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--- public:eastmids [2017/01/16 21:55] – Add details for January meeting PeteB
+++ public:eastmids [2024/03/03 07:45] – Add March 24 meeting PeteB
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+:-)
 ====== MERG East Midlands Area Group News ======
-[[:public:areagroups|Return to Area Groups News]]\\
+[[https://www.merg.org.uk/content/areagroups|Return to Area Groups Index]]\\
-[[:public:start|Index to other public pages]]\\
+[[https://www.merg.org.uk/content/knowledgebase|More about our Knowledgebase]]\\
+**This is the public page, members please check here for the latest news
+[[areagroups:emag:eastmids|EMAG Members Pages]]**
-Joint area group coordinators - Brian Norris and Pete Brownlow
+Joint area group coordinators - Pete Brownlow and John Gowers
-To send us an email, use the [[http://www.merg.org.uk/areagroup.php?area=2|MERG East Midlands Area Group contact form]].
+To contact us, use **[[https://www.merg.org.uk/contactus.php?t=1&n=36|Contact MERG ]]** and please indicate East Midlands Area Group in your message
-For MERG members, you might also like to look at our [[http://www.merg.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=55|area group forum]].
+For MERG members, you might also like to look at our [[https://www.merg.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=55|area group forum]].
 ----
-====== JANUARY 2017 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+====== March 2024 East Midlands face to face area group meeting ======
-**Saturday 28th January 2017 from 10:00**
+Here is the agenda for our March 2024 area group meeting.
-Kindly hosted by the Syston Model Railway Society at their clubrooms at The Old School Community Centre, Thurmaston, Leicestershire
+**Saturday 16th March 2024 from 10:00**
-Thanks to SMRS and MERG member Mike Collins for arranging this venue for us.
+This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society at their clubrooms on Retford Railway Station.
-We have chosen a date when we can have the use of the larger room all day - so that I can bring the Missenden St Mary's layout again and do part 2 of the JMRI automation demos.
+Thanks to MERG and Bassetlaw Railway Society member Julian Pratt for arranging the venue for us.
-Please either bring your own packed lunch or alternatively, there is a chip shop nearby.
+The Bassetlaw Railway Society are not charging us for the use of the room, but we will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover the cost of teas & coffees and biscuits, and make a donation to the Society.
-Collection can be arranged from Syston station for those who would like to come by train.
+Access is step free, but the entry door to the clubrooms is probably not wide enough for a powered wheelchair.
-We will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover the room hire.
+For those coming by train, there are reasonable arrivals from east (9:50), west (9:20) and north (9:38). From the south, there is one from Peterborough and Newark arriving at (8:45) and one from Kings Cross and Grantham arriving at (8:51), so you will be waiting a while before the meeting starts, but as railway enthusiasts you can of course enjoy watching the trains pass by during your wait. :)
-The meeting room is on the ground floor and easily accessible. The clubrooms housing the SMRS layouts are upstairs.
+Parking is now: £6.25 at the station, £4.95 at [[https://victoriaroadcarpark.com]] or £4 at Cobwell Road, DN22 7DD [[https://parkanddonate.co.uk]], 3 mins walk.
-**AGENDA**
+There is a Costa Coffee on the station, a convenience store 2 minutes walk away and Retford has many excellent eating places, just 12 minutes walk away, or you may bring a packed lunch.
-The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+There is no Wi-Fi at the venue, so a Zoom connection will not be possible. If presenters need to access something online, we may be able to use mobile phone hotspots, 4G coverage permitting.
-  * 10:30 Welcome to SMRS - by Mike Collins
-  * 10:35 Introductions and group news
-  * 10:50 Rolling road speedo, a simple introduction to using the Arduino by Graham Clark
-  * 11:15 Thoughts for my new layout by Colin Head
-  * 11:30 Short tea/coffee break (or recovery time if we are running late)
-  * 11:45 JMRI automation - Part 2 by Pete Brownlow
-  * 13:00 Lunch - Bring your own or find a local chippy
-  * Also a chance to see the SMRS layouts on site
-  * 14:00 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming soon.
+More details of parking and how to find the clubrooms will be included in your confirmation email when you book your place.
-  * 14:30 Making it work - practical sessions using members projects, MERG kits or anything else.
-  * 16:30 Wrap-up discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our hosts
-  * 16:35 Carry on with anything else we havn't fixed yet until we get thown out!
 ----
-Kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from the kit locker for collection at the meeting, as Judi can only bring a selection of stock to the meeting.
-For the practical sessions, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone.
-If you already know what you want help on for this session, please email the details in advance so we can gen-up on it and look like we know what we are talking about!
-If we didn't quite have time to get your project properly sorted at the last meeting, please bring it along again and you will be top of the list.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in this East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply in due course with full address details, directions to the venue and parking information. Let us know if you need a lift from the station.
-----
-====== DECEMBER 2016 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
-**Saturday 10th December 2016 from 10:00**
-Kindly hosted by Lincoln & District Model Railway Club (L&DMRC)
-at Scampton and Aisthorpe Village hall, near Lincoln.
-Thanks to Richard Joyce for organising the venue for us, and to Chris Langdon for the use of his layout, Missenden St Mary's, for the DCC and JMRI demonstrations.
-Tea and Coffee will be available all day, please bring your own packed lunch as there are no other facilities nearby.
 **AGENDA**
@@ Line 83: / Line 48: @@
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
-  * 10:30 Introductions and group news
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  * 10:40 - The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society - Julian Pratt
+  * 10:50 - MERG news - John Gowers (MERG chairman)
+  * 11:00 - The CANXIO - Pete Brownlow
+  * 11:45 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 12:00 - The Raspberry Pi Pico - David Jones
+  * 12:45 - Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
+  * 13:15 - LUNCH BREAK
+  *
+  * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic.
-  * 10:45 A test and development CBUS. Godrey Stuart will describe how he put together a number of CBUS modules to test, develop and learn about CBUS
+During the afternoon our chairman, John Gowers, will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about MERG committee matters etc.
-  * 11:15 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming.
+The Bassetlaw Railway Society modelling rooms will be open, where the main 00 gauge layout will be operated by society members and other layouts will be on display, including a newly started N gauge, a nearly ready O gauge and a Triang TT.
-  * 11:30 Short coffee break
-  * 11:45 The MERG DCC system - John Gowers will describe and demonstrate the MERG DCC system
-  * 12:30 Automation with JMRI - Pete Brownlow will describe how to go about automation using JMRI with CBUS, plus demonstrations using the Missenden St Mary's layout.
-  * 13:30 Lunch – Bring your own packed lunch
-  * 14:30 Practical session: Our usual problem solving clinic and continued demonstrations of DCC and JMRI on Missenden St Mary's
-  * 16:30 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
+We will of course have our usual problem clinic providing General help on problems with kits or other electronic projects, building, testing, problem solving etc.
 ----
-Kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from the kit locker for collection at the meeting, as Judi can only bring a selection of stock to the meeting.
-For the clinic session, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone. If you know in advance what you would like to get sorted, let us know in advance so we can gen up on it.
