starts the program with the default size and position Connections Tab The Connections tab includes controls for setting up the Conferencing features of EchoLink and for setting text messages that appear during a contact x List Connections Security Signals Conferencing Allow conferences Lit to e olherstabons M Up
63. into the Favorites or Alarms folders on the left hand side then release the mouse button to drop it You can also drag and drop an 48 EchoLink User s Guide entire folder to add many stations at once Dropping a folder to Alarms causes all of its stations to be added to Alarms whereas dropping a folder to Favorites copies the folder s themselves to Favorites e Use Copy and Paste These choices are available either from the Edit menu or by right clicking the mouse e Open the Alarms or Favorites folder right click anywhere in the right hand side choose New and type the callsign of a station This is a way to adda Station that may not be currently logged on e Choose Alarms from the Tools menu to add a station manually to the Alarms list Deleting Stations from Alarms or Favorites To delete a station from Alarms or Favorites select the station s and press the Delete key or right click and choose Delete Saved Favorites Your Favorites are stored in a text file called favorite txt in the same directory as EchoLink exe You may be able to edit this file directly if you wish Note Outside of the U S Favorites appears as Favourites 49 EchoLink User s Guide Connection Statistics Window The Connection Statistics window displays detailed information about the currently connected station or stations This display is useful in Conference mode when more than one station is connected or to help diagnose network
64. is busy when it comes time to ID Options Tab The Options tab controls several other options for EchoLink 29 EchoLink User s Guide Sysop Setup a xj Foc Ci TX Chi DTMF Ident Options Signals Web AF Irto Announce connect Aluse h Include callign Announce decormectt Fiy welcome message lo connecting dation El Play courtesy tone e Play activity reminder evens 240 Maxkey down lime sect 240 Dead camer treou sec o Anncuncenerd pre delsy mej 250 E Announce connects Select one of the available options to control how EchoLink signals that a station has connected e None No Connect announcement is made when a station connects unless a local DTMF command invoked it e All users A Connect announcement is made each time a station connects e First conferencee only A Connect announcement is made when a station connects but only if no other users are already connected Include callsign If this box is checked EchoLink will include the callsign of the newly connected station in the Connected announcement Announce disconnects Select one of the available options to control how EchoLink signals that a station has disconnected e None No Disconnect announcement is made when a station disconnects unless a local DTMF command invoked it e All users A Disconnect announcement is made each time a station disconnects e Last conferencee only A Disconnect announcement is made when a
65. it Selects an available link or Random Link repeater L or R at random and O1 tries to connect to it Selects a conference server at Random Conf 02 random and tries to connect to it Selects an available single user Random User station at random and tries to 03 connect to it Selects an available node of any type at random from the Favorites List and tries to connect to it Selects an available link or repeater L or R at random from the Favorites List and tries to connect to it Selects a conference server at RandomFavConf random from the Favorites List 021 and tries to connect to it Selects an available single user RandomFavUser station at random and tries to 031 connect to it Disconnects the station that is currently connected If more than Disconnect one station is connected disconnects only the most recently connected station RandomFavNode 001 RandomFavLink 011 52 EchoLink User s Guide Disconnect All Disconnects all stations HH Re connects to the station that Reconnect 09 most recently disconnected Announces the callsign of each Status station currently connected 23 Link Down Disables EchoLink no connections mone can be established Link Up Enables EchoLink none Play Info Plays a brief ID message Pk Looks up a station by its callsign Query by Call and reads back its node number O07 call and status Looks up a station by its node Query by Node number
66. jump at least into the yellow area on voice peaks but should not go full scale Adjust the Microphone slider described above if necessary 68 EchoLink User s Guide Online Support EchoLink is offered free of charge to the Amateur Radio community and is supported by a network of volunteers Experience has shown that many questions about EchoLink are similar and can be answered by reading the Help documentation or one of the Frequently Asked Questions sections Most likely you ll find that your particular question or problem has already been answered or addressed For a complete set of FAQs and other support information please visit the EchoLink Web site http www echolink org support htm 69 EchoLink User s Guide Technical Credits Efforts by the following people and organizations are gratefully acknowledged e Graeme Barnes MOCSH the developer of LI NK e Audio compression functions developed by Jutta Degener and Carsten Bormann Technische Universitaet Berlin e Grid control developed by Chris Maunder and Joe Willcoxson e DSP functions provided by Intel e Support for iconic pull down menus provided by Brent Corkum Legal Notices EchoLink is a registered trademark of Synergenics LLC Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation ZoneAlarm is a trademark of Zone Labs Inc All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners The entire contents of this document are 200
67. k your computer s free disk space periodically to avoid running low Record and Playback Controls Record and playback controls are provided on the Tools menu and also as icons on the toolbar These controls are available only while a QSO is in progress i e only while a station is connected Start Recording Begins recording the QSO as a single WAV file A flashing red indicator appears in the status bar to remind you that a WAV file is being recorded Stop Recording Stops recording and closes the WAV file The file is automatically deleted if nothing but silence was recorded Play Sound File Opens a dialog box that allows you to select a WAV or MP3 file for playback If you select a WAV file it must be in 8 bit PCM 8000 Hz Mono format Immediately after the file is selected EchoLink transmits and begins playing the file While playing audio is heard by all connected stations You will also hear audio through the PC speakers if your computer has a full duplex sound device In Sysop mode the audio is also transmitted over the local link A flashing green arrow appears in the status bar to remind you that a sound playback is in progress 57 EchoLink User s Guide Stop Stops record or playback If recording the file is automatically deleted if nothing but silence had been recorded Pause Playback Temporarily suspends playback of a sound file and stops transmitting Choose this control again to resume playback While
