Frequently Asked Questions

ORLP — the Open Radio Linking Project — is free, open-source software that connects amateur radio repeaters worldwide over the internet using VoIP. It was built as a modern replacement for aging systems like IRLP, running on any hardware that supports Python 3.11 or newer. ORLP bridges simultaneously to the AllStar and EchoLink networks, so you don't have to choose between communities. The software is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 and will always be free.

Yes — completely and permanently. There is no cost, no subscription, no premium tier, and no feature gating. The software is licensed under AGPL v3, which means you can use it, study it, modify it, and distribute it freely. No proprietary hardware is required. If you have a radio, a computer running Python 3.11 or newer, and an internet connection, you have everything you need to get started.

A valid amateur radio licence is required to operate a node that transmits RF signals over the air. However, anyone — licensed or not — is welcome in the ORLP community on Groups.io. Non-licensed participants can also run a reflector node, which routes audio between connected nodes over the internet without transmitting any RF. Reflectors are a meaningful way to contribute to the network and help it grow, with no licence required.

Yes. ORLP is designed from the ground up for full interoperability with both networks. The daemon runs simultaneous bridges to the ORLP network, AllStar (via IAX2), and EchoLink at the same time — you are not limited to one network at a time. If you are already an AllStar or EchoLink user, you can join the ORLP network without leaving your existing connections behind.

Legacy linking systems were designed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They require parallel port hardware interface boards, specific Linux distributions, or are built on top of Asterisk PBX — a telephone system that is powerful but notoriously difficult to configure for ham radio use. Many of these projects have not seen meaningful updates in years and their websites reflect it. ORLP was built to bring ham radio linking into the modern era: any hardware, any operating system, Opus audio, modern security, and full open-source transparency. It bridges to existing networks rather than trying to replace them.

Absolutely. The ORLP community on Groups.io is open to everyone — people exploring the hobby, those studying for their first licence, seasoned operators, and software contributors alike. Non-licensed participants cannot legally operate a transmitting node, but they can run a reflector (no licence required since no RF is transmitted), contribute code, report bugs on GitHub, and be full members of the community.

Any computer or single-board computer that can run Python 3.11 or newer. This includes Windows 10 and 11, macOS (both Apple Silicon and Intel), Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, RHEL, and most other distributions), Raspberry Pi OS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and Docker containers. Popular hardware choices include the Raspberry Pi 4 and Pi 5, but Orange Pi, Rock Pi, ODROID, Banana Pi, and virtually any other SBC running Linux will work. Standard desktops, laptops, and mini PCs on any of the above operating systems all work too. If Python 3.11 runs on it, ORLP runs on it.

No. The Raspberry Pi is popular because it is affordable, widely available, and works well, but it is not a requirement. Any hardware that runs Python 3.11 or newer is supported. Orange Pi, Rock Pi, Banana Pi, ODROID, and virtually any other single-board computer running Linux will work just as well. Standard PCs, laptops, mini PCs, and even virtual machines running VirtualBox or VMware are all supported.

Any class-compliant USB audio interface works with ORLP. Class-compliant means the operating system recognises it automatically without requiring driver installation. The Behringer UCA202 (around $25) is a popular budget choice — its RCA connectors are convenient for discriminator tap connections, and it has been widely used in AllStar and IRLP nodes for years. The Focusrite Scarlett Solo is a higher-quality option. Generic USB soundcards also work but quality varies widely. Avoid interfaces that require proprietary Windows-only drivers, as these will not work on Linux or macOS.

For radios that use a CAT control cable (Icom CI-V, Kenwood CAT, Yaesu CAT), you need a USB-to-serial adapter. CP2102-based adapters are the most reliable and are well-supported across all platforms. FTDI FT232-based adapters are the gold standard — be cautious of counterfeit chips in very cheap listings. CH340-based adapters work on Linux and Windows but can have issues on macOS. Note that many modern radios — including the Icom IC-7300, IC-705, and Yaesu FTX-1 — have USB built in and do not require a separate adapter at all.

Not necessarily, but they can simplify your setup. If your radio has a dedicated DATA port or a built-in USB audio codec, you may be able to connect directly with standard cables. Interface boards like the Digirig Mobile combine USB audio and CAT serial into a single device, reducing cable clutter and complexity. The Signalink USB provides USB audio with hardware VOX for PTT, which works well for radios without CAT control. For Motorola CDM and Maxtrac radios, the USB-RIM Lite from Repeater-Builder is purpose-built and plugs directly into the 16-pin accessory connector.

