I hear what your saying Ron and it's not very good net control operating
procedure to do that.
That said, I get why they do it though.
Echolink is noisy, choppy, extremely poor quality compared to FM audio etc.
It cuts in and out, there is usually a significant delay on each end of the
transmition not to mention some systems require that the repeater tail drop
out before echolink can come into the repeater. If the repeater has a long
tail on it, this adds literally minutes to taking echolink check ins. Most
people aren't going to stick around and listen to that, so I can see why he
would want to take echolink check ins at the end of the net.
It's a priority thing. Same reason why mobile check ins are typically
prioritized above all other check ins.
The echolink system, while it does offer methods of getting access to other
hams that a guy might not get otherwise, is really a rather poor
communications system for all the reasons I mentioned above. If it's all
you got, then of course, use it and enjoy it. But it's actually quite
disruptive to the repeater for the regular FM style users.
Everyone is welcome, I think most hams would agree with that, but when you
are bombarded with noise, delay, bad hard to understand audio, you tend to
try and avoid it. Remember, this is FM communications, it's not HF where
you know you have to deal with all those things to make communication work
sometimes. The whole reason FM repeaters are popular is because they're
quick, clear, clean and easy to communicate on.
It's worse now that allot of people are using their IPhones and IPads on
echolink. They use the built in microphones which are muffled and unless
you have the presence of mind to speak right up close to the units mike,
it's hollow and distorted most of the time.
I don't mind talking with guys who are using a headset on their computers,
or have some kind of decent quality microphone on their PC or mack. But I
too tend to ignore or avoid repeaters where some guy is trying to come in on
echolink and his audio is so garbled and distorted that you can't carry on a
decent conversation.
If I use echolink to get into a repeater or node, or even talk to a fellow
ham via VOIP, i make an effort to make my audio clean and easy to
understand.
One of the other really negative things about echolink, and IRLP is that
people troll repeaters. This means they connect to various repeaters, and
if they don't instantly hear traffic, they disconnect. So you get people
connecting, then disconnecting very quickly over and over.
Everytime they connect their repeater, node or personal callsign is spoken
on the repeater or node, and the same happens upon disconnect. It's
frustrating and anoying because they're not operating in a manner that
allows you to communicate with them.
I've even called IRLP nodes back who have connected and disconnected a few
times and no one is willing to talk even though they connected to the
repeater I was on.
So, I guess it's important to bear in mind that if you have to use echolink,
that you understand how you are being perceived and heard and how that is
going to effect the response you will get.
Remember, if your running around in a mobile with vehicle noise and wind
noise and all that, the last thing you want to try and deal with is poor
quality audio and studders or drop outs during your conversation.
Just my two cents I guess.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
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