Experimenting with VOIP over internet and Amateur Radio networks through out the world.
The basis for the majority of technical advances made in the telecommunications have been brought about by the Amateur Radio Community.
The repeater systems used by business and public services were a result of Ham operators trying to improve on the systems available to them.
Cell phones are an out growth of linked repeater systems developed to allow conversations
to continue even when they traveled out of range of the current repeater. This
linked method started in the '60s.
Voice over IP was developed by Ham radio operators as a means to extend performance of equipment that has good quality but range limited to line of sight.
I use a system called Echolink. This system allows multiple methods of access to the amateur radio network. I most access Echolink directly from my laptop. Using a microphone plugged into the sound card interface I can ride the internet to thousands of
locations around the world.
Once I choose a destination I can either talk directly to another Ham via their PC or attach to a repeater system in a city. If I connect to a repeater I can talk to anyone out there just as if I was on a radio in that community.
I have to run the same gambit of installation and trouble shooting issues using this method as any other VOIP interface. Adjusting packet size, allowing UDA packets and just making sure that the equipment is not faulty.