Part of our Getting On The Air: Modes, Operations, and Making Contacts guide.
If you’ve been in any DMR or AllStarLink group lately, you’ve probably seen someone mention QSO One. It’s a free app for Windows and Android that gets you on several digital voice networks without a radio, a hotspot, or any hardware at all. I mentioned it briefly in Two Cheap Ways to Get Into DMR, but it’s worth its own writeup since it covers a lot more ground than DMR alone.
What It Actually Is
QSO One is a software client that connects you to AllStarLink, EchoLink, IAX Direct, DMR (through Brandmeister and TGIF), System Fusion (YSF), and M17, all from one app. Instead of a physical hotspot bridging a radio to the internet, QSO One puts you on these networks directly through your computer or phone’s microphone and speaker. Your callsign is your login, there’s no separate registration process for most of the networks, and you’re transmitting within a few minutes of signing up.
How It Works
You create an account with your callsign, download the app for Windows or Android, and pick a network. From there:
- DMR: connects to Brandmeister or TGIF and lets you switch talkgroups right in the app, the same as you’d do from a hotspot’s dashboard.
- AllStarLink: supports full IAX2 node mode as well as a web transceiver mode, so it behaves like a real AllStar node rather than a simplified add-on.
- EchoLink: works in both direct and proxy modes.
- System Fusion (YSF): connects to YSF reflectors for C4FM digital voice.
- M17: QSO One connects straight to the M17 network, the open-source digital voice protocol with no proprietary vocoder and no separate registration.
On Android, it keeps your session alive with a persistent foreground service, so you don’t get dropped the moment you switch apps or lock your screen, which is a real problem with a lot of radio-adjacent apps. It also supports hardware PTT if you’ve got a Bluetooth or wired push-to-talk button, and full DTMF for the networks that use it.
What It’s Good For
QSO One is a great way to find out whether a mode is worth investing in before you buy hardware. Curious about DMR but don’t want to commit to a radio and hotspot yet? Sign up and listen to a few talkgroups first. Want to check into a net while you’re away from your shack and don’t have a radio on you? This covers it. It’s also handy for AllStarLink and EchoLink specifically, since QSO One gives you node-level access without setting up a Raspberry Pi or dedicated node hardware.
What it won’t do is teach you how a real DMR radio works. You’re not learning codeplugs, color codes, or timeslots, and it’s not going to help you if the goal is a handheld for the field or the truck. Treat it as a way to explore the networks, not a permanent substitute for a radio.
Where to Get It
Head to qso1.net, sign up with your callsign, and download the app for Windows or Android. There’s also a nets directory on the site if you want to find something to check into once you’re connected. A paid Pro tier is listed as coming soon, but the free version is a complete client on its own and it’s what I’d use to kick the tires on any of these networks. If you decide DMR is for you and want to move to real hardware afterward, Getting Started with DMR walks through the Brandmeister/TGIF and hotspot side of things, and DMR vs. D-STAR vs. YSF is a good next read if you want to see how it stacks up against the other digital voice modes.