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, a week or so before the meeting, you will get a reply with full details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
-For those who would like to come by train, we can arrange to collect you from Lincoln station, which is about 6 miles from the venue.
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting).
-If you would like to come to the meeting, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply soon with full address details and directions to the venue.
-If you have already let us know that you will be coming, you should have received a confirmation email. If you have not, then please email again.
 ----
+====== January 2024 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ======
+Here is the agenda for our January online Zoom area group meeting.
-====== NOVEMBER 2016 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+**Saturday 20th January 2024 from 10:00**
-**Saturday 5th November 2016 from 10:00**
+This meeting will be online using Zoom.
-Kindly hosted by the Historical Model Railway Society (HMRS) at their Museum and Study Centre located at The Midland Railway Centre, Swanwick Junction.
+As before, we have found that regular breaks of roughly 10-15 mins worked well, to avoid people getting fatigued from staring at their screens, so we will plan to do the same again.
-(See http://www.hmrs.org.uk)
-Thanks to the HMRS for hosting us at their study centre.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Collection can be arranged from a nearby station for those who would like to come by train.
-We will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover teas/coffees and a donation to HMRS for our use of the room.
-The buffet on site will be open on that day, serving refreshments, they have a range from light snacks to full meals. Alternatively, you can bring a packed lunch if you prefer.
-Steam trains will be running on the day between Butterley and Swanwick Junction, however the first train is not until 11:00 so too late to use it as transport to the meeting. Details of the timetable can be found here http://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/events/, it will be the blue A timetable.
-In the evening, The Midland Railway Centre have a fireworks event with regular shuttle trains between Butterley and Swanwick Junction, between 5.30pm and 9.30pm. I don't know if these will be steam or diesel. I suspect you have to buy a ticket for the fireworks event to use those trains. It might make an interesting evening if you want to stay on after our meeting. Details here: http://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/events/fireworksnight.html
-The meeting room is upstairs, but HMRS have just had a new stair lift installed which I am advised is all tested and working, so step free access is available as long as you can transfer to the stair lift.
 **AGENDA**
@@ Line 145: / Line 92: @@
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  *  10:00 - Get connected, Informal chat
-  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions *
+  *  10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
-  * 10:45 -“DesignSpark – quick and dirty” by Alan Turner
+  *  10:45 - Essex Brick part 2 - getting into using YAAT for automation - Eddy
+  *  11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!)
+  *  11:45 - My initial exploration of the Hornby HM7000 system - David Page
+  * 12:15 - QnA on the above talks
+  * 12:30 - Kit and other news
+  *  13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  *  14:00 on - General QnA and help clinic
-Alan will show how to design your own Printed Circuit Board (PCB) from a circuit design, using the popular free Design Spark program. He will take a useful model railway circuit and design a PCB for it. For those who then want to take it on to the next level, this is a useful precursor to Martin Perry's Design Spark masterclasses that he will be running at Keen House.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  * 11:30 - Short tea/coffee break
+For the help clinic session in the afternoon, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please be ready to wave it at the camera, and we'll see what help and advice we can give from afar.
-  * 11:45 - Design Spark Continued by Alan Turner
-  * 12:30 - Design Spark - Taking the PCB layout to ordering the boards by Judi Rastall
-Judi will show how to take the PCB design that Alan has created, process the design ready for manufacture and place the order online with one of the cheap Chinese PCB manufacturers.
+If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS->MY UPCOMING EVENTS, or go directly to https://merg.org.uk/membership/summary.php, and you should see the details of this meeting together with the Zoom link to join in
-  * 13:00 - Lunch - at the Buffet on site or bring your own.
+Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside MERG, or post them on any public social media or web page.
-  * 14:00 - CBUS Update - Pete Brownlow
+If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https://www.merg.org.uk/membership and make sure you are subscribed to the East Midlands area group. There is no requirement that you live in the East Midlands, any member can subscribe and join in. If you would like to introduce a visitor to the meeting, please email their details to eastmids@merg.org.uk.
-  * 14:15 - MERG Kit locker Update - Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming soon.
-  * 14:30 - 16:30 ish - Making it work - Practical session and problem clinic
+If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk and I'll email you the Zoom link.
-----
+I will send out the usual reminder email, it will go automatically to everyone who is subscribed to this area group.
-* During introductions, we like to go round the room and each member can give a very brief summary (about 30 seconds max) of who they are, where they are from, what they are modelling in. Also please tell us what subject you would like to see at a future meeting.
-For the practical sessions, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone.
-If you already know what you want help on for this session, please email the details in advance so we can gen-up on it and look like we know what we are talking about!
-If we didn't quite have time to get your project properly sorted at the last meeting, please bring it along again and you will be top of the list.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in due course, you will get a reply with full address details, directions to the venue and parking information. Let us know if you need a lift from a nearby station.
 ----
-====== SUMMER 2016 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
-**Saturday 16th July 2016 from 10:00**
+====== December 2023 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ======
-Kindly hosted by Judi Rastall at her place in Sutton on Sea.
+Here is the agenda for our December 2023 online Zoom area group meeting.
-Come to the seaside for our Summer meeting!
+**Saturday 9th December from 10:00**
-The venue is about 5 minutes walk from the Prom, so you might like to bring the family for a day by the seaside, whilst we get on with the far more important stuff! Partners and families are welcome to use the other room for teas/coffees etc. whilst we are having the meeting.
+This meeting will be online using Zoom.
-Judi can accommodate up to 20 people, so bookings are first come first served. If we become fully booked, we will keep a waiting list in case of cancellations. Note that the 20 limit is for the room where we have the meeting, any partners or family who would like to come along for a day at the seaside are additional to the 20 limit.
+As before, we have found that regular breaks of roughly 10-15 mins worked well, to avoid people getting fatigued from staring at their screens, so we will plan to do the same again.
-If you would like to come, please let us know as soon as possible. If you do decide at the last minute, it is still worth getting in touch as, with the longer distance that most have to travel, the numbers are usually less than more centrally located meetings.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Most of you will know that Judi is our Kit Sales Manager. This is an opportunity to see the huge MERG kit operation, how Judi manages the stock, processes the orders and sends out all those kits.
-Sutton on Sea is on the east coast of Lincolnshire between Skegness and Grimsby. Parking is available on street near the venue. We have scheduled this meeting before the start of the peak summer season. Once the school holidays start, from late July, parking becomes much more difficult and there will be long queues on all roads into the resort on a Saturday morning – so come and enjoy the seaside before the mad summer rush.
-This venue is less convenient for arrival by train. The nearest railhead is Skegness which is at the end of a long branch line and is an hour round trip from Sutton.
-Tea and Coffee will be available, lunch can be purchased from local fish and chip shops, or bring your own if you prefer.
-Weather and "leaves on the line" permitting, Judi's outdoor railway build is progressing, and visiting trains to run on the outdoor loop are welcome. It is '00' gauge, “dead rail” - so your train will need to carry its own power source (battery, clockwork, fuel cell etc).
