public:eastmids
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public:eastmids [2019/10/14 06:35] – Fix duplicate time slot entries (copy/paste error) PeteB | public:eastmids [2024/03/03 07:45] (current) – Add March 24 meeting PeteB | ||
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- | :-)====== MERG East Midlands Area Group News ====== | + | :-) |
- | [[:public:areagroups|Return to Area Groups | + | ====== MERG East Midlands Area Group News ====== |
- | [[:public: | + | [[https:// |
+ | [[https:// | ||
+ | **This is the public page, members please check here for the latest news | ||
+ | [[areagroups: | ||
- | Joint area group coordinators - Pete Brownlow and John Gowers | ||
+ | Joint area group coordinators - Pete Brownlow and John Gowers | ||
- | To send us an email, use the [[https:// | ||
+ | To contact us, use **[[https:// | ||
For MERG members, you might also like to look at our [[https:// | For MERG members, you might also like to look at our [[https:// | ||
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---- | ---- | ||
+ | ====== March 2024 East Midlands face to face area group meeting ====== | ||
- | ====== OCTOBER 2019 East Midlands | + | Here is the agenda for our March 2024 area group meeting. |
- | **Saturday | + | **Saturday |
- | Kindly hosted by the Nene Valley | + | This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Bassetlaw (North Notts) |
- | Thanks to Russ Jenner | + | Thanks to MERG and Bassetlaw Railway Society member Julian Pratt for arranging |
- | This is an Arduino themed meeting. | + | 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. |
- | ---- | + | Access is step free, but the entry door to the clubrooms is probably not wide enough for a powered wheelchair. |
- | **AGENDA** | + | 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. :) |
- | * 09:30 Members arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members | + | Parking is now: £6.25 at the station, £4.95 at [[https:// |
- | * 10:00 Group news and events update | + | |
- | * 10:15 Introduction to Arduino - Alex Hamilton | + | |
- | * 11:15 Coffee Break | + | |
- | * 11:30 Case studies of Arduino in model railway projects - Duncan Greenwood | + | |
- | * 12:30 Lunch | + | |
- | * 13:30 Kit locker news - Judi Rastall | + | |
- | * 14:00 Afternoon pratical sessions, including: | + | |
- | A chance to talk in more detail with our speakers | + | 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. |
- | + | ||
- | Various Arduino demos by MERG members | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Our usual practical problem solving clinic session | + | |
- | + | ||
- | We may also have some NVR signal box tours available organised by Russ Jenner | + | |
- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | + | 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. |
- | We will ask for £2 per head to cover the room hire cost and £1 each in the " | + | More details of parking and how to find the clubrooms will be included |
- | A selection of MERG kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, | ||
- | The NVR cafe will be open from about 8:30 for bacon butties or full breakfast, and also open at lunchtime. However, as it is a running weekend including Thomas the Tank Engine, it may be very busy. For that reason, we have scheduled lunch fairly early, and we will probably make arrangements to pre-order during the morning. | + | ---- |
- | The meeting room is step-free accessible. If you need a disabled parking space reserved close up, please let us know. | + | **AGENDA** |
- | 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 7:30am. | + | The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: |
- | 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 | + | * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members |
+ | * 10:30 - Welcome, | ||
+ | * 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. | ||
+ | |||
+ | During | ||
+ | |||
+ | 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, | ||
- | 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. | + | 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. |
---- | ---- | ||
- | ====== AUGUST 2019 East Midlands | + | If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands |
- | **Saturday 17th August 2019 from 10:00** | + | (Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting). |
- | Kindly hosted by David Straker at his place in Leicester. | ||
- | Weather permitting, there will be an opportunity to see and operate David' | + | ---- |
- | Collection can be arranged from Leicester station for those who would like to come by train. | + | ====== January 2024 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ====== |
- | Tea and coffee will be provided, please bring your own packed lunch. | + | Here is the agenda for our January online Zoom area group meeting. |
- | The meeting is on the ground floor and easily accessible with no steps. | + | **Saturday 20th January 2024 from 10:00** |
+ | This meeting will be online using Zoom. | ||
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | |||
+ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
**AGENDA** | **AGENDA** | ||
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The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: | 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 | + | * 10:30 - Welcome, |
- | * 10:40 Introductions and group news | + | * 10:45 - Essex Brick part 2 - getting into using YAAT for automation - Eddy |
- | * 10:50 Kit locker Update | + | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!) |
- | * 11:15 Short coffee break | + | * 11:45 - My initial exploration of the Hornby HM7000 system - David Page |
- | * 11:30 CBUS enhancements to JMRI, demo and discussion | + | * 12:15 - QnA on the above talks |
- | * 12:15 Finding your way around | + | * 12:30 - Kit and other news |
