Amateur Radio Field Phone Concept - VOIP & AREDN

[@stevencotton6507]

My RAYNET group have been using Asterisk-based VOIP phones over radio for some time now, mostly as a proof-of-concept over mesh wifi (part of the wifi spectrum is in the amateur band here in the UK). TCP/IP over amateur bands also means you can use IRC and other communication protocols, one only needs an rPi at each endpoint. Good to see others doing it too. I know far more about IT than I do radio, even as a full licence holder, so this is a natural extension for me. The possibilities are almost endless.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the comment. Right now I am trying to make sense of VLAN and managed switches to port the radios over to the home router (I'm lost).

[@cmh31909]

It's good to see you posting videos again, I have missed seeing them, you always have interesting content!

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks.

[@maisoncayson4542]

dont know if you guys gives a shit but if you are stoned like me during the covid times then you can watch pretty much all the new series on instaflixxer. I've been watching with my girlfriend for the last few days :)

[@nathanaelmario2728]

@Maison Cayson yea, I've been watching on instaflixxer for since december myself :)

[@hansoak3664]

I haven't watched the whole thing yet but one can do the same things with VOIP and cheap ATAs (Analog telephone adapter) over wireless without internet. I set this up on the farm years ago. When the ATAs are configured properly, one simply picks up the analog phone (I used rock solid old Bell phones) and dial one digit to select the telephone to ring. It's actually easy to do and inexpensive. No licenses needed. Old, cheap WLAN boxes make the wireless link. Parabolic grid antennas on both ends, if needed, one end if not. 2.4 GHz did very well through moderate tree coverage in full summer. Yagi antennas can be fashioned from Pringles potato chip cans if you want.

[@djmx121]

I did this using two Linksys WRT54G's with DDWRT installed on both and two Yagis. Set up a Point to Point and shared internet as well as SIP VoIP. Configured SIP devices to use QoS. Worked like a charm! No need to use mesh firmware running in the 13cm band that requires a HAM License... Love the video! Awesome concept for emergency comms!

[@MickeyD2012]

You can't make a yagi antenna from a Pringles can. The best you can manage is a half-assed feed horn, it will work, but there are much better cheap alternatives. I had an old egg nog can that was the perfect size for a 2.4GHz waveguide.

[@markarca6360]

Are you using Mesh Potato SECN firmware?

[@thedavesofourlives1]

@@MickeyD2012 i saw an android app in the play store called cantenna calculator or something, that helps with the match of diy antennae.

[@MountainMan7.62x39]

It's not often that I see someone on YT doing something original with ham radio, so this was quite a surprise. Cool video.

[@richarddaugherty8583]

I've done the same thing but with AT&T analog phones and Grandstream HT702 voip adapters attached to a NetGear G105E switch. This only needs 12 volt power for the switch and a POE injector for the Ubiquity radio. I've used a small Rig Runner for that and other devices I'm powering. Great setup and very nice demo you've done! I should mention the AT&T phones need AA cells for the speed dial functions... I think the actual phones work without the batteries, you just can't use speaker or any of the built in dialing features. I keep lot's of rechargable batteries on hand for that.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the comment and channel support.

[@RealitySurvival]

That is sweet! I could use that out here for my house and barn! Very cool.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the comment. I hope all is well. I see allot of potential with this.

[@Barkeaters99live]

I'm working on the same! We are certainly on the same wavelength.

[@whoeever]

Pun intended

[@easternpa2]

Old video, but very cool nonetheless! I'm an old ham who just learned about ATAK the other day, and the ATAK guys told me about AREDN. I can't believe I've missed out on this after 30 years as a ham! Great job with the explanation and demo. Thanks!

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the comment.

[@ubergeek318]

That’s a slick setup, definitely needed in the hills in WV

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks

[@RevGunn-jq3cq]

Very cool setup! Thank for providing build information,

[@tonyturtle5805]

communications have became (become) more interesting and complex than the multi verse itself

[@Commsprepper]

Yes they have.

[@R7045-k9c]

very good demo, i like the landline style presentation

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks

[@shadowbanned3716]

You can set up the voip phones where the 2.4 ubiquity M5s are just a static wifi jump OTA rather than a cat5 wire. You dont need to do all the ham radio stuff.

[@michaelchesbro8260]

Excellent video. Really cool idea.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks.

[@genebodenberger]

I have a pair of the M2 Nanos. When I lived in town, my son lived about 2 blocks away and he got his internet through me. No one out here to do MESH stuff with, but still trying to find an application for the 2 radios.

