Logo for Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, part of Allina Health Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 17 September 2014 This is a free weekly news & information update from <http://handiham.org> Courage Kenny Handiham System. Our contact information is at the end. Listen here: http://handiham.org/audio/handiham17SEP2014.mp3 Get this podcast in iTunes: <http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406> Subscribe to our audio podcast in iTunes RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software: <http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham> http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham _____ Welcome to Handiham World. Screenshot of HRD tuned to 3.730 MHz. Picture: The IC-7200 is tuned to 3.730MHz AM, and this is a screenshot of the rig control software, Ham Radio Deluxe <http://www.ham-radio-deluxe.com/> . In the latest release, 6.272, there are some new features that even includes a friendly "Welcome to Ham Radio Deluxe" audio message if you have the voice feature enabled. It's important to keep software up to date, and I've got a subscription to the Ham Radio Deluxe updates for a full year following my purchase of version 6 this past spring at Dayton. As time goes on, all rig control software programs age - some of them more gracefully than others. I've been using HRD for years and years, and have grown to like it. Now that it has become a pay-for software package, Ham Radio Deluxe is updated frequently. One of the most exciting new features is the addition of a sound control system that hopefully will eventually replace third-party software use for porting the transmit and receive audio while remoting the rig on the internet. At this stage of its development, it allows users of supported radios to listen to their radios through the computer's sound system and to use a computer microphone for transmit. For some Handiham members, this could be a nice accommodation that would allow the user to don a lightweight computer headset, allowing for more consistent audio levels while transmitting on SSB. If the radio supports VHF/UHF operation, it could even allow you to use a computer headset on those bands. The reason I keep coming back to this topic periodically is that remote operation is now a thing. Really! The October 2014 issue of QST has a review of pay-for WebDX Remote Station System <http://www.remotehamradio.com/> . The website Remotehams.com <http://www.remotehams.com/> has a simple, free remoting system that lets you put your station on line and use other stations from the community of users. And of course we still have the Handiham Remote Base <http://handiham.org/remotebase/> system available to Handiham members. Think about your choices for getting on the air. Almost everyone can have a "shack on a belt", which refers to a simple VHF/UHF handheld radio that clips onto a belt or slips easily into a backpack or purse. This can enable the user to access local repeater systems, and sometimes worldwide VoIP linked systems. Since the entry-level Technician Class license has virtually full VHF/UHF privileges, most beginners start with this kind of radio, even though they also have some really great HF privileges that include SSB phone operation on a segment of the 10 meter band. The problem with HF operation is the antennas that are required. Even a simple 10 meter dipole <http://www.hamuniverse.com/10metertechniciandipole.html> is about 17 feet from end to end, and really should be mounted outdoors as high as possible. While some newbies can manage to get an antenna like this up onto the roof or strung between a couple of trees in the back yard, it still shapes up to be quite a bit of work. This sort of thing was just something that "went with the territory" back in the days when the beginner license was the Novice Class and everyone was required to get on the HF bands using Morse code. Today things are different. Between restrictive homeowner association covenants that prohibit antennas to the simple lack of space or a concern for aesthetics, getting an HF antenna up is more difficult than ever. Remember last week how we asked you to write a letter to your congressional representative on H.R. 4969 <https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4969> , the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014? While we certainly hope there is action on that front, the reality today is that HF operation from your home just might not be practical. If you live in an apartment or condo, there may be no way at all to put up any kind of outside antenna, and indoor HF antennas are not really practical. To operate from an apartment, a better choice for you is available and that is HF remote operation via the internet. We'll go over some other options in just a bit, but first let's talk about how remote base operation works. If you have ever controlled your radio with your computer, you already have a sense of how internet remote operation will work. In fact, chances are that the software you use for "local" control of your radio will most likely also work for internet remoting. Now, we do need to clarify what I'm talking about here. Most of us will not have the resources (as in lots of extra money) to have a dedicated private remote base HF station at a location that is removed from our home. I knew one guy who was able to lease space on a mountain to build such a private remote station, but that is not the kind of remote station most of us will be using. If you can afford to buy or lease a remote location and get all of the utilities and hardware installed, that is an excellent way to go. Otherwise you will probably be interested in using an HF remote station that is a "shared resource", such as a club station. A club station, like the Handiham Remote Base station W0ZSW, does not require the user to build the station