This is a free weekly news & information update from Courage Center Handiham System. Our contact information is at the end, or simply email handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for changes in subscriptions or to comment. You can listen to this news online. MP3 audio stream: http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u Download the 40 kbs MP3 audio to your portable player: http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.mp3 Get this podcast in iTunes: [image: Subscribe in iTunes] http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406 RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software: http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham ------------------------------ Welcome to Handiham World. *[image: IC-7200 transceiver tuned to DX station on 28.397 MHz.]* *The 10 meter band is back!* We are starting to hear excited reports from amateurs on the regular VHF and HF nets about how the 10 m band is really hot, and that stations from all over the place are being heard really well. You know there is something going on when you start hearing people sing the praises of 10 m while they are checked into a 75 m phone net. Most of us have gotten out of the habit of tuning around 10 m unless there happens to be a local HF net that meets there, operating in a small geographic area by the use of ground wave propagation. We have had such nets here in the Twin Cities area off and on for many years. During a sunspot minimum there is very little activity on 10 m most of the time because the ionosphere is not sufficiently energized to allow for worldwide propagation conditions. As the sunspot maximum approaches, conditions change and long distance contacts on 10 m are not only possible, they are very common and can be completed with simple antennas and low power. This creates a a wonderful opportunity for amateur radio operators who have never experienced a sunspot maximum and the excellent band conditions that come along with it. Technician class operators now have lots of privileges on the 10 m band, and this is a perfect time to start using HF, especially for those operators who have never tried single side band or who have never operated anything but FM repeaters. This is a whole new ballgame! Consider these facts about 10 m operation: 1. Novice and Technician licensees may operate using single side band: between 28.300 and 28.500 MHz using up to 200 W. 2. When the 10 m band is open as it is lately, high power is not necessary. Excellent contacts can be made even using very low power. Many stations will be using 100 W or less – in fact, I will amend that to say that MOST stations will be using 100 W or less. High power is simply not necessary, which puts Novice and Technician operators on a level playing field with other operators. Experience tells those of us who have been in amateur radio a long time that we are not going to bother turning on a linear amplifier to operate on the 10 m band. 3. 10 m antennas are small and almost everyone can fit this kind of antenna into the space that they have available. Using our formula for a half wave dipole, 468 divided by 28.4 MHz (the middle of the Novice/Tech segment of the band), yields an antenna about 16 and one half feet long. That is a pretty manageable length! You would make each leg of a dipole 8 feet three inches long and feed it with 50 Ohm coax, such as RG-8X low loss if you must use a thinner cable or the standard size cable RG-213. Keep the coax run as short as possible in any case, because loss in the feedline increases as the operating frequency goes up. There is more loss per foot on 10 meters than on 75 meters. A quarter wave vertical antenna for 10 m is only a little over 8 feet high. If you want to construct a quad or Yagi antenna for 10 m, they are much smaller than 20 m directional antennas and thus have a smaller turning radius. A 10 m antenna is lighter and easier to handle, too. 4. For our Technician Class Handiham members who have already purchased HF transceivers but who have never used them for anything but receiving, this is your chance to press that push to talk switch and enjoy operating SSB. Yes, I know that you have CW privileges on other HF bands, but this is PHONE, and conditions are so good that it is easy to make contacts. Of course Morse code contacts are easier and better during good band conditions, but the window for SSB is open right now. 5. RF safety is a concern if you use indoor antennas on the 10 m band. Be sure to perform an RF safety evaluation and locate the antenna as far away from people as possible. Adjust the power level to achieve compliance. For more on how to do this, visit the ARRL website and check the TIS, or Technical Information Service. If you are a Technician Class operator who is studying for General, there is information both in your study materials and in the question pool. Okay, so that brings us up to speed on 10 meters. There is another important thing that I would like to discuss with our readers and listeners: Access to the Handiham Internet Remote Base stations. In general (and that's not meant as a pun), we have restricted the access to our stations to General, Advanced, and Extra Class licensees. However, now that the 10 meter band is open, perhaps it is time to consider opening the stations to our Novice and Technician licensees as well. There is no need to worry about RF safety, antennas, or transceivers since all of that equipment resides far