68. lays the Status bar at the bottom of the screen The Status Bar includes indicators that show the transmit receive connect status 41 EchoLink User s Guide and descriptions of the menu and toolbar items Un check this item if you wish to hide the status bar Large Font Enables or disables the Large Font option When this option is enabled a larger bolder font is used to display the stations in Index View for the benefit of the visually impaired Explorer View is not affected When enabled all items in Index View will appear as black text Choose this item again to return to the normal font size After making a change the program must be re started for the new setting to take effect Connection Statistics When checked displays the Connection Statistics window This window floats on top of the EchoLink screen and may be moved or closed if desired The Connection Statistics window shows detailed information about the current connection if any For more information see Connection Statistics p 50 Station Summary When checked displays the Station Summary window This window floats on top of the EchoLink screen and may be moved or closed if desired The Station Summary window shows summary totals of the stations in the Station List grouped by type status and country For more information see Station Summary p 51 Alarm Log When checked displays the Alarm Log window This window floats on top of the EchoLink scre
69. liminates extra hops in the audio chain It also eliminates the need to ID a link transmitter One disadvantage of this technique however is that it requires reliable Internet access at the repeater site which may be in a remote location With the remote link approach an FM transceiver is connected to the EchoLink PC at a convenient location in range of the repeater and tuned to the frequency pair of the repeater In this configuration the transceiver behaves very much like an ordinary local repeater user transmitting on the repeater s input frequency on behalf of EchoLink users and receiving on the repeater s output frequency Although this allows the EchoLink equipment to be placed in a more convenient location it presents some challenges with respect to RX control With either approach EchoLink should be configured with a callsign with a R suffix to indicate that the node is a gateway to a repeater rather than a simplex frequency If a remote link is being used the software should be configured to identify itself on the air with the host station s callsign which is not necessarily the same as the EchoLink callsign or the callsign of the repeater Since the link itself is not a repeater a suffix such as R in the ID is usually not appropriate for U S Stations Carrier Detect One of the most important considerations for an EchoLink repeater node is the method of detecting the presence of a local RF signal Although the be
70. low Station Transmit Connect Cut nt Refresh Find Settings ListBusy cor hi Stop Record Help A Lo a 5 2 le Ble dal 218 a mlo ANO gl ol Disconnect Copy Alarms Preferences Statistics Play Pause Print Menus As with other Windows applications EchoLink includes a row of pull down menus along the Menu Bar Each menu is described in detail below File Menu Print Prints the current contents of the Station List Print Preview Displays the current Station List as it would appear when printed Print Setup Allows you to select a printer and set printer options for use with EchoLink Profiles Selects a new profile or creates or deletes an existing one A profile is a collection of EchoLink settings For more information see Profiles p 59 Exit Log off the system and exit the program This is the same as clicking the Close icon the X in the upper right hand corner Edit Menu Cut Copies the current selection to the Clipboard and deletes it Copy Copies the current selection to the Clipboard Paste Places the contents of the Clipboard into the selected location Delete Deletes the current selection Items on the Edit menu apply to the current selection of the EchoLink window that has focus This can be the Index View the Explorer View the Text Message window the Text Chat window or the Text Chat Send box To change focus to a different window click on it or type one of the keyboard commands lis
71. lso refresh the list by pressing F5 or clicking the Refresh icon in the toolbar Each time the list is refreshed the contents of the New folder are cleared and updated Stations in the New folder also appear in the Locations and Node Types folders Alarms This folder contains stations that have been added to your Alarms list These stations may or not be currently logged on If a station is logged off its callsign appears in gray text rather than black or blue and its icon is dimmed An alarm will sound when EchoLink detects that any of the stations in this list log on log off or change status This notification is not immediate since it depends on periodic updates to the Station List Favorites This folder contains stations that you have placed into it for future reference This makes it easy to locate certain favorite stations even when many stations are logged on You can create your own sub folders in Favorites to organize stations into groups You can also have each new QSO added to Favorites automatically see Preferences p 16 Adding Stations to Alarms or Favorites You can add a station to Alarms or Favorites in several ways e Right click the station s callsign in any other folder and choose Add to Alarms or Add to Favorites If the station is already in either of these folders the corresponding choice will be dimmed e Use the mouse to drag a station or several stations from a list on the right hand side
72. nabled Choose Clear to reset these counters to zero Three progress bars show the size of each of several buffers used by EchoLink The Send bar shows the number of packets waiting in queue to be sent over the Internet on a good Internet connection this bar should be near zero If the bar grows to the right it may indicate a temporary bandwidth problem with the Internet connection The Net bar shows the number of packets received from the Internet waiting to be processed by EchoLink Normally while receiving a signal from another station this bar should be approximately half scale The Audio bar shows the number of sound buffers waiting to be processed by the sound card 50 EchoLink User s Guide Station Summary Window The Station Summary window displays statistics about stations in the Station List organized by type status and country of origin To display the Station Summary window choose the Station Summary item from the View menu The window floats over the EchoLink screen and can be moved as desired by dragging the title bar Station Summary xl Free Busy Total Repeaters 30 E 44 Links Ez a 0 Users 4 a de Cont Srvrs 13 o 13 Total IIA United States Canada 12 United Kingdom E Australia A Sweden 4 Brazil 3 2 1 Italy New Zealand The displayed statistics are updated each time the Station List is refreshed The numbers are the count of stations in each category Counts that have in
