Features
OpenRLP rebuilds amateur-radio linking for the modern era — cross-platform, open-source, and private by design.
// 01 — cross-platform
Runs Everywhere
No more Linux-only installs or hunting for a Pentium-class PC with a parallel port. OpenRLP runs natively on everything you already have.
🍓 Raspberry Pi Ready
OpenRLP runs on any Raspberry Pi running a Linux distribution — including Raspberry Pi OS, Debian, and Ubuntu. Install it the same way you would on any Linux machine. Pi 4 and Pi 5 both work great as low-power, always-on nodes.
🐳 One-Command Docker
Test locally or deploy to any server with a single docker run command. Audio and serial devices are passed through cleanly. Linux x86 and ARM images available.
😈 BSD First-Class
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD are supported from day one — not an afterthought. No Linux-specific syscalls. The networking stack quality of BSD is a natural fit for a VoIP linking daemon.
// 02 — hardware integration
Modern Radio Control
Forget parallel ports and MT8870 decoder chips. OpenRLP works with USB audio interfaces and modern radios — with Bluetooth CAT control where supported.
🎧 USB Audio — No Sound Card Required
Works with any USB audio interface such as the Focusrite Scarlett Solo or Behringer UCA202. The radio's discriminator tap connects directly — no onboard sound card, no drivers to fight.
📻 Radio Profile System
Select your radio from a dropdown in the web panel. OpenRLP reads the radio's profile and configures itself — interface type, PTT method, CAT commands, and Bluetooth capability — automatically.
📶 Bluetooth CAT Control
Radios with Bluetooth SPP (like the Icom IC-705) can be controlled wirelessly. PTT, channel switching, squelch, and S-meter readback — all over Bluetooth. Audio always stays wired for zero latency.
🔌 No Parallel Port
Legacy IRLP required a parallel port — a connector not found on any computer made in the last 15 years. OpenRLP uses USB GPIO adapters (CP2102, FTDI) or Pi GPIO pins. Any modern hardware works.
🛠️ Software DTMF Decoding
No hardware DTMF decoder chip needed. OpenRLP decodes tones in software from the audio stream, eliminating another legacy component and making the hardware setup significantly simpler and cheaper.
⚙️ User Can Always Override
Auto-configuration is a starting point, not a cage. Every setting detected from a radio profile can be manually overridden in the web panel — interface type, PTT source, audio device, and more.
// 03 — network interoperability
Three Networks, One Node
OpenRLP bridges ORLP, AllStar, and EchoLink simultaneously. One piece of hardware. One setup. Access to the entire global VoIP ham radio network.
📡 ORLP Native Protocol
Clean-room implementation of the node protocol, compatible with existing ORLP infrastructure. Connects to reflectors and nodes worldwide. Registered node key required for full access.
🔗 AllStar Bridge (IAX2)
Full IAX2 bridge to AllStar nodes and reflectors. Implemented independently — no reliance on any third party's permission to connect. Codec translation and connection management handled automatically.
🌐 EchoLink Bridge
Connect to EchoLink nodes and conferences using the community-documented EchoLink protocol. All three networks can be bridged to a single audio conference simultaneously.
// 04 — web management panel
Manage from Any Browser
No SSH. No command line required for day-to-day operation. The built-in web panel gives you full visibility and control from any device on your network.
🗺️ Live Audio Monitor
The radio's discriminator tap feeds directly into the audio monitor — waveform display, VU meter, CTCSS tone readout, and DTMF decode log. See exactly what your node is receiving in real time. No SDR dongle required.
🔴 Session Recorder
Record received audio automatically with timestamps. Review what came through your node while you were away. Useful for troubleshooting, interference detection, and net logging.
📍 Remote Diagnostics
Check COS/PTT status, audio levels, S-meter readings (on CAT-capable radios), and connection state from anywhere — essential for nodes at remote hilltop repeater sites.
📡 Optional SDR Waterfall
Connect an RTL-SDR dongle for wideband RF spectrum monitoring alongside your node audio. Powered by OpenWebRX+. Useful for detecting interference across the whole band, not just the node frequency.
📻 Radio Setup Wizard
New to node building? The setup wizard walks through selecting your radio model, choosing the interface (Bluetooth, USB, or GPIO), setting audio levels, and testing the link — with clear instructions at every step.
🗂️ Repeater Map Integration
The web panel shows nearby repeaters from RepeaterBook alongside your node's position. Plan frequency coordination, check for conflicts, and browse the global ORLP node map without leaving the panel.
// 05 — audio quality
Hear the Difference
Legacy IRLP uses a codec inherited from 1990s software. OpenRLP uses Opus — the same codec behind modern voice calls — with full backward compatibility.
🎵 Opus Codec
Dramatically better audio quality at lower bandwidth than the GSM/ADPCM codecs used by legacy linking software. Opus adapts to network conditions automatically and performs well even on degraded internet connections.
🔄 Legacy Compatibility
Existing nodes on the IRLP network use older codecs. OpenRLP maintains GSM/ADPCM compatibility for the transition period so existing operators don't need to upgrade all at once.
⚡ Low Latency
The audio path from radio discriminator tap to USB interface runs entirely over wired connections. Bluetooth is used only for radio control (PTT, channel switching) — never for audio — eliminating Bluetooth codec delay entirely.
// 06 — privacy & data security
Your Data Is Locked Down
We collect only what is needed to run the network. Everything personal is encrypted before it touches the database. A breach of our database reveals nothing readable about you.
🔐 AES-256 Encryption
Every piece of personally identifiable information stored by OpenRLP is encrypted at the application layer using AES-256-GCM — the same standard used by banks, governments, and modern messaging apps — before it ever reaches the database. Even if someone obtained a complete copy of our database, they would see only unreadable ciphertext.
📍 IP-Based Location Only
Node hardware has no GPS chip. We derive your node's location from its IP address — automatically, at city level (~10–50km accuracy). You can optionally drag a map pin to indicate your repeater site. We never ask for precise coordinates.
🛡️ GDPR Compliant
OpenRLP complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679). We collect only what is needed to operate the network. You can request access, correction, or deletion of your data at any time by emailing privacy@orlp.net.
📊 Privacy-First Analytics
Vercel Analytics tracks page views without cookies, without personal data, and without advertising infrastructure. No cookie consent banner is needed. Your visitors are not tracked, profiled, or sold.
🚫 No Data Sales — Ever
Your information is used to run the ORLP network. That is the only purpose. It is never sold, rented, traded, or shared with third parties for commercial purposes. This is written into our privacy policy with no exceptions.
🔒 HTTPS Everywhere
All connections to orlp.net are encrypted in transit using TLS, enforced by HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) with preloading. There is no option to connect over plain HTTP. Sessions use secure, httpOnly cookies that JavaScript cannot read.
⚡ Rate Limiting & Bot Protection
All endpoints are rate-limited to protect your data from brute force and automated scraping. Public forms use honeypot fields and timing checks to silently reject automated submissions.
// 07 — open source
Built in the Open
OpenRLP is AGPL v3 licensed. Every line of code is public, auditable, and yours to run, modify, and improve.
📖 AGPL v3 Licensed
The source code is free to use, study, modify, and distribute. The AGPL ensures that improvements to the network software stay open for everyone — any modifications deployed publicly must also be open.
🤝 Community Radio Profiles
The radio profile library (YAML per model) is community-contributed via pull request. If your radio isn't supported yet, you can add it yourself — or request it on the community forum.
🔍 Auditable Security
Open source means our security claims are verifiable. You don't have to trust us — you can read the code, run it locally, and confirm that our encryption and privacy practices are exactly what we say they are.