Courage Center's Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of 26 November 2008 This is a free weekly news & information update from Courage Center's Handiham System <http://handiham.org> . Please do not reply to this message. Use the contact information at the end, or simply email handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxx Listen to an MP3 audio stream: <http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u> http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u Download the MP3 audio to your portable player: http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.mp3 Get this issue as an audio podcast: http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham _____ Welcome to Handiham World! WA0TDA: Why nets are important WA0TDA: Why nets are important - Pat with coffee mug Although I grew up in a medium-sized city, at one point in my working life I moved to a small town of under 1500 people. I've lived in the Twin Cities metropolitan area now for over 20 years. In my travels and in my various jobs I have worked and lived or visited cities of all different sizes. One thing that seems to be common no matter where one lives is the need to become part of a community. Sometimes a community can include nearly everyone in town, as it does when you live in a small village. For most of us, however, we self-select our own specific communities built upon some common interest or experience. Thus, you may live in a huge city but be part of a small, dedicated community of people who are devoted to rock collecting. "Rock hounds" have regular meetings that include programs and socializing. And lots of rocks. This, of course, is how amateur radio works as well, except without the rocks. All of us who are amateur radio operators share a common experience of having passed a licensing examination. Our activity is unique because it is all about communication. Those rock collectors have to go someplace to meet -- a physical address in a real room. Ham radio operators don't have to do that. We can be part of a community by having regular meetings at a school, church, or restaurant, but we have the unique ability to meet together on the air using amateur radio. When we formalize this process, we call the result a net! "Net" is short for network, and in ham radio it means a collection of stations gathered together on the same frequency in order to exchange information. Within the larger community of amateur radio operators there are many smaller interest groups that coalesce into their own smaller communities. Activities like amateur radio in space attract a cadre of technically minded operators who make friends and exchange information through AMSAT, including AMSAT nets. Nets can be very local in nature as part of a club activity on a 2 m repeater, or they can be global on the HF bands or EchoLink. One advantage of meeting other members of your community on the air in a net is that you don't have to travel or worry about hazardous weather. Heck, you don't even have to make yourself presentable unless your net happens to meet on amateur television! Your radio club, like mine, probably has several different interest groups among the membership. These special interest groups support net activities on specific frequency bands, such as 1.9 MHz or about specific activities like ARES. Yes, amateur radio nets are important to keeping our various communities strong. That is why I am so concerned about keeping the Handiham HF nets on the air. Even though there may be times when there are fewer net participants because of poor band conditions, the fact that people are making the effort to stay in touch is important in and of itself. Nets depend on people taking the time to check in, even if it is only to get on the roster. The entertainer Woody Allen once said, "80% of success is just showing up". I think there is a lot of truth to that. Just show up to check into the Handiham nets, and we will keep working on that other 20%! For your Handiham World, I'm... Patrick Tice, WA0TDA Courage Center Handiham Manager patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Login <http://www.handiham.org/user/login?destination=comment/reply/269%2523commen t-form> to the Handiham website to post comments. _____ Avery's QTH Avery's QTH - Avery with hands in front of his face Welcome once again to my humble QTH. We are looking for net controls for the Handiham 20 meter net and wondering if you would like to take over the net sometime. You will need at least a General Class license. The net meets Mondays on 14.265 MHz SSB, 09:30 - 10:00 United States Central Time We stand down for the Salvation Army Emergency Net (SATERN) during their emergency operations on this same frequency. They are on the air just before our net, so it is easy to find the frequency and enjoy listening to the SATERN net for awhile, too. Speaking of nets, let's talk a little bit about them. Even though our Handiham nets are somewhat informal social and training nets, it is still important that the net control station set a good example by not tying up the net talking about things not related to the net in between people checking in. Instead, the net control should take people checking in at a reasonable pace. Some people, if they have only a short