So where else can radio be handy? In what ways has technology helped us expand our love for radio? There are quite a few ways amateur radio can be mixed with the internet for a completely new result. We have discussed several of these ways already. Today I will talk about EchoLink and Broadcastify.
EchoLink
EchoLink is one of my absolute favorites. EchoLink’s policy is that each user must hold a valid amateur radio license to access the service. I have it on my iPhone, and it allows me to talk to my local repeaters that have this feature when I am out of state on vacation or work, or when my signal is weak on an almost-in-range station.
From www.echolink.org:
EchoLink software allows licensed amateur radio stations to communicate with one another over the internet using streaming-audio technology. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station, greatly enhancing amateur radio’s communications capabilities. There are more than 350,000 validated users in 159 nations, with about 6,000 online at any given time.
You can access EchoLink with a radio, computer, or mobile device. If you are in range of an FM repeater or simplex station equipped with EchoLink, you can use DTMF commands from your radio to access the EchoLink network.
Each new user must be validated, and the most critical part of validation is authentication. Authentication is simply verifying that you are who you say you are. No listen-only access is permitted. EchoLink is a two-way system by design, and there is no mechanism to validate listen-only stations.
EchoLink is available in several ways:
- EchoLink for Windows
- 2.0 Version of EchoLink for Windows Vista and above
- Legacy Installer for older Windows versions
- EchoLink Proxy allows access to the network via restricted services in hotels, airports, offices, and other places
- EchoLink for iOS
- EchoLink for Android
- EchoLink Web
Compatible Software:
- EchoHam for Macs (formally EchoMac)
- EchoIRLP add-on for an IRLP node
- svxLink / Qtel targeted to Linux distributions; open-source package
- EchoLink Channel Driver for Asterisk/app_rpt/: An Asterisk-based app_rpt node, you can enable the EchoLink “channel driver” to allow the node to communicate with stations on the EchoLink network, in addition to the AllStarLink network
Broadcastify
Moving further away from amateur radio and more into the internet, another very useful tool is Broadcastify. Broadcastify is the radio communications industry’s largest platform for streaming live audio for public safety, aircraft, rail, and marine related communications. Amateur radio repeaters can even be found there. Broadcastify is a spinoff of RadioReference.com’s live audio platform.
You can listen to 7,000 plus live audio streams for free, broadcast your scanner to thousands of listeners, and connect your agency or department to the public.
One of my favorite products under this umbrella is the Scanner Radio App. There are local scanners where you can listen to public safety activity happening in your area. You can get alerted to breaking news. There is a 10-code chart for easy understanding, and you do not have to be licensed to use it. This is because it is receive-only. I attempted to get my parents to get their licenses, but it didn’t work out. I was comforted by the fact that they could listen to SKYWARN through this application.
Questions?
Share them in the comments below or email me at KE8FMJ@gmail.com.