73. net If you are operating EchoLink behind a firewall Such as a cable or DSL router be Sure to configure the firewall to forward inbound traffic on TCP port 8080 to the computer running EchoLink Enable dial in remote control Check this box to have EchoLink accept DTMF control operator commands from an incoming telephone call Voice modem device If more than once voice modem is connected to your PC choose the device you wish to use with EchoLink If this option is disabled it means that EchoLink did not detect any compatible devices See Notes for more information Answer onnrings Determines how many times the line will ring before EchoLink answers the call Timeout sec Sets the amount of time after the last DTMF command that EchoLink will keep the line open before hanging up Most voice modems will also hang up the line shortly after the caller hangs up Set the timeout to O to keep the line open as long as the caller remains off hook Audio level Sets the audio level from EchoLink to the telephone line Move the Slider to the right to increase the level Audio Monitor Check this box to allow audio from the QSO to be heard over the telephone line while the control operator is connected Un check this box if your voice modem is not able to detect DTMF digits while sending audio through the phone line Passcode Sets the DIMF sequence that the caller must supply before being allowed access to the link This field may be le
74. nterface boards ASCI I controlled This type of interface which is specifically designed for EchoLink accepts ASCII commands from the computer over its serial port These commands key and un key the transmitter and request information about incoming DTMF digits High quality boards of this type are available in kit and assembled form from WB2REM or VA3TO Details of the original WB2REM circuit were also described in QST for March 2002 Direct controlled This type of interface which is commonly used for PSK31 and other digital modes keys the transmitter in response to signals over the serial port s RTS or DTR pins The interface usually includes an attenuator to simplify the connection between the computer s sound card and the transceiver s mic jack This type of interface may be the best choice if you intend to use digital modes in addition to EchoLink or if your set up requires additional isolation between the computer and the transceiver The interface does not include a DTMF decoder but EchoLink s internal decoder may be used instead The RIGblaster from West Mountain Radio is an example of this type Carrier Detect In Sysop mode EchoLink needs some way of knowing when there is activity on the local receiver The most common way is to use EchoLink s built in VOX voice operated switch The VOX monitors incoming audio from the receiver When properly adjusted the VOX will trigger only when a station is being heard over the receiver
75. o which you had just been connected has disconnected either at their request or yours Check the System Log for more information NOT CONNECTED You have requested a disconnect but no station is currently connected NOT FOUND The requested station is not currently logged on This signal is sent in response to any of several DTMF functions that search for a particular callsign or node number BUSY The requested station is listed as busy This signal is included in the response to either a connect request or a status query ENABLED The Link Up command has been received and EchoLink Is now available for connections DISABLED The Link Down command has been received and EchoLink is no longer available for connections 55 EchoLink User s Guide ALREADY IN CONFERENCE EchoLink is already participating in a conference and thus cannot join another one For details see the section Conferencing p 60 NOT AVAILABLE A connection could not be established to the requested station The station is busy or it is denying access based on its inbound security settings or your own outbound security settings TIMEOUT The station was disconnected because of a timeout or an attempt to connect to another station failed because the station did not respond There are several different types of timeouts check the System Log to determine the exact cause 56 EchoLink User s Guide Record and Playback EchoLink has built in functions for r
76. of each connected station with a list of all stations in the conference with an arrow indicating the station that is currently speaking This takes the place of the Station Information file if one had been configured This list will also appear on your own screen even if this option is not selected Allow multi conferencing Check this box to allow a conference hosted on your PC to be connected to one or more other conferences By default this type of connection known as multi conferencing is inhibited by the software See Conferencing p 60 for more information Location Description The text in these two boxes will be displayed next your Station s callsign in the Station List that is viewable by all stations on the system Different text may be specified depending upon whether your station is Free not in conversation or Busy Normally however these two items are the same Show name of connected conference When this box is checked each time you connect to a conference EchoLink will automatically update your Location listing with the name of the conference instead of your usual Location Description The listing that other stations see will become In Conference XXXXX where XXXXX is the callsign of the conference server or EchoLink conference you are connected to Note that this information will not appear in your own Station List until the next refresh PTT Control Choose this button to open the PTT Options window whi
77. oment Enable this option to display a warning message in the Chat window if you are doubling with another station Security Tab The Security tab controls features that prevent undesired access to your EchoLink system This is particularly of interest in the Sysop mode although the Security settings work in either mode Preferences Listing Connections Security Signat Accept corns hor Accept ornk these calls F Repeaters A Denplhesa cal e Links L Users h Conferences Apply cecunty A Inbound cormection requests settings bo FT Dutbourd cormection attempts Allow connections with These four checkboxes control which types of stations you are willing to connect with If a station that has been excluded tries to connect EchoLink will immediately deny access and make a special notation in the Log file If Conferences is un checked EchoLink will not allow connections with conference servers or EchoLink conferences It is possible however to be connected with a station that later becomes a conference when it connects with a third station In this case EchoLink will immediately disconnect but only if Dynamic conf detect is checked Deny these calls Select this option to set up a banned list of stations with which you do not want to connect Any number of callsigns may be entered To add a new callsign choose Add New then type the callsign including any L or R suffix into the blank space provid