period of time, may not want or be able to wait a long time for their turn to come around. Some examples: . Someone may be on their lunch break. If net control takes up too much time talking about something unrelated to the net operation, the person's lunch break may be over and so they missed checking into the net. . Even though it may not be an emergency, someone may have something of importance to pass on to net members and if the net runs too long on other subjects and that person has some other pressing things to take care of, that information may never get passed on to net members. . A mobile station may want to check in, but by the time the net control gets to them, they may be out of range. . Band conditions may be changing, especially on the HF bands, and when net control doesn't move the check in process efficiently, some stations will not be able to check in at all. How should this kind of informal net be handled? Listen and learn! Listen when Jerry, N0VOE, does a net on the 145.450 repeater during our EchoLink net and when Hugh, VE6CFD, does the HF net on 14.265 MHz, or when Lyle, K0LR, does the 80 meter PICONET on 3.925 MHz. If you are into Morse code nets and are checking into our 7.112 MHz slow speed CW Friday morning net, listen to a few check-ins and once you get the idea of how that works you may want to be a net control once in a while. If so, let Paul, W8IRT, know. In most nets you will find the most experienced people are net controls. In the Handiham nets that is not always true, as many of our members are in the process of learning how to become good net controls. The best way for this to happen is for people who want to do nets is to take a listen around the bands, listening very carefully to the net controls to see how they handle things. Pick out the best. Why are they the best? What do they do that others don't? How do they handle problems that may pop up while doing the net? How do you compare with them? What can you do to improve the way you handle the net control job? No matter how well a net control does, there is always room for improvement. What can you do to become a better net control operator? Now enough of that net control business. Let's look at the other side of the net -- the people checking into a net. Again, it is a good idea to listen to a net to find out how it operates before checking in. If it is like one of Handiham training nets, it will not be very strict and will be freer as to what and how you can do things. If it is an emergency net, handling traffic from a tornado or hurricane, then it is a much tighter net and more rules will apply. For example, in most cases unless you have some very important information for the net it is better to just stand by and listen in case they have to send some traffic to your location. Do not tie up their important time checking in with nothing to say. If you want to check in and let them know you will be willing to handle any traffic for your area, that is usually fine. Get in the net, get your business handled, and get out. Do not check back in again unless the net control asks for you. Keep the net free and uncluttered. SKYWARN nets are a special case, where traffic is driven by an ever-changing weather condition and where tight, efficient net control is vital to safety of the general public. Most require special weather training before they will even let you check into a net. I remember checking into a SKYWARN net here in the Twin City area and someone checked in to tell the net control that the sky was clear. That was not what the net control wanted and he was just tying up the net. Another time everyone had a good laugh when some checked in to say they didn't see any bugle clouds. Of course he was talking about a tornado but had not taken any of the required training and did not know the correct terminology. Even though you may not have any thought of joining a MARS group, if you have some extra free time tune your general coverage receiver in your HF rig to some of the MARS nets. Most are just a little outside the ham bands. Those will be some of the best examples of how you should act as either a net control or as just someone checking into the net. They are very tightly run by the book and there are no excuses for mistakes. Have a GREAT Thanksgiving Holiday! 73 & DX from K0HLA, Avery You can reach me at: 763-520-0515 Or by email at: avery.finn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . Login <http://www.handiham.org/user/login?destination=comment/reply/244%2523commen t-form> to handiham.org to post comments about Avery's QTH. _____ New! Donate online to support the Handiham System New! Donate online to support the Handiham System Now you can give to Handihams online! This year it is possible to support Courage Center's Handiham System with an online donation. We exist only because of the support of people like you - people who care about other amateur radio operators. Of course our special mission is to help people with disabilities to earn their licenses and get on the air. Often times we hear from people whose circumstances are truly difficult. They have little money, and they are stuck in their house or care facility, but have always wanted to get on the air. They may have retired from a long-time job because