Welcome to KJ6ZD-L SVXLINK Echo-Link and Voice System.

Below is a brief description on how to use this SVXLINK system!

Please let me point out that many Stations with the suffix of "L" (i.e.. KJ6ZD-L) may be operating 7/24 however if you connect to one of them, it may not cause anybody to answer your call. This is primarily because of the location and a rather low level setup in most cases, meaning that the coverage is not too exciting. Therefore, there may be only a few users that are within reach of a particular system and they may have better things to do, than monitoring an Echo-Link Node frequency. Those system may be used for such things as sked's or to QSY from a Conference Server on prior mutual agreement.

A better bet, to make a contact via the Internet is to connect to a Conference Server. Those server operate in general 7/24 with a larger number of simultaneous connected user.  In many cases there are a number of HAM's connected and they simply monitor what is going or just wait for their buddy to show up on the server. This is called Camping out on a server.

A Conference Server is a central hub that allows x-number connects from different locations. There could be a number of Repeater or Simplex Links linked into this Server. Any time one of the connected stations keys up the signal is retransmitted via the Server to all other connected stations. You may want to look at this as a World Wide Repeater.

Lets go on:

1. In order to get SVXLINK to do something, you'll have to use a transceiver with the ability

    to send DTMF tones. This transceiver also must have PL tone capabilities.

    KJ6ZD-L uses CTCSS (PL) tones on the receiver and transmitter to allow users to mute

    their receiver against unwanted signals, but will open once the 192.8 PL tone is received.

2. KJ6ZD-L is operating on 145.770 MHz simplex. The PL tone to access over the air is 192.8 Hz. The Link is also accessible through the repeater on 445.560 MHz (PL 146.2Hz) -5Mhz, DTMF is muted and a Pound Sign (#) has to be entered before any Link command, otherwise the command is not being recognized by the Link. Also, the repeater must be linked into the Echo-Link Port by using (DTMF "52") prior to use.

    To reduce power consumption, PLEASE make sure to un-link when done. To unlink simply enter 535 from the repeater side! The     repeater produces about 65 Watt of RF power which is approximately 250 Watt DC input Power. All system components add easily     up to 1000 Watt or more.

3. Once your transceiver is set up on 145.770 MHz and the PL tone as above is enabled,

    you can start by pressing the "*" (Star) key

    The system will announce a brief status message including stored voice messages,

    if any, possibly connected stations and the current time.

4. If you are a first time user you may want to check how solid your signal is being received.

    To accomplish this, SVXLINK provides a module called PARROT and can be accessed

    by pressing the DTMF sequence "1#" press the number 1 followed by the Pound Sign.

    The number 1 accesses the module and the pound key, functions similar to an "ENTER" key found

    on a Computer Keyboard.

    After the system has announced that PARROT is active, simply key your transmitter and speak a few

    kind words. Release your PTT and wait a little while, because there is a delay before playback

    The system will parrot back what you just said in to the system. This module can also be used

    to test your DTMF tones, however it will only read back numbers between 0-9.  A,B,C,D,*,# is discarded since they represent command codes     and would possibly de-activate the Parrot module.

    To test your DTMF, simply enter them from your DTMF PAD and end it with "#" pound sign. Wait a little

    for the System to read them back. This may take a second or two.

    Again. the A,B,C,D * character are ignored, and the Pound "#" will abort.

    The Pound is used in any action to conclude a command or abort an sequence.

    When you are done simply press the Pound "#" sign. It may take a few milliseconds until

    de-activation. So please be patient!

5. All modules have help available in spoken words. The General Help module is accessed by pressing Zero "0"

    followed by the Pound "#" sign. The system offers several help options which you will have to

    choose from or simply press the Pound "#" sign only, to abort.

    If a module is active and you press "0#" the help for the active module is played.

    It is advisable to use initially the STAR "*"  to get the current system status, which also includes any active modules. In this way you    know if there are nodes connected or a module is active.

6. Now since you found out that your DTMF tones are decoded correctly and you are solid enough

    into the system you can proceed to make a contact with an other Echo-Link station.

    Connecting is simple, either use one of the Shortcuts also called Macros to quickly connect

    or activate the Echo-Link module by pressing "2#" two followed by the Pound Sign. After the

    module is active, enter the Node Number you would like to connect to, followed by "#".

    Since there are today over 400,000 registered user with the Echo-Link network, it is impossible

    to give you Node numbers to try. Here, you are on your own! You may however visit the Echo-Link

    Website to view the systems that are online or use the search function as described below.

    The current shortcut list is also available in PDF format on the front page of this Website.

    If there is a problem, SVXLINK will try to determine the nature of the problem and make a

    short announcement about it.

7. A somewhat more complicated, but extremely flexible method is to have the SVXLINK system search

    for a station by call sign. Using the Telephone Dial Pad layout you can enter either a complete call

    or just parts of it. SVXLINK will try to find matching nodes and read back what it found in indexed format, so you can choose from the list.

    Suppose, you want to connect to KJ6ZD. Enter *55693#

    SVXLINK will search for any matches and read them back. In the case above it could possibly find two

    matches and offers them to connect to. To do this the Echo-Link module must be active!!!!.

    Lets say you want to find a station that starts with K4L?? Enter *545*#, once SVXLINK found a match

    or more, it will offer the findings, so you can choose from them.

    Have a look at echo-link page for more information.

8. SVXLINK also provides a Voice messaging system that allows the registered user to read or store

    a voice message to other system user.

   This voice message system works at the time local only. You can not leave messages for distant user i.e. a distant node user.

   To access the Voice module, you must have a User ID and Password. This user ID is available

    from your SYSOP for free and don't require membership for the KJ6ZD-L System.

    If you use above e-mail link, please include your Call Sign and e-mail address if available

    If you have a user ID and a Password you can activate the Voice module by pressing

    3#. At this point I would like to point out that at any time only one module can be active.

    It is not possible to have Echo-Link and Voice active at the same time.

    If another module is active, you'll have to deactivate it first and then activate Voice.

9. Recent changes and updates allow now to record a conversation. The local user must initiate this feature by entering 81#. The system will announce when the recorder is ready. Everything that comes across the audio path will be recorded, this includes also interference or short blurbs that manage to trigger the PL unit. Once connected the audio from both participants is recorded. The file name is comprised of the date / start time and when de-activated with 80# the end time is within the file name. If the recorder is not active when a conversation has started, but one of the user wants to record the conversation in progress, the local user can activate the recorder by entering *81#. Notice the pretended STAR. To deactivate simply enter *80#.  All recorder files are stored at ftp://ftp1.kj6zd.net which was setup for this purpose. The FTP server is a isolated one and will only provide access to the stored wave files. Wave files are uncompressed and become rather large for just a few seconds of recording. Therefore, it is necessary to delete older files periodically.