or maintain it. The club takes care of club station maintenance, so if your radio club has one, club members can enjoy operating on the club's HF remote station even if they retire and downsize their own homes or travel south for the winter. If you use a community station like the Remotehams.com <http://www.remotehams.com/> system, you can do pretty much the same thing, and this may be a good choice if you don't belong to a club with a club remote base station, but you do have to join the Remotehams.com community. A pay-for service like the WebDX Remote Station System <http://www.remotehamradio.com/> is well worth considering if you want to use a top-notch system with an excellent selection of really great antennas. If you are considering the WebDX Remote Station System <http://www.remotehamradio.com/> , be sure to check out the QST review by Tom Loughney, AJ4XM, in the Reviews column on page 53 of the October 2014 QST. You can use an Elecraft K3 radio connected to the internet on your end, even if you don't have your own antenna, a nice advantage of the WebDX system. It also allows you to operate from a computer running Google's Chrome browser. (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Linux will all work.) To join WebDX there is a one-time fee of $99 and a per minute usage fee that varies from 15 cents to 49 cents. See the QST article for details and strategies on how to use WebDX economically. You would most likely not like to use the service for ragchewing because of the way the usage fees add up, but it can be a way to work some DX on really excellent hardware! So what are your other choices for getting on HF? . Some of the members of my own radio club have been getting on HF by occasionally operating portable. This involves getting a sort of HF go-kit made up so that one can take a portable station anywhere and set everything up like a Field Day installation. Some radios even work on battery power, but of course you will probably be running QRP if you do use battery power, unless you are using option two, which is... . ...Operating HF portable/mobile. This is a combo of using a mobile radio installed in your vehicle and portable operation. Here's how it works: You install your mobile radio in your car or truck, at least to the point of being able to power it from the vehicle's battery. It need not be permanently mounted since it will not actually be in use while you drive, but the 12VDC power system must be adequate and should be installed as if you were operating mobile. You pack your rig and antenna in the back, take off for a good portable operating location like a park that is well away from RF noise and that has enough room to deploy an antenna. You use an antenna launcher to string up a wire, and set up the rig in the passenger seat, then get on the air using the wire antenna while you are safely parked and don't have to pay attention to driving. . You might also just do a permanent mobile installation, in which case you mount the radio in the vehicle and also install a mobile antenna. I still recommend parking while operating for maximum safety, and you can also use this kind of installation with a field-deployed wire antenna if you want more efficiency than the mobile antenna or if you want to operate on bands that the mobile antenna doesn't cover. . If your club has a traditional club HF station, patronize it and do your operating there. Most clubs don't have them, but some do. You could always bring the topic up at your local club meeting! One challenge to the traditional club station is that the club's meeting space may not allow for the installation of an antenna and station. It is the rare club these days that can have such a facility! . Temporary antennas at your home are another possibility. A landlord or facilities manager may be okay with you putting a temporary antenna, such as a portable HF antenna <http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/75> , up for a short while on a deck or patio. . Indoor antennas are not out of the question, but only a few are really worth considering. These will be attic-mounted, such as an attic dipole or a small high current loop. Even then, I cannot really recommend this as a very good choice. First, indoor antennas are very, very good at picking up all kinds of RF noise from every switching power supply and appliance in the building. Trying to hear anything on an indoor antenna is truly an awful experience. Second, indoor antennas are likely to aggravate interference from your station to other devices in the building, such as audio systems, radios and televisions, intercoms, smoke detectors, fire and carbon monoxide alarms, and GFI protection devices. Almost ANY other option is a better choice than putting an HF antenna indoors, but there is also another concern: RF exposure. Indoor antennas are more likely to be close to others in the building. You could easily exceed FCC RF exposure limits with an indoor antenna! To sum up, HF remote operation is evolving and getting really good. More of us have high-speed internet access and can use a remote system. At the same time, more of us are downsizing or moving to places where large HF antennas are not practical. Some of us may drive and can use HF mobile or go portable, but for others that is not a practical choice. Now may be the time to give HF remote operation another look. ARRL asks us to write a letter. There is still time! A very important piece of Amateur Radio related legislation is in the United States House of Representatives, HR. 4969. . Constituent letters urging members of the US House of Representatives to co-sponsor <https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4969> H.R. 4969, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014, need to arrive at your representative's website or local office NOW! The last legislative day for the fall is September 19, and