After using EchoLink for some time I noticed a lot of users, both new and old, who might benefit from some of these Hints and Tips. Here is most everything you need to know about using EchoLink for basic peer to peer or conference (round table) chatting:

WHO CREATED ECHOLINK

EchoLink was created by Jonathan Taylor, chief engineer of the Synergenics Corporation, also known as K1RFD to his Ham friends. Jonathan gave EchoLink as a gift to the Ham Radio community. He also created EchoStation, a repeater-control program for Windows, for which he charges a small reasonable fee.


GOOD OPERATING PRACTICES

Before continuing with this article, I suggest you read Arguments for Proving Identity.

New to EchoLink? Although most Hams are eager and willing to help those new to EchoLink, it might save some time and frustration if you first connect to the EchoLink TEST (echo) Server (see the "Station" sub menu "Connect to Test Server"), tweaking your audio levels etc and listening to your echo so you will hear what others will hear BEFORE you attempt communication. However, there are many Hams who monitor the new arrivals (those with high node numbers) and immediately offer assistance, but it's best not to depend on it.

Although you can reasonably assume that anyone shown as "active" wants to chat, you should think of EchoLink as if it were a typical ham band. How often have you heard a station calling CQ but failed to get a QSO going? If you are scanning the active user list for a QSO and you succeed in getting a CONNECT, please do NOT wait for the other Ham to start the QSO after you make the connection. It is considered proper form to talk first with an invitation to engage in a QSO. Would you knock on a door and then after it opens just stand there silently?

If you are running EchoLink, but temporarily leave your terminal un monitored (like when taking a landline call), I suggest you put EchoLink in "Busy" mode by clicking the white hand in the tool bar. There also seems to be a great deal of impatience when users get a Connect but get no reply within 10 seconds or so. Might I also suggest one full minute before you blast off? I know there are many occasions when I am AFK for a very short time, not warranting going into Busy mode, as I am typically just refilling my coffee cup or dealing with Mother Nature.

If your intention is to connect to another Ham or Link or Repeater station with the desire to only read the mail, that's fine and even encouraged. Many new Hams starting out with EchoLink do not have microphones connected or operating properly. No matter what your reason for connecting, it is still considered courteous to at least announce your presence and intention, if not by voice, then by a text message. This way, no one will be left guessing as to the purpose of your visit.

Regarding station ID requirements, peer to peer (or direct connects) on EchoLink do not require signing with calls. Connects to Station Links and Repeaters do. However, as a matter of habit and courtesy, most hams on EchoLink always sign; if not everytime, then every so often.

If you are a busy guy like me, you probably want to do other things on your PC while chatting on EchoLink. Here is an operational tip that will allow you to confirm EchoLink's transmit or receive status in a flash. This can be useful when you "think" you toggled back to receive yet are still in Transmit mode. Reposition the EchoLink window so that its Status Bar is just above the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your Desktop. Now, take your Browser, E-Mail clients etc and reposition them so their Status Bar rest just above the Status bar of EchoLinks. Now EchoLink's status bar will always be visible on your Desktop, above your Taskbar, indicating transmit activity by the RED [TX] Transmit flag on the right side of EchoLinks Status Bar or Green [RX] when in receive mode.

In addition, you can avoid having to return focus to EchoLink (i.e. putting EchoLink back on TOP of your Desktop) in order to regain control of the transmit toggle. How? Easy, you can configure EchoLink to use the "Enter" key on the numeric keypad (my choice) to provide a "WIDE AREA" PTT functionality. Meaning it matters not whatever program has Focus (is on top) as focus will no longer an issue. Go there vi the Tools menu, then the Preferences sub menu, then click the Connection Tab at the top, followed by clicking the PTT button). When making this change, remember it is important to put a check the "Area Wide" box in the setup menu. You can also configure a few other keys for wide area PPT but I find the keypad's Enter key to be the most convenient for how I operate.


ICON REPRESENTATION

A "human face" means EchoLink is running in either standard (peer to peer) or conference mode. A pair of "chain links" represents a Link station, that is, someone (usually at home) with a transceiver on a simplex frequency, that is connected to their home computer running EchoLink. A "set of gears" represents a Repeater that is connected to a PC running EchoLink. A "PC with two faces" is a Reflector; that is, a PC connected to the Internet on a High bandwidth connection that is primarily intended to connect up Links and Repeaters as well as many single users. A big advantage to using a Conference is not dumping your friends who connected to you when you close your connection. A popular software package for running a Reflector or Conference is "TheBridge"; see the URL for this software at the bottom of this article.