78. oose one of the two arrow buttons in the center For example if the only country in the Deny list is United States any station with a U S callsign prefix AAA ALZ KAA KZZ NAA NZZ or WAA WZZ will be denied access all others will be allowed Note that the countries listed are those in the ITU Prefix list There is no recognition of DXCC entities for this feature and thus no distinction between offshore territories and their host nations Also EchoLink has no way to detect when a callsign is being used outside of its country of origin Apply Security settings to Use these two checkboxes to direct EchoLink to apply the above security settings to connections coming in to your station to connections initiated by your station to both or to neither For example if both boxes are un checked the Security settings have no effect and all connections are permitted Signals Tab The Signals tab lets you change the signals alert sounds produced by EchoLink when certain events occur EchoLink includes a set of default sounds and you can silence them or substitute your own WAV files for each These settings apply to Single User mode only 21 EchoLink User s Guide Preferences Listing Connection Securty Signat Configure signals sounds for the lollowng ever Connected EC None Defaut C Custom Disconmected JU None Detaut C Custom Alarm GC None Deiat C Custom Ove HM None C Deiat C Custom T
79. or disconnects and other system events Callsign Log Offers the option to View or Edit the current Callsign log file Choosing View opens the log using a built in read only viewer Choosing Edit opens the file using a Windows text editor such as Notepad This log file called CallLog txt logs one line for each station contacted at the conclusion of the QSO with the date and time the contact began and ended and the callsign and name of the other station 42 EchoLink User s Guide Help Menu Contents Opens the main Help menu If the Help window does not open check to be sure your system has the latest Microsoft HTML Help controls installed Search Opens the Help system and allows you to search for a particular keyword Index Opens the Help system and displays the index of Help items EchoLink Web Site Navigates your Web browser to the EchoLink Web site s home page Help on the Web Links to a Web site containing detailed and up to date Help topics Choosing this item will open your default Web browser and navigate to the EchoLink Help page Software Updates Opens a window that gives you the opportunity to automatically check the EchoLink Web site to see if a new version of the software is available About EchoLink Displays EchoLink s current version number and copyright information 43 EchoLink User s Guide Keyboard Shortcuts As an alternative to using EchoLink with a mouse the following commands can be
80. ormation will be displayable and searchable on the EchoLink Web site If a packet TNC is connected to your computer and the APRS option is enabled the same information will be sent periodically to local users using APRS Mobile stations equipped with APRS often have alphanumeric displays which will show the location and status of your node if they in range of your APRS transmission or a nearby digipeater Future APRS software may include the ability to allow a mobile station to send a general query for local EchoLink activity The information fields on the RF Info Tab are defined by the AVRS spec as follows e Lat Station latitude in degrees and decimal minutes For example 41 1175 degrees is 41 degrees 07 05 minutes Be sure to indicate East or West e Lon Station longitude in degrees and decimal minutes Be sure to indicate North or South e Power W Transmitter power as measured at the feed point of the antenna 35 EchoLink User s Guide e HAAT ft Antenna height above average terrain in feet Note that this is the height of the antenna above average ground not the elevation above sea level e Antenna gain dB Antenna gain in the favored direction rounded to the nearest decibel e Directivity General direction if any in which signals are favored by the antenna e Freq MHz Frequency on which the link receives If the link is to a repeater this is the output frequency of the repeater e PL if any CTCSS f
81. ors due to some PC clocks being incorrectly set A common error is to confuse AM with PM Location Shows the station s location or description as entered by the operator If operator entered this information in uppercase it is displayed 46 EchoLink User s Guide here in mixed case to save space Operators sometimes use this field to show comments about their current status A number in parentheses usually indicates the number of other stations that are currently connected Node Shows the node number of the station Node numbers are uniquely assigned Knowing a station s node number is useful if you wish to connect to it using DTMF commands over a simplex link or repeater The list can be sorted several different ways By default the list is sorted by the Station column station type and callsign All repeater links are shown first followed by simplex links then users and then conference servers Within each station type stations are listed alphabetically by callsign To sort on a different column click the column heading at the top If you click the Same heading a second time the list will be sorted in reverse order The Index View can also be navigated using the keyboard For details see Keyboard Shortcuts p 44 Stations that have just logged on since the last update are highlighted in yellow Stations whose status has changed from free to busy or vice versa since the last update are shown with their status column
82. ou are using a PC style or general purpose microphone This can also be used to filter out PL tones from a local RF signal in Sysop mode if your receiver does not roll off audio below 300 Hz This filter does not affect incoming audio audio received over the Internet Recording Mode Enables or disables the auto recording feature and when enabled specifies the recording mode See Record and Playback p 57 for more information Folder Click this button to choose the folder in which EchoLink should save the audio files it records This folder will also be the default folder for locating Playback files By default this is a subfolder called wav in the subfolder in which the EchoLink program file is installed Network Buffering Controls how much data EchoLink will accept from the Internet before it begins to play it This technique is known as buffering and helps ensure that incoming audio does not sound choppy due to variations in the timing of the Internet Moving the slider to the right for more buffering may produce Smoother audio on your system if you are connected to the Internet over a slow link such as a dial up modem However the further the slider is moved to the right the longer the delay PC Buffering Controls how much data EchoLink will send to your PC s sound card at once As with Network Buffering this technique helps ensure smooth sounding audio If your PC is an older machine or is running other tasks at the sam
