[handiham-world] Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of 07 January 2009
- From: "Patrick Tice" <wa0tda@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <handiham-world@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 15:23:44 -0600
Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of 07 January
2009
This is a free weekly news & information update from Courage Center Handiham
System <http://handiham.org> . Please do not reply to this message. Use the
contact information at the end, or simply email handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This issue is being delivered in plain text, but is available in HTML with
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_____
Welcome to Handiham World!
<http://www.handiham.org/images/qst1933.jpg> qst1933.jpg (58212 bytes)
Image: How things change. QST Magazines from October 2008 and October 1933.
Click the image for a larger size graphic.
Taking stock of where we are with amateur radio publications might be in
order, since January is the last month a print edition of Worldradio
Magazine is published. Publications have come and gone over the years, but
WorldRadio's situation is different - it will be published online with free
access to content that is supported by advertising. Once upon a time, ham
radio magazines just bit the dust - many of us remember 73 and Ham Radio,
both of which were popular, strong publications in the mid-1970's. They both
eventually stopped printing, and there was no Internet publication, so that
was that.
So what exactly is a ham radio publication these days? I'd have to say that
it can include electronic magazines, or so-called "e-zines". In fact, your
weekly Handiham World is an e-zine as well as an audio podcast. That's a
definite improvement over the old print Handiham World, which used to be
published only four times a year. But what about ham radio websites that
contain news content? Do they qualify as "publications"? ARRL, eHam,
Amateur Radio NEWSLINE, This Week in Amateur Radio, The RAIN Report, and QRZ
all have news items, but there are lots of sites run by hobbyists, too. Do
we include them? And if we do, what kind of journalistic standards should
we expect? Does there need to be an editor to keep things civil when
disagreements arise? Does someone need to enforce standards of grammar and
spelling? Who does fact-checking for accuracy?
This isn't only a question in the world of ham radio, either. Traditional
media publications are struggling with the very same questions. Atlantic
Monthly, which has been around since 1857, still publishes a print edition
but has a free content website. How will newspapers and magazines pay the
bills in the new electronic order? Will we see more and more ham radio
publications head for that big printing press in the sky called the
Internet? I think so, but when? And what are the advantages and
disadvantages?
From the standpoint of a business manager, the biggest concern is revenue.
How will the publication pay for staff, materials, utilities, and office
space? Even if a print publication maintains a readership of print
subscribers, what's to keep everyone else from just getting the information
for free from the magazine's website? And if the website is the main portal
for the magazine's readers, will advertising on the web support all the
expense of staff and offices? There will be savings in printing and mailing
costs, though, and these are significant.
From the reader's standpoint, the whole Internet publication thing is the
best deal since sliced bread. You don't have to wait for a print magazine to
arrive in the mail. If you are blind, you can read the web version with your
screenreader. You don't collect a pile of old magazines in the basement.
There is less waste, and the Internet is definitely a "greener" alternative.
And how can you argue with the price? Free, versus a hefty subscription
fee.
Believe me, this issue is not going to go away.
Every ham radio organization is going to face the problem of how to keep a
viable business model as print publications fade slowly from the scene. A
few publications, like Consumer Reports, charge a fee for online content,
but most publications that have tried to do so have not been successful. We
want to keep our ham radio publications financially sound, and membership
organizations like ARRL healthy and viable.
The best advice I can offer right now is to keep your membership up to date
and support the advertisers - whether on the web or in the print magazine.
For Handiham World, I'm Patrick Tice, wa0tda@xxxxxxxx
patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____
Avery's QTH
<http://www.handiham.org/node/268> Avery's QTH - Avery holding up hands
Welcome once again to my Humble QTH:
Happy New Year!
One of your New Year resolutions should be to go back and review the FCC
Part 97 Rules and Regulations.
"Why should I bother with that? I know it all from long ago when I took my
licensing exam", you are no doubt thinking.
Well, let wise old Uncle Avery tell you why: Chances are you just memorized
the answers to the questions that were asked on the last Amateur Radio exam
that you took and did not fully understand the reasoning behind them. Even
if you did understand the rules pretty well, it might just be that some
things have changed since then. You would not want to get left behind, would
you?
. What happened when the requirement for the International Morse code was
dropped?
. What new frequencies became available to the different classes of
licenses?
. Did the phone or CW bands change?
. What do they say about repeater operation?