from the control point, your computer. There are pros and cons to this idea. On the pro side: - It would be nice to extend these excellent Handiham resources to more members at a time when band conditions are so good. - Getting a taste of HF operation would surely make Techs excited about earning their General tickets. - The 10 m band is also a good place to learn more about HF operation because it is not as crowded and competitive a place to operate as bands like 20 m. - We are now hosting the software downloads for the W4MQ software. On the con side: - The HF remote base stations do require some additional technical expertise to operate. Novice and Technician operators are usually the least experienced and need the most help getting things to work. Lyle, K0LR, and I don't do much, if any, "tech support" on these stations because we simply do not have the time and most of the problems are located at the user's own home computer anyway. My biggest fear is opening up a floodgate of emails and phone calls about how to install the software and get it to work. This is not an insignificant problem. An installation requires opening a free Skype account, getting audio settings correct, and then installing the W4MQ software and a required W4MQ update. After that, the software must be configured with the IP address of each station and the log in credentials. This is not a problem for a computer user with at least an intermediate skill level, but it is quite challenging for a user who does not know their way around a computer. - Technician users may get frustrated by operating practices on HF, which are much different than what they have experienced on FM repeaters. Of course you have to learn somewhere, but are we really ready to do a "sink or swim" exercise here? Maybe we need some training ahead of time, but we have none set up. So what do you think? Is this a topic for discussion on the Handiham Radio Club list, or do we need a specialized list set up for Remote Base discussions only? When Bob, N2JEU, became a silent key last summer his discussion board went away. A discussion board on a website or a mailing list might be the best way to provide a forum for users to get their questions answered. For Handiham World, I'm... Patrick Tice wa0tda@xxxxxxxx Handiham Manager ------------------------------ [image: Dr. Dave climbs the tower]Help us win the Dr. Dave Challenge! Thanks to everyone who has helped us with donations to the Dr. Dave Challenge so far. Thanks to Curtis, W5DTR. We are about 1/5 of the way toward our goal. Since we have hit a sort of plateau, I am going to mention the challenge in the year end appeal, which will go out by mail. That should help us out. Money is tight these days and we desperately need your support. Now, thanks to a generous challenge grant by Dr. Dave Justis, KN0S, we have a chance to help fill the budget gap. Dr. Dave will donate $5,000 to the Handiham System if we can raise a matching amount. That means we need to really put the fund-raising into high gear! If you can help, designate a donation to Handihams, stating that it is for the "Dr. Dave Challenge". We will keep you posted in our weekly e-letter as to the progress of the fund. Nancy can take credit card donations via the toll-free number, 1-866-426-3442, or accept checks sent to our Courage Center Handiham address: *Courage Handiham System 3915 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55422* Be sure to put a note saying "Dr. Dave Challenge" somewhere in the envelope or on the note line of the check. If you donate online as detailed toward the end of your weekly e-letter, be sure to designate to Handihams and then send me an email letting me know you donated to the Dr. Dave fund: wa0tda@xxxxxxxxx Thank you so much for your support! ------------------------------ Early Autumn Reading: Becoming a Ham (Part 6) [image: code key] Becoming a Ham - Part 6 By T. A. Benham (SK - formerly W3DD, a callsign which has been reassigned.) To perk up the late summer/early autumn ham radio doldrums, the Handiham System proudly presents its summer serial, a story about one man's experiences in the field of radio, starting with the first commercial station in the United States, KDKA in Pittsburgh. Tom Benham, now a silent key but who most recently held callsign W3DD, was a ham radio pioneer, and being blind didn't even slow him down! Join us now as Tom's narrative takes us back in time to the early 20th Century, and the WW2 era. During & After World War 2 During World War II, Ham Radio operations were suspended and all efforts were turned toward defeating the enemy. Early on I received a letter from the Third Command asking me why I had not volunteered for Army duty. I wrote back that I had several problems. First, I had a chronic stiff neck. Second, because my knees were in very poor condition I couldn't march more than a few hundred feet. Third, I was totally blind. Fourth, and perhaps most compelling, my Seeing Eye Dog had flat feet. I never got a reply. I can only hope someone got a laugh out of it. A bit later I got a letter ordering me to report for a physical exam preparatory to being assigned to a unit. I appeared with my dog and the letter at the assigned place, took my seat beside several other men and waited. There was much snickering and conjecturing amongst the others, but I said, "I have this letter and I don't dare ignore it". After a while, a sergeant came in and called my name. I stood and after a moment of stunned silence the