• Amateur Radio while social distancing.

    From Vk3jed@432:1/101 to All on Fri Mar 27 19:05:00 2020
    Hi all, just sharing a few things and asking a question.

    The amateur bands, particularly VHF/UHF are coming alive again here, and it's all thanks to COVID-19. Locally, one of the clubs I'm in started playing with Zoom for meetings, and 2 days ago, we decided that since we're hams, perhaps it's about time we got on the air, to help break the social isolation a bit. Yesterday was our first of what has since become a daily net at 1PM every day on a local repeater, and it's been a lot of fun.

    Another group have started an "isolation net" that runs at 10AM on weekday mornings on a major national linked repeater system. I'm able to access the system from a repeater 30km away. People from all over the place check in and have a quick say.

    On Sunday, another local club is hosting their regular Sunday morning coffee...
    with a difference. Instead of a traditional meetup at a cafe, they are holding an on air net - you make your own coffee at home, then get on air for a chat.

    All this activity has led me to do some work on my shack. I spent much of today fixing problems and tweaking things, and there's a lot more to do. Suddenly, I'm connected to the world, and now I have a list of projects to complete as long as my arm. :) Ham radio has become fun again!

    One day, I'll get packet working and combine my BBS and radio hobbies. I actually have the shack side almost setup - just have to add a radio. , then setup a mobile/portable station. I am able to run IP (v4) on packet as well, that's already configured using LinBPQ.

    I also have to work out where my OpenSpot has got to, so I can get back on DMR.
    I had made up a kit that works for both wired and wifi connections, but I can't seem to find it. :/

    Stay tuned. :)

    So is anyone else getting back on the air to help deal with social distancing or isolation? Please share your experiences. :)

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