. What can you do and what can you NOT do?
. What is third party traffic and what countries can you communicate with
and what ones are ones can you not?
. What are the rules concerning operations with the Space Stations?
Still with me? Good, because this next one is really important. Are you
aware of 97.23, which is about your mailing address?
"Each license grant must show the grantees correct name and mailing address.
The mailing address must be in an area where the amateur service is
regulated by the FCC and where the grantee can receive mail delivery by the
United States Postal Service. Revocation of the station license may result
when correspondence from the FCC is returned as undeliverable because the
grantee failed to provide the correct mailing address..."
And how about 97.5, which is "Station license required":
"The station apparatus must be under the physical control of a person named
in an amateur station license grant on the USL consolidated license database
or a person authorized for alien reciprocal operation by 97.107 of this
Part, before the station may transmit on any amateur service frequency from
any place that is..."
Do you know what the 97.xxx numbers mean and how to use them?
Well, to find the answers to these and other FCC rules & regulations you
will need an FCC Part 97 updated to February 2008.
There are several places you can find Part 97. To name four:
1. The FCC
2. The ARRL
3. W5YI
4. Our Handiham website
If you go to our Handiham web page and go down the left hand side of the
page just past the recent blog posts to "Navigation", you will find first
Polls, then Specialized Study Materials, then News Aggregator, and then you
will find FCC Part 97.
It will mean more to you if I let you look up the answers to these questions
and you are more apt to remember the answers than if I just come out and
tell you the answers. Remember if you have any question as to whether
something is legal to do or not on the ham bands, don't do it until you
research the question and find out that it is okay.
So for now 73 & DX from K0HLA, Avery
You can reach me at:
avery.finn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Or 763-520-0515
. Login
<http://www.handiham.org/user/login?destination=comment/reply/303%2523commen
t-form> to handiham.org to post comments
_____
Yes, we can: Blind engineer has the vision to figure out Soyuz problem
NASA: A blind engineer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Md., had the vision for a solution to a problem that ultimately required him
to fly to Europe to obtain potentially important data on the flight of a
Soyuz capsule returning two International Space Station crew members and
spaceflight participant Richard Garriott to Earth.
Marco Midon is an electronics engineer in the Microwave and Communications
Branch at NASA Goddard and has been with NASA for almost 11 years. His ham
radio callsign is N5ACR.
He recently provided critical engineering support for the implementation of
18 meter Ka-Band antennas at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and
also served as NASA systems engineer on a project to upgrade a NASA ground
station at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Read more about N5ACR and his idea on the NASA website:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2008/soyuz_reentry.html
(Story credit: NASA.gov
<http://www.handiham.org/node/www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/200
8/soyuz_reentry.html> )
_____
Listen to meteor pings - with commentary!
Amateur radio operators who are interested in meteor shower activity will be
interested in a new service from Spaceweather.com. Space Weather Radio,
broadcasting live "sounds from space" around the clock. Today you can listen
to the Air Force Space Surveillance Radar in Texas. When a meteor passes
over the facility--ping!--there is an audible echo. (Activity should be high
during the Quadrantid meteor shower this weekend.) In the near future we'll
be adding broadcasts of solar radio bursts and VLF signals from the
ionosphere. The streams are punctuated by Daily Space Weather Updates from
Dr. Tony Phillips. Click the following link to begin listening:
http://SpaceweatherRadio.com
Credit: Spaceweather.com
_____
Unconventional service animals create a fuss
Unconventional service animals create a fuss
Just exactly what kind of animal can be a service animal helping a person
with a disability?
While most of us think of service animals as dogs that are specially
trained, generally by an organization dedicated to helping people with
disabilities, unconventional service animals are beginning to show up in
public places, and that is creating quite a stir among owners of businesses
and members of the general public, who suspect that people with disabilities
may be gaming the system in order to bring their pets along with them by
claiming the pet is a service animal!
Since many handiham members use service animals of one kind or another, we
thought that this article from the New York Times might be of interest to
our members. If you use a service animal that is unconventional in nature
(not a dog breed that is usually used as a service animal), please let us
know about it and tell us about your experience. Here is a link to the
article from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/magazine/04Creatures-t.html?_r=2
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/magazine/04Creatures-t.html?_r=2&ref=maga
zine> &ref=magazine
(To view the article, it may be necessary to create a free account, but I
didn't have to when I tried it on my computer.)