- | * 13:00 Lunch - bring your own packed lunch (tea and coffee provided) | + | * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK |
+ | * 14:00 on - General QnA and help clinic | ||
- | * 13:30 A chance to operate David Straker' | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | * in parallel with: | + | |
- | * 13:30 Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic | + | |
- | * 16:00 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting | + | For the help clinic session in the afternoon, if you have built something |
+ | If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS-> | ||
- | ---- | + | 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:// | ||
- | If you would like to bring anything to run on David's layout, it is 'O' gauge with dead track, so battery and radio control is usually | + | 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. |
- | There will be some kits available for purchase, but we can only bring a selection so If you want any specific kits, you would be best to order them in advance from the kit locker and specify collection at the Leicester | + | I will send out the usual reminder email, it will go automatically |
- | 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. You will get a reply with full address details and directions to the venue. (If you have already done so - your confirmation email should arrive in the next day or two) | ||
- | 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 about 09:45 so that whoever comes to pick you up does not have to miss any of the meeting. | ||
- | |||
- | All visitors, and MERG members from outside the East Midlands, are always welcome at our area group meetings. | ||
- | |||
- | ---- | ||
+ | ====== December 2023 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ====== | ||
- | ====== SUMMER 2019 East Midlands | + | Here is the agenda for our December 2023 online Zoom area group meeting. |
- | **Sunday 7th July 2019 from 10:00** | + | **Saturday 9th December |
- | Kindly hosted by Julie and Brian Chapman at their place in Skegness. | + | This meeting will be online using Zoom. |
- | Collection can be arranged | + | As before, we have found that regular breaks of roughly 10-15 mins worked well, to avoid people getting fatigued |
- | Full details and directions to the venue will be confirmed to those attending. | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
**AGENDA** | **AGENDA** | ||
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The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: | 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, Group news, future meetings etc. | + | * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions |
- | * 10:45 Driving and firing | + | * 10:45 - Essex Brick a lockdown |
- | * 11:45 Short tea/coffee break | + | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!) |
- | * 12:00 Report | + | * 11:45 - Update |
- | * 12:45 Kit locker update | + | |
+ | * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK | ||
+ | * 14:00 on - General QnA and help clinic | ||
- | * 13:00 Lunch | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | + | ||
- | * 14:00 Making it work - practical sessions and problem clinic on any members projects, MERG kits or anything else. | + | |
- | * 16:00 Final discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our hosts | + | |
+ | 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. | ||
- | ---- | + | 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:// |
+ | Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside MERG, or post them on any public social media or web page. | ||
- | As always, if you have built something | + | If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https:// |
- | There will be some kits available to buy, but if you want something specific, I would recommend ordering it from the kit locker now and marking it for collection at the meeting. | + | If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk |
- | Julie and Brian can accommodate a maximum of 20 people, so it will be first come first served for booking a place. | + | I will send out the usual reminder email, it will go automatically to everyone who is subscribed to this area group. |
- | Parking is quite limited, with double yellow lines on all roads nearby, Brian and the next door neighbour can accommodate about 10-12 cars max on the driveway. So please car share as much as possible. If it looks like we will have too many cars, then we will identify a car park in the vicinity where people can meet up and come on to the venue in one car. | + | ---- |
+ | ---- | ||
+ | ====== OCTOBER 2023 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ====== | ||
- | The venue is accessible. There are two steps but wheelchair ramps are available if required. If you need a parking space reserved on Brian' | + | **Saturday 21st October 2023 from 10:00** |
- | Tea/Coffee and biscuits will be available all day, bacon butties will be available in the morning. Please indicate when booking, if you would like a buttie, so Julie has a idea of numbers. | + | 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. |
- | Let us know if you need a lift from the station. If arriving by train, please plan to arrive at Skegness station no later than 10am so that whoever picks you up does not have to miss any of the meeting. | + | We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover both the venue hire and teas/ |
- | If you would like to come, please | + | The venue has level step free access and good parking. |
- | For those who have already indicated | + | There is a cafe on site, I will confirm arrangements, |
+ | |||
+ | If the Wifi at the venue is working well enough, we will endeavour | ||
---- | ---- | ||
- | ====== EASTER 2019 East Midlands area group meeting ====== | + | **AGENDA** |
