My system has 3 PCs, two of them have "private" nodes (node number <2000 not registering with the Allstar address server). These private nodes are half-duplex or simplex links (duplex=1 in rpt.conf) - they are connected to transceivers (and use DSP squelch/ctcss just like the main node). Everything is connected together by gigabit Ethernet behind a common router. When I key up the "public" node, the other linked nodes start transmitting in a fraction of a second. But, when I transmit into one of the "private" nodes, from a cold start, it takes 3+ seconds before the main node starts transmitting. Other than the very first fraction of a second, no audio is lost - it is just delayed. Once things are going, the time delay largely disappears (i.e., private nodes are now keying up during the hang-time of the public node). What is causing the long startup time? I can key up, say my callsign and go back to receive, before the public node has even started to transmit. At the moment, the nodes are running versions 267 and 266. Each of the [nodes] stanzas include the local IP addresses of the "other" nodes in addition to its own. If it makes any difference - the connections were made *from* the public node *to* the private node. Ken