. Login
<http://www.handiham.org/user/login?destination=comment/reply/300%2523commen
t-form> to handiham.org to post comments.
_____
<http://www.handiham.org/node/299> Events by N1YXU
Welcome to 2009! With the economy and other issues aside, I hope we can each
look back on 2008 and smile at our memories. It definitely was an
interesting year.
I know that many of you are enduring a very cold and early winter in several
parts of the country. Perhaps, if you fire up your radio and make some
contacts, the warmth in your ham radio room will spread to other parts of
your residence. Have a very prosperous beginning to the New Year!
Regards,
- Laurie Meier, N1YXU
n1yxu@xxxxxxxx
. Read Laurie's events column on <http://www.handiham.org/node/299>
handiham.org at: <http://www.handiham.org/node/299>
http://www.handiham.org/node/299
_____
This week at Headquarters:
* QST, CQ, & WORLDRADIO audio digests are available for our members.
Login <http://handiham.org/user> to the member section of the Handiham
website and find the magazine digests in the Library. The January QST, CQ,
and Worldradio digests have been read by Bob, N1BLF. Remember that January
is the last print edition of Worldradio, so you'll want to catch that audio.
* The Winter QCWA Journal is out in print. We are STILL waiting for
our reading list from QCWA.
* George, N0SBU, has completed the tape cassette digest. It will have
some special audio from Matt Arthur, KA0PQW.
* We have added an "audio this week" link at the top of the member
page once you log in. This is a good place to find out what audio is new on
our website each week, including magazine digests and audio lectures. This
page is updated on Fridays.
* The Friday Handiham-Notify mailing list has been moved to
Freelists.org for better reliability. I was just not satisfied with the
performance of our Mailman lists on Handiham.org, because they didn't handle
large numbers of subscribers consistently, and some of you missed your
Friday mailings. The Handiham-Notify list contains our audio lecture links
each week, along with links to magazine digest audio, both of which are
Handiham member services.
Stay in touch! Be sure to send Nancy your change 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@xxxxxxxxxxx or call her
toll-free at 1-866-426-3442. Mornings are the best time to contact us.
_____
AES SUPERFEST 09
DATES: Friday, April 3rd (2:00 PM to 6:00 PM) Saturday April 4th (8:30 AM to
3:00 PM)
LOCATION: AES Milwaukee, 5710 W. Good Hope Road
The Special Guest will be Steve Ford, WB8IMY(QST Editor and prolific
technical writer). There will be VE testing, interesting forums, a fox hunt,
prizes, Gordon West and more!
Handiham volunteers John Hoenshell, N0BFJ, and John Pedley, N0IPO, will
arrange to staff the Handiham booth at AES Superfest.
_____
The premier February 2009 issue of WorldRadio Online magazine
The February issue will be uploaded for reading, archiving, and printing on
January 20. Worldradio Online Magazine is planning to maintain the same
delivery schedule as Armond and Helen Noble's printed version of WorldRadio.
The issue may be read at the following websites:
www.wr6wr.com
www.cq-amateur-radio.com
www.cq-vhf.com
www.popular-communications.com
_____
Reminder: Handiham renewals are now 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 $10 annual dues level for one year.
* Join for three years at $30.
* Lifetime membership is $100.
* If you can't afford the dues, request a sponsored membership for the
year.
* 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 Nancy at: 1-866-426-3442 or
email: <mailto:hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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.
DONATE USED HAM GEAR
1-866-426-3442 toll-free Help us get new hams on the air.
FREE! 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
<http://www.handiham.org/> .
Email us to subscribe: <mailto:hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Handiham members with disabilities can take an online audio course at
www.handiham.org <http://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 Handi-ham System
Reach me by email at: <mailto:patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* Nancy, Handiham Secretary: hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* Jerry, N0VOE, Student Coordinator: jerry.kloss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* Avery, K0HLA, Educational Coordinator: avery.finn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* Pat, WA0TDA, Manager, patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* Radio Camp email: radiocamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ARRL </p />
<p>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.
. By wa0tda at 01/07/2009 - 20:47
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_____
Courage Center Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
E-Mail: hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Toll-Free telephone: 1-866-HANDIHAM (1-866-426-3442)
FAX:(763) 520-0577 Be sure to put "Handihams" in the FAX address!
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
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