Southeastern Mass. ARA club member Larry Lygren, W1DBX has installed a simplex mode IRLP node at his home in New Bedford. Larry’s system is comprised of a Yaesu FT-2600M 2-meter transceiver running 60 watts into a Diamond X500NA antenna. The computer is a donation from the Saint Joseph / Saint Theresa School of New Bedford. It is an “open” system for all hams to use.
IRLP is a world-wide system that allows one to talk to fellow hams around the world. For example, you can actually talk to a mobile station in New Zealand using your handheld! Another feature is the use of reflectors that allow several nodes to be tied together. This permits several nodes to talk to each other over the same link. Ham in several states could engage in a multi-way QSO with hams in Japan and Germany – a worldwide roundtable.
The system uses the Linux operating system because of its superb networking characteristics and robust fail-safe design. This new system has proven itself and IRLP has expanded from a cross-Canada system to a worldwide system.
First time users of IRLP should download and read the “IRLP Introduction” and “IRLP FAQ” pages at http://www.irlp.net. A full list of all nodes on the system is also available on the site.
—Thanks, SEMARA Zero Beat