[@Commsprepper]

These are great little radios. I may get two more. Thanks for the comment.

[@markarca6360]

Please check out the Village Telco project and their SECN firmware. You can flash your Nanostations with the firmware and with this you can make a mesh network that can make calls from a node to another node by dialling the last octet of the statically assigned IPv4 address.

[@robertkeopple5555]

Great video! Thank you!

[@Commsprepper]

Glad you liked it!

[@richbattaglia5350]

Is there a way just to make wired field phones without any RF transmission? Like the old sound telephones back in the day?

[@josephdurnal]

Great video. I heard you on one of my local repeaters working on a D*Star contact with another ham. It didn't seem to be working, but I don't know D*Star well enough to know what wasn't working right.

[@Commsprepper]

I think I know what you are talking about. I was having problems with the terminal mode in the ID-4100. Never did get it figured out.

[@josephdurnal]

@@Commsprepper yes, I tried to call you but didn't seem to get through. I'm not sure what terminal mode is, I have an Icom ID-4100, I guess I'll have to look it up.

[@TheRealBigEE]

This is pretty cool. I like that you made this portable, and with a little bit of ingenuity could easily fit into a backpack or in a vehicle. Do you know if this is encrypted? Since you are basically converting IP communication to RF signal, it has my gears turning on how easily this could be decrypted or listened in on. In any case, if you add some kind of VPN technology to the mix, or utilize some of the secure VOIP extensions, you could have a pretty secure system. Very interesting stuff thanks for posting.

[@Commsprepper]

The wireless configuration in this video is not/not encrypted. Encryption is not permitted in Amateur radio. Once the units were flashed/converted from the factory to Amateur firmware the encryption option is removed.

[@TheRealBigEE]

@@Commsprepper That is interesting I did not realize that. I am just getting into Amateur Radio myself. Is it illegal to use encryption on civilian radios period, or just not on the ham bands?

[@Commsprepper]

Most radio services prohibit encryption (i.e Amateur, FRS, GMRS, CB).

[@gavintrask2889]

Great setup of the two phones, I am interested in trying this myself! Now, I have family members who’d be on the other end of the phones. I am a recently licensed ham radio operator and I’m pretty sure they cannot talk on the phone without a license. So, could this same setup work on stock Ubiquiti gear? Thank you.

[@Commsprepper]

I had the same question but could not find any FCC information on the licensing requirements for non-wireless internet service provider (WISP) users of Ubiquiti equipment. After hours of searching for licensing information I gave up and just converted my units to the AREDN firmware.

[@whoeever]

Love your videos. Could you also include an each video that you do how much total the equipment cost that you're showing?

[@Commsprepper]

I will try.

[@DialM4Microcontrollr]

I like this idea and I have been meaning to get some hardware that works with AREDN myself. Just haven't tried it yet. Two things that I would mention. 1) I noticed you and your neighbor used proper ham etiquette and IDed yourself. But what about when the phone is on and on-hook? I would bet that they are still sending occasional packets over the ham band (without an ID). Does AREDN have some provision to do that for you? (2) Since the phones use 48v maybe it would be a good idea to use 15v or 24v in "version 2.0" of this setup. Great video and I bet it gives a lot of people ideas of how to do this or modify it to their own needs!

[@Commsprepper]

The unit's SSID is made up of your call sign so you are always ID'ing the node/station.

[@155michaelx]

i think you can do that with an old key system using the extension feature. also using your idea if the phone is more than 400 ft away from your server you could use a 100 base t hub to further your range a bit...correct me if i am wrong anybody

[@philipbean5031]

Very interesting video enjoyed it I believe I'm going to look more into that. 73 W4PWB

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks.

[@TheMrKrause]

Thanks for sharing. Cool idea. 73

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for watching and the channel support.

[@spyder001]

awesome. 2020

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks

[@hawkmoe2789]

kewl

[@MoTown44240]

Are you back or visiting? Nice video. It may be a new concept for you but its been a capability for close to 20 years.

[@Commsprepper]

Visiting. There is always something new to learn in this hobby.

[@--AP--]

Thanks for posting! What are the advantages of using flashed a amateur radio firmware versus just using them as regular wifi mesh? I'd be surprised if you could get the bandwidth over much lower frequencies.

[@Commsprepper]

I don't think there is an advantage. I did it because I'm an Amateur operator and wanted to try it.

[@--AP--]

@@Commsprepper thanks for continuing to make great videos!

