AERIALS plans to make use of the Internet as a communications back bone to provide world wide two-way communications and the dissemination of Amateur Radio information via the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP).
IRLP will allow for telephone quality communications via your HT, mobile or base FM transceiver to any location in the world on demand that has an IRLP node.
At present there are nearly 900 IRLP nodes world wide with nearly 20 IRLP reflectors. A connection can be made node to node, like a one-on-one phone call, or multiple nodes to reflector, like a conference call.
In additional, the IRLP reflectors can now support 10 different simultaneous channels of activity. Not all reflectors are making maximum use of these capability as of yet. The Western Reflector in Las Vega, Nevada, node 9250 is however, check out: http://www.narri.org/IRLP.html
There are many dedicated nets such as the IRLP Internation net, IRLP Kids net, Skywarn net, Swap and Shop net and much more.
For a listing of all IRLP nets: click here or click here
For a list of currently connected nodes click here.
For a list of all IRLP nodes click here.
For nice display of all reflector activity click here.
AERIALS plans to use the Internet to access and retransmit Amateur Radio Newsline and other audio based Amateur Radio information programs.
A schedule for the Newsline transmissions has not yet been decided upon, the thought process is for the Friday night relase between 7-9pm and to allow the most recent few broadcasts to be played on demand at any time by system users via DTMF access.
The Amateur Radio Newsline transmissions will be provided weekly by use of Linux scripts to FTP the Newsline program to the IRLP Linux server then play the program using the IRLP interface over the N2CKH/R hub. This will require the 443 Repeater controller to be pre-programmed to connect to the RF Link for the Amateur Radio Newsline program.
We may also provide the ARRL Audio News which contains highlights taken from the League's weekly publication, The ARRL Letter.
We are also looking at how to provide NASA Select audio via the Internet during live missions of interest to the Amateur Radio community.
AERIALS will provide access to the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) which uses Voice-Over-IP software and the power of the Internet to link amateur radio sites around world with full dynamic range, telephone quailty sound.
The aim of IRLP is to link radio systems separated by long distance without the use of expensive leased lines, satellites, or controllers.
The AERIALS IRLP access will be provided via an RF Link to the N2CKH hub located in Lakewood. This link between the 443 Repeater and the N2CKH hub will allow all 443 system users to make use of the wide coverage area of the repeater to access hundreds of participating IRLP nodes throughout the United States, Canada, and Internationally. Not to mention the other local New Jersey N2CKH co-hosted repeaters and other area third party repeaters linking into the hub.
It is planned that AERIALS will provide access to the IRLP world network of linked Repeaters and Remote bases via an on-demand Dual-Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signaling access method.
When a repeater system is involved, all local (and linked) repeater users will be able to particpate in an IRLP session via the internet to any place in the world that a node exists through a reflector (like just like a conference of repeaters) or node-to-node (one repeater or remote base linked to one other).
As AERIALS is providing access to IRLP via a link and not a direct connection at the AERIALS repeater site, this will be a shared system whereas other area repeaters may also be connected to the hub at the same time. So users of 443 that initate the IRLP link may find that another user on another local repeater is also using the IRLP node on the hub. Additional information will be posted to this site regarding the recommended operating procedures of IRLP via the AERIALS 443 Repeater system in the near future.
On a final note, today there are two systems that are the most popular for making use of the Internet for linking Amateur Radio together, IRLP and iLink. The iLink system has managed to get more publicity so far than IRLP as it runs on a more popular computer operating system than IRLP, that would be MS-Windows, rather than Linux as does IRLP. However it is our opinion that the nature of the IRLP system, where a radio must be used at both ends of the contact and the fact that it does run on a more reliable operating system are the key factors in our choice of IRLP. Below is a graphic that depicts the similarities and differences of IRLP and iLink.
To send us e-mail Click Here.
AERIALS, Inc.
U.S. Post Office Box 8
Morganville, N.J. 07751-0008