- | **Saturday 20th April 2019 from 10:00** | + | The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: |
- | Our next meeting is Kindly hosted by the Kingsway Model Railway Society (KMRS) in Wellingborough. | + | * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members |
+ | * 10:30 - Welcome to NVR and housekeeping - Russ Jenner | ||
+ | * 10:35 - Group news and Introductions | ||
+ | * 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 | ||
+ | * 12:00 - MERG & kit locker updates - Judi Rastall | ||
+ | * 12:30 - The Universal Experimenters Module - Pete Brownlow | ||
+ | * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK | ||
+ | * | ||
+ | * 13:30 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic | ||
- | KMRS is a small club that has a room in the Kingsway Centre in Wellingborough, | ||
- | Normally it is not possible to hire the meeting room at weekends, as there are regular weekly meetings on Saturdays and Sundays by a language class and a dance school. | + | ---- |
- | However, neither of these organisations are meeting on Easter Saturday 20th April, so we have been able to hire the room. | + | 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. |
- | Collection | + | If he can get the 00 layout running |
- | We will ask for a donation of £2.50 per head to cover the room hire, and £1 each in the pot to cover teas/ | + | Short trips to the NVR shed will be available during the afternoon. |
- | There is a Sainsbury' | + | It is a running day at NVR with 3 trains, pulled by W D Austerity. |
- | The venue is level access with no stairs. | + | 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. |
- | ---- | + | 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. |
- | **AGENDA** | + | (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.) |
- | 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 | + | ====== JULY 2023 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ====== |
- | * 11:00 - CBUS update, developments and news - by Pete Brownlow | + | |
- | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break | + | |
- | * 11:45 - Setting up JMRI routes with CBUS by Graham Clark | + | |
- | JMRI is a free software program for computer control, Graham will show how he used it to set up routing using the MERG CBUS system. Graham is bring a demo board, and invites questions and discussion after his presentation. | + | **Saturday 8th July 2023 from 10:00** |
- | * 12:30 MERG DCC and CBUS on the KMRS 00 layout | + | Due to Judi's building work not being complete in time, we have swapped |
- | Pete will describe his experiences, | + | This meeting |
- | * 13:15 - LUNCH BREAK | + | Thanks to Richard Joyce for organising the venue for us. |
- | * 14:30 - 16:00 ish - Making it work - Practical workshop session | + | Tea and Coffee will be available all day, please bring your own packed lunch as there are no other facilities nearby. |
+ | We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/ | ||
- | ---- | + | The venue has level step free access and reasonable parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know. |
+ | 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. | ||
- | For the practical sessions, as we have done before, if you have built something | + | 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 |
- | 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! | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | Although the main presentations are quite CBUS-centric this time, we will of course cover anything and everything during the afternoon workshop session. | + | **AGENDA** |
- | 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. | + | The meeting |
- | If you are planning to come by train, let us know if you need a lift from Wellingborough station. Please plan to arrive at Wellingborough station no later than 10am so that whoever comes to pick you up does not have to miss any of the meeting. | + | * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members |
+ | * 10:30 - Welcome, group news and Introductions | ||
+ | * 10:45 - Introduction | ||
+ | * 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 | ||
+ | There should also be a chance to see some of the L&DMRC layouts. | ||
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
- | ====== FEBRUARY 2019 East Midlands | + | If you would like to come, please send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk or post a message in the East Midlands |
- | **Saturday 23rd February 2019 from 10:00** | + | 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. |
- | Our next meeting | + | (Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting). |
- | (See http:// | + | |
- | Firstly an apology for the clash with the Newark show, which I missed when booking the venue for this date. If anyone is not planning to come to this meeting, but could help with the MERG stand at Newark on the Saturday, or if anyone can help at that show on Sunday, then please contact the exhibition manger on exhibitions@merg.org.uk | + | ====== May 2023 East Midlands ONLINE |
- | + | ||
- | For our area group meeting, collection can be arranged from a nearby station for those who would like to come by train. | + | |
- | Visitors are always welcome at our area group meetings. | + | Here is the agenda for our May 2023 online Zoom area group meeting. |
- | We will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover teas/ | + | **Saturday 27th May from 10:00** |
- | I will check and confirm if the buffet on site will be open on that day, serving refreshments, | + | This meeting |
- | 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 | + | 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. |
