KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

AllStarLink

AllStar Link is definitely worth a donation of time or treasure

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Only recently, have the repeaters here in Ann Arbor implemented All Star Link capabilities. It’s a pretty cool way to connect repeaters. I received the message below, and thought it deserved more publicitiy. I just sent them a $12 donation myself…..Dan

AllStar Link logoOn behalf of the Board of Directors, we would like to graciously thank all the volunteers and donors; especially those who have set up recurring donations. Without them, none of this would be possible.

The unpaid AllStarLink Board of Directors and volunteers have been busy overseeing the daily operations of the AllStarLink network.  It is worth noting, AllStarLink network availability is over 99.99%.

Over the last four years, AllStarLink has seen phenomenal growth.  Four years ago, approximately 2,000 nodes were logged into our servers at any one time.  We are now seeing more than 10,000 nodes.  This growth has brought increased expenses and we are currently running at an operational deficit.  We could really use your help.

If you find value in the AllStarLink service, we are asking for a voluntary donation of $12/yr per node to help us maintain and improve the AllStarLink eco-system.  For those wishing to support our ongoing efforts please see our 501(c)3 donations page at AllStarLink | Donate.

As you may have heard, we have some exciting news.  With a generous grant from the ARDC, last year, we released ASL 3.  It is the first new client in 15 years for AllStarLink.  ASL 3 has been redesigned to run on Asterisk 22 LTS with the latest version of Debian 12 Linux and modern hardware.  This is a significant update from the current clients running Asterisk Version 1.4.  The new version incorporates over 15 years of Asterisk bug fixes, major security improvements, and enhancements.  The update required “app_rpt”, the Asterisk application that is Allstar, to be heavily modified.  Many memory leaks have been addressed, modules now load or refresh more reliably, and many bugs have been squashed.  All of this adds up to improved stability and uptime.  We recommend that all users of AllStarLink upgrade their appliances, PC’s and Raspberry Pi’s to use the latest version of ASL 3.

Over 3,700 nodes have already upgraded and are currently using ASL 3.  This includes nodes using Raspberry Pi’s 3, 4’s or 5’s (many that had been running Hamvoip), x86_64/AMD PCs and cloud nodes, Kits4Hams SHARI boxes, Node-Ventures ClearNodes, Repeater Builder, and Hotspot Radios.
To learn more, visit the ASL3 Manual or log into the AllStarLink Community.  You can also view how-to videos here.  If you are using a hotspot appliance, we recommend contacting the hardware manufacturer for specific upgrade instructions.

We are also looking for volunteers; especially developers with PHP/Laravel and JavaScript experience.  If you have these skill sets and are willing to help, please reach out to us at [email protected].

We thank you in advance,
Pete Elke /WI6H – President
Todd Lesser /KM6RPT – Secretary
David Shaw /WB6WTM – Treasurer
Kevin Custer /W3KKC – Board Member

Operating Notes: DX, AllStarLink

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CY9C

When CY9C began operations back on August 26, there were huge pileups. On 30-meter CW, the pileup was at least 5 kHz wide. One of the reasons for this, of course, is that St. Paul Island is part of Canada and not that far from most of the United States. That made it a lot more accessible to hams here in the U.S.

Lighthouse and buildings on rocky island.
CY9C operated from St. Paul Island from August 25, 2024 to September 5, 2024.

I waited, and on the evening of August 31, I actually heard them calling CQ on 30 meters managed to work them on the second call.

As it turns out, I probably could have skipped it entirely. I just checked Logbook of the World (LOTW) and see that I worked CY9C on August 21, 2016; CY9SS on July 5, 2005; ;and Cy9A on July 31, 2003.

VUs in the log

For some reason—maybe because I don’t really have a DX station—I had never managed to work anyone in India. Well, in the last  month or so, I’ve managed to work two Indians, VU2GSM and VU2TMP. VU2TMP has QSLed via LOTW, making my current DXCC count 174.

AllStarLink

And now for something completely different, as they used to say on Monty Python’s Flying Circus….

AllStarLink logo. Several months ago, the University of Michigan Amateur Radio Club (UMARC) upgraded their repeater system (145.23-, 100Hz). As part of this upgrade, they became a node on the AllStarLink network, which they have been proudly announcing on their Sunday night net. 

After last Sunday’s net, I decided to find out how to access the network. The first thing I did was to take a look at the UMARC website, or I should say websites. UMARC actually has four different web pages. Unfortunately, none of them had any information on how to access the AllStarLink network.

Then, I asked one of the club’s advisors. He wasn’t really sure how to do it either, and advised me to search for the information on the web. I did this and found a Beginner’s Guide, but this isn’t really what I was looking for. The Beginner’s Guide directs someone on how to set up their own node, not really how to use the network.

I kept looking and found the page AllStarLink Standard Commands. This is exactly what I was looking for. This page describes the DTMF sequences a user needs to connect and disconnect from nodes. Fortunately, the UMARC repeater uses this standard command set.

Next, I had to find a repeater to connect to. That shouldn’t be so difficult, I reasoned, since the network boasts that they have 34,720 users and 35,345 nodes. I started with the AllStarLink Node List. I was able to connect to a couple of repeaters, but most of them seemed either offline or inaccessible for some reason. One of the active nodes that I was able to connect to was WW8GM, the General Motors Amateur Radio Club repeater in Detroit, but I got no reply to my call there.

So, I asked on /r/amateurradio if anyone had suggestions for active or interesting nodes.  I was directed to a list of “keyed nodes,” which I guess are nodes that are currently active. Currently, this page is showing 30-35 active nodes.

One of the nodes that looked promising was a repeater in Seattle. The page showed that it was connected to at least a dozen other repeaters. When I connected to that repeater, I heard a net with everyone giving weather reports! I didn’t find that very interesting, so I quickly disconnected.

I’m told that the UMARC repeater connects to a net of student stations on Saturday afternoon. I’ll be listening for that, but really would like to know of other interesting nets or nodes on the AllStarLink network. If you know of any, please comment below.