-----
 **AGENDA**
@@ Line 212: / Line 136: @@
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  *  10:00 - Get connected, Informal chat
-  * 10:30 Introductions and group news
+  *  10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
-  * 10:45 CAN4DC and CCMR by Ian Hogg – A CBUS system to operate analogue DC trains ++
+  *  10:45 - Essex Brick a lockdown to exhibition layout - Eddy
-  * 11:45 Short coffee break
+  *  11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!)
-  * 12:00 CBUS developments – Pete Brownlow
+  *  11:45 - Update on my developments with DCC, CBUS and JMRI - Pete Brownlow
-  * 12:30 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming
+   * 12:45 - QnA
+  *  13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  *  14:00 on - General QnA and help clinic
-  * 13:00 Lunch - Fish and chips from the local shops or bring your own
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  * 14:00 The MERG kit locker by Judi Rastall – guided tours
+For the help clinic session in the afternoon, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please be ready to wave it at the camera, and we'll see what help and advice we can give from afar.
- in parallel with:
-  * 14:00 Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic
-  * 14:00 Help with soldering and kit construction
-  * 16:00 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
+If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS->MY UPCOMING EVENTS, or go directly to https://merg.org.uk/membership/summary.php, and you should see the details of this meeting together with the Zoom link to join in
-  * 16:15 onwards – continue with practical clinic
-++ Ian will provide an update on progress of CAN4DC and CCMR. This will cover the system design, hardware choices and firmware of a CBUS module to control Analogue DC layouts along with the software to manually and automatically operate the layout.
+Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside MERG, or post them on any public social media or web page.
-----
+If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https://www.merg.org.uk/membership and make sure you are subscribed to the East Midlands area group. There is no requirement that you live in the East Midlands, any member can subscribe and join in. If you would like to introduce a visitor to the meeting, please email their details to eastmids@merg.org.uk.
-Kits will, of course, be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from Judi for collection at the meeting, as popular kits can go out of stock quickly.
+If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk and I'll email you the Zoom link.
-For the clinic session, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone. If you know in advance what you would like to get sorted, let us know in advance so we can gen up on it.
+I will send out the usual reminder email, it will go automatically to everyone who is subscribed to this area group.
-The venue is reasonably accessible, there are a couple of shallow steps up through the front door and a step down into the kitchen of 5". The width of the kitchen doorway is 29". Please advise if you need any assistance.
-Please note that Judi is owned by her two Kit Cats who will be in attendance, so anyone who has any feline allergy or intolerance should be aware of this.
-If you would like to come, and have not already done so, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply in due course with full address details and directions to the venue.
 ----
 ----
+====== OCTOBER 2023 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
+**Saturday 21st October 2023 from 10:00**
-====== NOVEMBER 2015 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+The meeting is Kindly hosted by the Nene Valley Railway at Wansford. Thanks to MERG and NVR member Russ Jenner for arranging the venue for us.
-**Saturday 7th November 2015 from 10:00**
+We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover both the venue hire and teas/coffees for the day. If we collect more than the cost of hiring the venue and supplying refreshments, we will donate the difference to the NVR.
-Kindly hosted by the Nene Valley Railway in their modern meeting room at Wansford
+The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
-Thanks to Russ Jenner for organising the venue for us.
+There is a cafe on site, I will confirm arrangements, but most likely we will pass the menu around in the morning so you can order lunch if you wish.
+If the Wifi at the venue is working well enough, we will endeavour to have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. However, the meeting will be optimised for those who manage to get along, who will get the best experience.
 ----
@@ Line 261: / Line 181: @@
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 Members arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
-  * 10:30 Introductions and group news
+  * 10:30 - Welcome to NVR and housekeeping - Russ Jenner
-  * 10:45 Types and positioning of signals - Michael Keck (NVR signalman)
+  * 10:35 - Group news and Introductions
-  * 11:30 Short coffee break
+  * 10:45 - CBUS and JMRI at Gwynne Junction - James Cunningham - including some or all of CANMIO Rev K, JMRI semaphore signalling, my JMRI touchscreen signal box and Railcom
+  * 11:45 - Tea/coffee break
-  * 11:45 Leamington Spa - Pete Waterman's model railway and its use of CBUS - Roger Healey and Les Fram
+  * 12:00 - MERG & kit locker updates - Judi Rastall
+  * 12:30 - The Universal Experimenters Module - Pete Brownlow
-  * 13:00 Lunch - bring your own or use the Nene Valley Railway cafe
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  *
+  * 13:30 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic
-  * 14:00 MERG Kit news - Judi Rastall
-  * 14:30 Practical session: Our usual problem solving clinic - bring along anything you need help with
-  * During the afternoon Russ will arrange tours around the NVR engine shed and the signal box
-  * 16:30 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
 ----
+During the afternoon, as well as our usual help and problem solving clinic, Russ advises that the railwayana shop at NVR will be open which now has quite a lot of double 00 and a few N and O gauge second hand stock.
-We will ask for £2 per head to cover the room hire cost and £1 each in the "honesty box" will cover as many teas and coffees as you want all day. This money will all go to the Nene Valley Railway.
+If he can get the 00 layout running for the afternoon he will do so.
-Kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from the kit locker for collection at the meeting, as Judi can only bring a selection of stock to the meeting.
+Short trips to the NVR shed will be available during the afternoon.
-The NVR cafe will be open from 8:30 for bacon butties or full breakfast, and also open at lunchtime.
+It is a running day at NVR with 3 trains, pulled by W D Austerity.
-One NVR engine, probably a Black 5, will be in steam as it is a driver experience day on the NVR.
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in the week before the meeting, you will get a reply with full address details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers. Please don't just turn up on spec, in case there are last minute changes we need to let you know about.
-The meeting room was built from new last year and is step-free accessible.
+Let us know if you need a lift from Peterborough station. Please plan to arrive at Peterborough station no later than 9:30am, so whoever picks you up does not have to miss any of the meeting.
-For those who would like to come by train, we can arrange to collect you from Peterborough station or, if you can get there early enough, I can collect from Wellingborough station on my way to the meeting about 8am.
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I have noted you and I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting.)
-If you need collection from Peterborough station, please plan to arrive before 9:30 so that the person picking you up does not have to miss any of the meeting.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message here in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply in due course with full address details and directions to the venue.
+----
+====== JULY 2023 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
-Members from outside the East Midlands are always welcome at our meetings, as are visitors. Please just let us know you are coming so we can plan for the numbers expected.
+**Saturday 8th July 2023 from 10:00**
+Due to Judi's building work not being complete in time, we have swapped the venues for our July and September meetings.
-----
+This meeting will now be at Aisthorpe Village Hall, near Lincoln, Kindly hosted by Lincoln & District Model Railway Club (L&DMRC) at Scampton and Aisthorpe Village hall, near Lincoln.
-====== AUGUST 2015 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+Thanks to Richard Joyce for organising the venue for us.
-**Saturday 15th August 2015 from 10:00**
+Tea and Coffee will be available all day, please bring your own packed lunch as there are no other facilities nearby.
-Kindly hosted by David Straker at his place in Leicester.
+We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/coffees. Note that one payment covers both, you don't need to pay separately for the teas and coffees. If we collect more than the cost of hiring the venue and refreshments, we will donate the difference to L&DMRC.
