• Any QO-100 Users here?

    From Tayloss@2:250/3 to All on Sunday, January 22, 2023 14:11:14
    Hi All,

    Any QO-100 users lurking here? I am in the middle of building a ground station based around a Pluto SDR, and its been a challenge, but feel like I'm close!

    I know it doesn't cover the US, which is sad as it would be a great platform for transatlantic QSO's!

    Anyway, do hover around DMR/D-STAR when I have the time...

    Thanks,
    CB - M0DQO
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  • From Daryl Stout@1:2320/33 to Tayloss on Monday, January 23, 2023 13:46:00
    Any QO-100 users lurking here? I am in the middle of building a ground station based around a Pluto SDR, and its been a challenge, but feel
    like I'm close!

    Do you mean the VoIP mode (no RF) of CQ100??

    Daryl, WX4QZ

    ... Do You, Ham, Take Radio, To Be Your Lawfully Wedded Spouse??
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  • From Tayloss@2:250/3 to Daryl Stout on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 17:10:13
    Re: Any QO-100 Users here?
    By: Daryl Stout to Tayloss on Mon Jan 23 2023 13:46:00

    Any QO-100 users lurking here? I am in the middle of building a ground station based around a Pluto SDR, and its been a challenge, but feel like I'm close!

    Do you mean the VoIP mode (no RF) of CQ100??

    Sorry, no I mean via the satellite QO-100... But I am interested in hearing about CQ100 as this is new to me?

    I am not sure how may hams are around the groups now as our local RF bbs is long gone, which is a great shame....

    Thanks,
    M0DQO
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  • From Daryl Stout@1:2320/33 to Tayloss on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 11:16:00
    Sorry, no I mean via the satellite QO-100... But I am interested in 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.

    I am not sure how may hams are around the groups now as our local RF
    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
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