NODE NUMBERS

Your Node number is assigned to you when you become an authorized EchoLink user. These numbers are assigned in ascending order and as of this writing, are topping over 230,000. Obviously then, users with the highest nodes are the newbies. However, just as the FCC will issue vanity call for a Fee, the EchoLink author will sell you a LOW node number to feed your vanity as well. Some users take great pride in advertising how long they have been using EchoLink. Unfortunately, with low node numbers for sale, having a low node number has lost its importance; unless keying in 4 numbers is more efficient than 6. There are two ways you can connect to another EchoLink user. If you are on a PC running EchoLink, you may use the other stations call letters OR node number. If you are Mobil and trying to connect to an EchoLink user vi an EchoLink Repeater or Link station, you click the Node numbers of the other EchoLink user into your DTMF pad, and if they have EchoLink running, you will be connected; that is, if they are either in Conference mode or not Busy.


THE SPACEBAR

You already know that by default, the spacebar acts as a Rx/Tx Toggle and not to hold it continuously unless you reset it for "push to talk - release to listen" under Tools Connections/PTT. But are you aware that the spacebar's operational function depends on not losing "Focus" (a Microsoft term meaning the window that is "active" or ontop all others showing on your desktop). You shift Focus anytime you place the cursor and click in any other dialog box or window! Restoring focus to Echolink only requires you left click the mouse inside the tan window where the horizontal audio level indicator resides.
Menu: Tools/Preferences/Connections/PPT Control


YOUR PROFILE

Adding a profile is a great way to both introduce yourself as well as keep a QSO moving along. Why EchoLink effectively "hides" the profile "Edit" button is a mystery. But, go to Tools - Preferences - Connections Tab and walla! there it sits at the bottom right of that menu tab. NOTICE: If you want to see how your profile looks to others, just connect to YOURSELF (yes, you can do that!).
Menu: Tools/Preferences/Connections/Edit


TIMEOUTS

Are you tired of the default two minute xmit or recv timeouts? Not a problem. Although important in repeater and link operations to avoid locking up a system if you get distracted, its totally not necessary for peer to peer communications. Go to Tools - Setup - Timing and place a ZERO in the appropriate boxes (zero means NO timeouts or disable). A few people use the timeout bell to warn themselves when they have talked too long.
Menu: Tools/Setup/Timing


CONNECTION ATTEMPT TIMEOUT

It is my experience that if you fail to get a connection to your intended contact within 6 or 7 seconds, you wont. Or, if you eventually do, the latency or delays on the net wont allow for 5+9 communication anyway. So I suggest setting the delay to time out of the attempt at 7 seconds rather than the default of 30. Go to:
Menu: Tools/Setup/Timing/connection timing


BUSY MODE (the Hand)

Busy mode allows you to be seen on the Echolink user listing but prevents any user from automatically connecting to you.


CONFERENCING

By default conferencing is off. The effect is that once you connect to another user, no one else can get through to you (unless your contact has conferencing enabled on their EchoLink and someone connects through their side). Call this a privacy mode if you will. However, a great tradition in Ham radio is the Round Table or Rag Chew. Unfortunately if you are on a dialup to your ISP, you wont have the bandwidth for solid round tables or conferencing. But if you have a DSL or digital cable connection, conferencing can add a lot more fun to the entire EchoLink experience!
Menu: Tools/Preferences/Connections/ check "Allow Conferencing"

Side Note:

If you are station (A) and connect to station (B) (who is operating in conference mode) and a 3rd station (C) connects through station (B) and joins your QSO, then station (B) elects to leave (or disconnect) you will lose both stations (B & C). This can sometimes be frustrating and the only solution when running round table rag chews is for the so called "control station" to remain connected until all parties disconnect. Another option is to use one of the many REFLECTORS (called CONFERENCES) available on EchoLink.


TEXT CHAT

A frequently overlooked feature, the text chat window, can be used anytime after a connection is established; its real usefulness is akin to a Break-In when you wish to comment before having the Mike passed back to you. An audible alarm (ON by default) will inform you when a text message has arrived. You many even assign your own home brew wave file for this purpose. By general agreement, typing three plus symbols [+++] is a request for an "immediate" break in.


