GB3CG operates on 145.725 MHz (Transmit) and 145.125 MHz (Receive), it is located on Churchdown Hill, which lies mid-way between Cheltenham and Gloucester [IO82VU] - just north of junction 11A of the M5 motorway.
GB3CG has been allocated EchoLink Node number 190502 - the Internet connection for GB3CG's EchoLink presence is provided by Max (M0VNG).
This user guide is intended to help both RF and Internet users understand more about the way GB3CG operates and thus enable them to make best use of the system.
To gain RF access to the GB3CG repeater when it is not already in operation you must provide a 1750 Hz tone-burst (of around 200 mS duration) or a CTCSS tone at 118.8 Hz ('J').
After successful access (of at least 3 Seconds duration) the system will send an "E" in Morse, a "K" will follow 5 Seconds later. (The "K" will be replaced by a "B" if GB3CG is operating on back-up battery).
During periods when GB3CG is linked to EchoLink, you are advised to wait until the "K" sounds before replying, this should allow time for all links in the repeater chain to reset ready for the next transmission and allow users from other linked repeaters to join in.
After the initial access and whilst the repeater is active no other tone is required and it will stay open as long as it is in use (unless a time-out occurs).
The logic for GB3CG causes the repeater to transmit CTCSS (at 118.8 Hz) only whilst held open by a signal on it's input frequency, so if you are using CTCSS to mute the receivers audio you will not hear the "E" or "K" 'pips', so please make sure you leave about 4-5 seconds between over's when the Echolink system is operational.
To comply with UK repeater licensing requirements the GB3CG repeater has a 5 minute time-out (approx), if this is exceeded then the system will cut the thru-audio and send a series of dots before dropping carrier. (If a remote linked station causes a time-out, then the EchoLink software may also drop all current links). The system may however be re-accessed by a stronger signal immediately. Following a time-out (even when re-accessed) when the signal causing the time-out finally drop's GB3CG will send "OK"
The UK repeater licensing requirements specify that the system must send it's CWID every 15 minutes, during periods of continual operation this will normally be sent at lower deviation soon after a user starts to transmit. During quite periods (beacon mode) the CWID will be sent at full deviation and will be followed by a "J" to indicate that the system uses CTCSS tone "J" (118.8 Hz ) - the "J" may however change to a "B" during periods when operating from battery back-up, all beacon mode identification tones are transmitted without CTCSS.
Additional identification tones (using a different audio tone & Morse speed) will also be heard every 15 minutes whilst the gateway is operational (another licensing requirement), these are sent by the Echolink software running on the Internet gateway and are sent with 118.8 Hz CTCSS.
To gain access to GB3CG using EchoLink, simply find 'GB3CG-R' in the list of 'Repeaters' and click the green 'connect' button on the EchoLink toolbar.
The GB3CG Echolink gateway will accept a maximum of 4 simultaneous Internet connections, this limit has been set to ensure it does not totally swamp the available bandwidth on the Broadband Internet connection (each EchoLink connection requires approx 17 Kb of 'upload' bandwidth), once this limit has been reached no further Internet users will be able to connect, please don't stay connected for long periods during busy periods unless you have something to say.
The GB3CG EchoLink software will drop any connection from a user (or other Internet originated connection), which causes the system to hang on transmit for longer than approx 10 seconds with no detected voice input.
Whilst the licence for Echolink permits 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week operation, the actual times of operation vary and the Echolink gateway may be turned off at any time without notice.
The EchoLink software used with GB3CG may announce its presence from time to time; this may take the form of a voice announcement and/or the announcement of the current time (GMT).
Radio users with a DTMF keypad can use several of the commands listed elsewhere in this document to determine the current status of EchoLink on GB3CG.
The EchoLink gateway may also send other messages on the repeater as stations on the Internet are connected and disconnected.