[@kb9mtd-aaronwebb]

@Alex Perry typically the new software allows changes to the radios also using different amateur specific frequencies a bit below the normal home use wifi. Basically because it's supposed to be a bit quieter.

[@thedavesofourlives1]

@Alex Perry the main advantage to lower frequency is bush penetration (on public channels) and access to bands that aren't used by the public and thus are quieter and go much further.

[@mechanicandskills7215]

cool and interesting

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks.

[@vinniec5286]

Thank you for this informative video. I checked the comments but didn't see anyone ask my question. Maybe I misunderstood but you mentioned your friend's phone needed 48vdc for PoE, but yours are running on 5vdc (usb). How come he couldn't run on 5vdc via a usb powerbank?

[@Commsprepper]

Sorry for the confusion. The node radios need 24POE and the phones run 5VDC.

[@vinniec5286]

@@Commsprepper Thank you.

[@rkaag99]

Very cool! Would love to see a follow-up (if you have the time) using a softphone (Linphone software is free I believe) on a tablet etc. btw... are you permantently relocated/retired to SA or was that just a visit?

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the comment. SA is not a permanent move.

[@archuka1]

OK sooo did you have to configure the phones also ??? -- trying to copy your set up and make it work like you have it -- also how did you daizy chain your phone ?? just use the 2 ports in the back ??? curious -- thanks N7JJY

[@Commsprepper]

I used the PC port on the back of the phone. In this video there is no special setup because I was dialing with the IP address.

[@archuka1]

@@Commsprepper -- thank you for your reply -- appreciated

[@Devin82m]

Cool video. So what's the benefit of this over just using a radio? Seems to add more complexity and more power requirements.

[@Commsprepper]

Depends on what your requirements are. This video is a simple example of point-to-point communications using two VoIP phones. When you add Asterisk PBX software on a Raspberry PI you pickup the functionality of a typical office telephone system (voice mail, call forwarding, etc). For a prepping community this can have many benefits.

[@Devin82m]

Interesting. I've been researching mesh networks heavily lately. I'm also considering laser based mech for added security. Or at the very least yagis. I've still yet to see what a mesh network can do, if it's purely just a standard network that you have share content on and pride a host/server environment or if there is specislized software to bring it all together in a shared hosted environment. Pretty fascinating. Privacy is interesting, self reliance and emergency comms too. I wonder if my fellows with AmRRON have done much with it, I thought I heard one mention a BBS yesterday...

[@Commsprepper]

Lots of potential. If it's IP based (i.e. cameras) you can run it on the network (provided it's not encrypted or commercial - standard Amateur rules still apply). I have since added an access point to my base node for my cell phone(s) and use the GS Wave VoIP app with the connected RasPBX on the PI. Checkout the arednmesh dot org site and the its map. This capability is really taking off. It's very cool stuff.

[@jameslee522]

I do not see 13cm on the band plan. Do you need a tech or general ?

[@cfisupply]

Tech. If you are looking at the ARRL band plan chart... You will see the frequencies listed in smaller print under the 23cm band. It's 2.4GHz. AREDN also supports other devices which are in the 3GHz and 5.8GHz bands.

[@thedavesofourlives1]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13-centimeter_band

[@tdgreenbay]

Interested in doing this you got me interested.

[@Commsprepper]

It was a fun project.

[@crisservin3106]

just a fyi VoIP lol we are in acronym hell pretty cool stuff

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the comment.

[@crisservin3106]

Please keep up video's was involved with VoIP in the early 90's and studying for my FCC so good stuff for me in Pittsburgh

[@TwistedMetalsOfTexas]

goodstuff

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks.

[@thepvporg]

All you need is to have a DC to DC boost, pump in 24v and get 48v out.

[@Commsprepper]

48 volts for what? The phones are 5volts and the Nanostation is 24 volts.

[@thepvporg]

@@Commsprepper I am not talking about the phone DUH... the comment about the 48V charging. DC-DC boost and constant current converters are available you know.

[@spldrong]

Id like to hear a little more about this mesh stuff

[@Commsprepper]

working on it.

[@D4NS80]

You can easilly run Asterisk / FreePBX on a RaspberryPi This would make it much nicer so you didn't have to remember IP Addresses www.raspberry-asterisk.org/

[@Commsprepper]

Dan - I have since started using RasPBX.

[@W4GHW]

Your license expires in a few days.

[@Commsprepper]

Thank you!!!!! I was able to renew on the FCC website just in time -because of your post. Again - Thank you.

[@mikeelliott1971]

first