I came across information about the Hamshack Hotline (HH) while browsing the Internet. It was also mentioned on AmateurLogic Episode #117 (starts at 26:50 minutes). Hamshack Hotline is a free dedicated Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system dedicated to serving and supporting amateur radio. It is very easy to set up, and inexpensive surplus phones are easily sourced from sites such as e-Bay.
K4PYR HH# 4265
Typically, phones are established in hamshacks, EOCs, Clubs & club members, ARES, and other Ham related areas and functions. It is not the intention of HH to replace traffic carried over radio in an emergency or other tactical operation, but rather to augment it, by offloading managerial tactical operations and providing a full duplex path for such communications when spectrum is occupied, conditions diminished, or otherwise unavailable.
HH also supports FAXing of information (with appropriate equipment), allowing tactical offices to share documents & data between tactical locations. In a non-tactical use, HH is an effective resource for off-air troubleshooting when you need to coordinate a troubleshoot of a radio circuit off-air and between multiple subject matter experts. In addition to all this, conference bridges on the HH network allow large groups of Hams to coordinate & meet in real time anywhere in the world.
Getting on board HH is easy! Just acquire a supported SIP capable phone (the network prefers to register hardware phones first), and once you have your phone open a ticket . If you have a phone on the supported hardware list, then also include a picture of the Phone’s MAC address for easy provisioning.
