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IRLP Is On The Air at W4RAT!

Node 4424 (VHF) and Node 4995 (UHF) are operational

RATS has implemented Internet Radio Linking Protocol on both the W4RAT repeaters! Now, you can talk to repeaters all over the world any time you can access the 146.88 or 442.55 repeaters. Open to all Amateur Radio Operators with a Technician or higher class license, you can now expand your ham radio horizons with this service. RATS encourages all hams that can access the repeaters to give this new mode a try!

IRLP is a method of using Voice Over IP to connect repeaters seamlessly throughout the world. You can connect point-to-point, or use reflectors to connect multiple repeaters together for nets or other uses.

Using IRLP is easy. You need a radio with a DTMF (TouchTone®) pad, and a node number to connect to. Node numbers can be found by going to the IRLP Project page on the web at http://irlp.net, then clicking on the "NODE INFO" link in the left menu, then on the "Connected Nodes and Reflector status" or the "List of nodes and Frequencies" links in the center of that page. Once you've found a node to connect to, the procedure is as follows:

  • Key your radio.
  • Hit the # key then the 4 digit node number, then unkey. (for example, to connect to the WA0OJS repeater in Manchester, MD, you would hit #7070 on your keypad and then unkey.
  • Now you talk and identify normally to anyone on the other repeater. You hear their conversations and they hear ours across the repeaters.
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  • VERY IMPORTANT: A TWO SECOND PAUSE is necessary between each transmission. You must also PAUSE ONE SECOND after keying your mic before you transmit. You will hear a BEEP that is different from the usual courtesy beep on the repeater. These delays are necessary to allow for the delay in moving the audio from one node to the other. If you do not pause, the other end will lose the first few seconds of your transmission, which is usually your callsign!
  • When you are done using the node, disconnect it by keying your radio and hitting #73 (that's easy to remember!) the link will drop after three minutes of inactivity, but it is always better to disconnect it when you are finished.
There are a few things you must remember when using the IRLP links. One is that whoever brings up a node is responsible for its use until it is disconnected. Please don't just let the links timeout because during the busy times of the repeater, it may be a long time before that timeout occurs. Also, remember that when connected to remote nodes, hams in other parts of the world aren't too interested in local politics, etc.

rAnd repeating: A two second PAUSE is necessary between each transimssion, and a one second PAUSE is necessary after you key your mic, BEFORE you speak. If you do not pause, the other end will lose the first few seconds of your transmission, which is usually your callsign!

The Technical Committe can answer your questions about IRLP usage. , we'll try our best to help!
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(Left: The two repeaters with the IRLP servers on the top. The UHF repeater is on the left, the VHF on the right. For more pictures of the repeater installation, go to the Repeaters page.)






 

Our thanks to Ron McMurdy WA0OJS and Ralph Stoffel N3KZS, for their invaluable assistance in getting this new service for hams on the air. The installation was completed on September 15, 2006, and the RATS IRLP team trained with Ron and Ralph on Saturday, Sept. 16th.
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Above, left: Ron WA0OJS configures the nodes via laptop Above, right: Ralph N3KZS installs the servers for the nodes
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The RATS IRLP Team (Left to right) Ralph Stoffel N3KZS, Tray Murphy N4PAT, Ron McMurdy WA0OJS, Mike Baker N4LSP, Peter Martin KF4VIZ, Jerry Williams KJ4IT, Dave Kiefer N4DWK (not pictured is Roy Davis WK4Y, who took the pictures of the IRLP installation and training)
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