Introduction to Internet-connected Amateur Radio

Internet-connected amateur radio utilizes various transport mechanisms to send and receive voice and/or data over the internet.

Some systems are primarily analog while others are digital. Bridges are sometimes constructed to connect the two types of systems, e.g. an AllStar-to-DMR bridge connects AllStar node traffic to a DMR talk group. Bridges are more commonly seen used in hotspots.

Both analog and digital systems can utilize radios or can be built so that they connect directly to the Internet. These latter devices are sometimes called radio-less or radio-free nodes.

Complicating this fuzzy differentiation of internet-connected systems (analog vs. digital) are systems that can tap into such systems. For example, some voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phones can be connected to an AllStar node for clear, radio-free communications. When you combine that functionality with a hotspot that bridges AllStar to DMR or EchoLink, the dividing lines between analog and digital become even less clear.