Hi Richard, Harry and Others,

Now this information I am going to give is from memory and unfortunately no 
longer a very good memory.  If you are having issues with the license 
verification for Echo Link, as I recall, a friend of mine called the ARRL 
headquarters and someone there was able to give the phone number of someone 
who worked at the Echo Link server headquarters, and through that 
individual, my friend was able to get this type of issue resolved.

Actually, this goofy guy's issue was more complex and quite frankly much 
worse than a simple issue of license verification.  It seemed that while in 
a fit of drunken stupidity, he put a very insulting and uncomplimentary 
'away' message on his Echo Link software.  He was immediately banned and 
after several months of trying through conventional channels: e-mail, postal 
mail and so on, this series of phone calls with a personal, oral contrite 
explanation got him back on Echo Link.  If he can accomplish this and be 
forgiven by Echo Link headquarters for his gross stupidity, then I am sure 
that Harry can get his license verification issue resolved by such phone 
calls.  Unfortunately, the contact information I once had in 2006 I now no 
longer have.  I would call the ARRL Headquarters to start the ball rolling. 
I am sure someone there could direct you to the proper people at Echo Link 
Headquarters.

Good luck.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Wells" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2012 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: if I can't have my hobby back, I don't want to live!


Right on Buddy! I was off the air for more than 20 years. I lived. I am
thankful to be back on the air for now. If I have to move to a place
where I can't have antennas, I'll live then also. Echo Link didn't work
for me for a while until I got the UDP ports opened and got my license
verified with them. That, to me was harder than opening ports on my
router's firewall. Guess what? I lived through that as well. As far as
I know, I'll live until I die, but I do not believe that ham radio will
be a determining factor on when my demise occurs.

Original message:
> Wah wah wah wah. You're not the only guy to ever operate from an =
> apartment. Think you've got it tough? What about all those hams in =
> Tokyo? And, apparently you *don't* read QST, because, sad to say, there =
> are lots of hams who live in areas where, for various reasons, they =
> can't put up big antennas. Not just apartments, but condos and homes in =
> deed-restricted areas. There's lots of information on stealth operating =
> if you care to look for it. Except whining is easier, right? If I can't =
> have my hobby, I on't want to live=85overdramatic muh?=20
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



> On Jun 24, 2012, at 12:47 PM, Steve <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>> Oh, spare us, Trippy.  What would be the point of a contest if it were =
> over=20
>> VOIP?
>> ----- Original Message -----=20
>> From: Harry Brown
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2012 4:40 AM
>> Subject: if I can't have my hobby back, I don't want to live!
>> =20
>> =20
>> Hi all,
>> Well, here's where we are in getting me on echo link and hf remote =3D
>> bases.
>> Were not!
>> First, for the 3rd time, my friend, Rick, wo8m, scanned and faxed my =3D=

>> license to the folks at echo link.
>> It said my license is unreadable, so, no validation!
>> Then, a firewall test failure!
>> Here's what the test said.
>> "Windows XP Service Pack 3
>> Local IP address: 192.168.1.78
>> Firewall Test Results: FAIL
>> The test successfully connected to the EchoLink server on TCP port =
> 5200. =3D
>> This means that your system's TCP configuration is correct for use =
> with =3D
>> EchoLink.
>> The tester did not receive a response for some of the UDP tests.  If =
> you =3D
>> have a router or firewall installed, be sure its Port Forwarding =
> feature =3D
>> is correctly set. (See Help for details.)"
>> Trippy's comment, where in the heck do I go on the echolink web site? =
> =3D
>> I'll try to find the help, but who knows!
>> Now, back to the results.
>> "If you have Internet security software installed, be sure it is =3D
>> configured to allow EchoLink to access the Internet.
>> There appears to be a router between this computer and the Internet.  =
> A =3D
>> router normally requires special configuration for use with EchoLink."
>> Folks, that's a crock of crap, because I have no router, just a dsl =3D
>> modem, what are they drinking?
>> For more information, click the Help button above, or see the Firewall =
> =3D
>> Solutions page on the EchoLink Web site.
>> What a disaster this is.
>> Ya know folks, all is nightmare could be prevented if they just let =3D
>> contests go on cq100, God, all this could be prevented, all of it. All =
> =3D
>> these people who have nice yards, and they can get on hf, and those of =
> =3D
>> us who live in places where we can't, like apartments, and condos, =
> what =3D
>> a heck of a mess! And what bugs me the most is, the ARRL, witch I will =
> =3D
>> not join, because people like me, who are in the minority.  The ARRL, =
> =3D
>> and most hams, don't give a crap. None of them think about this =3D
>> situation, none of them. What will they do, when they can no longer =
> live =3D
>> where they have a yard to put up antennas?
>> This hobby is diing, because of these kind of things, and the =
> attitudes. =3D
>> If they would only put contests on cq100, (all contests), then I =3D
>> wouldn't be going through all this. The powers that are intrenched, =
> just =3D
>> think contests should be on hf, well, really, radio only!
>> Well, Monday night, on that balcony, will decide what's gonna happen =3D=

>> with my ham future. If that tuner does what it's suppose to do, great, =
> =3D
>> if not, what can I say, but cq100, for the rest of my life, and even =3D=

>> that's declining, down hill. People are leaving in droves, the ham =
> rules =3D
>> aren't being enforced.
>> It's killing me folks. You might think I'm over dramatic, but if I =
> can't =3D
>> have my hobby back, I don't need to live.
>> There's nothing worse than a life, with your hobbies taken away from =
> ya. =3D
>> I know hams in this town, right now, who cannot get on the air, many =3D=

>> many of them. I ask "why", and they say, "Trippy, I can't put up =3D
>> antennas where I live.
>> " Or, "I'm too old to climb towers, and string wires, and all that =3D
>> stuff, and nobody has time. And 99% of the hams in this country could =
> =3D
>> care less, and they won't let ham radio come to cq100, where we don't =
> =3D
>> have firewall issues, port forwarding issues, issues with skype, =
> issues =3D
>> with hf remote base software. But we do have the bands, the =
> frequencies. =3D
>> Now, all we need is, all the hams to come over there, and we'll have =3D=

>> everything we have on hf, and no antennas that you can't put up, =
> either =3D
>> because of where you live, or, because you're too old to do all this =3D=

>> antenna stuff, and your body and/or mind, won't let you any more.
>> I feel for sister Alverna, wa0sgj, in Rochester, Mn, who can't get on =
> =3D
>> the air, because no hams in that city will go over there and get her =
> on =3D
>> the air., I wish I could get her on the fricken air myself, but I =
> can't, =3D
>> but I feel for her, she's just another casualty.
>> I'd love you to send my email to ARRL, you have, for sure, my =3D
>> permission. They have no idea about those of us out here, and what =
> they =3D
>> either don't care to see, or, what they fail to see is, in the future =
> =3D
>> they will be in the same situation as people like me are in. We will =
> all =3D
>> get older, we will all be where we can't put up antennas, due to space =
> =3D
>> limits, or, our bodies and/or minds will fail.
>> Trippy, ac8s=20