83. playback is paused the flashing green arrow in the status bar continues to appear to remind you that sound file playback is paused 58 EchoLink User s Guide Advanced Topics Profiles Changes made to any of EchoLink s settings are stored to the computer s hard disk and are restored each time the program is started For convenience EchoLink also allows any number of different combinations of settings to be stored separately and given a descriptive name This is useful if you want to be able to switch back and forth between two or more commonly used settings such as the callsigns of a husband and wife sharing the same computer To use this feature choose Profiles from the File menu A list of the currently defined profiles is shown by default only the profile called MAIN is defined The MAIN profile cannot be deleted or re named Profiles Select a Profile from the ka below DE LonaT iremis r fot e Always cleat with selected profile To create a new profile choose New and enter a name for the profile Choose whether you want the new profile to initially contain all of the current settings or begin with default settings If you choose default settings the Setup Wizard will appear the first time the profile is invoked EchoLink will create a shortcut in the Programs section of your Windows Start menu for the new profile and optionally also create a shortcut on your Windows desktop You can use either of
84. r 1 2 seconds This value should rarely be changed Audio Tab The Audio tab lets you specify which of your PC s sound cards to use and make adjustments to compensate for a slow computer or slow Internet connection system Setup My Station Servers Timing he Input Device system default Output Device Jeysterm delasu 7 Mic Type Communication Mic z T Open in Full Dupi Auto Sample Rate Compensation 300 Hz TX HighP ass Fitter Hetwok Bullenng 10 PC Buffering uu 5 Min Max Total audio delay 1 Rete to Details ca mo Input Device and Output Device Specifies the sound card s or device s EchoLink should use for its audio This is useful when EchoLink is used on a PC with more than one sound card installed In most cases the system default setting is appropriate for both items when this choice is selected EchoLink will use the Record and Playback sound devices that have been set up in your Windows Control Panel Note In Single User mode signals are always played using the Windows default playback device regardless of these settings See Signals Mic Type If you are running in Single User mode choose the type of microphone you have connected to your PC The choices are Communications Mic and General Purpose Mic The default setting is Communications Mic which applies no shaping to the microphone audio However if you are using a general purpose mic wit
85. r linking operation Adjust Volume Opens up the Windows Volume Control panel for adjusting the playback or recording levels On Windows 95 and Windows NT 4 0 only the Playback levels are available from this menu item Tone Generator In Sysop mode keys the local transmitter and plays a sine wave Signal at the specified frequency and amplitude This is useful for tests and adjustments Start Recording Starts recording the current QSO While in Recording mode EchoLink will create one or more WAV files containing the transmitted and received audio See the Recording setting on the Audio tab of Setup and Record and Playback p 57 for more information Play Sound File Opens and plays a WAV or MP3 sound file sending the audio to the connected station s If your system has a full duplex sound device the audio will also be heard through the local speakers or over the air if running in Sysop mode Stop If playing a sound file stops playback closes the file and stops TX If recording stops recording and closes the file Pause Playback If playing a sound file temporarily suspends playback and stops TX View Menu Toolbar When checked displays the Toolbar near the top of the screen just below the menu bar The Toolbar provides quick one click access to several frequently used menu items Un check this item if you wish to hide the Toolbar and allow EchoLink to occupy less space on the screen Status Bar When checked disp
86. receiver s audio continuously and the audio level indicator will be active at all times even when your system is not connected to another station VOX Delay When the VOX has been triggered by a local signal EchoLink will continue sending audio to the station on the Internet for a short amount of time after the signal stops VOX Delay controls this time period in milliseconds Increase this number if local stations tend to leave silent pauses frequently in their transmissions This setting also controls the delay when using Serial CD Serial CTS or Serial DSR for carrier detect Anti Thump When using VOX to avoid false triggering after going key up enter a non zero value for Anti Thump The default is 500 milliseconds This feature is particularly useful when operating a repeater node to avoid having EchoLink s VOX trigger on your station s own squelch tail This setting also applies when using Serial CD Serial CTS or Serial DSR for carrier detect CirFreq Delay Sets the size of the clear frequency window This is the length of time EchoLink will wait after the VOX releases before determining that the local frequency is clear i e not busy During this time the Hand annunciator appears at the bottom of the screen The default is 3000 milliseconds Certain functions such as announcements and station IDs can be automatically deferred until EchoLink determines that the frequency is clear Serial CD Serial CTS and Serial DSR S
87. requency Stations in local range can communicate with connected stations over EchoLink but not with each other unless they are in simplex range of each other as well Repeater A repeater link is typically a transceiver tuned to the frequency pair of a local repeater This type of link acts as a bridge between the repeater and EchoLink Any station in range of the repeater can communicate with connected stations over EchoLink and also with any other station in the repeater s range If a PC and an Internet connection are available at the repeater site it is also possible to connect EchoLink directly to the repeater equipment One advantage of this arrangement is that it may not be necessary to rely on VOX for carrier detection For more information see Interfacing p 7 EchoLink User s Guide Interfacing For use in Sysop mode your transceiver connects to a hardware interface which in turn connects to your computer s sound card and serial port Audio from the receiver goes to the interface board or your sound card s line in jack and audio from the sound card s speaker out or line out goes through an attenuator to your transmitter s microphone input The attenuator is needed to reduce the sound card output to microphone level If your rig has a line in connection sometimes available on a back panel accessory jack you can usually connect the sound card output directly to line in Interface Types EchoLink supports two types of i
