Brandmeister to Echolink Bridge
How did HVDN accomplish this?
UPDATE: This system is offline due to abuse by certain users who created an issue from mis-aligned personal All-Star nodes that created false trigger events on Brandmeister Network.
Please message Steve K2GOG at K2GOG@hvdn.org with questions.
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Through the use of the Echolink, All-Star and Brandmeister infrastructure, HVDN has created a limited use "bridge" between these three totally different networks in order to connect over 300,000 users into the Hudson Valley of New York and beyond!!
This project allows the following:
- Allows Echolink computer or mobile device users to have two way voice communication with the Brandmeister DMR network. Get Echolink here
- Brandmeister DMR users can talk to validated users on Echolink
- Allows the STEM talk group to be reach ed by a wider audience to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics in the Hudson Valley of New York and the world.
Activity Dashboards.....
The Technicals.....
This Brandmeister to Echolink Bridge is connected full time to talk group 31630 (STEM), to Echolink Node 188465 (N2HVD-R) and All-Star Node 48878.
All you need to do is connect to N2HVD-R on Echolink to talk with DMR BM TG 31630 users.
Any repeater or hot spot that is set to use DMR TG 31630 will be able to talk with anyone connected to N2HVD-R on Echolink.
This was facilitated by using voice over IP linking thanks to DVswitch.
A Brief History.....
Echolink was the first widely deployed "Voice Over IP" system in use in amateur radio starting in 2002 and still going strong today. Over 200,000 validated users across 151 countries are reachable thanks to Echolink.
Echolink allows users to connect to each other over the internet for voice to voice communication. It also allows users to interface a radio or local link to enable local wireless communication. Repeaters with wider area coverage can also be connected to Echolink.
The internet is used to "bridge" users together through centralized servers and users at the edge of this network using radios can then speak to each other.
A major benefit with Echolink is its user validation system to prevent illegal users from interfering with the system. A secondary benefit is a mobile application that allows a smartphone to speak with anyone on the system as well as share simple instant messages.
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All-Star is based on a system used for large scale phone systems that have been traditionally found in office buildings. Servers are created that host nodes and users that can connect over radio or the internet. While the underlying technology behind All-Star predates Echolink, All-Star bring many more advancements to help interlink different repeaters with better audio and additional funcationality.
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Brandmeister allows users to use a decentralized network just like Echolink, but is designed to make use of modern digital voice modes such as DMR, D-Star, Fusion, NXDN and P25.
This gives more control to the end user without having to remember complex connect and disconnect codes.
Many users access the Brandmeister network via a local repeater or hotspot. A smaller number of users have special USB codecs that allow the use of the Brandmeister network without a radio, instead using a PC or Android application and microphone/speaker.
Since 2016, over 100,000 users are validated to use DMR via the Brandmeister network.