-As we won't be having a meeting in September or October, due to so many other exhibition and course events taking place, rather than wait until November we are having a meeting in August.
+The venue has level step free access and reasonable parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
-Those who came to the last meeting at David's place, a couple of years ago, enjoyed seeing and operating his 'O' gauge garden layout, Victoria to Beckenham Junction.
+Provided the Internet connection at the venue is working well, we will have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. I will add a Zoom link to the meeting info, so that it appears in your upcoming meetings on the MERG website.
-Collection can be arranged from Leicester station for those who would like to come by train.
+More details of parking and how to find the venue will be included in your confirmation email when you book your place. Please remember to book a place and not just turn up on spec, in case there are any changes we need to let you know about.
-Tea and coffee will be provided, please bring your own packed lunch, .
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The meeting is on the ground floor and easily accessible with no steps.
+**AGENDA**
-----
-** AGENDA **
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
-  * 10:30 Introductions and group news
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  * 10:45 - Introduction to the Lincoln & District Model Railway Club - Richard Joyce
+  * 10:50 - The CANPROG - what it is, building one, using it to program PICs - Pete Brownlow
+  * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 11:45 - Update on FCU development (CBUS FLim Config Utility) - Julian Pratt
+  * 12:15 - Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  * 14:00 - 16:00 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic - including FCU tutorial if requested
-  * 11:00 Designing PCBs using Design Spark - Mike Collins
+There should also be a chance to see some of the L&DMRC layouts.
-  * 11:45 Short coffee break
-  * 12:00 CBUS - setting up the CANMIO using SLiM - Pete Brownlow
-  * 12:30 Lunch -  Bring your own packed lunch (tea and coffee provided)
+We will of course have our usual problem clinic providing General help on problems with kits or other electronic projects, building, testing, problem solving, techniques such as soldering etc.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  * 13:00 A chance to view and operate David Straker's 'O' gauge garden railway, in parallel with:
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in the week before the meeting, you will get a reply with full details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
-  * 13:00 Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic
-  * 16:00 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
+Please book a place rather than just turning up on spec, if there are any last minute changes we need to know who is coming so that we can contact you.
-----
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting).
+====== May 2023 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ======
-Judi will be on holiday, and cannot make this meeting, so we will not have our usual stock of kits for sale at the meeting. If you want kits, you will have to order them and get them posted to you from the kit locker as usual.
+Here is the agenda for our May 2023 online Zoom area group meeting.
-For the clinic session, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone. If you know in advance what you would like to get sorted, let us know in advance so we can gen up on it.
+**Saturday 27th May from 10:00**
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply, in due course, with full address details and directions to the venue.
+This meeting will be online using Zoom.
-If you would like to come by train, please let us know if you need a lift from the station. If coming by train, please plan to arrive at Leicester station by 09:30 so that whoever comes to pick you up does not have to miss any of the meeting.
+As before, we have found that breaks of roughly 10-15 mins per hour worked well, to avoid people getting fatigued from staring at their screens, so we will plan to do the same again.
-Visitors, and MERG members from outside the East Midlands, are always welcome at our area group meetings.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
+**AGENDA**
-====== JULY 2015 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
-**Saturday 11th July 2015 from 10:00**
-Kindly hosted by Judi Rastall at her place in Sutton on Sea.
-Come to the seaside for our Summer meeting!
-The venue is about 5 minutes walk from the Prom, so you might like to bring the family for a day by the seaside, whilst we get on with the far more important stuff! Partners and families are welcome to use the other room for teas/coffees etc. whilst we are having the meeting.
-Judi can accommodate up to 20 people, so bookings are first come first served. If we become fully booked, we will keep a waiting list in case of cancellations. Note that the 20 limit is for the room where we have the meeting, any partners or family who would like to come along for a day at the seaside are additional to the 20 limit.
-If you would like to come, please let us know as soon as possible. If you do decide at the last minute, it is still worth getting in touch as, with the longer distance that most have to travel, the numbers are usually less than more centrally located meetings.
-Most of you will know that Judi is our Kit Sales Manager. This is an opportunity to see the huge MERG kit operation, how Judi manages the stock, processes the orders and sends out all those kits.
-We also have the rare treat of a double act from our kit team, Judi Rastall and Martin Perry, describing the new PTP-Lite layout control system.
-Sutton on Sea is on the east coast of Lincolnshire between Skegness and Grimsby. Parking is available on street near the venue. We have scheduled this meeting before the start of the peak summer season. Once the school holidays start, from late July, parking becomes much more difficult and there will be long queues on all roads into the resort on a Saturday morning – so come and enjoy the seaside before the mad summer rush.
-This venue is less convenient for arrival by train. The nearest railhead is Skegness which is at the end of a long branch line and is an hour round trip from Sutton.
-Tea and Coffee will be available, lunch can be purchased from local fish and chip shops, or bring your own if you prefer.
-----
-** AGENDA **
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-  * 10:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  *  10:00 - Get connected, Informal chat
-  * 10:30 Introductions and group news
+  *  10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  *  10:45 - MERG and kit locker news
-  * 10:45 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming
+  *  11:00 - FCU (CBUS Config utility) - development news and status - Pete Brownlow
-  * 11:15 CBUS developments – Pete Brownlow
+  *  11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!)
-  * 11:45 Short coffee break
+  *  11:45 - WebFCU (alternative CBUS config utility) - David Ellis
-  * 12:00 PTP-Lite by Judi Rastall and Martin Perry
+  *  12:15 - From the MERG chairman - John Gowers
+  * 12:45 - MERG AGM event - possible East Mids Area group involvement
-  * 13:00 Lunch - Fish and chips from the local shops or bring your own
+  *  13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  *  14:00 on - General QnA and help clinic
-  * 14:00 The MERG kit locker by Judi Rastall – guided tours, in parallel with:
-  * 14:00 Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic
-  * 16:00 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
-  * 16:15 onwards – continue with practical clinic
-----
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Kits will, of course, be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from Judi for collection at the meeting, as popular kits can go out of stock quickly.
+For the QnA sessions, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please be ready to wave it at the camera, and we'll see what help and advice we can give from afar.
-For the clinic session, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone. If you know in advance what you would like to get sorted, let us know in advance so we can gen up on it.
+If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS->MY UPCOMING EVENTS, or go directly to https://merg.org.uk/membership/summary.php, and you should see the details of this meeting together with the Zoom link to join in
-The venue is reasonably accessible, there are a couple of shallow steps up through the front door and a step down into the kitchen of 5". The width of the kitchen doorway is 29". Please advise if you need any assistance.
+Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside MERG, or post them on any public social media or web page.
-Please note that Judi now has a couple of resident cats (see [[http://www.merg.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=4597|Kit-Cat forum topic]] for a full list of all the puns!), so if you have any allergy to felines you may wish to take precautions.
+If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https://www.merg.org.uk/membership and make sure you are subscribed to the East Midlands area group. There is no requirement that you live in the East Midlands, any member can subscribe and join in. If you would like to introduce a visitor to the meeting, please email their details to eastmids@merg.org.uk.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply, in due course, with full address details and directions to the venue.
+If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk and I'll email you the Zoom link.