88. requency if any required to activate the link or to activate the repeater to which the link is tuned If you do not wish to provide or disseminate any of this information enter 00 00 00 for Lat and 000 00 00 for Lon Values for some of these items are limited to a small set of choices due to the way the data is encoded in the AVRS specification The following options are also available Report Status via APRS If using a TNC to disseminate status information over APRS check this box and confirm the settings below TNC Interface Serial port to which the packet TNC is connected EchoLink will access the TNC through this port at 9600 bps Be sure this port is not already in use by another application However if you are using the program Ul View32 you can configure UI View32 to communicate directly with the TNC and choose the UI View32 option to have EchoLink share the TNC with UlView32 The only limitation is that UlView32 cannot use the TNC in KISS mode Auto Initialize Check this box to have EchoLink set the TNC parameters automatically at startup If enabled EchoLink will attempt to put the TNC into command mode set the UNPROTO path and then put the TNC into converse mode Otherwise EchoLink assumes that these steps have been performed manually before EchoLink is started Unproto Path If Auto Initialize is enabled choose one of the paths from this list This affects the way outgoing packets are addressed and whether the
89. sadd 39 WE TODD at took 39 MenlS nacio iaa ae 39 Fe MEn ios dr E Noa 39 ETE MEU daa ias 39 A eee 40 TOOS Men Urrea tioetsesa nde ce peekw asda e tee anes eee aaees eet 40 VIEW Men ri A ace eee elon 41 SLD MENU rai aa 43 Keyboard SNOFCCUNS aiii 44 EXplorer VIEW ShoOrtCU E Suri 45 Station Listin 46 LG EX VIEW ari AAA A AS 46 EXPIOFET WE Winiani AA AAA ee eae caae 47 Connection Statistics WINKOW sssssssss22222222222u2222u222u2020u20u0uuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 50 Station Summary WINCOW cccceeeeeeeeee eee e eee 51 DIEM FUNCEONS aria 52 SINS A sw eae eta mete wd ee Ia 55 SInGle USer MOGE stc Ae 55 SYSOP MOS EsTaR 55 Record a a Pla VDACK ici cea 57 RECOFGING MOC rn AAA Sia 57 Record and Playback Controls sennen iraia a O A E rr 57 Advanced TOPES iii ias 59 Protesis ir A ones 59 Conterencino With ECNOLIM Kindo cea aos 60 Repeater LINKING TIPS ii 62 Remote 0r HardWire isa id 62 Carnet Detecta A AN 62 Low Bandwidth INdicatorF ccccccccccccccccncccconnnocnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnannnnnaas 64 Programming Interface icioiinncinnia a cess 64 FFOUDIESNOOUING muii 65 Firewall and Router SSUES ssssnssnnunnunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 65 Back rOUN ista daa 65 Using Firewalls and Routers with ECNOLInk cccccceeeeee cece eeeeeeeeeneeeeeesanas 65 Sound Card AGIMSUMOGR Ei 67 Playpack V OLUIINC reniir wade ved a eid aad ehaiaslulen AS 67 RECORGING VOM ida 67 MONILOFING Your Leve
90. st approach is usually to wire a COS signal into the COM port of the PC it is often necessary or desirable to use VOX instead Several techniques are described below COS from Repeater Receiver If the node is hard wired to the repeater controller the best source of carrier detect is the COS output from the repeater receiver itself or an equivalent signal from the repeater controller This ensures that EchoLink transmits to the Internet only when a Signal is being received on the input Also the audio connection to the sound card should come from the receiver s audio output rather than the repeater transmitter s audio path COS from Link Transceiver f the node is remotely located it may be desirable to use the COS signal from the link transceiver but only if the repeater s tail is extremely short Otherwise EchoLink will keep transmitting to the Internet 5 to 10 seconds after the local user finishes a transmission severely interrupting the flow of a QSO Some repeater node operators have successfully incorporated DTMF tones in their custom Connect and Disconnect announcements to automatically shorten the 62 EchoLink User s Guide repeater s tail while an EchoLink station is connected on repeaters that support this type of remote command VOX If the node is remotely located but the repeater s tail cannot be shortened VOX can be used When properly adjusted EchoLink will detect voice signals coming through the repeater
91. station disconnects but only if no other users remain connected Include callsign If this box is checked EchoLink will include the callsign of the newly disconnected station in the Disconnected announcement Announcement muting Select one of the available options to control how Connect and Disconnect announcements are done if the link frequency is busy e No muting Connect Disconnect announcements are played even if the frequency Is busy e Mute if freq is busy Connect Disconnect announcements are not played if the frequency Is busy e Defer if freq is busy Connect Disconnect announcements are not played if the frequency is busy but are deferred until the frequency becomes clear 30 EchoLink User s Guide The announcement is cancelled if more than 2 minutes has elapsed since the event e Suppress all No Connect Disconnect announcements are ever played even if invoked from a local DTMF command Play welcome message to connecting station Select this option if you wish to prepare a voice message to be played to stations that connect from the Internet This message will not be heard over the local link If this option is selected choose the to locate the WAV file to be played The WAV file must be recorded at an 8kHz 8000 Hz sample rate using one channel mono It is recommended that you keep such a message very brief under 5 sec as a long message may interfere with normal voice operation Play courtesy tone S
92. station is connected in Conference mode you will be prompted to disconnect a specific station or to disconnect all stations at once Request Version Sends a special command to each connected station to return the software version number The result appears in the Chat window Info Opens up a dialog that displays basic information about the selected station Find Opens the Find dialog which prompts you to enter a callsign or location Find then searches the Station List for a match or partial match and shows the result The Find dialog remains open so you can repeat the search or start a new one Refresh List Updates the Station List immediately Tools Menu Alarms Opens the Alarms dialog which lets you manage a list of callsigns for which to set Alarms If any of these stations comes online or switches from Free to Busy or vice versa EchoLink sounds an alarm and notes the event in bold just below the Station List Any number of callsigns may be specified Alarmed stations are also listed in a special folder in Explorer View You can also set up the Index View to show only stations that are in your Alarms list For more information see Preferences p 16 List Me as Busy If not currently connected changes your station s listed status from On to Busy This is useful to discourage other stations from trying to connect to yours during periods when you would like to run EchoLink but do not wish to accept incoming connections
