Echolink is very fun, and easy. You can start with just a headset and a computer.

First Step

Go to Echolink.org and download the program. Register, and get going making contacts, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!!! I like Echolink for this fact, that you can talk around the world on your laptop. And when you are in the middle of where there is no repeater, but have internet access, you can talk to your friends.

Second Step

After you have fun talking with your computer, you might want to experiment with hooking a radio to your computer through some type of interface. You would simply use a simplex frequency and you can control echolink on your computer, through the DTMF on your other radio. Pretty cool! You can buy a interface, there links on Echolink.org , or build you own.

Building your own interface
There are quite a few plans out there, one that is close to what I built is K0KN’s.

Last Step

Make your own repeater! And interface a Echolink node into the mix.

Other VOIP Interests

AllStar Link-Linux based, Full Duplex, and built on the popular Asterisk PBX.
IRLP-Linux based, very nice interface. I like the idea of a onboard DTMF decoder. And some nodes are capable of Echolink aswell (EchoIRLP).
TheLinkBox-Linux Based, make your own interface, capable of Echolink, IRLP, and now AllStar