[handiham-world] Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 29 October 2014
- From: <Patrick.Tice@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <handiham-world@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 13:17:15 -0500
Logo for Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, part of Allina Health
Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for
the week of Wednesday, 29 October 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:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham29OCT2014.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.
Cartoon world with radio tower
Turning the Bencher CW paddle on its head
Pat holds up the Bencher paddle.
What do you do when the wiring to your CW paddle needs to be replaced? I
wasn't really satisfied with the too-short length of the wiring between my
Morse code key and the radio, but I'd been putting up with this minor
annoyance for quite a while. Then when I decided to push the IC-7200
transceiver back a bit in the desktop, I noticed that the radio wanted to
send a constant stream of dits. Obviously the 1/4 inch phone plug in the
back of the radio was shorted. It turned out that I had to cut it off and
replace it because the way it had been installed in the first place made it
impossible to reuse.
It was finally a good time to rewire the Bencher!
Now, if you have ever worked on a Bencher paddle before, you know that the
cables' three leads are soldered to three lugs on the bottom of the heavy
base. The lugs are affixed by three separate bolts. You might be tempted
to remove the bolts and just replace the lugs with new ones onto which you
have soldered the new leads. Or you might think it's best to remove the
existing lugs, desolder the old wire, and then resolder each new lead.
Either way, you will soon find out that those three bolts do double duty:
they hold the solder lugs, but they also hold three metal posts that form
part of the key's mechanism on the top. If you remove them, things fall
apart, so you can't get the lugs off without partially disassembling the
paddle.
That seemed like too much work for me, so I decided to desolder the old
wiring and replace it with the lugs in place. There are plastic insulators
on the two ungrounded posts so that they can carry the dots and dashes. The
third lug is grounded and has no plastic feed through insulator. I've done
a lot of soldering over the years and I'm wary of working too close to
plastic parts that might melt, but the thin, long solder lugs looked like
they would not transfer enough heat to the plastic to damage it as long as I
was careful to work out at the tip of each lug - and to do so quickly!
The choice of tools is important. These lugs would heat up easily, so I
chose a small soldering pencil and some thin solder. I also have a
desoldering bulb, which is just a small rubber suction device with a
heat-resistant plastic tip. The procedure is to apply the tip of the
fully-heated soldering pencil to the lug, melting the solder so the you can
suck it up into the desoldering bulb. I hold the soldering pencil in my
left hand and the bulb in my right. When the solder is melted, you squeeze
the bulb, place the tip into the pool of molten metal and let the bulb suck
the solder up. You would be surprised how nicely this works. I have
another solder sucker that works using a metal tube and a plunger that is
spring loaded to suck the solder up very rapidly when the spring is
released. You can also use a braided copper "wick" to allow the molten
solder to wick away by capillary action from the joint to the copper wicking
material, which you then throw away. This latter method usually requires
more heat, so I chose the bulb method instead. Resoldering the new wire is
easier since all you do is connect the three wires to the three respective
posts: ground wire to ground post and left and right paddle wires to the
other two posts, depending on how you want the key wired for dots and
dashes.
Anyway, to get the point of this story, all of this work on the bottom base
of the Bencher requires you to support the heavy metal base, keeping its
weight off the delicate keying mechanism up top. The solution is to rest
the key upside down on four rolls of vinyl electrical tape. I've been a ham
a long time, so there were several rolls on my workbench. Stack them two
high on either side, leaving room for the mechanism and you can rest the
Bencher upside down on these rolls of tape, which provide a surprisingly
stable way to work on the wiring!
Bencher paddle upside down supported by 4 rolls of electrical tape
Image: It turns out that four strategically-placed rolls of electrical tape
will do the job when stacked two on a side to hold up the base. The paddle
mechanism is safe from stress, suspended above the workbench and allowing me
to desolder the old wiring without damaging anything. I work atop a carpet
sample which provides additional cushioning if anything should slip, plus it
also keeps dropped parts from bouncing or rolling away on the hard surface
of the workbench.
