Just to expand on this a bit, while IRLP does allow you also to connect to Echolink, you can’t have connections to both at once, or, for that matter, to more than one IRLP node at a time. Asterisk (and the All Star Link), on the other hand, will allow you to connect to as many nodes of either kind as your bandwidth will allow, at the same time. Case in point, I’m often connected to two Echolink nodes in Texas, along with Jim’s All Star node, and we all talk together. 
On Feb 2, 2014, at 4:24 PM, Jim Kutsch, KY2D <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Albert and all,
> I second Buddy's comments. I had an IRLP node running here for several years
> then I took it down and put up AllStar Link. No, that's not DStar. AllStar
> is another RoIP (radio over IP) technology. The big advantage, as Buddy
> said, is that's it's both open source, you get all the source, and you can
> connect to other networks if you wish. For example, my AllStar node, number
> 2396, is all accessible via EchoLink as KY2D-R.
> 
> To your other question, yes a totally blind person can run/administer either
> IRLP or AllStar. However, if you aren't familiar with Linux at all, it's
> just a bit easier if a sighted person is available during the initial
> install. Otherwise, you have to do a remote install of IRLP or AllStar on
> your Linux box. Once the Linux system is up, you can do everything via login
> from some other PC that has a screen reader. There are hardware cable sets
> available for most radios you may to build into a simplex node but if you
> have a repeater, some custom wiring may (or may not) be needed.
> 
> 73, Jim
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Buddy Brannan
> Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2014 11:46 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: IRLP question
> 
> You can, but if I were you, I=92d go for All Star Link instead. Much = more
> open, and less concerned about interconnecting with other things, = i.e.
> IRLP doesn=92t allow you to connect to anything else at the same = time as
> you=92re connected to IRLP nodes, unless you=92ve got an =
> =93experimental=94 node, which may or may not allow yu to connect to = other
> IRLP nodes. Cost to get started is similar, if not slightly less.=20=
> 
> 
> http://www.allstarlink.org is where you=92ll want to find out more.=20 On
> Feb 2, 2014, at 11:14 AM, Albert Sanchez = <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> 
>> Hi List!
>> I'm certain that this topic has been discussed in the past here but I 
>> =
> =3D
>> can't remember the thread. I'm interested in finding any totally blind 
>> =
> =3D
>> list members who run and maintain an IRlP system.  We don't have IRLP 
>> =
> =3D
>> here in this part of Carolina and I would like to remedy this.
>> Best 73's
>> Albert, WA7FXB
>> PS. I understand that I would need a Linux computer, something I am =
> not =3D
>> familiar with. Is there screenreading software for Linux? A.S.