What Else Do I Need?

The basic requirements for a EchoStation setup are:

    • Personal computer with sound card
    • EchoStation software
    • Transceiver (or separate transmitter and receiver)
    • Audio connection between sound card and radio(s)
    • Push-to-talk connection between PC's COM port and transmitter (if transmitter does not have VOX)

These items are also recommended, but not always required:

    • Carrier-detect connection between receiver and PC's COM port (required for simplex autopatch)
    • Internal or external modem, connected to a telephone line (for remote-control link)
    • Internal or external voice modem, connected to a telephone line (for Autopatch support)

 

PC Requirements

EchoStation is designed to run on Pentium-class computers running at 133 MHz or higher.  It will also run on many 486-based systems, depending upon processor speed.  The computer must have at least the following:

    • 16MB RAM (64MB for NT 4.0; 128MB for Windows 2000)
    • Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 98 Second Edition, NT 4.0, Millennium Edition (Me), or 2000
    • 5MB free disk space, not including space for announcements
    • Sound card, or built-in sound hardware, with appropriate Windows drivers installed
    • One available COM port

Note that EchoStation will work with either a "half-duplex" or "full-duplex" sound card, except that a full-duplex card is required for duplex repeater mode.  (Most recently-manufactured sound cards are full-duplex.)

In order to use Autopatch with EchoStation, an voice modem is also required.  See Autopatch Setup for details.

 

Radio Requirements

The radio(s) connect to the computer's audio input and output connectors, and optionally also to a COM port.  For connecting the transmitter to EchoStation, we recommend the RIGBlaster, available from West Mountain Radio.

    • The receiver (or transceiver) must have a line-out or speaker-out connector.  A carrier-detect (or "busy") pin is also useful, but not required, except for simplex autopatch.
    • The transmitter (or transceiver) must have a line-in or microphone jack.  If the radio does not support VOX, it must also have a connector for push-to-talk (usually available at the microphone connector).