- | The meeting room is upstairs, but HMRS have platform stair lift which I will double check is working, so step free access is available. The platform should accept a standard wheelchair, but will not take the larger mobility scooters. When confirming your place, please let us know if you have any mobility requirements. | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | + | ||
- | ---- | + | |
**AGENDA** | **AGENDA** | ||
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The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: | 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 - Decoder Pro - by Colin Head | + | * 10:45 - MERG and kit locker news |
+ | * 11:00 - FCU (CBUS Config utility) - development news and status - Pete Brownlow | ||
+ | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!) | ||
+ | * 11:45 - WebFCU (alternative CBUS config utility) - David Ellis | ||
+ | * 12:15 - From the MERG chairman - John Gowers | ||
+ | * 12:45 - MERG AGM event - possible East Mids Area group involvement | ||
+ | * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK | ||
+ | * 14:00 on - General QnA and help clinic | ||
- | * Decoder Pro is part of the JMRI software program, and can be used to set up the CV settings on DCC locos. | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break | + | 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. |
- | * 12:00 - CBUS on Kimble - by John Gowers | + | |
- | * John will describe his trials and tribulations implementing | + | If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS-> |
- | * 13:00 - MERG Kit locker Update - Judi Rastall – News on new/updated kits, availability, | + | Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside |
- | * 13:30 - LUNCH BREAK | + | If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https:// |
- | * 14:30 - 16:30 ish - Making it work - Practical session | + | If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk |
+ | |||
+ | 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** | ||
- | During introductions, | + | Here is the agenda for our April 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. | + | This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Kingsway Model Railway Society (KMRS) at the Kingsway Centre in Wellingborough. |
- | 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! | + | We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/ |
- | 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 | + | The venue has level step free access |
- | (Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending | + | You can either bring a packed lunch or nip out to somewhere locally, |
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | 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. | ||
- | ====== AUGUST MERG East Midlands area group meeting ====== | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | **Saturday 11th August 2018 from 10:00** | + | **AGENDA** |
- | Kindly hosted by David Straker at his place in Leicester. | + | * 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 - CBUS update - what has been happening | ||
+ | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break | ||
+ | * 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 | ||
- | Weather permitting, there will be an opportunity to see and operate David' | + | The Kingsway Model Railway Society 00 gauge layout |
- | Collection can be arranged from Leicester station for those who would like to come by train. | + | Feel free if you want to bring something to run, the 00 layouts are DCC, the N gauge layout is analogue. |
- | Tea and coffee | + | 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 meeting is on the ground floor and easily accessible | + | 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, | ||
- | ---- | + | Pete |
- | **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 - David Straker | ||
- | * 10:45 Introductions and group news | ||
- | * 11:10 Kit locker Update - Judi Rastall | ||
- | * 11:30 Short coffee break | ||
- | * 11:45 What I'm doing and planning with DCC and CBUS - Pete Brownlow | ||
+ | ====== SEPTEMBER 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting ====== | ||
- | | + | **Saturday 3rd September 2022 from 10:00** |
+ | Here is the agenda for our September meeting. | ||
- | * 13:30 A chance to operate David Straker' | + | This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Kingsway Model Railway Society at the Kingsway Centre |
- | * in parallel with: | + | |
- | * 13:30 Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic | + | |
+ | We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/ | ||
- | * 16:00 “Wrap up” discussion, confirm next meeting | + | The venue has level step free access |
+ | 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. | ||
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | 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. | ||
- | This will the last meeting organised by me as area group leader, so hopefully somebody would like to step in and take over that roll. | + | ---- |
- | Judi will have some kits for purchase, but can only bring a selection so If you want any specific kits, you would be best to order them in advance from the kit locker and specify collection at the Leicester area group meeting at the checkout page. | + | **AGENDA** |
- | 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 | + | The meeting will be informal |
- | 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 | + | * 10:00 - Arrival, Informal chat and get to know the other members |
+ | * 10:30 - Welcome, | ||
+ | * 10:40 - Introduction to the Kingsway Model Railway Society - Roger barker | ||
+ | * 10:45 - Turntable Tales - My journey so far with the Peco Turntable | ||
+ | * 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 | ||
- | 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. | ||
- | All visitors, | + | * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations |
