IRLP node owners?

[brussum]

I'm working to build my own home-based IRLP node. While there's quite a bit of info out there on IRLP.net and other sites, I'm wondering if there are any node owners on Expo. I figured we could start a thread to share info about this niche within the Ham community.

Specifically, I'd be interested to hear what kind of radios you're using and good sources for buying them. What computer hardware do you have? Anything fancy (I.e., solid state HDDs)? What software are you running (Linux, SpeakFreely, etc.) and do you have advice on the install? What kind of antenna are you using and how are you mounting it? How did you select the frequency to use? Simplex or repeater? What other issues did/do you have?

Like I said, I'm starting to piece my system together and would like to hear from fellow Expo members who have systems running (or those in the same boat as me).

Thanks,
John

 

[chris snell]

You have to buy the proprietary board from IRLP.net, which requires a PC with a parallel port. Their software is a modified version of Speak Freely and you use their custom distro of CentOS (Linux). Any PC made in the last four or five years should be adequate so long as it has the parallel port (becoming harder to find).

You're probably going to want a simplex node. For that, most any UHF radio should work fine. They provide a number of sample configs on the irlp.net page. For your antenna, it depends on where you live and what you can put up. You could buy a Diamond Antenna base station antenna or build your own copper J-pole or any number of homebrew options.

 

[brussum]

Well, IRLP node 7036 is officially up and running in Fairbanks, AK. I bought a cheap, older computer on Craigslist and the v3 IRLP board plugged right in (mounted inside the desktop computer). I found a good GE MVS VHF radio online and had the seller program it to an unused frequency. I did the mod to drop power output from 40W to 10W. Then, I built my own dipole antenna out of copper and PVC pipe. That was a cool project and great learning opportunity. My kids even helped me tune the antenna to a 1.7:1 SWR. Not too shabby. It all seems to work like a champ. Probably one of the cheapest and easiest ham projects around.

 

[Tennmogger]

Congrats on a job well done, John! I was happy to find an IRLP node in Fairbanks when my wife and I drove up there a couple of years ago. I was able to dial up Denver and talk to my daughter on a local repeater (she's a ham). That was my best IRLP experience to date!!

Generous hams like you make this hobby great!

Bob