+I will send out the usual reminder email to everyone subscribed to the area group, it will go automatically to everyone who is subscribed to this area group.
 ----
+====== APRIL 2023 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
+**Saturday 8th April 2023 from 10:00**
-====== SPRING 2015 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+Here is the agenda for our April meeting.
-**Saturday 21st March 2015 from 09:00**
+This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Kingsway Model Railway Society (KMRS) at the Kingsway Centre in Wellingborough.
-At the Nottingham Model Railway Exhibition, Hadden Park High School, Harvey road, Bilborough, NG8 3BB.
+We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/coffees. Note that one payment covers both, you don't need to pay separately for the teas and coffees. If we collect more than the cost of hiring the venue and refreshments, we will donate the difference to KMRS.
-MERG member and exhibition organiser Graham Clark has kindly arranged this venue.
+The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
-The exhibition is located at a school, and we have been allocated a whole classroom.
+You can either bring a packed lunch or nip out to somewhere locally, the town centre is about 5 minutes drive away and there is a co-op shop a few minutes walk away.
-This classroom will be closed to the public for the first part of our meeting in the morning. We will then open to the public for the main talk. Then we will have our usual clinic session in the afternoon, whilst also being open to the public as the "Electronics Zone".
+Provided the Internet connection at the venue is working, we will have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. I will add a Zoom link to the meeting info, so that it appears in your upcoming meetings on the MERG website.
-We will be joining MERG gurus Gordon Hopkins and Bob Vetterlein who regularly exhibit at this show.
+More details of parking and how to find the venue will be included in your confirmation email when you book your place. Please remember to book a place and not just turn up on spec, in case there are any changes we need to let you know about, and so we now how many people to cater for.
-We will set up the usual MERG exhibition stand and demos in the same room as well as having our meeting there.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Our meeting will start a little earlier than usual at 9:00 in order to ensure that we can get the room open to the public at a reasonable time.
-----
 **AGENDA**
-  * 09:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
-  * 09:30 Introductions, Group news, future meetings etc.
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
-  * 09:45 Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
+  * 10:40 - Introduction to the Kingsway Model Railway Society - Roger Barker
-  * 10:15 ATC dual mode - Gordon Hopkins
+  * 10:45 - CBUS update - what has been happening in the CBUS world - Pete Brownlow
-  * 10:45 Short break and open to the public
+  * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break
-  * 11:00 Controlling points - types of point motor and how to control them - hardwired vs DCC vs CBUS - Pete Brownlow
+  * 11:45 - The new improved MERG ATC system - Mike Collins
+  * 12:30 - Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic
-  * 12:00 Lunch - bring your own or use the exhibition facilities
+The Kingsway Model Railway Society 00 gauge layout will be open and partially running (one corner currently has an engineering possession for relaying the track). This uses the MERG DCC system and CBUS. The N gauge layout will also be set up. Pete will also have the Missenden St Mary's layout set up and running.
-  * 12:45 Re-arrange the room for clinic & Electronics Zone demos
+Feel free if you want to bring something to run, the 00 layouts are DCC, the N gauge layout is analogue.
-  * 13:00 Our usual "making it work" clinic (and a chance to look round the exhibition)
+We will of course have our usual problem clinic providing General help on problems with kits or other electronic projects, building, testing, problem solving, techniques such as soldering etc.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The afternoon session will go on until the exhibition closes.
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, before the event, you will get a reply with full details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
-----
+Please book a place rather than just turning up on spec, if there are any last minute changes we need to know who is coming so that we can contact you.
+Regards,
-The arrangement we have with the exhibition organisers is that members coming to the meeting on the Saturday, will get a special reduced admission price of £5 compared to the usual £8 entry fee. To get this special price, you must book to come to the meeting at least 2 weeks in advance. You will then be put on a list for free entry, which will get you in before the main show starts so that we can start the meeting promptly. We will then collect the £5 per head during the meeting.
+Pete
-If you book to come later than 2 weeks before, we will still try to squeeze you in, but you will not be able to get the reduced entry fee as there will not be time to get you added to the early entry list.
-Please let us know promptly if you would like to come by posting on the East Midlands area group forum or by email to eastmids@merg.org.uk The deadline for getting the reduced admission is that you must book by Friday 6th March.
-If you would like to come by train, there is a frequent bus service, no. 28, from Upper Parliament Street in the city centre, to the show venue.
-However, Upper Parliament Street is about 3/4 of a mile, 15-20mins walk, from the station, so if you are unable to manage that distance, or are bringing too much stuff to lug that distance, then we can arrange a pickup. In that case, please let us know what train you will be arriving on. As the meeting starts at 9:00am, if you do need a pick up, please arrange to arrive at Nottingham station by 8:30 so that those doing the pick up do not have to miss part of the meeting.
-On the Sunday of the exhibition, Doug Harper will be doing a re-run of his "Towards Automation" talk that he gave at our November meeting at Wansford. Gordon will give an introductory talk on the ATC DC shuttle. These are mainly aimed at the general public visiting the exhibition, but also provide an opportunity for those members who may have missed the talks previously.
+====== SEPTEMBER 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
-There is no reduced admission for MERG members on the Sunday, so unless you are helping to man our exhibition stand all day, you will have to pay the normal exhibition admission price.
+**Saturday 3rd September 2022 from 10:00**
-====== FEBRUARY 2015 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+Here is the agenda for our September meeting.
-**Saturday 7th February 2015 from 10:00**
+This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Kingsway Model Railway Society at the Kingsway Centre in Wellingborough.
-Kindly hosted by the Syston Model Railway Society at their clubrooms at The Old School Community Centre, Thurmaston, Leicestershire
+We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/coffees. Note that one payment covers both this time, you don't need to pay separately for the teas and coffees. If we collect more than the cost of hiring the venue and refreshments, we will donate the difference to KMRS.
-Thanks to SMRS and MERG member Mike Collins for arranging this venue for us.
+The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
-We have the use of the smaller meeting room downstairs during the morning, because the larger room is in use by a coffee morning. We can move into the larger room for the practical session in the afternoon.
+You can either bring a packed lunch or nip out to somewhere locally, the town centre is about 5 minutes drive away.  There is a co-op shop a few minutes walk away.
-The benefit of this arrangement is that Tea and Coffee will be available to purchase from the coffee morning during the morning. Last time we did this, bacon butties were also available, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
+Provided the Internet connection at the venue is working, we will have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. I will add a Zoom link to the meeting info, so that it appears in your upcoming meetings on the MERG website.
-Please either bring your own packed lunch or alternatively, there is a chip shop next door but one and a sandwich shop across the road
+More details of parking and how to find the venue will be included in your confirmation email when you book your place. PLease remember to book a place and not just turn up on spec, in case there are any changes we need to let you know about.
-Collection can be arranged from Syston station for those who would like to come by train.
+----
-We will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover the room hire.
-The meeting room is on the ground floor and easily accessible. The clubrooms housing the SMRS layouts are upstairs.