sergeant said, "There's been a mistake! Go back home and forget it!" We all got a chuckle, including the sergeant. In the early years of the war I worked for RCA in Camden, New Jersey, and in February, 1942, I began teaching at Haverford College. Many of my Physics students were army personnel studying meteorology. It was the beginning of a long and interesting career for me. War surplus donations For three or four years beginning in 1946, I stuck pretty close to the College, teaching and experimenting with various projects and reviewing the vast amount of surplus materials given to us by the Government. During those years, I met and worked with several exceptional students and friends. The temptation is to tell it "day by day", but that would take a book in itself. The College had a barn that wasn't much used, so it was turned over to me and my crew of interested students for storing the materials as they came in. A group of us would spend several afternoons sorting through the piles of "stuff" deciding what was worth keeping and what to dispose of. By law, we were not permitted to sell anything for a period of several years, but we were permitted to dispose of anything we considered not worth saving. We could junk it or give it away. I can assure you that anything we didn't keep wasn't useful to anyone. We kept such things as receivers, transmitters, motors, motor-control circuits, generators, tubes, and so on. Among these piles of things I found equipment I had worked on at RCA in 1941-42. We also found several receiver-transmitters (today called transceivers) that were marked IFF, which we learned meant, "Identify, Friend or Foe." They looked neat and seemed to offer the chance to make some interesting Ham equipment out of them. Just as I was about to disassemble one to see what was inside, we received a telegram from some branch of the Government: "CAUTION: Do not open the IFF equipment marked BC-610 as it may contain an explosive charge designed to destroy it if triggered!" The telegram went on to describe how to tell whether there was a charge in a particular item or not. After studying the models we had, we sent some to the Government demolition center. Those we decided were safe we opened, with great trepidation! They turned out to be very interesting, but not suitable for Ham use. I was fascinated by the use of transmission lines as tuning circuits. It was the first application I had seen since studying about them in graduate school. Another piece was a complete autopilot with all the motors, gyroscopes and control boxes. One of the boys working with me was a 16 year old high school senior named Corlies Hastings. He was a truly exceptional person. He and I worked on several projects during those years and I learned a great deal and had a tremendous amount of enjoyment. It was a thrill and an education to work with him. He did not have a great knowledge of electronics at the time, but he had a wonderful mind, could look at a circuit and explain it to me quickly and with understanding. He and I worked out a scheme for making the autopilot demonstrate the principle of keeping a plane on course and on level flight. We built a platform to represent the plane and mounted it on a pedestal with a ball joint holding the center of the platform. It could tip and rotate in any direction. We then mounted the elements of the autopilot on the platform. The motors that controlled flight were fastened to the system through flexible cables and an arrangement of pulleys. The gyroscopes, of which there were three, controlled the motors to keep the platform level and headed in the given direction. I used it as a classroom demonstration for several years. After getting it set up, headed north, for example, and level, I would give the platform a twist off course, and it would come back to north. Then I would put a weight on one corner to throw it off level and the system would level itself again. It was quite popular and attracted a lot of attention. Corlies, of course, got full credit for his contributions and received many compliments. We published an account of the demonstration in a suitable magazine (I forget which one). Corlies helped me build two electronic instruments that I needed for my own use. They still exist today. One of them is a curiosity now because better ways have come along for doing the same thing. This was an instrument for detecting the fact that an electronic current had changed. The other instrument was for the purpose of measuring the capacitance of small capacitors. Until then, it was impossible for me to measure a capacitor whose capacitance was 100 pf or less. This device and the current indicator were also written up in one of the electronic magazines. Single dial tuning transmitter When the War was over and we were allowed to get back on the air with our amateur equipment, I didn't have a transmitter, although I still had my receiver. One of the problems with any of the transmitters of those days was that they required a lot of adjustment and tuning. I had been thinking for a long time about the possibility of building a transmitter that could be operated from a single dial-knob. Also, I was used to the idea of operating with a quartz crystal oscillator that allowed only one operating frequency. To change frequency, a different crystal had to be plugged in and things tuned again. I set about designing a variable-frequency oscillator, that would allow operation anywhere in the legal bands, followed by the necessary radio-frequency amplifiers, all tuned by one knob with the various stages of amplification being ganged together by belts, pulleys and gears. This would be quite a novel arrangement which would require much planning and design. After about six months, I had a neat system contained in a cabinet about 18 by 8 by 10 inches which would produce 200 watts of power. Not only was it tuned from a single knob, but it could be tuned remotely by a small motor attached to the tuning shaft. It worked well and was used from early 1946 to mid 1957, when we moved to a location where there was not a suitable spot for the special antenna required for operation of the transmitter. While the unit was new, I had an article published in the amateur magazine QST. The idea was more of a novelty rather than a practical solution to the original thought. These days, they are common and very widely used. Right after the War my friend Sandy, who accompanied me to Germany in 1936, got his Ham license, W1ILF. He was one of the first contacts I made with the new transmitter. We had many QSO's during the next ten years or so. Next week: The Kon-Tiki expedition. *To be continued...* ------------------------------ Letters [image: dog barking at cartoon mail carrier] *Ken, KB3LLA, and John, KC0HSB, shared two links about blind access on tablets:* - http://gizmodo.com/5848402/this-app-could-make-tablets-accessible-to-the-blind - http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/touchscreen-braille-writer/ *Tim, KD5URS, did a presentation about using the Handiham Remote Base. He writes: *Here is my web page with a summary of the presentation I did last week to the radio club. This is a bit shorter, as I used some stuff that I figured was fair use one time at a radio club but not on a web site: http://www.vermande.us/radio/309.html *Patrick, KJ4TRT, writes: *I'm a few weeks behind on my newsletters so I don't know if you've posted about this or not. I was digging through the Icom web site a few weeks back to learn about the F5XX and F9XX series of radios (2M fleet models), and came across the Icom IC-V8000, a 75W mobile/base 2M rig. What caught my attention is that the radio can be programmed through a connection to a PC. I am working on getting my hands on the rig and software to see how accessible it is with Window Eyes, but wanted to give you a head's up in the meantime. Also, GW Micro has an article in their knowledge base about Window Eyes and Ham Radio Deluxe, I plan on installing the software and trying it with an Icom 718, but time has gotten away from me. Thanks for the informative newsletters. Patrick, KJ4TRT *Matt, N0TNL, likes the October issue of Worldradio Online. He writes: *You will want to download and keep this for the accomplishments file of Handihams. This made it onto the AERO reflector used for EMCOMM topics. The October issue, the last one available for free download, is here: http://worldradiomagazine.com/wro_issues/2011/WRO_10_2011.pdf *Jimmy, KC9XZ, writes:* A while back on the Handiham web site I saw that if people took the IC100 course and passed you would like to know. Well I have taken it and passed. I have also passed IC 200 as well as IC700. *Pat says: Congratulations, Jimmy! "Way to go" above and beyond with those courses. * ------------------------------ Troubleshooting 101: Great DX antenna but miss the calls [image: Pat and giant alligator] *This is a strategy question. * *You are running your new dream antenna, a tri-band HF beam on a 50 foot tower. The rotor makes it easy to turn the antenna right toward the DX, and the antenna has obvious gain over the dipoles and verticals you've had in the past. Lately, though, you are frustrated because you seem to be missing lots of opportunities to make contacts. On the local rag chew net you hear other ops in your club talking about the stations they worked, and you realize that you were on the air about the same time but never heard those stations. Obviously you should have been hearing the same thing the guy down the block was hearing, so what gives? And what strategy could you use to make more contacts?* Email me at wa0tda@xxxxxxxx with your questions & comments. Patrick Tice wa0tda@xxxxxxxx Handiham Manager ------------------------------ Remote Base Health Report for 19 October 2011 [image: Kenwood TS-480 transceiver, used in both remote base stations.] *We are taking over the hosting and updates for the W4MQ software, thanks to Stan, W4MQ, who has generously offered his software code and assistance. Here is the updated page, which now has links to both the client side and hosting side software: http://handiham.org/local/blind/w4mq_remote_base_software.htm* *Please email me at wa0tda@xxxxxxxx if you need that link. We hope to add it and more support information to our pages soon. * - *W0ZSW is on line. * - *W0EQO is on line. * We attempt to post a current status report each day, but if you notice a change in either station that makes it unusable, please email us immediately so that we can update the status and look into the problem: wa0tda@xxxxxxxxxx the best address to use. Please do not call by phone to report a station outage unless it is an emergency. Email is checked more frequently than the phone mail in any case. W0EQO is on line. W0ZSW is on line as of this publication date. Users may choose IRB Sound on the W0ZSW station if they prefer it over SKYPE. The W0EQO station does require SKYPE, however. IRB Sound on W0EQO has been noticed to have dropouts on transmit. You can view the status page at: http://www.handiham.org/node/1005 ------------------------------ This week @ HQ [image: Handiham headquarters at Camp Courage, Maple Lake Minnesota] - *Nancy will be out of the office until tomorrow, Thursday 20 October 2011. * - *Pat is working on new audio to be posted on Friday. Our office will be closed on Friday 21 October 2011. * - *Pat will be out of the office between Oct. 27 and Nov. 9. There will be no e-letter or podcast during that time. * - *Dates for Radio Camp 2012 *are Saturday, June 2 - Friday, June 8, 2012. This will be earlier than usual so that we can test for Extra under the existing question pool, which expires at the end of the last day of June. - *Tonight is EchoLink net night.