[LeArc] Interesting expierance.

[Joseph L. Rossmiller]

I've been trying to find out information concerning putting the 147.06
audio on the internet.  One of the things I've been playing with is
something called ILINK.  There was an article about it in the March
issue of QST.  I'm sure there will be more articles in other
publications as well.  Anyway, I downloaded the software and was looking
around trying to find something I could listen to in order to see how
the audio sounded.  After trying several of the sites listed, I clicked
on one in Corpus Christi, TX.  At first it was quiet like all the rest,
then I heard someone calling me through my computer!  My laptop does not
have a built in mic, and of course, all the radio mics I have in the
radio room will not plug into the laptop.  But I did remember seeing a
small mic in the basement while looking for something else the other
day.  I went down and got it.  (This mic is off an old stereo system my
mom bought at least 35 years ago.  To tell you how long ago it was, the
unit came with a recordable 8 track system.)  I plugged the mic into the
laptop and tried the transmit.  It worked!  I found myself talking to
Gerald, KD5QKZ, via the laptop and a two meter radio in his shack.  When
I hit the "Transmit" on my computer, it keyed his two meter radio and I
was transmitting on a two meter simplex frequency in Corpus Christi.
When I went back to receive, he talked back to me off an HT which was
received by the two meter radio in his shack and feed to the internet
where I heard it on my computer.  Got some good information from him
about the ILINK system which I will try to bring to the club meeting on
Tuesday, if we have time for it.  If we could get to a phone jack at the
American Legion, I would also bring the laptop and give a demostration
of the system.

Now the hard part.  How does all this fit into the FCC rules.  I sent a
message to the ARRL yesterday asking some questions about that.
Basically what I got back was this, only much longer.  The existing
rules were drafted in 1973.  They talk about links, and what frequencies
they can be on, and telephone links, etc.  But they really don't cover
this new internet stuff.  And now a direct quote from the message.  "We
are all scratching our heads about this."  In other words, they don't
really know either.

In order to set this up, we would have to buy a control board to
interconnect a computer and a radio.  This board costs around $60
assembled.  Or we can get the parts and build it ourselves for $45.  The
software that is required to run the system is free and can be
downloaded from the internet.

If you wish to play with it yourself, go to the following site.

http://www.aacnet.net/

Hit the link near the top of the page that says go to the main site.

Download ILINK version 3.32 and install it on your computer.  The first
time you run it, it will ask you for some information.  Then it will
tell you that it is verifying you and it might take a couple of hours.
You do not have to leave the program running while this verification is
going on.  You can do other things on the computer, or even turn it
off.  When you come back a few hours later and run the program, it will
ask you for your callsign.  Then it will link to a site someplace in the
U.K.  From there you will receive a list of repeaters and links you can
access.  Just highlight one and click on GO.  You will receive another
window that normally will give you information about the site you are
connected to.  If you wish to transmit, either press the spacebar or
click on the red box that says receive.  It will change to transmit and
you will be on the air.  Of course, you either need a microphone built
into your computer, or a mic plugged into the mic jack of the computer.
That's basically it.

73 de Joe - AG9Y.