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• Rules
• Basic Operational Courtesy
• AllStar Link Control Commands
• Invoking Echo Link
• Donation

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The primary use of the repeater is for the AllStar Link network.

Emphasizing communication etiquette, the AllStar Link repeater mandates a “listen before transmit” approach to ensure no connected networks are interrupted. The repeater is highly versatile, supporting analog mode independently. The VE6IDK AllStar Link Repeater is typically disconnected from any nodes but can be connected at any time according to your preference.

Most Importantly:

Warm up the airwaves and let other hams know you’re there.

Rules:

1. The repeater will function normally without interaction with AllStar Link.
2. Your standard FM transceiver is compatible with AllStar Link; no special equipment is needed.
3. If you can operate other repeaters, you can use this AllStar Link repeater similarly.
4. Every command execution must begin with a * (star) character.
5. Issuing a * as part of a command string resets the decoder, which starts decoding from the last entered star character. Decoding will be abandoned if the gap between digits is too long.

Basic Operational Courtesy

• Avoid quick-keying. This is ALWAYS a good practice but, it;s much more important with network-connected nodes. When it is your turn to speak, press the PTT button, take a deep breath and wait before speaking.
• Leave at least 1 to 2 seconds after you hear the telemetry tone of the last transmission before you key up.
• Listen before you transmit after linking to a node. Be courteous about interrupting an in-progress QSO on a remote system.
• Be smart about linking up a big AllStar Link network mesh or a busy net.
• Always unlink when you’re done, and don’t link many big networks together through our repeaters
• When UN-linking from a network, let others now you do so and ask for a second of time. Although DTMF is not propagated over the air, others will still hear your transmission.

AllStar Link Control Commands

AllStar Link adds and removes links based on DTMF commands starting with a * (star)

ALWAYS announce your DTMF dialing intentions with VOICE before performing the touch tones. “This is (my call sign) dialing node (x)”. Commands are not propagated to other nodes unless specifically required (usually not).

• *3(NODE) Connect a node in transceive mode
• *1(NODE) Disconnect node
• *70 Announce all connected nodes. Voice announcement sample “node 600130 repeat only” means nothing connected.
• *79 Disconnect ALL nodes. If you do so, keep in mind that the UHF repeater (Node 600131) will be disconnected also. Reconnecting UHF simply by dialing *3600131.
• *1(node) Disconnect specific node number.
• *33(node) Connect to an Echo Link node.
• *69 Audio Playback: Push PTT and hold, announce your call sign, Dial *69, wait for approx 1 second and then speak again. Release PTT and wait for the audio to come back.

Invoking Echo Link Connections

Allstar Link treats ALL Echo Link node numbers as 6-digits long. Nodes with shorter numbers need to have leading zeroes added.

Example:

EchoLink node 1234 corresponds to AllStar Link node 001234. To distinguish EchoLink node numbers from AllStar Link numbers, prepend the 6-digit number with a “3.” Hence, the example above becomes *33001234, resulting in a total of 7 digits.

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Donation

Help keep the repeater up, running, and upgrading. A small donation will help cover costs of power, maintenance, new equipment, and upgrades. Any amount is appreciated. This is a hobby, not for profit.

Future planned upgrades include: APRS digipeater/iGate, improving coverage, and integrating IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) and digital modes like DMR (Digital Mobile Radio), Fusion WIRES-X (Yaesu) Possible others depending on demand and usage.

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