 **AGENDA**
@@ Line 499: / Line 374: @@
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  * 10:40 - Introduction to the Kingsway Model Railway Society - Roger barker
+  * 10:45 - Turntable Tales - My journey so far with the Peco Turntable and MERG Turntable Controller - kit John Wood\\ (Also includes using Julian's auto-reverser to power the deck)
+  * 11:15 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 11:30 - DCC and CBUS new developments with live demo - Pete Brownlow\\ (Including new features in CANCMD, CANCOMPUTE and development news on CANMIO (Universal) )
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
-:30 Welcome to SMRS - by Mike Collins
-:35 Introductions *
+  * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic
-:00 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming soon.
-:30 Short break (or recovery time if we are running late)
+The Kingsway Model Railway Society 00 gauge layout will be open and running, this uses the MERG DCC system and CBUS. The N gauge layout will also be set up.  Pete will also have the Missenden St Mary's layout set up and running.
-:45 What is a PIC? and how to get firmware onto a PIC by various methods - Pete Brownlow & Mike Collins
+Feel free if you want to bring something to run,  the 00 layouts are DCC, the N gauge layout is analogue.
-:45 Lunch - Bring your own or find a local cafe
-Also a chance to see the SMRS layouts on site
-:30 Making it work - practical sessions using members projects, MERG kits or anything else.
-:00 Wrap-up discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our hosts
-:15 Carry on with anything else we havn't fixed yet!
-:00 Finish
+We will of course have our usual problem clinic providing General help on problems with kits or other electronic projects, building, testing, problem solving, techniques such as soldering etc.
 ----
-* During introductions, we like to go round the room and each member can give a very brief summary (about 30 seconds) of who they are, where they are from, what they are modelling in. Also please tell us what subject you would like to see at a future meeting.
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in a day or two, you will get a reply with full details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
-For the practical sessions, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone.
-If you already know what you want help on for this session, please email the details in advance so we can gen-up on it and look like we know what we are talking about!
-If we didn't quite have time to get your project properly sorted at the last meeting, please bring it along again and you will be top of the list.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply with full address details, directions to the venue and parking information. Let us know if you need a lift from the station.
-====== NOVEMBER MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
-**Saturday 1st November 2014 from 10:00**
-Kindly hosted by the Nene Valley Railway in their new meeting room at Wansford
-Thanks to  Russ Jenner for organising the venue for us.\\
-\\
-__**AGENDA**__ \\
-\\
-The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-The theme of this meeting is layout control using the JMRI software package.\\
-\\
-:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members\\
-:30 Introductions and group news\\
-:45 Quick update on CBUS developments - Pete Brownlow\\
-:00 Demonstration of Raspberry Pi running JMRI - Charles Orr\\
-:30 Short coffee break
-:45 Towards Automation - Doug Harper will describe the progress with his layout with the eventual aim of automatic running using JMRI
-:45 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall
-:00 Lunch – Bring your own or use the Nene Valley Railway cafe.
-:00 Eagle PCB design Q&A session - Pete Brownlow - following on from last week's talk, for those who have had a go and have some questions. \\  \\
-:30 Practical session: Our usual problem solving clinic - bring along anything you need help with
-During the afternoon Russ will give tours round the NVR engine shed and possibly the signal box also.
-:30 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
+Please book a place rather than just turning up on spec, if there are any last minute changes we need to know who is coming so that we can contact you.
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the next few days).
 ----
+====== JULY 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
-We will ask for £2 per head to cover the room hire cost.
+**Saturday 9th July 2022 from 10:00**
-Kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from the kit locker for collection at the meeting, as Judi can only bring a selection of stock to the meeting.
+The meeting is Kindly hosted by the Nene Valley Railway at Wansford. Thanks to MERG and NVR member Russ Jenner for arranging the venue for us.
-The NVR cafe will be open from 8:30 for bacon butties or full breakfast, and also open at lunchtime.
+We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover both the venue hire and teas/coffees for the day. If we collect more than the cost of hiring the venue and supplying refreshments, we will donate the difference to the NVR.
-One NVR engine will be in steam for 3 service trains starting at 10:00. At moment it is rostered as 6041 the big American 2-6-0 loco.
+The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
-The meeting room is new and is step-free accessible.
+There is a cafe on site, we will pass the menu around in the morning so you can order lunch if you wish.
-For those who would like to come by train, we can arrange to collect you from Peterborough station or, if you can get there early enough, I can collect from Wellingborough station on my way to the meeting about 8am.
+If the Wifi at the venue is working well enough, we will endevour have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. However, the meeting will be optimised for those who manage to get along, who will get the best experience.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to [[eastmids@merg.org.uk|eastmids@merg.org.uk]] or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply with full address details and directions to the venue.//
+It is a running day on the NVR, purple timetable, scheduled to be a mix of steam and the Peak diesel. See the NVR website for more details.
-//
@@ Line 600: / Line 421: @@
-----
+**AGENDA**
-====== AUTUMN 2014 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
-**Saturday 20th September 2014 from 10:00**
-Kindly hosted by Lincoln & District Model Railway Club (L&DMRC)
-at Scampton and Aisthorpe Village hall, near Lincoln.
-Thanks to Phil Busby and Paul Ransome for organising the venue for us.\\
-\\
-Tea and Coffee will be available all day, plus hot bacon rolls at lunch time.
-The theme of this meeting is designing and making printed circuit boards (PCBs). Several members will show different PCB design programs, and we'll etch some real PCBs during the afternoon practical session.
-__**AGENDA**__ \\
-\\
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  * 10:40 - Developing FCU - progress and challenges, David Radcliffe
+  * 11:20 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 11:30 - Colin Head - Demo and progress report on my layout (which has no name yet!)
+  * 12:10 - MERG & kit locker updates - Judi Rastall
+  * 12:30 - LUNCH BREAK
-\\
+  * 13:30 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic
-:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members\\
-:30 Introductions and group news\\
-\\
-:45 Designing a PCB by Pete Brownlow
-    * Taking a very simple design, we will go through drawing the schematic, laying out the PCB and preparing the board for either home etching or commercial manufacture, using the CADSoft Eagle program.
-:45 Short coffee break
-:00 Using DesignSpark to design PCBs by Judi Rastall
-    * A summary of the main features when designing PCBs using the DesignSpark program
-:30 Using DipTrace to design PCBs by Nick Locke
-    * A summary of the main features when designing PCBs using the DipTrace program
-:00 Lunch – Bring your own and/or bacon rolls cooked for us by Linda Busby.
-    * Phil and John also hope to set up some working layouts for us to see in their clubroom.
-:30 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming. \\  \\ 14:00 Practical session
-    * We'll have a go at etching some circuit boards from the design created in the first session
-    * Our usual problem solving clinic
-:00 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
+Note: "FCU" is the FLiM Config Utility, used to configure CBUS modules from a computer
 ----
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message here in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in due course, you will get a reply with full address details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
-Kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from the kit locker for collection at the meeting, as Judi can only bring a selection of stock to the meeting.
+Let us know if you need a lift from Peterborough station. Please plan to arrive at Peterborough station no later than 9:30am, so whoever picks you up does not have to miss any of the meeting.
