So all these "listen only" users are constantly connecting and disconnecting, getting announced each time, and not saying a word.Īdditionally, many repeaters have a limited number (sometimes only one) of available connection slots. And now you're going to drop the connection without saying anything? That also is announced.
Now you won't talk to us? Why did you bother connecting. EchoLink is a two-way system by design, and there is no mechanism to validate listen-only stations.Īs a repeater owner, people who connect and say nothing are beyond irritating. No "SWL" (listen-only) capability is supported. Perhaps the policy would be clearer if it were written this way: I hear stations connect to nodes regularly without saying anything. I don't think that they mean that you aren't allowed to connect and not talk. "We don't support a way for a non licensed station to listen only." Anyone can buy a radio and listen without being licensed to talk on it and there is no way technologically that you can prevent them from listening. Contrast that with "traditional" short wave listeners. You logistically can not listen to this system without also being allowed to talk on it. You can't use the echo link system without being a validated licensed amateur. EchoLink is a two-way system by design, and there is no mechanism to validate listen-only stations. No "SWL" (listen-only) access is permitted.
#Echolink stations online full
I can be in Chicago and connect to a repeater in Sandton, South Africa - Wollongong, Australia - the Isle of Wright off the southern tip of England.The full access policy states (my emphasis): I can be in the northwoods of Wisconsin and connect to my “home” repeater in Schaumburg, IL. Or I can be in Schaumburg and hit any one of a small bunch of repeaters up in northern Wisconsin. I can be in Springfield, IL and connect to a repeater in Springfield, CA. I can transmit on those repeaters and others on those repeaters can reply to me. Petersburg? Which one - Florida or Russia? Either one.
#Echolink stations online license
You can talk to the world on a network of thousands of FM repeaters using EchoLink and all you need to do it is a valid amateur radio license and one of the aforementioned devices. You literally don’t even need a radio to do it. It was one of the most mind-blowing things ever. “EchoLink DX-ing” as one of my ham friends calls it. Yes - there are some folks who don’t consider it “real amateur radio” and I can see their point. But it’s also A BLAST and that makes me not care what some others might have to say about it. I can talk about COVID with people in Italy. I can have extended, sad conversations with people in crime-ridden areas. Sometimes, you run across people who need to vent and you need to listen. Sometimes you need to vent to someone other than the regular crowd on the local repeaters. Talk to the locals - they’ll almost certainly want to talk to you. It’s a “novelty” of sorts when a distant EchoLink station connects. Drop your call and approximate location right off the bat so they know what they’re dealing with. I normally say “N9IJS - John in Chicago, United States” and see if anyone answers.
If they don’t, there’s probably no one listening. With a radio, you and the rest of your town can tune in and listen and no one knows you’re listening. With EchoLink, many (if not most) repeaters will “announce” your connection. So treat any connection as one where you just dropped your callsign and are waiting for a reply. You might have connected in the middle of an active QSO, you may have connected to a repeater with *0* active listeners - or anywhere in between.
What seems very normal to you might be absolutely fascinating to someone in another country (and vice-versa). You might find that no matter where you go, everyone has the same sort of day-to-day issues.
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