EchoLink and IRLP aren’t the only ways to link a repeater or a personal node over the internet. AllStarLink takes a different technical approach, built on the same open-source telephony software that powers a huge share of the world’s VoIP systems.
Built on Asterisk
AllStarLink runs on Asterisk, the open-source PBX software originally built for business phone systems, adapted here to link amateur radio nodes together over the internet. That foundation gives AllStarLink some genuinely powerful capabilities, flexible routing, the ability to link multiple nodes and repeaters simultaneously, and integration options that go well beyond simple point-to-point linking.
Node vs repeater setups
You can run AllStarLink two main ways: as a full repeater controller, connecting an actual physical repeater to the network, or as a simplex node, essentially a personal hotspot that lets you access the AllStarLink network from a handheld radio talking to a small transceiver connected to your node hardware. The simplex node approach is a low-cost, low-commitment way to try the network without needing to control an actual repeater.
How it compares to EchoLink and IRLP
EchoLink is the easiest entry point since it also supports software-only connections from a phone or computer with no radio at all. IRLP is more tightly focused on linking actual repeater systems together with dedicated hardware at each end. AllStarLink sits in between, offering more flexibility than IRLP and more serious repeater-linking capability than EchoLink, at the cost of a steeper technical setup. If you’re comfortable with some Linux and networking work, AllStarLink rewards that effort with a genuinely more capable linking platform.
Related reading: EchoLink vs AllStarLink: Which VoIP Linking System Is Right for You? · Simplex Calling Frequencies and Etiquette · Dual-Band vs Tri-Band Mobile Radio · Tropospheric Ducting