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | Feel free if you want to bring something to run, the 00 layouts are DCC, the N gauge layout is analogue. | ||
- | ====== SUMMER 2018 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ====== | + | 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. |
- | **Sunday 15th July 2018 from 10:00** | + | ---- |
- | Kindly hosted by Judi Rastall at her place in Sutton on Sea. | ||
- | Come to the seaside for our Summer meeting! The weather forecast is hot and sunny. | + | 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. |
- | 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 | + | Please book a place rather than just turning up on spec, if there are any last minute changes |
- | Judi can accommodate up to 20 people, so bookings | + | (Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails |
+ | ---- | ||
+ | ====== JULY 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE meeting | ||
- | 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. | + | **Saturday 9th July 2022 from 10:00** |
- | Most of you will know that Judi is our Kit Sales Manager. This is an opportunity | + | The meeting |
- | Sutton on Sea is on the east coast of Lincolnshire between Skegness | + | We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover both the venue hire and teas/ |
- | 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. | + | The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know. |
- | Tea and Coffee will be available, lunch can be purchased from local fish and chip shops (which are open on a Sunday), or bring your own if you prefer. | + | There is a cafe on site, we will pass the menu around in the morning so you can order lunch if you wish. |
- | Judi has been progressing her loft railway, so you can have a look at how it is getting on. It is OO gauge DCC, visiting locos and stock are welcome. | + | If the Wifi at the venue is working well enough, we will endevour |
+ | |||
+ | 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. | ||
---- | ---- | ||
+ | |||
**AGENDA** | **AGENDA** | ||
Line 380: | Line 425: | ||
The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: | 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, |
- | * 11:00 The Great Model Railway Challenge | + | * 10:40 - Developing FCU - progress and challenges, David Radcliffe |
- | * 11:45 Short coffee break | + | * 11:20 - Tea/coffee break |
- | * 12:00 Update from the committee – Martin Perry | + | * 11:30 - Colin Head - Demo and progress report on my layout (which has no name yet!) |
- | * 12:30 MERG kit news by Judi Rastall | + | * 12:10 - MERG & kit locker updates - Judi Rastall |
- | * 12:30 Progress on my layout | + | * 12:30 - LUNCH BREAK |
+ | * 13:30 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic | ||
- | * 13:15 Lunch - Fish and chips from the local shops or bring your own | + | Note: " |
+ | ---- | ||
- | * 14:30 Afternoon sessions: | + | 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. |
- | * - The MERG kit locker by Judi Rastall – guided tours | + | |
- | * - Running session on Judi's loft layout | + | |
- | * - Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic | + | |
- | * - Help with soldering | + | |
- | * - Or just relax in the sunshine in the garden | + | |
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | 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. | ||
- | Kits will, of course, be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, | + | ---- |
+ | ====== APRIL 2022 East Midlands MERG Area Group FACE to FACE 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 |
- | The venue is reasonably accessible, there are a couple of shallow steps up through | + | This meeting |
- | To access | + | We will ask for a donation of £5 per head to cover the venue hire and teas/ |
- | 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. | + | The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know. |
- | 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. | + | 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. |
- | If you have already emailed or posted that you are coming, you should get your confirmation email in the next few days. | + | 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. |
+ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
+ | **AGENDA** | ||
- | ====== MAY 2018 MERG East Midlands area group meeting | + | The meeting |
- | **Saturday 26th May 2018 from 9:30** | + | |
+ | | ||
+ | * 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 | ||
+ | | ||
+ | | ||
- | Kindly hosted by the Nene Valley Railway in their Study Centre meeting room at Wansford | + | * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK |
- | Thanks to Russ Jenner for organising the venue for us. | + | * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic |
- | These arrangements are provisional, | + | 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. |
- | **AGENDA** | + | 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. |
- | With lots of good stuff on the agenda, We've gone for a slightly earlier start - since most people usually get there early anyway! | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+ | 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** |
- | | + | |
- | | + | This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society at their clubrooms on Retford Railway Station. |
- | * 10:00 The Universal CANMIO firmware - Ian Hogg | + | |
- | * 11:00 Coffee Break | + | Thanks to MERG and Bassetlaw Railway Society member Julian Pratt for arranging |
- | * 11:30 MERG Kit news - Judi Rastall | + | |
- | * 12:00 Lunch (early as the NVR cafe may be busy) | + | 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. |
- | * 13:00 3D printing - Howard Watkins | + | |
