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Echolink Solutions

expat42451

Active member
Good evening all. Finally an echolink solution for those of us using QTel on Linux. I credit K1RFD with the suggestion to try this. Given that I am a new EchoLink user I did not know this.

This is for QTel on Linux. I am gong to try Windows later this evening. NOTE--this does NOT apply to the Echolink Android application. More on that in a minute
What we did know beforehand is this...port settings are extremely critical for Echolink to work via either Windows or Linux. Ports 5198 and 5199 must be available for UDP traffic. 5200 must be available for TCP. This is COMMON on both Echolink for Windows and Qtel (Echolink) for Linux. What this means is that 1) your computer firewall must allow connections on these three ports. 2)If you are behind a router then your router must open and forward traffic from these 3 ports too your machine. 3) Your ISP must provide these ports to the data output of their modem. If you are behind a router, and are using DHCP (and you are going to be using NAT-NEtwork Address Translation by default so you are NOT exposed to attacks from the WAN) the easiest solution you can use is to assign the machine on which you run Echolink a STATIC LAN address....either that or your router configuration must have the options to forward these 3 ports to your computer based on its MAC address NOT its LAN assigned IP from DHCP. Reason is with DHCP on your LAN side---what you are doing is re provisioning/reassigning your computer's LAN address at various intervals (more protection). This is a PITA. Its difficult. Echolink and QTel are almost never Plug n Play. In addition to this if your ISP provides you whats called an RFC 1918 connection they may not even make available these ports on THEIR side of the modem so these ports wont appear on YOUR side no mater what configuration or prayers or reading goat entrails you try....... so try the port forwarding if you so desire. Byt wait .....there is more--- Most firewalls particularly the plane jane Windows firewall will NOT have the granularity to open specific ports for specific types of traffic. Maybe on Windoze Pro but not home. 3rd party firewall is a solution. In Linux we all use IP tables firewalls that are so granular that after configging one your mother wont even recognize you. Believe me it can be interesting.....So what to do.

Qtel, top of the main window after you install it is "Settings", the only availability is to choose Qtel Settings. Another window with tabs opens. Chose "Network Settings" Halfway down the page you see "Network Proxy Settings" push the Enable button....then....go here

and choose one thats not busy. Put the host address into the "server" window being careful to copy it carefully. Also observe the TCP port. The server you choose will specify the TCP port, generally 8100. The default. Then click OK. Then restart Qtel. You should be in operation. More in a bit.

Note that the Android Qtel program does all of what I have just described automatically.....
 
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This worked for me. again credit to K1RFD. If it does NOT work for you e mail me or post here....and I will try to help you. Best for questions and solutions to be posted here so we can help others and foster the radio side of DEFCON. I also strongly suggest bookmarking the proxy server link and maybe even saving i copy to an odt or doc file-
73
 
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Echolink is good for day to day operations, but..... when things go sideways, HF is DEFINITELY the only thing we can count on as it doesn't really require much in way of infrastructure
 
Echolink is good for day to day operations, but..... when things go sideways, HF is DEFINITELY the only thing we can count on as it doesn't really require much in way of infrastructure
You are absolutely correct. Could not agree more. Not only will HF be the only possible route but I seriously doubt the internet will be anywhere at all. So Echolink and a lot of these other toys wont work.
What will work on HF and possibly EME are some of the newer digital modes. What I want to do is to try some of the digital modes EME to see what kind of alternative that might provide in addition to normal HF. I believe a well set up EME station, depending on where, might be LPI so if both ends were well located, that would add to the security of the link. I dont know that any of this would work but am investigating it. Would be nice to have an HF/EME station in the jungle here with moving water to generate the juice. The HF arrays would be easy enough to conceal. The EME maybe not so much so.

Aside from this I see EchoLink particularly for the newer tech and general hams as a training tool to water the seeds of their interest and get them into a higher class license. For a tech its an easy way on the air to learn net procedure and traffic passing ditto a new general that doesnt have any real experience. And for the tech without equipment or many HF privileges its a way to experience talking to someone and passing traffic over longer distances. Watering the flowers....

73
 
For those of you having problems with your Windows installations connecting because of the port forwarding issues I outlined in my first post, there is a solution. Echolink provides a proxy that appears to work transparently with the Echolink installation on Windows.
Download and run the Echolink Proxy Software ver 1.2.3. This should solve your connection problems on a Windows installation. If you continue to have issues after this installation post here and I will try to help.
Regards & 73
 
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