Solder bulb, wick, and pneumatic solder sucker
Image: Three ways to remove solder. Left to right are the solder suction
bulb, the braided copper wick, and the pneumatic spring-loaded solder
sucker.
Bench paddle in place with IC-7200
Image: The Bencher paddle is back in place next to the IC-7200.
(For Handiham World, this is Pat Tice, WA0TDA.)
Don't forget our nets...
. Is your code a little rusty? Or even non-existent? Avery, K0HLA,
conducts the Morse Code Practice Net immediately following the Thursday
evening Handiham Net on the Echolink and IRLP-enabled network. Join Avery
as he covers the very basic beginner introduction to the Morse code. The
code net begins at approximately 8:00 PM Central Time on *HANDIHAM*,
Echolink node 494492, and on IRLP 9008. Check-ins are taken both in CW and
on phone!
Avery, K0HLA, sends Morse code.
Happy Wednesday to you! 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.
. A big THANK YOU to all of our net control stations and to our
Handiham Club Net Manager, Michael, VE6UE.
Taking stock:
Let's find out what's going on.
. Both HF remote base internet stations are up and running: W0EQO
at Camp Courage North and W0ZSW in the Twin Cities East Metro.
. A Tuesday launch explosion at Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport has
destroyed the GOMX-2 and RACE CubeSats according to a story on ARRL.org. The
unmanned Antares vehicle was on a resupply mission to the International
Space Station. Read more about this loss of the GOMX-2 and RACE CubeSats on
ARRL.org
<http://www.arrl.org/news/satellites-carrying-amateur-radio-payloads-among-t
hose-lost-in-launch-explosion> .
. Wow, my Android smartphone knows how to identify radio equipment!
Screenshot from Google Nexus 4 phone showing Google Goggles recognition of
Icom IC-7200 transceiver from photos taken on two separate occasions.
Every so often I take photos of my station for one reason or another. As I
was getting ready to use my Android Google Nexus 4 smartphone, I noticed a
notification from the Google Goggles app. When I opened it, I found that it
had recognized the radio in the photos and told me what it was, the Icom
IC-7200. The photos are date and time stamped, too. If you photograph
radio equipment with your Android phone and have Google Goggles installed,
the phone can help you learn what model you are looking at, or remind you
when you took the photo and of what radio! It isn't perfect, though. I
noticed that it thought my Icom IC-706M2G was an IC-703. I guess I have to
cut it a little slack as both of those models are older radios and they are
hard to tell apart, having almost identical form factors. Get Google
Goggles in the Play store for your Android device.
. The Handiham office will be closed on Friday, October 31 2014.
I'll be at the Split Rock Lighthouse event setup.
Spooky cartoon guy with handheld radio and pumpkin for Halloween.
Happy Halloween from Handihams!
. Looking for some Halloween fun? Check out this event posted on
ARRL: 10/31/2014 - Anoka Halloween Capitol of the World Special Event
Station - Third Annual Oct 31, 1400Z-2000Z, W0YFZ, Anoka, MN. Anoka Radio
Club and Emergency Services. 28.375 21.315 14.245. QSL. Anoka County Radio
Club, PO Box 982, Anoka, MN 55303. The event will be live from 9:00am to
3:00pm Central Time. SpecialEvents@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or www.anokaradio.org
. Be sure to check out the new article by Dr. Ron Milliman, K8HSY.
It's "Getting Started on Six Meters
<http://www.handiham.org/drupal2/node/367> ". You would be surprised how
easily you can get on six - the antennas are pretty small and the fun
potential is really large! We have just published this on the Handiham
website today and will be working on a DAISY version soon.
. New audio is being posted in the Members Section this week. We
hope to get the NLS cartridges mailed either tomorrow or on Tuesday,
November 4. We are waiting for another part of the audio to be completed. If
you are a Handiham member and want a Friday reminder about our new audio,
let us know. Thanks to our volunteer readers:
o Bob, N1BLF
o Jim, KJ3P
o Ken, W9MJY
. Bookshare.org <https://www.bookshare.org> has an updated website.
