Would you like to keep in touch with your hams friends all over the world any time of the day or night?

Have you moved into a retirement home where HF equipment and antennas are not allowed?

Have you had to take down your tower and beam because you can no longer maintain them?

Then why not use an internet gateway to keep in touch with ham friends around the UK and the World.

Internet gateways operate on VHF and UHF simplex channels and repeaters using FM. The quality of the audio is mostly excellent and, because you are using the internet and not radio, there are no problems with propagation. You can just dial up your friends whenever you wish.

Background
For nearly 10 years radio amateurs have been experimenting by connecting their VHF and UHF FM radios to the internet.

In the year 2000 after a personal request from Ian G3ZHI,
David Hendon G8DPQ, who was the Chief Executive of the Radiocommunications Agency, gave his personal permission for internet gateways to licensed in the UK.

Now there are around 4,000 ham radio internet gateways all over the world - many available 24 hours a day.

Operating an internet gateway
Using an internet gateway is very easy. There are 3 main gateway systems in use, Echolink, eQSO and IRLP

With Echolink and IRLP, it is possible using a hand held radio with DTMF or a DTMF MIC on a base station to individually call a station via the gateway. In order to use your VHF/UHF HT as described in the following paragraph, it must have a DTMF keypad and be able to send DTMF tones which is standard on all new HT's.

So for example on IRLP, if you wanted to call a ham in Sydney, Australia, using your hand held, you would press the PTT and press the DTMF key numbers 6 0 0 0 then release and listen.

You would hear a voice announcement telling you that the link was connected. You would then talk and carry on a QSO normally as you would if you were working a local station. When you have finished, you press the PTT and the press DTMF 7 and then 3 which closes the link. You will then hear another voice announcement informing you the link has been closed.

You should always listen first on a gateway frequency to see if it is in use. You can also send a '0' to see if it connected to anywhere.

Recently a local ham from Doncaster, Kevin G8JJR, visited Perth for 8 weeks and he was able to keep in touch with his friends back home in South Yorkshire by calling from there every day using his hand held working the local repeater which is connected to the IRLP network.

Echolink and eQSO can also be used from a PC computer providing the computer has a soundcard with MIC and speakers attached. IRLP can only be used using a radio.

If you are on the internet you can see the live status pages showing which nodes are connected on all the three systems. Much more information is available on these web sites.

Here are some examples of the information shown .

Sample list of IRLP Node codes and locations
(opens in a new window - the list may take a few seconds to appear)

Sample list of Echolink nodes and locations
Stations currently logged-in
(opens in a new window - the list may take a few seconds to appear)

Sample list of eQSO node and locations
(opens in a new window)

Echolink is in use in 200 countries and has been downloaded by 200,000 hams

Sample list of UK internet gateway frequencies and location

If you don't have access to the internet at home, there is free access at your local library where you can download and print the list of gateways and station numbers.
Helpful library staff will show you how to use the internet if you have not used it before.

If you want to set-up an RF gateway in the UK, you need an NOV from Ofcom.
You must hold an intermediate or advanced licence to do this.

If you have any questions please contact me g3zhi@hotmail.com
01709 799911 Mobile 0783 338 0578

More information can be found at

http://www.echolink.org
http://www.irlp.net
http://www.eqso.net
http://www.qsl.net/g3zhi
http://www.gb3dx.co.uk
http://www.ofcom.org.uk
http://www.rsgb.org
http://www.dcc.rsgb.org/ShowGates.asp?call=ALL
http://www.ukirlp.co.uk
http://www.gb3ir.co.uk
http://www.eqso.info

Ian Abel G3ZHI
52 Hollytree Ave
Maltby
Rotherham
Yorkshire
S66 8DY

G4NJI IRLP 5200 Echolink 135909
Rotherham simplex 145.2875mhz

GB3XN IRLP 5708 Echolink 153126
Langold 430.925 Mhz

Tel: 01709 799911
Mobile 0783 338 0578

Ian has a wealth of information on his website. Click here to pay a visit

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