of an injury or after losing their eyesight and now are looking for a way to get back on the air, or to get on the air for the first time. We are experts at breaking down barriers and helping people to achieve their ham radio goals - and by extension, other life goals as well! Now, don't get me wrong. We also have plenty of highly self-sufficient members with disabilities who simply enjoy using our audio resources and want to share their contributions with others who share similar interests. The point is that we are all about hams helping other hams. I hope you will consider a gift to support this work. Gifts to Courage Center and its programs are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law, and you will be helping our staff and volunteers to share the excitement of ham radio with people who will be really grateful! In a moment, I will give you a link to the secure Courage Center donation website, but I did want to give you a few brief tips about how to use it. Once you get to the secure page, you will find "Please make a donation to Courage Center!", followed by a form page. The first section of the form, called "Donation Information", is the part I need you to be very careful about because if you want to support our program, you have to say so in this section. You are asked to either choose an amount to give, or fill in an amount. Now comes the "Designation" pull-down. You must use the pull-down and select "Handi-Hams" if you intend the gift to support the Handiham program. screenshot of donation pull-down with Handi-Hams selected Screenshot of the donation page pull-down menu showing "Handi-Hams" selected. In the "Additional Information" section, you use a pull-down to choose the frequency of the gift - a one-time gift, for example. This section also allows you to check a box if you are giving on behalf of a company or if you prefer to donate anonymously. There is a comment section as well. Then you will find the "Billing Information", which is your name and address, followed by "Payment Information", which is your credit card information. Finally, there is "Tribute Information", in case you wish to give on behalf of someone special by honoring them with a tribute. When you complete the form, click the "Donate Now" button. Oh, and please do us a favor and let us know if you find any part of the form to be inaccessible via screenreader. Follow <https://couragecenter.us/NETCOMMUNITY/SSLPage.aspx?pid=294&srcid=344> this link to the secure Courage Center donation web page. In you are reading this in plain text, the link is: https://couragecenter.us/NETCOMMUNITY/SSLPage.aspx?pid=294 <https://couragecenter.us/NETCOMMUNITY/SSLPage.aspx?pid=294&srcid=344> &srcid=344 Thank you for your support! 73, Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, Handiham Manager And the Members, Staff and Volunteers of Courage Center's Handiham System _____ New Basic Antenna Book Available from ARRL New Basic Antenna Book Available from ARRL ARRL has seen a need and filled it! For something that is often so simple to make, an antenna is remarkably difficult for many people to understand. The antenna is one of your shack's most important elements and can make your radio system a success. Now available from ARRL, Basic Antennas: Understanding Practical Antennas and Design is a comprehensive introduction to antennas that includes basic concepts, practical designs and details of easy-to-build antennas. You'll learn how to make antennas that really work. This book will provide a foundation in antenna theory and design necessary for anyone undertaking more advanced topics and projects such as those presented in The ARRL Antenna Book. It was written by ARRL Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR. This story was compiled from http://www.arrl.org. The book is available at the ARRL website and is item #9994. The price is $29.95 and the format is print. _____ WORLDRADIO to go online as a free e-zine with February 2009 issue As we announced earlier, CQ Communications, Inc, the publisher of CQ Amateur Radio, CQ VHF, and Popular Communications magazines, has acquired WorldRadio magazine from Armond and Helen Noble, and their publishing company WorldRadio, Inc. CQ Communications, Inc. will convert WorldRadio to an online, and free-access, magazine effective with the February 2009 issue. The final print edition of WorldRadio, published by Armond and Helen, will be the upcoming January 2009 issue. Although WorldRadio will become a totally free-access "e-magazine," it will continue to include display advertising - not banner advertising, but display advertising intermixed within the editorial pages of the magazine - in the same fashion as the printed version of WorldRadio. The overall distribution and circulation will increase substantially, due to the new free-access distribution model for WorldRadio. Access to the magazine will initially be reached by clicking on links on the CQ and WorldRadio home pages, but will quickly evolve to e-mail announcements of each issue's roll out to online subscribers. This will be analogous to subscribing to lists or reflectors on the Internet. The WorldRadio website is: http://www.wr6wr.com/ Our plans include making audio available to our blind Handiham members as we have in the