Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Sep 17 2020 22:10:39 BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the K7ECI repeater in Mountain Home, Idaho, on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. local time. ** IN THE UK, A 'VIRTUAL' SUCCESS PAUL/ANCHOR: One of the newest clubs in the UK has never gathered its members for a meeting - and that's apparently just fine with everyone, as we hear from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: It's no secret that virtual amateur radio clubs work. In the UK, Essex Ham has been successfully doing this since 2011. Now they've got some company, largely as a product of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Online Amateur Radio Community Club came into being this past spring following discussions between Francis Hennigan, M0UKF, and four or five other hams. Francis tells the club's story on YouTube in an interview with Callum McCormick, M0MCX, noting that the need for a virtual club became apparent to him in March when he volunteered to assist with remote invigilation of licence exams. The Online Amateur Radio Club evolved from there. Although it is predominantly a UK-focused club, membership is not necessarily limited geographically. Francis told Callum that the club, which has about 130 members, is hoping especially to reach into the community of younger hams. Weekly nets are already being held on the digital modes, including DMR, D-STAR, Echolink, and Fusion. He said there are no fees, because there are no costs. Even though the club is only a few months old, organisers are already setting up a ‘buddy system’ to support new members. The club begins its intermediate level training course on the 28th September. For more details about the Online Amateur Radio Community Club, visit their Twitter feed, which is, “@M0OUK.” For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (CALLUM MCCORMICK M0MCX ON YOUTUBE) ** CHECK-IN OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND FOR BLIND HAMS DIGITAL NET PAUL/ANCHOR: Check-in opportunities have expanded for the Blind Hams Digital Net which has added a network bridge - and a whole lot more. Jack Parker, W8ISH, gives us the details. JACK: The Blind Hams DMR Net had a quiet beginning but now its voices are everywhere. On that first day - April 7, 2018 -- only three amateurs checked in. The net was simply an idea that grew out of an online discussion hams were having on a mail server but it was soon to grow to be even more. It is now known as the Blind Hams Digital Net, and has an international reach with an average of 50 check-ins, a group that sometimes climbs to 76. The establishment of the Blind Hams Network Bridge gave more room to grow, and there are now eight nets on the bridge. The hams also have a presence on Brandmeister TalkGroup 31679. Thanks to Patrick KE4DYI, the connections support DMR, D-STAR, Fusion, AllStar, EchoLink, Peanut, and Wires-X. More recently, the group added a YouTube channel that includes a roundtable discussion called "CQ Blind Hams," and a podcast of the same name has also been created. The blind hams group has a strong advocacy voice off the air as well. Roger Clark, VK3KYY, and a team of programmers pressed for the use of open GD77 firmware and programming software to make a Radioddity HT more easily programmable by blind users. In Germany, Ian, DJ0HF, created MP3 tutorials, and PDF files to guide users. No radio? No problem! Even without a radio, hams can still be part of the action. Hams who are not on the air can join via the Peanut smartphone App, or just listen to the chatter using their Alexa device, or they can stream audio from the bridge using their computers. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH. (JOEL CASE W0CAS) ** NETS OF NOTE: THE HOTSPOT, PI, SBC AND ZOOM NET PAUL/ANCHOR: In our occasional series Nets of Note, shining a spotlight on nets of particular interest, Newsline looks this week at one net that functions as a digital helping hand to demystify the various modes. It's called the Hotspot, Pi, SBC, and Zoom Net. Hams check in on Mondays at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on the QuadNet Array. The net was created as the Raspberry Pi Net to assist with setup and operation, using Single Board Computers like the popular Raspberry Pi. Daryl, WX4QZ, and Steven, KC9SIO, are serving temporarily as net control stations, standing in for Ted VE7LEE. It's all about camaraderie, communications, and of course, questions and answers. (DARYL STOUT WX4QZ) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .