[handiham-world] Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 27 June 2012
- From: Patrick Tice <wa0tda@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: handiham-world@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:53:55 -0500
*Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday,
27 June 2012*
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:
<http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406>
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.*
Net wrangler WA6DKS starts us out with a Field Day report:
*A wonderful Field Day was had by all on the Handiham conference server on
Saturday, June 23 and Sunday June 24, 2012 whether you were using Echolink,
IRLP, ICQ, WIRES®, cell Phones, the internet, or plain old RF radios.
During the two-day period, we had over 500 contacts which included over 12
countries and all 50 of the U.S. states.*
The Handiham Field Day ran longer than the official ARRL event, but a good
time was had by all whether it was net control operators, backups,
check-ins, or just listeners.
Now, isn't this what the ham radio hobby is all about? Contacts were made
with stations from Azerbaijan to China, Nova Scotia to South Africa, and of
course Canada and the United States. Wonderful discussions on many topics
added to the fun during the two-day event. It was all about laughter,
interaction, and fun times. A very special contact occurred with a station
in the State of Florida that was "bicycle mobile" using one tenth of a watt
of power! (Did I say QRP?!!)
Many of our Net Control Operators and Assistant Net control operators
supported each other by recording all of the contacts with the names,
callsigns and locations while at the same time making sure that the text
box information was recorded during the day and the night. SouthCARS
connected to Handiham Conference Server and the Van-IRLP throughout the
two-day period after their own net sessions concluded.
This was our second Field Day, and the credit should be attributed to three
individuals --Ken Schwartz (W6KHS), Pat Tice (WA0TDA), and Susi White
(WA6DKS). The decision among these individuals was that there are lots of
ham radio operators throughout the world who do not have an opportunity to
attend an ARRL sanctioned Field Day. Therefore, an opportunity should be
provided to those who would like to experience the event because (after
all) there should *never* be a distinction made between "able-bodied" and
people with challenges not being able to communicate.
All methods of communication were used so that we were assured of making as
many state and country contacts by simply sending out e-mails, connecting
to other conference servers through the internet, and having the help of
Southcars and The Coffee Shop by using their e-mail membership lists and
help in sending e-mails to those in that particular region and requesting
contacts.
The Handiham organization wishes to thank everyone who participated in our
successful 2012 Field Day event whether you were a net control operator, a
backup, from Southcars, The Coffee Shop, The World, or any other conference
we contacted . Without those of you helping in the background or even
checking in, we could not have had a successful event without YOU. The
success of the 2012 Handiham Field event is owed to each and every one who
helped and we all look forward to next year.
Thank you to Susi, WA6DKS, for that report.
Email me at handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with your questions & comments.
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Handiham Manager
------------------------------
Station Check at Camp Courage North
[image: Bill, N0CIC, checks out the venerable Kenwood TS-440 at Courage
North, in the Op Skills room.]
Bill, N0CIC, checks out the Kenwood TS-440 station that has been stored
several years, since our last Courage North Radio Camp in late 2009. We
were pleased to find that the rig worked perfectly and the G5RV and beam
antennas were all operational. The rotator also worked and trees were still
well clear of the antenna's rotating radius. An Icom dual band FM rig did
not work because of a faulty microphone, so that unit was packed up and
brought back to the Twin Cities for assessment and possible repair by a
volunteer. Bill and I (WA0TDA) opened the station at Courage North as part
of a Veterans open house weekend. While there, I also gave remote base
station W0EQO a once-over and found it to be in excellent condition. Our
thanks to Bill for his help at Courage North. If you look carefully, on the
top of the radio cabinet you will see Bill's golf ball slingshot, used to
launch antenna wires up into the trees. We didn't have to use it, though.
Speaking of trees, several of you have asked if the tree we planted in
memory of Dick Chrisman, AB7HW, is alive and well. Indeed it is, so here
is a photo of me (WA0TDA) standing by the once tiny tree which now towers
to over twice my height. I sure look like a doofus in this picture, but the
tree looks great. We sure miss Dick and Scotty, the Wonder Guide Dog. This
photo was taken last Saturday. The tree is just outside the main Dining
Hall at Courage North.
