* * 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.* *You can do it! * Today, just as we did last week, we are going to begin with Troubleshooting 101 as part of our initiative to help new ham radio operators (and even some of us older ones) learn how to do some basic troubleshooting for ourselves. Yes, it can be tempting to ask someone else to do things for us. This can become a bad habit when it keeps us from learning new things, especially things that we could - with a bit of practice - learn to do for ourselves. Knowing these basic things can serve us well in the future when no help is available. *Troubleshooting 101* Let's get to today's troubleshooting question: *I sometimes use my handheld radio in the car. I can hear the repeater just fine, but I have had complaints that other stations can't hear me. What's going on here? Is there something wrong with my HT?* Yes, I'm afraid there is a problem with your radio. The problem is that it has a terrible antenna. Before you complain that the radio has always worked quite well when you used it around the house, let me explain. Handheld radios are meant to be portable so that they are easy to carry around. Haven't you noticed that people prefer smaller, lighter electronic devices? So what was once referred to as "a brick" - the venerable 2 meter HT - has evolved to a multiband miniaturized wonder that fits in the palm of your hand. The antenna on the old brink was just about the same length as the one on your new radio, though. These flexible "rubber duck" antennas are the ones that come as standard equipment with a new handheld radio. They have always been terrible antennas, but they are designed to be flexible so that they can bend without breaking and generally survive being dumped into a backpack, stuffed into a pocket, or crammed into a purse. A quarter-wave antenna for the 2 meter band should be around 19 inches long (48 cm), but the radio would hardly be portable with that big antenna, would it? The rubber duck antenna is inductively loaded so that it can be physically shorter but still act like an electrical quarter wave. This seems like a great solution because now you have the equivalent of 19 inches of antenna in a tiny, convenient flexible stick. Ha, ha, that is a good one. Most of these rubber antennas are more like a "dummy load on a stick". They are inefficient and lossy. A rubber antenna that came with the HT is probably okay if you are in a good location and not far from the repeater and are not moving around. The rubber antenna can receive okay but is not going to win any awards, but transmitting efficiently is just plain not a happening thing. When you move the antenna around, every slight cancellation of signal from multipath reception becomes a near-dropout. It is even worse inside a car, where the body of the car can block part of the signal and you are nearly always moving. No wonder your friends are complaining about your signal - because it is terrible! [image: Yaesu HT and Larson quarter wave mag mount antenna side by side on a shelf.] I placed my tiny Yaesu VX5R HT with the somewhat bent from years of carrying it in my pocket next to an old Larson 1/4 wavelength magnet mount antenna. The ACTUAL quarter wave mag mount towers over the HT with its wimpy rubber antenna. If only there were a way to use a quarter-wave magnet mount antenna, or even a 5/8 wavelength mag mount antenna, with my HT it would sure solve my transmitting problem and make the HT more useful as a temporary mobile radio. Of course there is a way; you just need to get the right adapter to mate the mag mount antenna's connector to your HT and you are in business, right? Well, no - it's not quite that easy. For one thing, you might not have a mag mount antenna. And you may not be familiar with these kinds of temporary antennas, especially if you are not a driver yourself and you ride with a spouse or a friend. Here are some things to consider: - If you are going to move the antenna around a lot, such as using it on a friend's car then removing it after you get where you are going, there are tiny, highly-portable miniature mag mount antennas with small diameter coax (RG-174U) with a connector to fit directly onto your HT. Actually, I prefer these antennas over other mag mounts because the light, flexible coax will not put extra stress on your radio's SMA connector. MFJ makes the MFJ-1722 dual-band mag mount antenna and it is only around $15 - an accessory to your HT that is well worth the money. - If you already have a more conventional larger mag mount with RG-58 coax, I recommend an adapter with a short piece of RG-174U coax so that the flexibility of the cable allows for comfortably moving the HT about as you use it. Stiff coax will put excessive pressure on the HT's antenna connector and may eventually break it. - If you are using an HT with an SMA connector, you may want to consider a special connector adaptor that seats against the body of the radio, taking pressure off the antenna connector. - Pay attention to the routing of the feedline out the door. It may run through the gap between the door and the car's frame, but choose a spot where the rubber gasket around the door frame will close gently against the wire. - Avoid sharp bends when running coax. - For longer term installations, test the water seal around the coax entry point with a garden hose. - Place the antenna on the roof of the vehicle or on the deck of the trunk lid if the cable is to be run through the back seat and out into the trunk. - Be sure the magnet has a serious grip on the metal car body! - Avoid long, flapping runs of wire across the roof or trunk. - If you have an antenna that