CALLSIGN LOG

EchoLink (by default) records every contact you make (in a standard text file) as well as any connection attempts that you are not around to answer. If you are as active on EchoLink as I am, with a corresponding bad memory, these logs and their Search function make recalling contacts a snap.


TEST SERVER

Many users find EchoLink runs perfect right out of the box. However, if you ever decide to make changes to your audio levels etc and want to hear how you sound to others, don’t forget the Test (or echo) Server under the "Station" Menu. This test server will echo back anything you transmit allowing you to check and tweak your volume and microphone levels.


THE ALARM
When a user is in your Alarms and they join or leave EchoLink, you will get a notifying pop up window and a system sound. Tip: From either the Index or Folder view, right click to pop up a menu for easily adding a user to either your Alarm or Favorites.


PORT BLOCKS and PROXY SERVER Cures
Firewall issues are discussed farther down this article; however, another problem some users are experiencing is ISP's who block incoming connections to your modem. This is especially troublesome with WiFi or wireless connections in Hotels, Coffee Shops and Airport Lobbies. The EchoLink "symptom" is you can connect to Joe on Echolink, but Joe can never connect directly to you. If your not the paranoid type and don't mind unknown 3rd parties seeing all your packet traffic, there is a work around for this problem. Its the use of an EchoLink Proxy server or signal go between. It works like this; you can connect to a peer out on the Net but they cannot make direct connect to you. So, instead, you connect to a 3rd party Proxy Server who in turn receives connections for you and relays them to your connection. In many ways a Proxy operates like a typical Ham Radio Repeater.

You can find a list of available EchoLink Proxy servers here. The two biggest negatives are Proxy availability when you need one, and security. My personal view of using Proxy servers, for security reasons, is that of a very last resort option resource.

For a great audio/video presentation of EchoLink, visit George, Tom and Jim's AmateurLogic TV


ADDITIONAL HAM VOIP RESOURCES

Link and Repeater Locator Software: EchoMap
Reflector (Conference) Software: TheBridge
How to Ham on the Net
Another popular VoIP type Ham client with Europeans: eQSO.
SlowScan TV over the Net with: InterAce.
The Internet Radio Linking Project: iRLP.
G3ZHI's Bookmarks1 and Bookmarks2

A $$$ Ham Radio VOIP Service using a virtual Desktop HF Tranceiver GUI is CQ100 . A big plus for the less technically oriented Hams is not having to bother with forwarding ports. CQ100 offers a free 90 day evaluation period before you must pay the $32 annual subscription fee. Although the service is fairly stable and the GUI interface is interesting and works, Im not sure if these assets can keep a subscriber base after the trial period. Based on the total subscriptions since CQ100 came on the scene, and those currently remaining, it seems few Hams are inclined to continue paying for the virtual aspects of a service when other basic VOIP operations are available elseware for free, i.e. EchoLink and E-Qso.

Another new VOIP Ham service (similar to CQ100) is HamSphere . It too uses a virtual Desktop HF Transceiver. However in this case the goal of the author of HamSphere is to give his creation the illusion of working real Ham Bands by simulating QRN, QRM and pileups. A plus, like with CQ100, is not having to concern ones self with forwarding ports. HamSphere (both the client and server) are still buggy, and the Server is frequently off line. However to be fair, the author only claims the service is currently (11/06/09) in pre-release mode. Another downside to HamSphere is its dependency on Java. I have received several reports that HamSphere runs interference with other Java based clients like Stock Trackers. Presently there are no fee's involved in using HamSphere so I recommend you try it.

On 11/13/09 The author made available for download HamSphere Release Canadate 1.


Microphone Tip:

The least expensive Microphones (typically $5 to $10) are also the type of mikes that work best with most all PC sound cards. They are of the Condenser types, sometimes called Electric. Please do not confuse these with piezoelectric or crystal types which (among other problems) severely overdrive most Sound Cards. Dynamic Mikes are another no no as most Sound Cards work with +5 volts DC bias on the pin jack, and all dynamic (coil type) mikes have low internal resistive paths to ground.


PopNote

You can download a copy of my own freeware PEER To PEER (totally private - no need for 3rd party servers) Instant popup Message client-server, called PopNote, by clicking here: PopNote Download. If you wish to ragchew with me about anything in this article, send me a request vi PopNote. I monitor PopNote 24/7. I am able to voice chat here on EchoLink, or on CQPhone, Yahoo, EQSO. PicoPhone or HamSphere.