[image: Pat and the AB7HW SK memory tree at Courage North.]
------------------------------
[image: screenshot of navigation area on Handiham.org]
Handiham.org gets a minor makeover
The handiham website navigation structure has been updated and simplified.
Users will find a more straightforward and less cluttered top navigation
bar. Many links have been moved to a navigation section in the left
sidebar. All links are screenreader accessible, and important links to the
Member, Daisy, Manuals, My Account, and Handiham Radio Club Mailing List
are easy to find once the user logs in.
------------------------------
*A dip in the pool*
It's time to test our knowledge by taking a dip in the pool - the question
pool, that is!
Today we are turning to a couple of related questions from the new Extra
Class pool:
E1A08 asks: If a station in a message forwarding system inadvertently
forwards a message that is in violation of FCC rules, who is primarily
accountable for the rules violation?
Possible answers are:
A. The control operator of the packet bulletin board station
B. The control operator of the originating station
C. The control operators of all the stations in the system
D. The control operators of all the stations in the system not
authenticating the source from which they accept communications
The correct answer here is B, The control operator of the originating
station.
E1A09 asks: What is the first action you should take if your digital
message forwarding station inadvertently forwards a communication that
violates FCC rules?
Possible answers are:
A. Discontinue forwarding the communication as soon as you become aware of
it
B. Notify the originating station that the communication does not comply
with FCC rules
C. Notify the nearest FCC Field Engineer's office
D. Discontinue forwarding all messages
The correct answer here is A, Discontinue forwarding the communication as
soon as you become aware of it.
What I want to discuss here is that these kinds of situations are bound to
pop up when we automate our communications systems. No one can be awake 24
hours a day to monitor every bit of data that passes through automated
systems. That is why it is the control operator of the originating station
who is most responsible and accountable for violations. The other stations
in the automated chain are simply robotically forwarding the message and
their control operators cannot be expected to monitor everything. However,
as we learn from the second question, the control operators down the line
are not exempted from all responsibility. Once they learn of the violating
message traffic, they are then required to discontinue forwarding it.
Let's take a moment to expand this concept beyond automated packet
stations. Suppose you are running an Echolink-connected repeater and
someone connected via a computer begins playing music - just the sort of
thing that can happen with our multitasking computer systems that run
Echolink and media player applications at the same time. The control
operator at the originating station may not even realize the error. It is
the responsibility of control ops like you along the chain of connected
repeaters to drop the link to the offending station as soon as possible,
once you are aware of the situation.
Of course the more we interconnect and automate, the more likely we are to
see occasional problems. Some are merely embarrassing - such as the times
when screenreader audio goes out over the worldwide Echolink system. Let's
hope when that happens that the content the screenreader is speaking is not
too personal! Sometimes the content is in violation, as is the case with
the transmission of music. In either case, the originating station should
halt the transmission of banned content as soon as it is discovered and
identify their transmission per FCC rules.
Please e-mail handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to comment.
------------------------------
Last call for Extra!
[image: Calendar showing number 1, first of the month]
Important notice. This is last call for Extra Class. The audio lecture
files get removed from the server at the end of the day June 30. The new
Extra pool is in effect on July 1, 2012. New Extra lectures will not appear
until editing for each episode is compete. This is your last chance to get
the entire set until who-knows-when!
------------------------------
*Remote Base Health Report for 27 June 2012*
*We have a website for the remote base software.* You may check it out at:
www.handiham.org/remotebase.
*Many operators like to check out the PICONET on 3.925 MHz. You can find
out more about PICONET, including its hours of operation, mission and
purpose, net control operators, descriptions and pictures of participant
ham shacks, and much more at: www.piconet3925.com. Remember that
conditions on 75 m can be noisy due to the summer thunderstorm season.*
*W0ZSW is OFF line. The internet connection at Camp Courage has failed.
W0EQO is on line. Echolink receive control is also in service at W0EQO.*
Please check the latest operating tips on the remote base pages:
http://handiham.org/local/blind/w4mq_remote_base_software.htm
The link to the daily status update pages:
www.handiham.org/remote
Our thanks to volunteer engineer Lyle Koehler, K0LR, for his help
maintaining the station databases and updates.
