(The following was adapted from a document originally written by Paul, N0NBH. Many thanks to him!)
For licensed hams, EchoLink® opens up new possibilities for communicating around the world with other amateurs. RepeaterBook lists 34 open, full time repeaters on 2m, 1.25m, 70cm, and 33cm in Missouri that can link you to any of the thousands of other stations WORLDWIDE over the Internet using my station and internet connection. All you need is a transceiver with a DTMF keypad. That’s it. You use the DTMF tones to do all connecting, querying, and disconnecting. There are several different ways you can use EchoLink®. By far, the easiest is if you know the node number to which you wish to connect.
If you have a computer and want to find all the stations currently active, connected to the internet as follows:
* Connect to http://www.echolink.org .
* Select “Current Login” to see who is currently on (just record the node# of the station you want to talk to)
* Select “Link Status” to see what links and repeaters are up in the area of interest
If you are ready to connect to your station, do not have a computer, or are mobile follow these instructions:
1. Tune your transceiver 146.805 negative offset.
2. Announce your call sign and that you are connecting to an EchoLink® node
3. Connect to the station you want (easiest way is by node number)
If you know the numeric node number enter using your keypad. You will hear that it is attempting to connect, and will hear if successful or not. If connected, then just talk. Remember to announce your call sign as you are over the air. As a test, enter “9999”. This connects you to the EchoLink test server. Anything you say will be recorded and replayed to you. When done, press “#” to disconnect. Don’t worry, I have a timeout set so if it does not take, it will timeout. No harm, no foul. Announce your call sign and that you are clear of EchoLink®. That’s it. It is that simple!
Don’t know the node number and no access to the internet? You can also connect to random stations, the last station connected, or even query or connect to a call sign or node. See the table below for all commands.
EchoLink DTMF Commands
| Command | Description | DTMF |
|---|---|---|
| Connect | Connects to a station on the Internet, based on its node number. | Enter node |
| Connect by Call | Connects to a station on the Internet, based on its call sign. | C+call+# |
| Random Node | Selects an available node (of any type) at random, and tries to connect to it. | 00 |
| Random Link | Selects an available link or repeater (-L or -R) at random, and tries to connect to it. | 01 |
| Random Conf | Selects a conference server at random, and tries to connect to it. | 02 |
| Random User | Selects an available single-user station at random, and tries to connect to it. | 03 |
| Disconnect | Disconnects the station that is currently connected. If more than one station is connected, disconnects only the most-recently-connected station. | # |
| Disconnect All | Disconnects all stations. | ## |
| Reconnect | Re-connects to the station that most recently disconnected. | 09 |
| Status | Announces the call sign of each station currently connected. | 08 |
| Play Info | Plays a brief ID message. | * |
| Query by Call | Looks up a station by its call sign, and reads back its node number and status. | 07+call+# |
| Query by Node | Looks up a station by its node number, and reads back its call sign and status. | 06+num |
Using a call sign is more difficult than using the node number. You have to enter a call sign using the numeric keypad as follows:
A=21 | B=22 | C=23 | D=31 | E=32 | F=33 | G=41 | H=42 | I=43 | J=51 | K=52 | L=53 | M=61 | N=62 | O=63 | P=71 | Q=11 | R=72 | S=73 | T=81 | U=82 | V=83 | W=91 | X=92 | Y=93 | Z=12 | number= add a 0 (so 1=10, 2=20, etc) |
So, as an example:
To query N0NOE (status and node #), you would enter this on your DTMF keypad: 07 62 00 62 63 32 #
To connect to N0NOE, you would enter this on your DTMF keypad: C 62 00 62 63 32 #
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.
Entering Node Numbers
To enter a node number (for the Connect or 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 repeat the entered number and say “NOT FOUND”.
Entering Call Signs
To enter a call sign (for the Connect by Call or by Call commands), press two digits for each letter and number in the call sign (see above). When finished, end with the pound key (#). Call signs need not be entered in full. If a partial call sign 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”.
My only wish is that you use this node. Tell your friends. It is up 24/7, so please feel free to use it. Mistakes, well they are expected. We all learn from them. And as far as I am concerned, that’s what amateur radio is all about. 73 all de Bill N0NOE