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--- public:eastmids [2024/05/03 22:37] – Add May 2024 meeting PeteB
+++ public:eastmids [2025/03/28 21:36] (current) – Update agendaa - add notes about MERG email not working PeteB
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 For MERG members, you might also like to look at our [[https://www.merg.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=55|area group forum]].
+Please use the contents entry on the right or scroll down to see details and agenda for our next and recent meetings.
+----
+====== April 2025 East Midlands face to face area group meeting ======
+**Sunday 6th April 2025 from 10:00**
+PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE FROM 30TH MARCH
+This change was necessary to avoid the clash with Mother's day, as we were getting very few bookings and many members reported mothers day commitments.
+This meeting is on a Sunday for a change. This is due to venue availability, but may also allow some who have other regular commitments, or have to work, on Saturdays to get along.
+This meeting is Kindly hosted by the The Kingsway Model Railway Society (KMRS) 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, you don't need to pay separately for the teas and coffees.
+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 and there is a co-op shop a few minutes walk away. The venue has a microwave.
+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 know how many people to cater for.
+----
+This is provisional and subject to change.
+**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 - The Kingsway Model Railway Society - John Wood
+  * 10:45 - What CBUS modules do I need? Part 1 - Pete Brownlow - First of a series of sessions at our meetings for those just getting started
+  * 11:00 - Setting up conflicting DCC shuttles with CANCMD/CANCSB and CANCOMPUTE - Pete Brownlow
+  * 11:45 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 12:00 - MERG Kit locker update
+  * 12:30 - Committee news and Ask the Chairman - John Gowers
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  * 14:00 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations and practical problems help clinic.
+The talk on DCC shuttles is developing the theme from what I have shown before, using updates to the CANCMD/CANCSB shuttle facilities, together with using a CANCOMPUTE to resolve the conflict between two shuttles that share the same track. I will also cover setting up and programming the CANCOMPUTE using FCU.
+The Kingsway Model Railway Society 00 gauge layout will be open and running. This uses the MERG DCC system and CBUS.
+Feel free if you want to bring something to run, the 00 gauge layout is DCC.
+During the afternoon, you can operate the club layout and 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.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+If you would like to come, please send an email to merg@upsys.biz or post a message in the East Midlands Area group section of the MERG forum.\
+PLEASE NOTE: Sending email to eastmids@merg.org.uk seems unreliable at the moment, so please use the email address above for the moment.
+ 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.
+I've been advised that, at the moment, there are sometimes issues with emails sent to MERG email addresses getting delivered (for the techies, it's an SPF issue on forwarding).
+If you try to book for this meeting by email to eastmids@merg.org.uk and you get an "undeliverable" message back, please report this to the committee and then either post a message on the forum to book your place or send an email directly to me on merg@upsys.co.uk
+(Those who have already let me know that you are coming, I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting).
+----
+====== November 2024 East Midlands face to face area group meeting ======
+**Saturday 2nd November 2024 from 10:00**
+Here is the agenda for this 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.
+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.
+The venue has level step free access and good parking. If you need a disabled space reserved, please let us know.
+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.
+It is a freight day at NVR, so there should be freight trains running. Russ tells me the class 45 Peak should be in action. There is also be a "Drive a shunter in the yard" activity planned.
+If the Wifi at the venue is working well enough, we will endeavour 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.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+**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 to NVR and housekeeping
+  * 10:35 - Group news and Introductions
+  * 10:45 - Demonstration of using CANXIO, including setup with latest FCU - Pete Brownlow
+  * 11:30 - Tea/coffee break
+  * 11:45 - Demonstration of latest MMC, including use with CANXIO - David Ellis
+  * 12:30 - CBUS kit updates - Tim Calnun Pratt (CBUS kit product manager)
+  * 13:00 - LUNCH BREAK
+  * 13:30 - 16:30 ish - Demonstrations 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. 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.
+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 me know that you are coming, I have noted you and I will be sending out confirmation emails in the week before the meeting.----
+----
+====== July 2024 East Midlands face to face area group meeting ======
+Here is the agenda for our July 2024 area group meeting.
+**Saturday 6th July 2024 from 10:00**
+Kindly hosted by Judi Rastall at her place in Sutton on Sea.
+Come to the seaside for our Summer meeting!
+It is difficult to believe, but we havn't had a meeting at Judi's for 6 years, the last being in 2018.
+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!
+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, so there might still be a place available.
+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 the local fish and chip shop, or bring your own if you prefer.
+Judi is kindly offering the use of the room and teas and coffees free of charge, so there is no charge for attending this meeting - just get yourself there!
+**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 and housekeeping, Judi Rastall
+  * 10:35 Introductionsand group news
+  * 10:45 Kit locker news, Judi Rastall
+  * 11:00 ESU Decoder sound programming, James Cunningham +++
+  * 11:45 Short coffee break
+  * 12:00 ESU Decoder sound programming continued, James Cunningham
+  * 12:45 CBUS news, Pete Brownlow
+  * 13:15 Lunch. Fish and chips from the local shops or bring your own
+  * 14:30 Afternoon sessions:
+  * Further demonstrations
+  * Making it work - our usual problem solving clinic
+  * Help with soldering and kit construction
+  * See Judi's loft layout
+  * Or just relax in the garden or on the sea front (maybe we'll have some sunshine?)
++++ During his talk and demo, James will cover topics including audio capture, sound editing, using ESU Lokprogrammer, sound programming a steam loco and a demonstration of a completed project.
+To access the loft layout, you do need to be able to climb up the loft ladder, so this will not be possible for everybody. Judi is working on the layout and hopes it will be operational on the day. There is the option to visit the layout in the afternoon for those who can access it.
+John will have a subset of the mobile kit locker with some kits available for purchase.
+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 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 may 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.
+If you have already emailed or posted that you are coming, I will send out confirmation emails, with full details of the address and parking information, in the week before the meeting.
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