This project started with the above photo and a discussion between ZS6CMO and ZS1I on the Amateur Radio 101 Telegram group. Needless to say that the above pile of components turned out to be a radio- less Allstar node that was constructed by Curtis ZS6CMO.
For more details on the project visit: How to build your own radio-less Allstar node
But why would one build a radio-less Allstar node?
Radio-less nodes are ideal for use cases where WiFi or wired Ethernet are available but the additional range provided by an HT or mobile radio is not needed, such as for a desk or table at your home QTH / office / shack, for vehicles or caravans where you have a WiFi hot spot, and for 2nd offices, hotels, etc. Radio-less nodes are the simplest, easiest and most cost-effective way to get on AllStar with your own node, and are more portable than even the smallest radio-based node and radio needed to access it.
For a node that's sitting a few meters away on a desk it makes more sense to use a radio-less node than to have multiple radios on transmitting 100's of mW of RF.
Radio-less nodes are more energy efficient, using generally less than a few Watts, vs. a node with radios plus other radio(s) to access it is easily 3 times the energy consumption. This efficiency means that a radio-less node can be left on and connected to your favorite repeater/hub 24x7 with no noticeable effect on your electricity account and no need to recharge batteries, unless load-shedding intervenes or when leaving radios powered on.
Radio-less nodes also support Full-Duplex by default. This is a powerful feature and makes a properly designed radio-less node much nicer to use than any half-duplex node.
A Radio-less Node is a very useful node as described above and a must have if you use VOIP.
Photos and images (Click on images for larger view.)