past. (Information from CQ was used in compiling this article.) _____ On the air On the air The TIPSnet, a friend of Handihams, meets each Tuesday evening, United States Eastern Time. The net is available worldwide on EchoLink. TIPS has a great start to December coming up. On December 2nd, we will have as a guest Rich Moseson, W2VU, Editor of CQ Magazine. Rich and I will discuss something that is becoming a 'hot' topic in Amateur Radio, What will happen now that Riley isn't watching?? Originally alerted to this in the Handiham E-Letter of 11/19, we were referenced to the December 2008 CQ Magazine Zero Bias editorial Rich wrote. Many probably don't know that once Riley Hollingsworth retired from the FCC, much of his department has been dismantled. In the December issue of CQ, Rich discusses this problem and its dire consequences, what will happen if we police ourselves but there is no backup when needed from the Feds? We'll discuss this and more on TIPSnet. Also, we'll find more about the CQ acquisition of Worldradio magazine. Bring your questions and comments this could go way beyond our 1 hour time slot. Join us!!! 73 John West N1IWT TIPSnet Program & Publicity Manager http://www.tipsnet.org Email: tipsnet@xxxxxxxxxxx 860-628-6454 Fostering International Friendship Through Amateur Radio C TIPSnet meets every Tuesday from 7pm - 8pm local time (EST) / 0000z on several repeaters throughout New England, including the SPARC Repeater System and N1NW system in Norwich in Connecticut. National and International connections are welcome via the New England Gateway - EchoLink Conference *NEW-ENG* (node # 9123) and IRLP Reflector 912, Channel 3 (node # 9123). Live streaming audio is available on the web during the net at: http://new-eng.com _____ Long-time CQ author is a silent key From the CQ Newsroom. "Hashafisti Scratchi" a Silent Key The man who wrote "Scratchi" for CQ magazine is a Silent Key. George H. Floyd, Jr., WA4DGA (ex-W2RYT), of Lynchburg, Virginia, entertained thousands of his fellow hams for more than two decades -- between 1947 and 1971 -- writing as a politically-incorrect (by today's standards) Japanese-American ham with fractured English and contorted spelling. He wrote from "Feenix, Ariz.," began each column with "Deer Hon. Ed.," and regularly skewered the pomposity and poor operating practices he encountered on the air. He passed away November 22 at the age of 91. In real life, George Floyd was an engineer and executive with General Electric, working in Schenectady and Syracuse, New York, before moving to Lynchburg, Virginia in the late 1950s. GE alumni will also remember George -- pseudonymously as well -- as "Lighthouse Larry" in GE employee publications. Scratchi first appeared in CQ in June, 1947. The column became a regular feature between 1948 and 1960, then returned from 1966 to 1971. For many CQ readers in that time period, Scratchi was the first item they read when the magazine arrived each month. CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, writing in the magazine's 50th anniversary issue in January, 1995, said: "For many years the name Hashafisti Scratchi has been almost synonymous with confusion and consternation in amateur radio. It seems, too, that whenever the unusual or impossible is happening, Scratchi is there helping it happen." Upon receiving news of George's passing, Ross noted, "As saddened as I am to learn of George's death, the mere mention of his name brings a smile to my face, knowing how his good humor and wonderfully creative imagination entertained so many of us for so many years." CQ readers are invited to submit reminiscences of Scratchi for a tribute in an upcoming issue of the magazine. A special e-mail address has been set up at scratchi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____ Former ARRL President George Wilson, W4OYI is a Silent Key Former ARRL President George Wilson, W4OYI is a Silent Key George S. Wilson III, W4OYI, of Owensboro, Kentucky, passed away at his home on November 25. He was 76. Wilson served as the ARRL's 11th President from January 1992-July 1995. He resigned from the position after a stroke in 1995. Wilson's tenure in ARRL leadership included positions as Kentucky Section Emergency Coordinator, Kentucky Section Communications Manager, Vice Director and Director of the Great Lakes Division, as well as Vice President and First Vice President, eventually culminating in the position of ARRL President. Upon retirement from the League's top position, Wilson was named President Emeritus based on his lifelong commitment to Amateur Radio and the League -- one of only four people granted this honor. He also served as an Assistant Director in the Great Lakes Division. (ARRL) For more information, check the ARRL website: http://www.arrl.org _____ This week at Headquarters: Holiday office hours Holiday office hours - snowman with HT It's hard to believe, but it's already almost year-end, and that means that we will have some holidays at Courage Center's Handiham office. While Courage Center itself is open almost every day except Thursday, November 27 and Thursday, December 25, our Handiham office is closed for several more days to give staff members a much-needed break to be with their families. In November, we are closed Thursday and