-For the clinic session, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone. If you know in advance what you would like to get sorted, let us know in advance so we can gen up on it. \\  \\ For those who would like to come by train, we can arrange to collect you from Lincoln station, which is about 6 miles from the venue.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to [[eastmids@merg.org.uk|eastmids@merg.org.uk]] or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply with full address details and directions to the venue.
+Those who have already let us know that you are coming, you should have received a confirmation email with directions, parking, lunch details etc. If you have not received your confirmation email, please get in touch.
 ----
+====== APRIL 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
+**Saturday  16th April 2022 from 10:00**
-----
+This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Kingsway Model Railway Society at the Kingsway Centre in Wellingborough.
+We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/coffees. Note that one payment covers both this time, you don't need to pay separately for the teas and coffees. If we collect more than the cost of hiring the venue and refreshments, we will donate the difference to KMRS.
-====== SUMMER 2014 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
+You can either bring a packed lunch or nip out to somewhere locally, the town centre is about 5 minutes drive away.  There is a co-op shop a few minutes walk away.
-**Saturday 28th June 2014 from 10:00**
+We will have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. I have added the Zoom link to the meeting info, so that it appears in your upcoming meetings on the MERG website.
+More details of parking and how to find the venue will be included in your confirmation email when you book your place.
-Kindly hosted by Judi Rastall at her place in Sutton on Sea.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Theme - Control Panels
-Come to the seaside for our Summer meeting!
-The venue is about 5 minutes walk from the Prom, so you might like to bring the family for a day by the seaside, whilst we get on with the far more important stuff! Partners and families are welcome to use the other room for teas/coffees etc. whilst we are having the meeting.
-Judi can accommodate up to 20 people, so bookings are first come first served. If we become fully booked, we will keep a waiting list in case of cancellations. Note that the 20 limit is for the room where we have the meeting, any partners or family who would like to come along for a day at the seaside are additional to the 20 limit.
-If you would like to come, please let us know as soon as possible. If you do decide at the last minute, it is still worth getting in touch as, with the longer distance that most have to travel, the numbers are usually less than more centrally located meetings.
-Most of you will know that Judi is our Kit Sales Manager. This is an opportunity to see the huge MERG kit operation, how Judi manages the stock, processes the orders and sends out all those kits.
-Sutton on Sea is on the east coast of Lincolnshire between Skegness and Grimsby. Parking is available on street near the venue. We have scheduled this meeting before the start of the peak summer season. Once the school holidays start, from late July, parking becomes much more difficult and there will be long queues on all roads into the resort on a Saturday morning – so come and enjoy the seaside before the mad summer rush.
-This venue is less convenient for arrival by train. The nearest railhead is Skegness which is at the end of a long branch line and is an hour round trip from Sutton. Please let us know with plenty of notice if you need a pick up from Skegness station.
-Tea and Coffee will be available, lunch can be purchased from local fish and chip shops, or bring your own if you prefer.
-----
-**AGENDA**
+**AGENDA**
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  * 10:35 - Introduction to the Kingsway Model Railway Society - Roger barker
+  * 10:45 - My CBUS & JMRI journey - Julian Pratt (held over from the previous meeting)
+  * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 11:45 - Kit locker update - news about MERG kits - Judi Rastall
+  * 12:15 - CBUS update - developments and things I am working on - Pete Brownlow
-The theme of this meeting is control panels. Several members will describe and demonstrate their approach to building control panels.
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic
-:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+The Kingsway Model Railway Society 00 gauge layout will be open and running, this uses the MERG DCC system and CBUS. The N gauge layout will also be set up.
+We will of course have our usual problem clinic providing General help on problems with kits or other electronic projects, building, testing, problem solving etc. There will also be the chance to operate the Kingsway 00 gauge layout using the MERG DCC system.
-:30 Introductions and group news
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-:45 Pentre Road control panel by Howard Watkins
-:30 Short coffee break
-:40 Locketown control panel by Nick Locke
-:20 Deting control panel by Richard Spoors
-:00 Lunch - Fish and chips from the local shops or bring your own
-:30 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, what is coming soon.
-:00 The MERG kit locker by Judi Rastall – guided tours
-in parallel with:
-:00 Making it work:
-    * Our usual problem solving clinic
-    * Further discussions and demonstrations of the various control panels
-:00 "Wrap up" discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our host
-:15 onwards - continue with practical clinic
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in a day or two, you will get a reply with full details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the next day or two).
 ----
+====== FEBRUARY 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ======
+**Saturday 26th February 2022 from 10:00**
-Kits will, of course, be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, then it would be best to pre-order what you want from Judi for collection at the meeting, as popular kits can go out of stock quickly.
+This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society at their clubrooms on Retford Railway Station.
+Thanks to MERG and Bassetlaw Railway Society member Julian Pratt for arranging the venue for us.
-For the clinic session, as we have done before, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone. If you know in advance what you would like to get sorted, let us know in advance so we can gen up on it.
+The Bassetlaw Railway Society are not charging us for the use of the room, but we will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover the cost of teas & coffees and make a donation to the Society.
+Parking is available in the station car park at a cost of £5. You can of course come by train to Retford Station.
-If we didn't quite have time to get your project properly sorted at the last meeting, please bring it along again and you will be top of the list.
+If we can get a Wi-Fi connection at the venue, we will have a Zoom connection for the morning meeting, for those who cannot come in person. However, I understand we are reliant on the LNER hosted Wi-Fi at the station, so we don't yet know if this will be possible.
+Numbers will be limited to 20, to ensure reasonable separation. Mask wearing is now optional, please make your own choice. We would recommend that everyone takes a lateral flow test before coming.
-The venue is reasonably accessible, there are a couple of shallow steps up through the front door and a step down into the kitchen of 5". The width of the kitchen doorway is 29". Please advise if you need any assistance.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply with full address details and directions to the venue.
-Please note again that this meeting is limited to the first 20 who let us know. If we are already fully booked, we'll put your name on a waiting list and advise if there is a cancellation.
@@ Line 801: / Line 510: @@
-====== SPRING 2014 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
+**AGENDA**
+The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
-**Saturday 15th March 2014 from 09:00**
+  * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+  * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions
+  * 10:40 - The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society - Julian Pratt
+  * 10:50 - Different cabs for the MERG DCC system - Simon West, John Gowers & Pete Brownlow
+  * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 11:45 - Different cabs for the MERG DCC system - continued
+  * 12:15 - Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
+  * 12:30 - My CBUS & JMRI journey - Julian Pratt
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
-Pictures from this event can be found [[http://www.upsys.biz/mergemnottingham|here]]
+  * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations, soldering clinic and practical problems help clinic
-At the Nottingham Model Railway Exhibition, Hadden Park High School, Harvey road, Bilborough, NG8 3BB.
+The cabs session will cover basic how to use the MERG DCC system, circuit designs, the standard MERG CANCAB and other variations designed by members.
+During the afternoon John Gowers will provide a soldering clinic, both through hole and surface mount.
-MERG member Graham Clarke has kindly arranged this venue.
+We will of course have our usual problem clinic providing General help on problems with kits or other electronic projects, building, testing, problem solving etc.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-The exhibition is located at a school, and we have been allocated a whole classroom.