93. sy tones Experiment with this setting until the purple SIG annunciator no longer appears when the undesired noise is heard When this feature is enabled all outbound audio is passed through a delay line as part of the detection process approximately three times the Duration value in length Note that this feature makes no effort to Suppress noise bursts in the audio stream itself it is only intended to prevent the VOX from tripping 24 EchoLink User s Guide TX Control Tab The TX Control tab sets up the interface between your PC and your transmitter or transceiver sysop setup FX Ch TX Col DTMF Ident Options Signals Web AF Into PTT Activation C Enema VOX C ASUI Seia 208 Port G ATS com C DTR 3600 bps Key PTT On Local Tiransi Lo e nw PTT Activation These options determine how EchoLink keys the local transmitter when a signal is received from a station on the Internet If no signal is being received by the local receiver EchoLink keys the local transmitter when any audio is received from the distant station then un keys it when the distant station stops its transmission External VOX Select this option if you do not have any connection between your PC and your transmitter s push to talk PTT circuit Although not commonly found on FM rigs your transmitter may have VOX control which can be enabled when this option is selected Audio from the PC triggers the transmitter s intern
94. ted the server at Pref 2 will be tried and so on down to Pref 5 Reset to Defaults If you had found it necessary to change any of servers in the list choose this option to restore the original settings You will be asked to indicate in which region of the world you are located This information is used by EchoLink to select the best combination of servers closest to you Retry Timeout sec Specifies the number of seconds EchoLink will wait while trying to contact each of the servers on the list If the time expires without success EchoLink moves to the next server on the list The default is 10 seconds Automatically Dial Connection f your computer uses a dial up modem to connect to the Internet check this box if you wish to have EchoLink dial and establish the connection when EchoLink starts If more than one phonebook entry is defined choose the desired one from the drop down list If you use a dial up Internet service but prefer to dial the connection before starting EchoLink do not check this box Disconnect on Exit When Automatic Dial is enabled checking this box will cause EchoLink to drop the connection when EchoLink closes Timing Tab The Timing tab configures several of EchoLink s time out timers Limiting the time allotted to certain features helps assure smooth operation of EchoLink and other stations on the system System setup My Station Servers Timing Audio Connect atlempt ENS ec Trance ime rra
95. ted in Keyboard Shortcuts p 44 39 EchoLink User s Guide Station Menu Transmit This item becomes active when you are connected to another station Check this item to transmit Speak to the remote station and un check it to stop transmitting This is the same as clicking the Transmit icon in the toolbar or tapping the space bar on the keyboard Connect This item becomes active when you select a station s callsign in the Station List area by clicking on it Choosing Connect will attempt to establish a connection with that station This is the same as double clicking the station s callsign or selecting the station and pressing Enter on the keyboard Connect To Opens the Connect To dialog which allows you to enter either the callsign or the node number of a station you wish to connect to EchoLink will try to connect to that station only if it is currently listed in the Station List Connect To Test Server Connects to a special conference server called ECHOTEST which simply records and plays back any transmissions you send to it This is useful for general system testing and setting audio levels You cannot connect to ECHOTEST if another conference is already connected Reconnect Re connect to the station you most recently disconnected from This is especially useful if your conversation had become disconnected due to a timeout or a network problem Disconnect Disconnect from the current station If more than one
96. ters allow data on specific ports to be forwarded to Specific computers If you expect to use EchoLink on only one PC configure your router to forward UDP ports 5198 and 5199 to that computer e Port triggering Some routers implement a smart forwarding scheme that tries to direct data to the computer which is most likely to use it based on requests each computer has recently made If you expect to use EchoLink any of several different computers at different times you may wish to try this option Configure the router to direct ports 5198 and 5199 to any computer that makes outbound requests over UDP ports 5198 or 5199 or TCP port 5200 EchoLink also uses TCP port 5200 Most routers will handle these requests correctly Since EchoLink always initiates them from the local computer If you are using 65 EchoLink User s Guide firewall software however you may need to open up outbound connections to this port EchoLink does not use TCP for incoming connections Many different companies manufacture routers and firewalls and each has its own peculiar set of instructions for configuration Some newer DSL modems have routing or firewalling features built in For details on how to configure your router or firewall consult the documentation that came with your device or the company s Web site For more information including step by step solutions for several popular routers and firewalls see the Firewall Solutions page on the EchoLink
97. that is when EchoLink is the topmost active application on your Windows desktop However if you check the System Wide box the key will activate TX even when EchoLink is minimized or not activated This is convenient if you wish to use other Windows programs while you are in an EchoLink QSO The System Wide option is not available if Space Bar is the selected key Serial Port CTS Check this box and choose the serial port to be used if you wish to control the TX using a push to talk switch connected to the computer s serial port CTS pin This is typically used for connecting a footswitch or push to talk switch to the PC for EchoLink operation Active Low Inverts the sense of the CTS pin so that TX is activated when the CTS pin goes low Auto Select Mic Input In Sysop mode checking this box causes EchoLink to automatically switch the inputs on the Windows Recording Volume Control between Line In and Microphone when the CTS pin is asserted and also to mute and un mute the Microphone input on the Playback Volume Control This is for the convenience of hams who wish to connect a push to talk microphone to the PC to use as a Supplement to the RF link If using this feature be sure that both the Line In and Microphone sliders are turned up on the Windows Recording Volume Control and the Microphone slider turned up on the Windows Playback volume control Also be sure that the RF receiver is connected to the Line In jack of your sound card
