QSO One Is Now Free: One App for AllStarLink, EchoLink, DMR, System Fusion, and M17

Back in April I wrote about the app I wished had existed years ago: one modern client for every major ham radio VoIP and digital voice network, on the devices people actually own. Since then QSO One has shipped six major releases, added new networks (and will keep adding them), rebuilt its audio engine around what beta testers actually heard on the air, and grown a community of operators using it every day.

Today is the biggest update of all: QSO One is now free.

No purchase. No license fee. Create a free account with your callsign, download the app for Windows or Android, and you are on the air. That's the whole barrier now.

Why free?

The mission behind QSO One has always been simple: get more hams on more networks. Every operator who skipped AllStarLink because a node costs $130 and a weekend of Linux, every ham who never tried DMR because a radio and hotspot run hundreds of dollars, every operator who wanted to try System Fusion or M17 without buying into another ecosystem. Those are the people this app exists for.

A price tag on the front door worked against that mission. So the door is now open. The app's development is funded by an optional Pro subscription instead ($6.99/month when it launches, and more on that below), so the core promise stays permanent: connecting to the networks is free, forever.

Is there a free AllStarLink app for Windows and Android?

There is now. QSO One gives you both Web Transceiver Mode and full Node Mode on AllStarLink at no cost. Node Mode registers you as a real AllStarLink node with full DTMF control, node linking, and access to every AllStar node, the same capability as a Raspberry Pi node or a $500 hardware device, in software, free.

Can I get on DMR without a radio or a hotspot?

Yes. QSO One connects directly to BrandMeister, the world's largest DMR network, and to TGIF. Browse the talkgroup catalog, watch the live last-heard feed, key up from your phone or desktop. No DMR radio, no hotspot, no code plug. Just your DMR ID and the app.

What about Yaesu System Fusion?

This was the biggest engineering effort in QSO One's history. QSO One connects to System Fusion (YSF) reflectors entirely in software: C4FM digital voice, a directory of 1,700+ reflectors with live occupancy so you can see where the activity is, and transmit that real Fusion radios hear loud and clear. It was proven on the air with real Fusion operators before it shipped. No Yaesu radio required, no hotspot, no Wires-X node.

EchoLink, M17, and IAX Direct round out the six

EchoLink gets a modern client with a clean station browser, favorites, and proxy support. M17, the fully open digital voice mode built by hams, works with any reflector on open Codec 2. IAX Direct connects you straight to a node with nothing in between. Six networks, one app, one interface, one account. And more networks are on the way.

Everything is unlocked right now

Here's the part that surprises people: while the Pro subscription gets ready for launch, every Pro feature is open to every user, free. That means right now you get:

• •Net Finder with live net schedules in your timezone and one-tap connect
• •QSO Logging with the full ADIF field set and export for QRZ Logbook and every major logger
• •Callsign Lookup across up to four sources, tap any callsign anywhere in the app
• •Audio Recording with flexible retention and starred recordings kept forever
• •Net Runner, live speech-to-text transcription of nets as they happen, with automatic callsign catching, running entirely on your device

When Pro launches at $6.99/month, it will fund continued development and bring new capabilities on top. But today, the whole app is yours.

The audio just sounds better now

The last three releases rebuilt how QSO One handles received audio, driven directly by beta tester reports from real nets. The app now levels received audio automatically: quiet talkers get brought up, loud talkers get reined in, and every station lands at a consistent, comfortable volume on every network. There's a voice detector under it so background hiss between transmissions doesn't swell up. If you've ever ridden the volume knob through a net, this is for you, and it's on by default with a switch if you prefer raw audio.

Hardware PTT buttons, including the Zello-style ones

QSO One supports Bluetooth and BLE PTT hardware across a library of 70+ devices, from speaker mics to rugged PoC handhelds, plus wired and on-screen PTT and spacebar on desktop. New in the latest release: support for Zello-style PTT buttons, the popular Bluetooth speaker mics and clicker remotes that send volume-key presses instead of a standard PTT signal. If you have one of those in a drawer because no ham app would talk to it, dig it out.

What's next

• •More networks and digital modes, with new ones added as the community asks for them
• •Work begins soon on the iOS and macOS versions
• •Screen-off hardware PTT for fully hands-free mobile operation (a big deal for hands-free driving laws)
• •Wider System Fusion mode coverage
• •Linux
• •The Pro subscription launch, with new features built for serious operators and net control stations

How to get started

1. •Create a free account at qso1.net with your callsign.
2. •Download QSO One for Windows or Android.
3. •Sign in and pick a network. You're on the air.

If you tried QSO One before, update to the latest version and sign in. If you're one of the beta testers who filed the bug reports that shaped these releases: this app is what it is because of you, and thank you.

73 de KD8JKK

Frequently asked questions

Is QSO One really free?

Yes. Connecting to all six networks is free, permanently. An optional Pro subscription ($6.99/month, coming soon) will fund development and add extra features, and right now even those features are open to everyone.

Do I need a ham radio license to use QSO One?

Yes. These are licensed amateur radio networks. You need a valid amateur radio license and your callsign to operate.

Do I need any hardware, radio, or hotspot?

No. QSO One connects to AllStarLink, EchoLink, IAX Direct, DMR (BrandMeister and TGIF), System Fusion (YSF), and M17 entirely in software over the internet.

What platforms does QSO One run on?

Windows and Android today. Work begins soon on iOS and macOS, with Linux on the roadmap.

What do I need to sign up?

An email address and your callsign. Some networks need their own credentials (an AllStarLink account, a DMR ID from radioid.net), and the app walks you through each one.