Final net on Dec. 10.
Last month's e-newsletter noted that the IRLP [Internet Radio Linking Project] Net that has operated monthly on IRLP Node 9735 for several years has, over the last six months, realized a sharp decline in participation. Because of this the TALARC board, after careful consideration, has decided to discontinue the IRLP Net, effective January 2017. The final IRLP operations will be on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016.
To those who are limited by their equipment or by HOAs that restrict large antenna arrays, IRLP is a means to reach out, virtually around the world, to other ham radio operators. An inexpensive VHF rig and close proximity to an IRLP repeater is pretty much all you need to access IRLP. It was this thought – ease of access – that moved the board to establish this net when the club was formed.
The board will be looking at options through the coming months. We want to accommodate our members and, especially, we want to encourage newly minted Legion-affiliated amateurs to participate in net operations. We expect to offer alternatives to the current IRLP operations in late winter or early spring of 2017.
In the meantime, there is an option to the IRLP net, and that's with TALARC's EchoLink net, which is conducted on the second Saturday of each month, noon EST. The equipment required is simple: a PC, a tablet, a smartphone, any one, or all three. EchoLink software is free and can be downloaded to most platforms that include iOS and Android software. Information about EchoLink is at: www.echolink.org.
You can find the EchoLink net on the Family Motor Coach Association Amateur Radio Club conference node *FMCA-ARC*.
- Ham Radio