98. the VOX 4 Anti Thump Use the Anti Thump feature if the squelch crash as heard over the repeater when your transceiver stops transmitting seems to be triggering the VOX Start with a low value and move it gradually higher until the SIG indicator no longer appears when your link stops transmitting When the VOX is properly adjusted the acid test is to connect the link to the ECHOTEST conference server After hearing the initial welcome message from the test server the repeater should drop normally and then remain idle If the repeater continues to be keyed up by responses from the test server re check the above settings When the settings are correct at both ends of a repeater to repeater link both repeaters should remain idle except during an actual QSO or while either repeater sends its ID CTCSS Control If the node is remotely located this may be the best technique of all but it requires cooperation from the repeater In this set up the repeater transmits a CTCSS a k a PL tone only while its receiver s COS is active that is only while a station is transmitting The EchoLink transceiver is configured to open up only when this tone is received The advantage of this system is that EchoLink triggers only on a true signal and ignores incidentals such as courtesy tones and CW IDs The disadvantage is that most PL guarded repeaters transmit a continuous tone even when no signal is present on the input so it may require confi
99. these shortcuts to start up EchoLink directly with any of the profiles you have defined To switch from one profile to another double click the name of the profile in the list of available profiles You also have the option of whether to be prompted to choose a profile each time EchoLink starts or to start up in a specific profile automatically By default EchoLink always starts with the MAIN profile If you are running in Sysop mode you can also use the DTMF command ProfileSelect to switch to another profile remotely If a profile other than MAIN has been selected the name of the profile will appear in the program s title bar Any changes made to program settings are automatically stored in the selected profile no other profiles are affected If there is a setting you want to apply to all profiles you will have to switch to each profile separately and make the same change to each profile Profiles and all other EchoLink settings are stored in the Current User section of the Windows Registry If you are using the Windows User Profiles feature in which each user of the PC logs in to Windows on startup remember that changes made to EchoLink settings by one user will not apply to others 59 EchoLink User s Guide EchoLink will also accept a profile name as a command line argument when the program starts The format of this argument is p followed by the name of the profile without any extra spaces For example to start up with the
100. ti conferencing box on the Connections tab of the Preferences window 60 EchoLink User s Guide When multi conferencing is enabled the software will allow you to host a conference consisting of any type of station including conferences and conference servers When multi conferencing is disabled EchoLink enforces the following rules 1 If a station is already connected EchoLink will not connect to a conference server 2 Ifa station is already connected EchoLink will not connect to an EchoLink station to which a station is already connected if both stations are using EchoLink version 1 1 or above 3 If already connected to a conference server no additional stations may connect 4 If EchoLink is already connected to an EchoLink conference that is running EchoLink version 1 1 or above no additional stations may connect 61 EchoLink User s Guide Repeater Linking Tips One of EchoLink s strengths is its ability to link any number of repeaters to each other or to simplex stations Here are some tips for setting up and configuring EchoLink to be used as a link to a local repeater Remote or Hard Wired There are two ways a repeater can be connected to EchoLink With the hard wired approach the PC on which EchoLink runs is co located with the repeater controller and interfaced directly to it with no additional RF hardware This allows positive carrier and PTT control between the repeater controller and EchoLink and e
101. to provide to remote users The remote user s DTMF pad is not available if either node is participating in a conference Note that EchoLink s built in DTMF decoder itself does not normally respond to Signals received over the Internet however certain audio configurations may cause this to happen if they allow the sound card s output to be fed into its input or to an external DTMF decoder Also note that this setting controls only the ability of the remote user to use EchoLink s built in DTMF pad It does not affect DTMF signals from other sources Advanced When using the Internal DTMF decoder opens a window that allows the frequency tolerance twist and signal to noise ratio to be adjusted If you have difficulty getting DTMF digits to decode reliably with the Internal decoder you may find that adjusting these settings particularly the frequency tolerance will help However you may wish to try lowering the audio level of the receiver first DTMF Command List The list shows the name of each DTMF command and the sequence of digits that is required to activate it To change any of the function sequences click on the appropriate entry in the Sequence column and edit it To disable a function leave the item in the Sequence column blank or replace it with the letter X Reset to Defaults Returns all DTMF function codes to their default values This also adds any new function codes which may have been added since a previous version of t
102. y will be accepted and relayed by a digipeater A common setting is RELAY Include name s of connection stations in status If checked EchoLink will include the callsign of the connected station when it sends a status report over the APRS network Otherwise the report only indicates that the link is in use Comment Enter up to 8 characters letters numbers or spaces to be appended to the report This information will appear along with the APRS status report and is visible on the screen of some mobile stations For more information about the AVRS specification please see http web usna navy mil bruninga avrs html APRS is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga 36 EchoLink User s Guide Features and Functions The EchoLink Screen The diagram below shows the key parts of the EchoLink screen A description of each part of the screen follows Menu bat eg eee e re Toolbar 22 eas 2a 5 BaD MN da a cs api DE ll et 1 1 ee AN eD JOHATAN apii Hira TAN f EIFE JONATHAN station EIDA MAT AM F Tid list T message GSO Text chat status hase ST Audio level meter Status bar Annunciators Menu Bar and Toolbar Nearly every EchoLink command is available from the Menu Bar Many of the commonly used commands are also available by pressing a key or by clicking on one of the icons in the Toolbar For details see Menus and Toolbars p 39 The toolbar can be shown or hidden to save screen sp
103. you read this section you may find it useful to refer to the section EchoLink Screen on page 37 which shows the layout of the EchoLink screen and the names of each of its parts Callsign Validation 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 For more information about guidelines for callsign validation see the Support section of the EchoLink Web site Connecting to a Station 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

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