screws onto a magnetic base, be sure it is screwed on tightly before traveling! - Consider a small, easy to remove antenna that is placed just outside and above a back door. You can easily grab it off the roof and shove it on the back seat floor under a mat when you want to conceal the fact that you have a radio in the car or if you need the extra clearance to get into the garage. While you're at it, unhook the HT and put it in the glove box or take it with you. - If you are serious about using an HT in the car, you might also pop for the optional car charger. All the HT manufacturers offer them, and they can be in the glove box with an extra rubber duck antenna when not in use. You will likely need high power while operating mobile, and that can run your battery down quickly. Once you start using a "real" antenna mounted outside the vehicle, you will wonder how you ever got by with an HT and the rubber antenna. Email me at handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with your questions & comments. Patrick Tice, WA0TDA Handiham Manager ------------------------------ *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 taking a question from the General Class pool: G2B01 asks: Which of the following is true concerning access to frequencies? Your possible answers are: A. Nets always have priority B. QSO’s in process always have priority C. No one has priority access to frequencies, common courtesy should be a guide D. Contest operations must always yield to non-contest use of frequencies The correct answer is C: No one has priority access to frequencies, common courtesy should be a guide. We could get into lots of examples where net users felt entitled to a frequency because they "always" meet there, people yakking on a repeater who feel that they own the frequency for as long as they want in spite of what other communications needs others may have - even emergencies, and of course the ever-contentious contester use of the bands during popular contests. Please let courtesy come to the fore here! ------------------------------ *Remote Base Health Report for 16 May 2012* We have a website for the remote base software. You may check it out at: www.handiham.org/remotebase. *W0ZSW is on line. Echolink is out of service on W0ZSW, but is available for transmit and receive via the W4MQ software. W0EQO is on line. * 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. ------------------------------ *Letters* Letters will return next week. ------------------------------ *This week @ HQ* *Getting ready for Dayton!* Speaking of Hamvention®, guess what? Yes, the Courage Center Handiham System will be at Dayton again this year. In fact, we will be Hap Holly's next-door neighbor because the Handiham booth is at space 330 in the Silver Arena! Please plan to stop by to visit with us if you get to Hamvention. We are doing our best to keep up with phone calls and emails, but please be patient as we cannot answer every call and do have to depend on voice mail. I will be out of the office after noon on Wednesday 16 May and will not be back in the office until Tuesday, 22 May. *Dayton Hamvention® 2012 "Internationally Connected" May 18-20 2012* [image: The crowd at a previous Hamvention.] *Last chance for Radio Camp - Call immediately! *Camp is a better value this year because it is one day longer than last year, the tuition is cheaper, scholarships are available, and we will have our own dining hall. Camp is Saturday, June 2 through Friday, June 8 2012. Call 1-866-426-3442 to enroll. *Equipment! * We also have a selection of donated radios available for campers to take home. If you are registering for this camp session, please be sure to let us know if you have an equipment request. *Ideas wanted: *If you have ideas about how to market or improve Radio Camp, or if future camp sessions should be replaced with something else that will better serve Handiham members, please let me know by email or postal mail. Please, no phone calls as I am creating a file to store comments. Email radiocamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or write directly to Patrick Tice, Handiham Manager at our Courage Center address. If you prefer changes to Radio Camp, tell me: - Where it should be held. - When it should be held. - How long it should be. - What it should cost for a camper to attend. - What topics, courses, or activities should be included during the camp session. - What should replace Radio Camp if you think it should no longer be held. The May 2012 DAISY format audio digest is ready for our blind members. Check it out in the members section. Members using NLS digital cartridges may receive the digest by Free Matter postal mail. May QST and Worldradio audio digests are now also ready for our blind members who do not have computers, also in DAISY format, 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. May QST audio digest is now also ready for our blind members in DAISY format, as a digital download for your computer DAISY player or to place on your digital cartridge or other portable DAISY player. Visit the DAISY section on the website after logging in. Members Only Website Update: Handiham.org open enrollment is over, but Handiham members who do not have log in credentials for the site may request them by emailing handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx This step was taken to curtail the hundreds of account requests from spammers and other non-members each week. ------------------------------ *Tonight is EchoLink net night.* *Notice: W0EQO-R, node 309436 is back in service. * 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. 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