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   MSGID: 59.fidonet-amateurr@1:2320/33 28369f43   
   REPLY: 267.fidonet_amateurr@2:250/3 28354800   
   PID: Synchronet 3.19c-Win32 master/d1dfc9c1b Dec  7 2022 MSC 1929   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 master/d1dfc9c1b Dec  7 2022 MSC 1929   
   BBSID: TBOLT   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
    Ta> Sorry, no I mean via the satellite QO-100... But I am interested in   
    Ta> hearing about CQ100 as this is new to me?   
      
     CQ100 is a VoIP ONLY mode (no RF) that simulates operation on portions   
   of selected HF bands. You can do voice or digital (I know you can do CW   
   and PSK-31, using programs such as CWGet, and DigiPan...I'm not sure    
   about other modes).   
      
     The benefit to VoIP ONLY is for folks who have:   
      
   1) Medical conditions, such as a pacemaker, or a heart condition (I have   
   congestive heart failure, but I'm on medication).   
      
   2) Living spaces where RF and antennas are prohibited, such as:   
      
   A) Assisted Living Centers/Nursing Homes/Medical Facilities   
   B) HomeOwners Assocation (HOA) restrictions   
   C) Covenants, Creeds, and Restrictions (CC&R's)   
   D) Apartments   
      
   3) Fixed Incomes, which keeps them from purchasing and setting up RF gear   
   (being on disability) - around $1000 a month or so doesn't go very far,   
   when you have to consider things like groceries, medications, utilities,   
   transportation, etc.   
      
   4) Impracticality to set up an indoor or outdoor station, due to intense   
   lightning during thunderstorms (no amount of surge protection will stop   
   damage from a direct or close lightning hit), or because physically, they   
   can't do it.   
      
     Other benefits include no chance of doubling, and unless their computer   
   soundcard settings are skewed (no audio when they key up), you will hear   
   them perfectly. And, for those who are just getting into the hobby (after   
   they get licensed), but they have "mic fright" (a very real fear, especially   
   if one is shy), this can help them overcome that.   
      
     New users get a 30 day free trial, and after that, it's $39 in US/Canadian   
   funds per year. Paid users get an add-on program called QSO-TV, to send JPG   
   images, such as eQSL card or other photos. Unfortunately, it's for Windows   
   users only right now...but the author is working on a web browser app, where   
   anyone with a web browser can use it. Details are at https://www.qsonet.com   
       
     There are also several CQ100 Nets during the week...you can find a full   
   list at https://www.w2blc.net/cq100nets.htm -- and the nets can be rather   
   busy.   
      
    Ta> I am not sure how may hams are around the groups now as our local RF   
    Ta> bbs is long gone, which is a great shame....   
      
     There is a packet BBS that I use in Penfield, New York, which has both   
   RF and telnet access. The telnet access is for those who are too far away   
   (I'm in Little Rock in central Arkansas), or for those who don't have RF   
   gear or a TNC.    
      
     They conduct a digital net every Monday night at 8pm US Eastern Time    
   (0100 UTC Tuesday from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday    
   in March, 0000 UTC Tuesday the rest of the year). You can get an info    
   file on it by going to the first hyperlink off of my QRZ bio (search for    
   WX4QZ). Once there, click on the file "The PCL Net" for info.   
      
     Also there, are Excel Spreadsheets in US Eastern, Central, Mountain, and   
   Pacific Time, of selected D-Star, D-Rats, and Echolink Nets. There are also   
   PDF files related to ham radio...including one listing nets that I'm on   
   during the week...and one with URL's of other nets, such as DMR, AllStar,   
   CQ100, HamSphere, and for those who want them, Christian related nets.   
      
     Two other files deal with ham radio humor (there is so little to laugh   
   at in the world nowadays). The file with "Selected Ham Radio Humor" has a    
   bunch of images and textfiles...some you can't say on the air, as they're    
   a bit risque (such as "The Missing Q Signals"), but, "dirty old hams need    
   love, too" (hi hi).    
      
     Another file has what I dubbed "The Triple Play" -- 3 files that dealt    
   with:   
      
   1) The Ham Radio Wedding (uniting Ham and Radio in holy telephony)   
   2) The Honeymoon And More (the first night together, and more)   
   3) The 12 Days Of Hamming/Ham For The Holidays (I took 12 items from   
   the hobby, and expanded on them).   
      
     The "Readers Digest Version" of the first two, goes like this:   
      
     "I now pronounce you ham and radio. You may now kiss the mic".    
      
     You hear a packet burst, and one ham said "Yep, he's all over her"    
   (hi hi).   
      
     "We understand the reception was excellent afterwards. Then, as for the   
   honeymoon, we got the data from (dare we say it??) a trusted group of   
   Official Observers. After turning down the lights, and putting on some   
   soft JT-65 music, Ham and Radio assumed positions of horizontal and   
   vertical polarization, as they got to intimately know each other. They   
   wanted to zero beat their frequencies, and he wanted to work up her   
   sideband. But, they had to be careful not to put the wedding gifts of   
   Morse Code keyers where they'd sleep. Or they'd become infested with   
   bedbugs, and that would be a real pain in the brass".   
      
     Yes, I have too much time on my hands (hi hi).   
      
     Another one that was funny was one I called "The E.D. Net". That took   
   place on a packet net, originally on the N0KFQ BBS in Branson, Missouri.   
   K.O., N0KFQ, was the Sysop, and his XYL, Billie, KB0WSA, was Net Control    
   (both are silent keys now, and that BBS is no more).     
      
     Anyway, I had changed my callsign to a vanity call right before the   
   net that week, and we were discussing callsigns (all this is typed at   
   the keyboard, via a packet or telnet client, such as iptelnet with the   
   OutPost Packet program suite).    
      
     One ham, Ed, wanted K0ED, but another ham in California already had it.    
   He typed "I'm married, and E.D. is not an issue".   
      
     The next ham was Roger, who had no idea what E.D. was...he thought it   
   stood for "electronic doofus" (hi hi). Now, I can relate to that, as   
   electronics was never my forte'...although I know that not even an amp   
   of electricity can kill you, and how you tell the colors on a resistor,   
   thanks to Violet (hi hi). Basically, I'm chuckling at this point.   
      
     Next for comments was K.O., and all he typed was "I'm curious to see   
   how Ed is going to explain E.D. to Roger". At this point, I'm laughing   
   hysterically.   
      
     It gets back to Ed, and he typed to Billie (Net Control), asking if   
   she knew Morse Code. She typed "Yes, and I know a lot of other things   
   as well!!" -- I was in tears from the diaphragm pain of laughing so,   
   and was about to pee my pants (hi hi).   
      
     A year after Billie passed away, we were discussing that again on   
   the BBS (K.O. was still alive, but he passed away a year later), and   
   he noted "It was so refreshing to hear that again...and it happened   
   EXACTLY the way that Daryl told it!!" (hi hi).    
      
     I got to meet them shortly before they passed away, as I traveled    
   with a fellow ham radio OM and his XYL to Branson for the OzarkCon QRP    
   Event (which is usually held in early April).   
      
   Daryl, WX4QZ   
      
   ... Do NOT try to cure this ham. - DE WX4QZ   
   === MultiMail/Win v0.52   
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