------------------------------
*July vacation*
[image: Dude in vacation clothing, eating burger, camera on strap]
The Handiham office will be closed July 1 - 8, then open only on occasion
the next week, July 9 - 15, 2012. We hope you all enjoy a mid-summer break.
No Handiham renewals, applications, or orders will be processed during that
time. Please try to hold phone calls and emails to a minimum.
------------------------------
*This week @ HQ*
*Summer hours: *Our schedule is somewhat flexible following Radio Camp in
the summer. Mornings Monday through Thursday remain the best time to
contact us, but occasionally we will be closed. Leave a voice mail message
or email and we will get back to you. Remember that summer is vacation
time, especially in July. Since we have a small staff, we will have to
defer some services for up to three weeks during July. We will update the
audio pages and lectures weekly as usual during July. There will be a
weekly Handiham World E-Letter each week during July, though the schedule
may be slightly different on July 4th, which is on a Wednesday.
*July 2012 DAISY format audio digest for our blind members:* Check out the
July edition, which at this time includes the QST and Worldradio digests
for our blind members in Daisy format in the DAISY section. Members using
NLS digital cartridges may receive the digest by Free Matter postal mail.
*DAISY audio digests* are available for our blind members who do not have
computers, playable in your Library of Congress digital player. Handiham
members who use these players and who would prefer to receive a copy of the
monthly audio digests on the special Library of Congress digital cartridge
should send a blank cartridge to us in a cartridge mailer (no envelopes,
please), so that we can place the files on it and return it to you via free
matter postal mail. Your callsign should be on both the cartridge and the
mailer so that we can make sure we know who it's from. Blank cartridges and
mailers are available from APH, the American Printing House for the Blind,
Inc.
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Catalog Number: 1-02610-00, Price: $12.00
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Mailer Catalog Number: 1-02611-00, Price:
$2.50
Order Toll-Free: (800) 223-1839.
The Library of Congress NLS has a list of vendors for the digital
cartridges:
http://www.loc.gov/nls/cartridges/index.html
*Get it all on line as an alternative: Visit the DAISY section on the
Handiham website after logging in. *
------------------------------
*Tonight is EchoLink net night.*
*No ham radio license? No radio? No problem! Listen to our net on line
using your computer or tablet/smartphone at 11:00 AM Central Time daily -
Everyone welcome!* <http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=9593>
The Wednesday evening EchoLink net is at 19:30 United States Central time,
which translates to 00:30 GMT Thursday morning.
The 11:00 daily net will be heard at 16:00 GMT.
Please note that the camp repeater, W0EQO-R, is no longer available due to
the lack of an IP address. Our single IP has been assigned to W0ZSW-L,
which controls the HF remote station and which gets quite a lot of use.
The following EchoLink nodes are always connected to the Handiham
Conference:
HANDIHAM conference server Node 494492 (Our preferred high-capacity node.)
NX0P-R, node 513917
KA0PQW-R, node 267582
KA0PQW-L, node 538131
N0BVE-R, node 89680
Other ways to connect:
IRLP node 9008 (Vancouver BC reflector)
WIRES system number 1427
More information about repeaters and nodes may be found at
http://www.handiham.info.
A big THANK YOU to all of our net volunteers who keep things running so
well.
------------------------------
*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 at
763-520-0512. If you need to use the toll-free number, call
1-866-426-3442.
Handiham Manager Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, may be reached at
handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or by phone at 763-520-0511.
Mornings Monday through Thursday are the best time to contact us.
Answers to many questions about radios, Echolink, nets, and the Remote Base
stations are all at www.handiham.org.
*Supporting Handihams - 2012. *
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 2012.
Thank you from the Members, Volunteers, and Staff of the Handiham System.
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, Handiham Manager
handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Handiham Membership Dues
Benefits of membership:
www.handiham.org/membership
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. -- 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 or handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nancy, Handiham Secretary:
hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Radio Camp email:
radiocamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*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
handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 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
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