EchoLink is software which allows Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, from computer to station, or from computer to computer. 

The basic modes are:

1. Computer to computer on the Internet. (requires authorization: see webpage)
2. Computer to repeater (requires authorization: see webpage)
3. Repeater to computer (via touch-tones on your transceiver)
4. Repeater to Internet to some other repeater (via touch-tones on your transceiver)

Kingston has an EchoLink node run by Phil, VE3HST
The node is on the Kingston repeater VE3KBR (146.94(-)) .
 
From Phil, VE3HST"
"For now, I'll leave the EchoLink connected most of the time, but will shut it down late at night. I will also shut it down temporarily if I am running my own computer-based EchoLink because only one application can be run at any one time via one IP address. But that will be quite infrequent. If you are running the computer EchoLink application and you see "VE3HST-R Kingston, ON 146.94", that means the connection is available. 

I'd appreciate any feedback you may have, such as if EchoLink is causing a problem on the repeater, or it hangs up or something. If you hear it connected but nobody using it, it should time-out. If not, try closing the link with #. Send me an e-mail, call me on 146.94."

There is some overlap in IRLP and EchoLink numbers, so, for EchoLink add an "A" as the first required character for Echolink. So if you want to connect to EchoLink node 123456, use A123456. Everything else is the same as before. For example, disconnect is #.

EchoLink will identify its availability on 146.94 every hour and a half with "VE3HST-R".

EchoTest node is 9999, to check your audio.

EchoLink homepage On the site, probably the most helpful info can be found in the Help files. The best tutorial is to download the EchoLink application and try it. To run it, you have get authorized because only licensed amateur radio operators are allowed to use it. The site gives the details. Mainly, you have to send them an electronic copy (like a photo) of your license.

Some other useful links are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolink, http://www.gb3ok.com/echolink.html, http://www.rarchams.org/echolink.htm and http://www.echolinkmap.org/. The last two show how to operate from the repeater side, to Internet stations, and to other repeaters.

Need a program to save all you audio settings for the each of the different programs that you run, for example SSTV, EchoLink, PSK31, etc, then check out QuickMix.