- | * 14:30 Split out for afternoon practical clinics: | + | Parking is available in the station car park at a cost of £5. You can of course come by train to Retford Station. |
- | * Setting up the Universal CANMIO with Ian Hogg | + | |
- | * 3D printing with Howard Watkins | + | 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. |
- | * General kit problem solving with the usual team | + | |
+ | 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. | ||
Line 454: | Line 510: | ||
- | We will ask for £2 per head to cover the room hire cost and £1 each in the " | + | **AGENDA** |
- | 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 |
- | The NVR cafe will be open from about 8:30 for bacon butties or full breakfast, and also open at lunchtime. However, as it is a bank holiday running weekend at NVR, it may be very busy. For that reason, we have scheduled lunch early, and we may make arrangements to pre-order during | + | * 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 | ||
- | The meeting room is step-free accessible. If you need a disabled parking space reserved close up, please let us know. | + | * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK |
- | 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 7:30am. | + | * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations, soldering clinic and practical problems help 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. You will get a reply in due course with full address details and directions to the venue. | ||
- | Members from outside | + | 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. |
+ | 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. | ||
- | ====== FEBRUARY 2018 MERG East Midlands area group meeting ====== | + | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
- | **Sunday 4th Febrary 2018 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. 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. |
- | Kindly hosted by the Syston Model Railway Society at their clubrooms at The Old School Community Centre, Thurmaston, Leicestershire | + | (Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the next few days.) |
- | Thanks to SMRS and MERG member Mike Collins for arranging this venue for us. | ||
- | Due to when the venue is available, we are trying a Sunday this time. The Pros are that members who have Saturday commitments, | + | ---- |
+ | ====== JANUARY 2022 East Midlands ONLINE area group meeting ====== | ||
- | Collection can be arranged from Syston station | + | Here is the agenda |
- | Tea and coffee will be available. | + | **Saturday 15th January from 10:00** |
- | We will ask for a donation of £2 per head to cover the room hire. | + | This meeting |
- | The meeting room is on the ground floor and easily accessible. The clubrooms housing the SMRS layouts are upstairs. | + | 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. |
+ | |||
+ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
**AGENDA** | **AGENDA** | ||
Line 493: | Line 558: | ||
The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: | The meeting will be informal and flexible, so these are approximate times: | ||
- | * 10:00 Arrival, Informal | + | * 10:00 - Get connected, sort out any microphone/ |
- | * 10:30 Welcome | + | * 10:30 - Welcome |
- | * 10:35 Introductions and group news | + | * 10:45 - - CBUS miscellany |
- | * 11:00 Update on progress with my new automated layout by Colin Head | + | |
- | * 11:30 Tea/coffee break (or recovery time if we are running late) | + | |
- | * 11:45 Kit locker update | + | |
- | * 12:15 What's new and coming soon in JMRI latest versions | + | |
- | * 13:00 Lunch - Bring your own | + | |
- | Also a chance to see the SMRS layouts on site | + | * Latest CANMO (Universal) firmware release |
+ | * Using RFID and Railcom in JMRI | ||
+ | * CBUS control panels for Burnden Park | ||
+ | * Any other CBUS updates | ||
- | * 14:00 Making it work - practical sessions using members projects, MERG kits or anything else. | + | * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break (make your own!) |
- | * 16:30 Wrap-up discussion, confirm next meeting and thanks to our hosts | + | * 11:45 - Kit locker update - Judi Rastall |
- | * 16:35 Carry on with anything else we havn't fixed yet until we get thown out! | + | * 12:00 - Lunch break |
+ | * 13:00 - QnA and anyone looking for advice and help on any projects | ||
+ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
- | ---- | + | 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. |
+ | If you would like to join in, please go to the MERG website, select the menu option MEMBER LINKS-> | ||
- | Kits will be available for purchase. If you have specific requirements, | + | Please don't share the Zoom links with anyone outside MERG, or post them on any public social media or web page. |
- | For the practical sessions, as we have done before, if you have built something | + | If you cannot see the details for East Midlands area group meetings, go to https:// |
- | If you already know what you want help on for this session, please | + | If you still can't get the Zoom link, send an email to eastmids@merg.org.uk |
- | 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. | + | I will send out the usual reminder email to everyone subscribed |
- | 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, directions to the venue and parking information. Let us know if you need a lift from the station. | + | ---- |
- | MERG members and visitors from anywhere are always welcome at our meetings, you don't have to live in the East Midlands to come! | ||
- | ---- | + | ====== Details of Earlier East Midlands Area Group meetings ====== |
+ | |||
+ | [[areagroups: | ||
+ | and [[areagroups: | ||
+ | NB. These links are for MERG members only. | ||
- | [[public: | ||
+ | {{tag> |
public/eastmids.txt · Last modified: 2024/03/03 07:45 by PeteB