* The Wednesday evening EchoLink net is at 19:30 United States Central time, which translates to 00:30 GMT Thursday morning. *EchoLink nodes:* - KA0PQW-R, node 267582 - N0BVE-R, node 89680 - *HANDIHAM* conference server Node *494492* (Our preferred high-capacity node.) - Other ways to connect: - IRLP node *9008* (Vancouver BC reflector) - WIRES system number *1427* - Stay in touch! Be sure to send Nancy your changes of address, phone number changes, or email address changes so that we can continue to stay in touch with you. You may either email Nancy at hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or call her toll-free at 1-866-426-3442. Mornings are the best time to contact us. ------------------------------ Supporting Handihams - 2011. Now you can support the Handiham program by donating on line using Courage Center's secure website. It is easy, but one thing to remember is that you need to use the pull-down menu to designate your gift to the Handiham program. - Step one: Follow this link to the secure Courage Center Website: https://couragecenter.us/SSLPage.aspx?pid=294&srcid=344 - Step two: Fill out the form, being careful to use the pull-down Designation menu to select "Handi-Hams". - Step three: Submit the form to complete your donation. If the gift is a tribute to someone, don't forget to fill out the tribute information. This would be a gift in memory of a silent key, for example. We really appreciate your help. As you know, we have cut expenses this year due to the difficult economic conditions. We are working hard to make sure that we are delivering the most services to our members for the money - and we plan to continue doing just that in 2011. Thank you from the Members, Volunteers, and Staff of the Handiham System Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, Handiham Manager patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Handiham Membership Dues Reminder: Handiham renewals are on a monthly schedule - Please renew or join, as we need you to keep our program strong! You will have several choices when you renew: - Join at the usual $12 annual dues level for one year. Your renewal date is the anniversary of your last renewal, so your membership extends for one year. - Join for three years at $36. - Lifetime membership is $120. - If you can't afford the dues, request a 90 day non-renewable sponsored membership. - Donate an extra amount of your choice to help support our activities. - Discontinue your membership. Please return your renewal form as soon as possible. Your support is critical! Please help. The Courage Handiham System depends on the support of people like you, who want to share the fun and friendship of ham radio with others. Please help us provide services to people with disabilities. We would really appreciate it if you would remember us in your estate plans. If you need a planning kit, please call. If you are wondering whether a gift of stock can be given to Handihams, the answer is yes! Please call Walt Seibert at 763-520-0532 or email him at walt.seibert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Ask for a free DVD about the Handiham System. It's perfect for your club program, too! The video tells your club about how we got started, the Radio Camps, and working with hams who have disabilities. Call 1-866-426-3442 toll-free.1-866-426-3442 toll-free -- Help us get new hams on the air. Get the Handiham E-Letter by email every Wednesday, and stay up-to-date with ham radio news. You may listen in audio to the E-Letter at www.handiham.org. Email us to subscribe: hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Handiham members with disabilities can take an online audio course at www.handiham.org: - Beginner - General - Extra - Operating Skills That's it for this week. 73 from all of us at the Courage Handiham System! Pat, WA0TDA Manager, Courage Handiham System Reach me by email at: patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Nancy, Handiham Secretary: hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Radio Camp email: radiocamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ [image: ARRL Diamond logo] ARRL is the premier organization supporting amateur radio worldwide. Please contact Handihams for help joining the ARRL. We will be happy to help you fill out the paperwork! The weekly e-letter is a compilation of software tips, operating information, and Handiham news. It is published on Wednesdays, and is available to everyone free of charge. Please email wa0tda@xxxxxxxx for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address. *Courage Center Handiham System 3915 Golden Valley Road Golden Valley, MN 55422 763-520-0512* *hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx *