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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