Yes, for control — with some radios. A growing number of modern transceivers expose a Bluetooth interface, usually Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (SPP) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), for CAT-style control such as frequency, mode, and PTT. Where the radio supports it and your operating system presents the paired device as a serial port (for example /dev/rfcomm0 on Linux or a COM port on Windows), ORLP talks to it exactly as it would over a USB-to-serial cable. Check the Hardware compatibility matrix — radios with Bluetooth control are flagged there, along with whether they use SPP or BLE. Bluetooth here covers control only; see the audio question below.

We don't recommend it. The standard Bluetooth audio profiles (A2DP and HFP/HSP) add significant latency and use lossy, narrowband codecs that are poorly suited to repeater linking — expect noticeable delay, dropouts, and degraded audio. For reliable, low-latency audio, use a wired class-compliant USB audio interface. The clean approach is to treat Bluetooth as a control link (CAT and PTT) while receive and transmit audio stay on a wired USB audio adapter. A common setup is a Bluetooth radio for control plus a small USB soundcard for audio.

Pair the radio at the operating-system level first, just as you would any Bluetooth device, then point ORLP at the resulting serial device. On Linux, pair with bluetoothctl and bind the SPP channel with "sudo rfcomm bind /dev/rfcomm0", then select that port in the setup wizard. On Windows, pair from Bluetooth settings and use the "Outgoing" COM port Windows assigns. On macOS, pair from System Settings and use the /dev/cu.* device that appears. For BLE radios, ORLP uses the manufacturer's documented BLE service and the setup wizard lists discovered radios where supported. If a paired radio never appears as a serial port, it likely uses a vendor-specific BLE protocol — check the Hardware page for model-specific notes.

From the daemon's web management panel (accessible at the node's IP address on port 8080), use the Network section to enter the 4-digit node or reflector number and click Connect. The panel shows live connection status and audio activity for all three network bridges simultaneously. You can also send DTMF commands from your radio to connect and disconnect — the full command set is documented in the Help section of this website.

Yes. The ORLP daemon maintains simultaneous bridges to the ORLP network, AllStar, and EchoLink. All three run concurrently — you do not have to disconnect from one network to use another. Connection status for all three bridges is shown on the same dashboard in the web management panel.

Reflector-only mode is applied to nodes where the operator's amateur radio licence cannot be verified as active. A node in reflector-only mode can host and join ORLP reflector channels (numbers 9000-9999) but cannot initiate direct node-to-node links or bridge to AllStar or EchoLink. The web management panel displays a persistent notice when a node is in this mode. If your licence renews or your status is corrected, contact the ORLP admin via Groups.io to have your node upgraded to full status.

No. ORLP is designed to run as a normal user. On Linux and BSD, accessing a serial port requires your user account to be a member of the dialout group (Linux) or uucp group (BSD) — a one-time setup step. On Raspberry Pi, GPIO access uses the lgpio library which does not require root. The web management panel runs on port 8080 as a standard user process. No elevated privileges are required at any point during normal operation.

Windows 10 and 11 (x64 and ARM64), macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, RHEL, and most other distributions), Raspberry Pi OS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and Docker. The software is written in Python 3.11 and has no operating-system-specific dependencies beyond Python itself and standard system libraries. If Python 3.11 or newer runs on your system, ORLP will run on it.

Please open an issue on our GitHub repository. Before submitting, search existing issues to see if your problem has already been reported. When opening a new issue, include your operating system and version, Python version, ORLP version, the radio and interface hardware you are using, a clear description of what happened versus what you expected, and relevant log output from the daemon. For security vulnerabilities, do not open a public GitHub issue — email security@orlp.net instead. See the Security page for our responsible disclosure policy.

ORLP is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPL v3). This means you are free to use, study, modify, and distribute the software. If you modify ORLP and deploy it as a networked service — for example, running a modified version of the daemon that other users connect to — you must make your modified source code available to those users under the same licence. The full licence text is available at orlp.net/license.

No. A reflector node routes audio between connected ORLP nodes over the internet without transmitting any RF signals. Since no radio transmission takes place, no amateur radio licence is required to operate a reflector. This makes reflectors an excellent way for non-licensed participants to contribute to the network, help build its reliability, and be part of the community.