Congress will not be back in session again until after the mid-term election. It's easy to do. Just go to the following ARRL page: http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969 Once you are there, read the concise summary of what this is all about, and if you agree that accommodating ham radio antennas is important, go to the HR. 4969 sample letter that ARRL has set up at the bookmark labeled "How can I help to get HR 4969 passed?" You will find a sample letter and a link to your Congressional Representative. Please note that you only need to make up the letter that includes your name and address, make sure it is addressed to your representative, sign it, and get it to your representative. To find your representative, look for the bookmark link "Who is my Congressperson?" and to find out how and where to send it, look for the bookmark link "Where should I send my letter to my Congressperson?" All of these bookmarks are on the page http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969. Because it is so late, consider phoning your representative's local office to make your support of HR. 4969 heard. Just say that you hope your representative will sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill. Take a few minutes to do this right now, today. (For Handiham World, this is Pat Tice, WA0TDA.) And speaking of nets... . Our daily Echolink net continues to operate for anyone and everyone who cares to check in at 11:00 hours CDT (Noon Eastern and 09:00 Pacific), as well as Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 19:00 hours CDT (7 PM). Tonight N6NFF will pose a trivia question in the first half hour, so check in early if you want to take a guess. . With 75 meters becoming more usable, consider checking into the PICONET on 3.925 MHz, which has a long Handiham affiliation. It's on Monday through Saturday mornings from 9 AM to 11 AM and Monday through Friday afternoons from 3 PM to 5 PM Central Time. Details and schedules are at: www.piconet3925.com . Don't forget about our remote base station, W0ZSW, which is available for your use. You can easily use it to check into PICONET on 75 meters or MIDCARS on 7.258 MHz. The YL System net is happy to get your check-in on 14.332 MHz. You can find the YL System Net website at: http://www.ylsystem.org/ Musings: Pat with NLS cartridge Here I am in an old photo taken back when we first introduced the NLS digital cartridges to replace audio tapes for our blind members. By and large, the NLS cartridges have been a success. They are easily loaded with audio materials, hold many books, and are shippable through the U.S. Postal Service the same way the old 4-track tapes were. The cartridge size has increased to 4GB, double the original capacity. The cartridges are mechanically more reliable than tapes, too. The players are easy to use and can drill through spoken word menus. But there have been some bumps in the road as we moved our audio materials. One that I never expected was what I'll call "the filename restriction". It turns out that the audio files that make up a DAISY book must not exceed 60 characters in length. While that seems plenty long, you would be surprised how lengthy descriptive file names can get when you are dealing with technical topics. To cut to the chase, we did produce some books with really long file names in the content, and it turned out that those long file names caused some of the NLS players to choke on the book and refuse to go any further. Recently I talked to a member whose old version of the Extra Class audio lecture series had this problem. Rather than assume that the cartridge is defective, it should be returned for a replacement DAISY book with "legal" file names. You cannot imagine how frustrating this filename thing has been. I couldn't find it documented anywhere, either. It is one of those examples of working with a complex technical system where documentation has not evolved in tandem with its technology. Anyway, our DAISY cartridges seem to be working fine now that I have learned how to truncate filenames automatically while still retaining the audio file metadata with the complete naming information. If you have a cartridge that doesn't work, please let us know. If you produce any cartridges yourself, mind the length of the filenames! And finally... . Last week we had an X-class solar flare and the HF bands were stinko. But one curious thing happened: Six meters opened up and I copied W1AW on 6 meter CW! It's just a reminder that the six meter band can open up when you least expect, so swing by 50 MHz once in a while to find out what's happening. . You can find out more about the Handiham program, an educational resource for people with disabilities, at our website, https://handiham.org. . Ken Padgitt, W9MJY, has completed his recording of the Doctor is In column from the October QST. It will be available for our blind members by this Friday in the Handiham members section. . Speaking of QST, the October issue is the Annual DXing Issue. If you are interested in DXing, this is a must read for you. <http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/circulars/magazines.html> If you are blind or have a qualifying disability, QST in its entirety is available through the NLS Bard system. . Our phone and voicemail system suffered a serious problem the past few days, resulting in no voicemail service and busy signals. That problem has been corrected and the phones are working again. . W0EQO is still unreachable due to a firewall issue, but W0ZSW is working well and available for your use. 73, and I hope to hear you on the air soon! For Handiham World, this is Pat Tice, WA0TDA. 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! ARRL diamond-shaped logo The weekly e-letter is a compilation of software tips, operating information, and Handiham news. 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