I must confess that I am a big fan of Zello. Not the wiggly sweet kind that you serve for dessert and other occasions although I like Jell-O. No I’m talking about an Internet portal that you talk to people all over the world on at no cost. You can talk to people anywhere about just about any subject. When you sign up or download the Zello app you will be able to search for the topic of interest for you. For instance, genealogy. What happens is you click on the appropriate site whatever it is, and it will display how many people are on that channel. And you can listen usually to what they’re saying. For you to be heard will be to require a moderator to trust you in. That’s a pretty easy process . There are usually moderators monitoring the channel. In fact there are several videos available on YouTube that will instruct you. You can even set up your own channel, to talk on or speak to others, even as a walkie-talkie to talk to your significant others or friends. still all free. My particular interest is network radio. It’s a group of channels on Zello that allow you to talk to people around the world that are generally interested in radio. Radio amateurs, shortwave listeners, anyone who finds the topic interesting. Some of the people use the channels to get into amateur radio. Others are content to just access it after a moderator accepts you. You don’t need a license, but you can get a number to sign in and out on. That makes you kind of a member of the group. I personally have talked to people in England, Africa, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Australia, well you get the picture. And in the process you will learn about other cultures. I found it so and was enthusiastic about talking to people worldwide, many using English. You may learn so much about a country’s culture that you may want to visit one day. I at least learned the geography of the United Kingdom for the most part. Let me give you a sample of a conversation between two countries, England and South Africa.
The two gentlemen are talking about the Covid virus, which is a hot topic everywhere. People on the channel will ask you how you are doing And urging you to be safe. Women and men are equally welcome. Oh did I mention that people on the channels are so nice that they will help you with any questions you may have. What do they use to talk on? Well, while some people invest a couple hundred dollars on what is called a network radio, not much more than a cell phone, you can use a cell phone especially when you have the app installed. I myself have used the cell phone along with an inexpensive network phone with a push to talk button. That goes for all the channels for that matter. It doesn’t take much to check it out. There is a Zello business channel also, but download the free one. Download the app, register and listen. That may be all you wanna do but if you like talking to people especially when you’re cooped up, this hobby could be for you. It certainly is for me.