Thank you for the info, will try to set this up with my FT-2D tonight and call in.
73 Jens, HB9EKO
Unfortunately all this got discontinued a while back.
OK, the decision has fallen - as I suspected we will have a lockdown in Bavaria (Note - Only Bavaria not Germany as a whole - but expect all other states to follow suit over the next few days) this will come into effect at midnight CET tonight.
The Bavarian president has taken the Austrian model “line for line” plus added two new closures - DIY “Bau” / garden markets and hairdressers - Do you think he reads this reflector?
So restaurants, pubs, bier gardens closed, only take-away, drive-thru and delivery allowed.
Staying open:
- Emergency services - Fire, Ambulance, Police.
- The Post Offices.
- Banks.
- All Supermarkets - in fact they are now allowed to stay open longer (until 10pm) and open on Sundays (when they are usually closed).
- Chemists & drug stores.
- Doctors practices.
Stay at home, EXCEPT for exercising alone or with family, going to work (but only if your employer says you cant set up a home office), doctors visits, taking the dog for a walk and buying supplies from the supermarket.
This for a period of 2 weeks.
The stated aim is to clamp down on any gathering of people where the virus can be passed on. For the majority of sensible people, this is a “lock-down-light” and won’t greatly change from what they have been doing for the last week in any case. For those value-less thoughtless idiots who don’t care for other people who have been meeting and having parties, there will now be laws in place and these people will be charged and heavily fined (unfortunately no jail sentence - perhaps later for repeat offenders?).
What about hill walking, and hence SOTA, all OK if you do it alone or with people who you live with and keep a metre away from everyone else. In fact, exercise is promoted as something, that people should do.
My suspicion is that this 2 week period is only the start and will be extended by at least another two weeks.
73 Ed.
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At least D-STAR and DMR are alive. Fusion sounds dead indeed.
I think the FCS room is Ok still.
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As you know Simon it was working fine a month or so ago. I will give a call on it this evening…see you there if it’s working. No time now as I’m out in the garden looking at the weeds 
Well, I agree with what you say about not answering the question. Much may depend on the exact meaning of ‘da würde ich zurückhalten’. Does that mean ‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say yes’, or does it mean that people driving to trails and forests should be conservative in how far they go. What I note, with some irritation, is how the broadcaster has conflated the two answers to suggest both are illegal. No sooner has a politician ‘Klartext geredet’ as we say, than a journalist is muddying the waters.
However, the spirit in which he intends the Grundverordnung now seems to have changed somewhat, and it’s fair to say that just because something is not specifically forbidden, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or the most responsible course of action. I think it would be churlish to quibble over the legal details, it’s not the end of the world to stay local.
73 Matt
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Similar regulations here in HB9 as of today, gatherings of more than 5 people are not allowed and they have to keep 2m distance from each other. If they catch you not sticking to the rule, they may fine you 100 CHF (~95 EUR). Somehow they have to compensate for the loss of income from speeding and parking fines 
At least, this gives us some room to breathe for SOTA activations.
73 Jens, HB9EKO
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The Spain’s Interior Minister has congratulated us, the Spanish population, for the commitment and the way we are complying with the lock-down, but he also said that 315 people have had to be arrested and 30 000 fined so far.
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Hi Jens,
Good to see the German-speaking nations appear to be taking similar actions at least.
Here the rule is 1 metre but signs at the entrance to all supermarkets actually say 2 metres - so perhaps it’s 1+1 Metres - 1m for each person.
My wife and I agreed this morning to go into self-imposed lockdown from tomorrow in any case and then returning from my second summit today, as I got into the car, I heard the announcement live from the Bavarian President.
“press the thumbs” that we all come through this OK.
73 Ed.
P.S. I have no activations planned for next week - not completely because of the lock-down but also as the weather looks like going back to winter-like. Even some snow above 1500m tomorrow!
I’ve decided to carry a six foot hiking staff whenever I go out. That makes it easy to check the distance, just swing it around and you have a safe circle.
wunder
A SOTA activator in OE/OO (OE5) got a ticket from the police. He was about 12km by car on the way to the summit.
So it is clear that it is not clear.
73 de Joe
A friend in Germany tells me everyone’s panic buying sausages and cheese.
It’s the Wurst Käse scenario.
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I guess in some situations an atmosphere of uncertainty is better for controlling people than one where the law is clearly understood.
73 Matt
On my request, David, PA7LIM, was so kind to make a brand new “room” in his Peanut application, simply called “SOTA”.
Why another system you may ask ? … In my opinion, it is much simpler to use and understand than any of the three digital modes (DMR, DSTAR , YSF).
The SOTA room is just an internet chatroom, not connected to any radio system, you need internet or 4G to use it, but it will work on a summit as well as at home (if there is cell coverage of course).
Peanut also contains several reflectors, connected to DSTAR and DMR, which give access to repeaters etc, without even owning any digital radio.
But no need to use or understand all that to use the SOTA room.
Peanut works as a Windows Application, or as an Android app (no Apple, sorry).
Layout is very simple, no manual needed to get started.
The only strange thing may be finding the PTT : it’s the big button under the S-meter (in the Windows example above). In the Android app you can’t miss it, the PTT fills half of your screen, hi.
All info is here :
http://www.pa7lim.nl/peanut/
Look for the “Access” paragraph, you must request a code (once) to use Peanut.
Look for the “Software” paragraph to download the Android app or Windows application (I use both, on PC, Tablet and Phone).
There is also a “dashboard” to see who is doing what
http://peanut.pa7lim.nl/
but you don’t need the dashboard to use Peanut.
I agreed with David, that if the room is not used a lot, he may delete it.
So people … use it or lose it.
I’ll try to stay in the SOTA chatroom as much as I can tomorrow, and hope to meet a few “testers”, be it chaser or activator.
73,
Luc ON7DQ
Not as simple as I thought. Looks like I need to set up a hotspot with MMDVM to access. Since all sources seem to deliver from China, this looks more like a mid-term project in case the lockdown takes longer…
Thanks for the hint. I’ll have a look at it, waiting for my access code now…
73 Jens, HB9EKO
Hi Ed,
we decided to stay in as well. There are some nearby summits where we might go for a short walk, but at the moment I wouldn’t risk going anywhere where there might be lots of people, or with other than simple trails where I would need the mountain rescue if anything stupid should happen… I thing I’ll focus on S2S for the time being, let’s see if I can find my microphone anywhere to have more choice 
73 Jens HB9EKO
Hi Jens,
I am working for a German hospital group, we are on fire for the last two weeks. The fine of 100 SFr. / 95 Euro are a joke. The only way is these people should fill out a form in which they refrain from medical help and ventilation places.
Stay at home and enjoy our wonderful hobby from there.
Vy73 Fritz HB9CSA / DL4FDM
Hi Fritz,
As I am sure you have heard Bavaria have at least started a semi-lockdown but the press are now suggesting that Merkl will announce a total “lock-in” for the whole of Germany in her speech on Sunday.
Let me say thankyou for supporting the Medical staff. What do you do by the way? IT, Electrical/utilities or are you part of the actual medical staff ? All deserve our thanks as they are all putting themselves in danger for the rest of us.
If I could get my hands on the Youths with their “Corona parties” it wouldn’t be a pretty sight - but that’s another non-radio story!
73 & thanks for your good work Ed DD5LP.