Check out the FAQ and learn what's new.
<https://www.bookshare.org/cms/help-center/welcome-updated-bookshare-website
>
. We are considering Radio Camp dates for 2015. In play would be
the time period from Tuesday, August 18 (arrival) through Monday, August 24
(departure), We think this will allow campers who travel by air to get
cheaper tickets. Please note that camp planning is in its early stage and
we have not set the exact timing yet.
. Europe returned to standard time on Sunday, Oct 26, 2014. Here in
the United States and Canada it happens this coming weekend on Sunday, Nov
2, 2014. As always, Handiham nets remain true to Minnesota local time. In
the summer Minnesota is 5 hours behind GMT. In the winter Minnesota is 6
hours behind GMT.
o Are you in a State that does NOT observe Daylight Saving Time? If that
is the case, the time you check into the Handiham nets will appear to shift
an hour. Let's say you live in Arizona, which does not use DST. In the
summer, the daily net begins at 9:00 AM your time and 11:00 AM Minnesota
time. In early November when Minnesota returns to standard time, the net
will begin for Arizona residents at 10:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM. You will
have an extra hour to sleep in before the net, lucky you!
. This weekend: Plan to work the Split Rock Lighthouse Event and
get a certificate!
It's November 1st & November 2nd. It is sponsored by SARA, the Stillwater
(MN) Amateur Radio Association <http://www.radioham.org/> , The Courage
Kenny Handiham Program <https://handiham.org> , and Radio City
<http://www.radioinc.com/> each year. The event station callsign will be
W0JH, the callsign once held by Father George Metcalf, who served as
chaplain to General Patton
<http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-02-14/news/1995045017_1_george-metcal
f-patton-chaplain> and who was an enthusiastic, long-time supporter of the
Handiham program. SARA, a Handiham-affiliated club, now holds his callsign.
Split Rock lighthouse, as seen from land against clear blue sky.
Image: Split Rock Lighthouse stands tall against the clear, blue Minnesota
sky.
From ARRL: Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald (Split Rock Lighthouse) Nov
1-Nov 2, 1500Z-2345Z, W0JH , Two Harbors, MN. Stillwater (MN) Amateur Radio
Association, Courage Kenny Handiham System & Radio City. 14.260 7.260 21.360
3.860. Certificate. Stillwater Amateur Radio Assoc, W0JH, via,
splitrock2014@xxxxxxxxxxxx. Certificates will ONLY be sent via e-mail in
PDF format. W0JH is operating SSB and digital modes from Split Rock
Lighthouse, Split Rock, MN (ARLHS: USA 783; Grid Square: EN47).
www.radioham.org
. Don't forget about the W1AW portable stations that are on the air
around the country as part of the ARRL Centennial celebration
<http://www.arrl.org/home> .
. Live Webcast on Thursday: Arduino for Ham Radio.
o Please join the W5KUB website for a special webcast featuring special
guest, Glen Popiel, KW5GP, author of the newly released ARRL publication,
Arduino for Ham Radio <https://www.arrl.org/shop/Arduino-for-Ham-Radio/> .
To join the webcast from W5KUB's personal ham shack on Thursday, October
30th at 8:00 PM CT (0100 UTC), go to http://W5KUB.com where the fun begins!
. You can pay your Handiham dues and certain other program fees on
line. Simply follow the link to our secure payment site, then enter your
information and submit the payment. It's easy and secure!
o Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00. The lifetime membership
rate is $120.00.
MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK
<https://pay.usbank.com/default.aspx?id=COURAGE_KENNY_HANDIHAMS>
o If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation
website. The instructions are at the following link:
DONATION LINK <http://www.handiham.org/drupal2/node/8>
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. It is published on Wednesdays, and is
available to everyone free of charge. Please email
<mailto:handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Patrick.Tice@xxxxxxxxxx for changes of
address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new
address.
<http://handiham.org> Return to Handiham.org
Other related posts:
- » [handiham-world] Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 29 October 2014 - Patrick.Tice