Friday, November 27 and 28 for the United States Thanksgiving holiday. ARRL is also closed those days. There will be no Friday audio lecture from Handihams this week, and ARRL will not have the usual audio news, though both Handihams and ARRL will publish their newsletters this Wednesday. In December, the Handiham offices are closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, December 24, 25, and 26. On New Year's Eve, which is December 31, we will be open in the morning, closing at noon. We wish all of our members, visitors, podcast listeners, and e-letter subscribers a wonderful holiday season! The Handiham Team Handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Toll-Free: 1-866-426-3442 Handiham Year-End Appeal & Newsletter Begging dog cartoon - that's us all right! Here we are, begging again. Our annual print edition of the Handiham World is now in the hands of most of our members. We want you to look for this issue, because it contains our annual giving envelope. That giving envelope is important, because we survive as a program through the generosity of our donors. Please look for your annual giving envelope and consider helping us with a tax-deductible gift. <http://www.handiham.org/node/270> Remember that you can also donate online at Handiham.org. * You can download your very own PDF copy of the news letter here: <http://www.handiham.org/local/downloads/hhw2009.pdf> http://www.handiham.org/local/downloads/hhw2009.pdf * You can listen as Bob Zeida, N1BLF, reads the year-end edition here: <http://www.handiham.org/audio/hhw2009.mp3> http://www.handiham.org/audio/hhw2009.mp3 In other news... * You have heard that Worldradio will be an online e-zine. "What about the "With the Handihams" column?", you are thinking. Well, rest assured we will still be in Worldradio. You can still enjoy our column and the rest of the Worldradio content that you know and love! We do plan to keep recording the articles into audio format for our blind members. Now, aren't you glad you asked? * One of our members <ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.mp3> requested a link to Amateur Radio NEWSLINE audio. This is a link to FTP the file to your computer: <ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.mp3> ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News/news.mp3 Be sure to let me know if you cannot get the audio by following the link. Generally speaking, if you browse the web with Firefox, you will simply be prompted to download the MP3 file. If you use some other browser, you may have to use a right-click and "Save target as". I know this is a source of confusion for some users, especially those who have installed third-party audio players, as these may try to open the file instead of allowing you to save it. The NEWSLINE editions are typically pretty large files, in excess of 4MB, so be patient! If you cannot get the NEWSLINE audio this way, let me know and we will try to figure something else out. * We have started work on a DAISY book version of the new General Class question pool. It's slow going, as there is considerable editing to prepare the pool for conversion. We have already finished the Extra pool. * We would like to hear from you about the Handiham HF nets. Do you want to keep a 20 meter net, a 15 meter net, and a 10 meter net? How about the 40 meter CW net? Do you remember the old 17 meter non-net informal get-together started by K2WS on 18.165 MHz? Please write to <mailto:wa0tda@xxxxxxxx> wa0tda@xxxxxxxx with your ideas and suggestions. Now is the time to decide, as the solar cycle begins to favor better HF conditions! * Jerry, N0VOE, is volunteering in the office on Tuesdays. Look for him on the Handiham EchoLink net from callsign W0ZSW on those days. He volunteers other days from his home QTH. * Pat, WA0TDA, is taking vacation days on Fridays through the end of the year, but will still send out a weekly education letter, so look for that. * QST, CQ, QCWA Journal, & 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 December QST and Worldradio and the November CQ magazine digests have been read by Bob, N1BLF. * George, N0SBU, the "Second Base Umpire of Hugo", has finished the December tape digest. We expect to mail the cassette issue on Thursday, November 20. This member service is available in 4-track audio cassette to our blind members who do not have computers. * 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. 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. _____ 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@xxxxxxxxxxx> hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxx 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@xxxxxxxxxxx> hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxx 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@xxxxxxxxxxx> patt@xxxxxxxxxxx * Nancy, Handiham Secretary: hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxx * Jerry, N0VOE, Student Coordinator: jerry.kloss@xxxxxxxxxxx * Avery, K0HLA, Educational Coordinator: avery.finn@xxxxxxxxxxx * Pat, WA0TDA, Manager, patt@xxxxxxxxxxx * Radio Camp email: radiocamp@xxxxxxxxxxx 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 11/26/2008 - 20:09 . Login <http://www.handiham.org/user/login?destination=comment/reply/274%2523commen t-form> to post comments