To connect to other Echolink systems, use the 'Connect' or 'Connect by Call' commands (shown in the table below). Information regarding EchoLink Node numbers for other (currently available) systems can be found on the EchoLink web site at http://www.echolink.org/logins.asp
| Command | Description | DTMF |
|---|---|---|
| Connect | Connects to a station on the Internet, based on its node number. | Num |
| Connect by Call | Connects to a station on the Internet, based on its callsign. | C+call+# |
| Random Node | Selects an available node (of any type) at random, and tries to connect to it. | 00 |
| Random Link | Selects an available link or repeater (-L or -R) at random, and tries to connect to it. | 01 |
| Random Conf | Selects a conference server at random, and tries to connect to it. | 02 |
| Random User | Selects an available single-user station at random, and tries to connect to it. | 03 |
| RandomFavNode | Selects an available node (of any type) at random from the Favourites List, and tries to connect to it. | 001 |
| RandomFavLink | Selects an available link or repeater (-L or -R) at random from the Favourites List, and tries to connect to it. | 011 |
| RandomFavConf | Selects a conference server at random from the Favourites List, and tries to connect to it. | 021 |
| RandomFavUser | Selects an available single-user station at random, and tries to connect to it. | 031 |
| Disconnect | Disconnects the station that is currently connected. If more than one station is connected, disconnects only the most-recently-connected station. | 73 |
| Disconnect All | Disconnects all stations. | (none) |
| Reconnect | Re-connects to the station that most recently disconnected. | 09 |
| Status | Announces the callsign of each station currently connected. | 08 |
| Link Down | Disables EchoLink (no connections can be established). | (none) |
| Link Up | Enables EchoLink. | (none) |
| Play Info | Plays a brief ID message. | * |
| Query by Call | Looks up a station by its callsign, and reads back its node number and status. | 07+call+# |
| Query by Node | Looks up a station by its node number, and reads back its callsign and status. | 06+num |
| Profile Select | Switches to a different stored set of configuration settings (0 through 9). | (none) |
| Time | Announces the current time (GMT) | 123 |
To enter a callsign (for the Connect by Call or Query by Call commands), you must press two digits for each letter and number in the callsign. The end of the callsign is signified by a hash (#). The first digit of each pair is the key on which the letter appears (using 1 for Q and Z), and the second digit is 1, 2, or 3, to indicate which letter from that key is being entered. To enter a digit, press the digit followed by 0. If your keypad does not have letters on it, here's a guide:
| Key | Letter | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 | Q | Z | |
| 2 | A | B | C |
| 3 | D | E | F |
| 4 | G | H | I |
| 5 | J | K | L |
| 6 | M | N | O |
| 7 | P | R | S |
| 8 | T | U | V |
| 9 | W | X | Y |
For any given character, simply find the corresponding row (key) and column (letter) numbers from the table For example, the letter "K" is entered as "52", the letter "Q" is entered as "11", and the digit "7" is entered as "70".
Callsigns need not be entered in full. If a partial callsign is entered, GB3CG will find the first match among the stations currently logged onto the Echolink system. If no match is found among the stations currently logged on, GB3CG will say " NOT FOUND".
Note: Under some circumstances the Echolink software may not correctly recognise DTMF tones. Under or over deviation and noise on your transmission can lead to problems with the system decoding DTMF.
If you wish to make a contribution towards the upkeep of GB3CG or any of the other Repeater Systems operated by Gloucestershire Repeater Group please see the Membership page.
A number of GB3CG radio users appear to be confused with regard to the messages sent by Echolink when linking to remote systems, the following are the most common messages heard and what they mean:
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CONNECTING <CALLSIGN> | Echolink is attempting a link to a remote station - The user should wait for the next EchoLink announcement message (which may take 30 Seconds or more). |
| CONNECTED <CALLSIGN> | Echolink has established a link to the remote station - The user should listen to ensure that the remote system is not already in use before calling. |
| TIMED OUT | The attempted connection has failed, usually because the remote station failed to respond in time |
| <CALLSIGN> TIME OUT | The remote station caused a Time-out and has been disconnected, this can also occur if the audio level from the remote station is very weak or the system is keyed for approx 10 seconds without any audio being detected. It may also occur if a station is connected for a while without any activity being detected. |
| <CALLSIGN> DISCONNECTED | The remote system has been disconnected. |
| ACCESS DENIED | The remote station denied the connection request. |
| BUSY | The remote station is busy at this time and unable to accept further connections. |
| <NUMBER> NOT FOUND | The given node number is not on-line at this time. |
| NOT AVAILABLE | Connections to the selected remote station are not permitted - this may mean that the gateway operators have blocked access to the remote station because of complaints and/or concerns over the legality of signals heard from the remote system. |
Note: If Echolink fails to make any response to DTMF code this usually indicates that the entered codes have not been recognised by the system.