+If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. I will add you to the list and, in a few days, you will get a reply with full details, directions to the venue and parking information. Even if you are not sure yet whether you can get along, please let us know anyway so we can plan for likely numbers.
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the next few days.)
-This classroom will be closed to the public for our meeting in the morning. Then we will have our usual clinic session in the afternoon, whilst also being open to the public as the "Electronics Zone".
-On Sunday, we're looking for volunteers to continue the good work, manning the MERG "Electronics Zone" as an exhibition stand throughout the day.
-We will be joining MERG guru Gordon Hopkins who regularly exhibits at this show.
-So we will set up the usual MERG exhibition stand and demos in the same room as well as having our meeting there. Gordon will have the ATC demo and Colin will have his Silicone Valley BC3 controlled layout.
-Our meeting will start a little earlier than usual at 9:00 in order to ensure that we can get the room open to the public in the afternoon at a reasonable time.
 ----
+====== JANUARY 2022 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ======
+Here is the agenda for our January 2022 online area group meeting.
-**The agenda for the day is as follows:**
+**Saturday 15th January from 10:00**
+This meeting will be online using Zoom.
-:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members
+As before, we have found that breaks of roughly 10-15 mins per hour worked well, to avoid people getting fatigued from staring at their screens, so we will plan to do the same again.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-:30 Introductions<nowiki> *</nowiki><nowiki>*</nowiki>
+**AGENDA**
-:45 Group news, future meetings etc.
-:00 Some new CBUS developments - Pete Brownlow
-:15 Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
-:30 Short break
-:45 Developments of the ATC DC shuttle kit - Gordon Hopkins
-:45 Re-arrange the room for clinic/open room to the public
-:00 Lunch - bring your own or use the exhibition facilities
--
-:00 A quick intro to basic soldering techniques
-Then our usual "making it work" clinic, including getting started with Pocket Money Projects
-(and a chance to look round the exhibition)
-The afternoon session will go on until the exhibition closes.
-----
-The arrangement we have with the exhibition organisers is that members coming to the meeting on the Saturday, will get a special reduced admission price of £5 compared to the usual £8 entry fee. To get this special price, you must book to come to the meeting at least 2 weeks in advance. You will then be sent a free pass for entry, which will get you in before the main show starts so that we can start the meeting promptly. We will then collect the £5 per head during the meeting.
-If you book to come later than 2 weeks before, we will still try to squeeze you in, but you will not be able to get the reduced entry fee as there will not be time to send you the special entry pass.
-So please let us know promptly if you would like to come by posting on East Midlands area group forum or by email to eastmids@merg.org.uk The deadline for getting the reduced admission is that you must book by Friday 28th February.
-If you would like to come by train, there is a frequent bus service, no. 28, from Upper Parliament Street in the city centre, to the show venue.
-However, Upper Parliament Street is about 3/4 of a mile, 15-20mins walk, from the station, so if you are unable to manage that distance, or are bringing too much stuff to lug that distance, then we can arrange a pickup. In that case, please let us know what train you will be arriving on. As the meeting starts at 9:00am, if you do need a pick up, please arrange to arrive at Nottingham station by 8:30 so that those doing the pick up do not have to miss part of the meeting.
-====== NOVEMBER 2013 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ======
-===== Saturday 16th November 2013 from 10:00 =====
-Kindly hosted by The Rushden Historical Transport Society at Rushden Station, Northamptonshire.\\
-(See [[http://www.rhts.co.uk|http://www.rhts.co.uk]])\\
-\\
-The theme for this meeting will be the pocket money projects, as designed by Davy Dick and featured in recent journals.
-Collection can be arranged from Wellingborough station for those who would like to come by train.
-I'm hoping that, once again, we have the buffet car open serving tea, coffee and refreshments, as well as the bar on the platform which is generally open on Saturday lunchtimes.
-Full details will be confirmed to those attending.
-----
-\\
-AGENDA
 The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times:
+  * 10:00 - Get connected, sort out any microphone/audio/video issues, have a chat.
+  * 10:30 - Welcome and Introductions
+  * 10:45 - - CBUS miscellany - Pete Brownlow
-\\
+    * Latest CANMO (Universal) firmware release
-:00 Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members\\
+    * Using RFID and Railcom in JMRI
-:30 Introductions<nowiki>\\
+    * CBUS control panels for Burnden Park
-:45 Group news, future meetings etc.\\
+    * Any other CBUS updates
-:00 The MERG pocket money projects - led by Pete Brownlow but with input from all those who have had a go at these
+  * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!)
+  * 11:45 - Kit locker update - Judi Rastall
+  * 12:00 - Lunch break
+  * 13:00 - QnA and anyone looking for advice and help on any projects
-:00 Lunch - From the buffet car, or bring your own. RHTS bar should also be open.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+For the QnA sessions, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please be ready to wave it at the camera, and we'll see what help and advice we can give from afar.
-- - Rushden high street is close by if anybody wishes to buy food locally.
+If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS->MY UPCOMING EVENTS, or go directly to https://merg.org.uk/membership/summary.php, and you should see the details of this meeting together with the Zoom link to join in (Note- I updated the link earlier this week as there was a problem with the original one posted)
+Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside MERG, or post them on any public social media or web page.
-- - There may also be a chance to see the RHTS 'OO' gauge layout housed in an ex-Royal Mail TPO van.
+If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https://www.merg.org.uk/membership and make sure you are subscribed to the East Midlands area group. There is no requirement that you live in the East Midlands, any member can subscribe and join in. If you would like to introduce a visitor to the meeting, please email their details to eastmids@merg.org.uk.
+If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk and I'll email you the Zoom link.
-:00 Making it work - practical sessions building packet money projects or working on any other members projects, MERG kits or anything else.\\
+I will send out the usual reminder email to everyone subscribed to the area group soon, it will go automatically to everyone who is subscribed to this area group.
-:00 Final discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our hosts
 ----
-During introductions, we like to go round the room and each member can give a very brief summary (about 30 seconds) of who they are, where they are from, what they are modeling in.
+====== Details of Earlier East Midlands Area Group meetings ======
-Judi is unable to make it to this meeting, but I will have some of the pocket money kits available to purchase on the day.
-Please note that if you wish to purchase any other MERG kits, please pre-order these online NO LATER THAN 6th November, enter the option for collection and specify the East Midlands meeting in the comments. I can then collect them from Judi the Saturday before at the London meeting.
-For the practical sessions, the theme will be the pocket money projects but not excluding all else. As always, if you have built something and would like any help and advice, please bring it along and we'll work on it with you as a demonstration for everyone.
-If we didn't quite have time to get your project properly sorted at the last meeting, please bring it along again and you will be top of the list.
-The venue is accessible, with disabled parking close by. If you need a disabled parking space reserved, please let us know.
+[[areagroups:emag:eastmidsarchivedmeetings|Details of previous East Midlands Area Group meetings]]\\
+and [[areagroups:emag:eastmid|Details of more previous East Midlands Area Group meetings]]\\
+NB. These links are for MERG members only.
-If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum. You will get a reply with full address details, directions to the venue and parking information. Let us know if you need a lift from the station.
+{{tag>AGS_1}}