[handiham-world] Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of 28 January 2009
- From: "Patrick Tice" <wa0tda@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <handiham-world@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:09:52 -0600
Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of 28 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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http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u
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Get this issue as an audio podcast:
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_____
Welcome to Handiham World!
Pat with boom headset micWhat is the best way to run a training net? As many
of you know, we will be having a special net on the regular handiham
EchoLink frequency once a month, and it will be devoted to teaching net
participants how to be good net control stations and for those who do not
want to be net control stations, how to be good net participants. The very
first session of this net will be on the first Wednesday evening of the
month at 7 PM Minnesota time. So you will need to look for us on the 145.450
MHz N0BVE repeater system, node 89680. You can connect the very same way
that you always do for the daily EchoLink net. The first session will occur
on Wednesday, February 4.
But let's get back to that original question: exactly what is the best way
to run a training net? Jerry, N0VOE, asked me that question because he is
very likely going to be the first one actually stepping up to the plate as
the net control station for this new net. It's a reasonable question.
Just cover a single major topic while paying attention to good net practices
otherwise.
Let's say the topic is on how to open a net. Since you are going to follow
good net procedures anyway, you open the net with a short preamble and then
call for participants who might have emergency traffic, then any traffic,
etc., etc. You have now given good example. Take the stations checking in,
then when you feel you have a quorum, go ahead and open the discussion
topic. Feel free to discuss why a preamble is useful, why you should call
for emergency traffic first rather than later, and so on. After the topic
has been discussed for awhile, invite a net member to try it for himself or
herself, right on the spot.
Do not cover more than the single major topic. This will help you maintain
the focus of the net so that participants don't go wandering all around,
figuratively speaking. If you feel like some playacting, pretend you are
checking in while someone else does the opening. We can have a net
discussion board by email afterwards, so people can say what worked and what
didn't.
It need not be very long. I would say this is an absolute maximum 30 minute
net. That way, we do not ask participants to commit to a long, drawn-out
session that will take up an entire evening. We are likely to get more
people returning to the net to learn a little bit more about proper net
operation if we are prepared and stick to one simple topic.
In other news, I've heard from a couple of Window-Eyes users who have had
excellent success navigating the new Worldradio online publication. One
reported to me that many of the ads are accessible, which can be very useful
for anyone interested in the latest ham radio technology... and aren't we
all?! As I expected, the Worldradio online publication is being well
received by handiham members everywhere, including those who use computer
screen reading software. Our hats are off to CQ Publications for making this
online resource disability-friendly.
For Handiham World, I'm...
Patrick Tice
wa0tda@xxxxxxxx
_____
Avery's QTH - In which Avery announces a contest
<http://www.handiham.org/node/263> Avery's QTH
Welcome once again to my humble QTH
Anyone needing a Minnesota contact for Worked All States, or a Minnesota
Grid square, or a Minnesota County, here is your chance. The Minnesota
Wireless Association sponsors the eleventh Annual Minnesota QSO Party.
Not only this is a chance for Radio Amateurs in Minnesota to be on the other
end of the pile-ups for a change but also for Amateurs outside of the State
to obtain Minnesota contacts, get those needed grid squares, worked more
states for the WAS award, or work hard to find counties in the State of
Minnesota.
Some people will be operating from home while others will be in specially
equipped vehicles with computer logging and the whole nine yards as they
roam several different operating locations during the course of the contest.
It looks as if the majority will be in teams of two people and in some cases
one person will be operating on phone while the other is on CW at the same
time.
If you want to have some fun with ham radio, plan on taking part in this
Minnesota QSO party and see how many contacts you can make toward various
awards. There are some neat prizes for the top winners if you can qualify
too. Some of the details and a link to the website are listed on the
Minnesota QSO Party website at:
http://www.w0aa.org/mnqp.htm
I won't give you all the details here, but the basic information is that the
Minnesota QSO Party is on Saturday, February 07, 2009, beginning at 8:00
a.m. CST (1400 UTC) and running through 6:00 p.m. CST (2400 UTC). There are
plaques and certificates for winners in all categories, including a special
gift of Minnesota premium wild rice for the top 20 non-Minnesota scores!
There is even a special club competition.
Since there will be roving mobile stations running the various hard to find
counties, this will be a unique opportunity to make lots of contacts. It
should be a county hunter's paradise out there for a few hours!
So until next time,
73 & DX from K0HLA, Avery
Oh, I almost forgot:
Remember that my new hours are Mondays and Wednesdays until 8:00 a.m. until
2:00 p.m. and I will not be in the office Tuesday or Thursday. The office is
closed on Fridays when no one is here, though you can always email Pat,
WA0TDA, Friday and he will get back to you.
You can reach me at:
763-520-0515
Avery.finn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____
Special Counsel role at FCC filled
<http://www.handiham.org/node/135> FCC
The ARRL is reporting that Laura L. Smith has been named to the Amateur
Radio enforcement role previously held by Riley Hollingsworth. ARRL
President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, had long ago urged former FCC Chairman Kevin
Martin to name a successor to Hollingsworth: "The appointment of a
replacement Special Counsel in this position is of critical importance to
the Amateur Radio Service, as the delay in finalizing the appointment stands
to undermine in very short order an exceptionally successful and low-cost
program of enforcement in the Amateur Service."
Finally there is now action at the FCC as Laura L. Smith of Pennsylvania has
been named by the FCC to fill the vacancy created when Riley Hollingsworth,
K4ZDH, retired in 2008 as Special Counsel for the Spectrum Enforcement
Division of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau. Hollingsworth served in that
position for more than 10 years as the FCC's enforcement watchdog over the
Amateur Radio Service.
You can read more about this story at the ARRL website:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/01/26/10587/
_____
Peeking around the back of the sun
<http://www.handiham.org/node/189> Solar WX News
NASA Science News is reporting that NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft are giving
astronomers an over-the-horizon look at the side of the Sun away from the
Earth - the side we normally do not see. This new perspective could lead to
important advances in space weather forecasting and solar physics research.
Space weather forecasting is essential to putting together the propagation
forecasts amateur radio operators depend upon. You can read or listen to the
full story on the NASA website:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/23jan_darkside.htm?list6529
_____
Obama names FCC Commissioner Copps to Acting FCC Chairmanship
Obama names FCC Commissioner Copps to Acting FCC Chairmanship
On Thursday, January 22, President Barack Obama named current FCC
Commissioner Michael Copps as Acting Chairman of the Commission. Last week,
sources close to the President mentioned Julius Genachowski would be
nominated as Chairman. Copps will serve as Acting Chairman until a new
Commissioner/Chairman is confirmed.
Said Copps, "I thank President Obama for his confidence in me and for this
opportunity to serve. I know that I have a truly gifted and terrific team to
work with. I pledge every effort I am capable of to help steer the
Commission through its current transition to new leadership."
Copps has been a friend of the core value so central to the Amateur Radio
Service, "in the public interest, convenience, or necessity" - the words
Congress used in defining the Commission's role when it penned the
Communications Act of 1934.
You can read the transcript of an interview journalist Bill Moyers had with
Mr. Copps, where this subject comes up:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08242007/transcript1.html
As reported here recently, the outgoing Chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin
stated that his philosophy during his tenure at the FCC "has been to pursue
deregulation while paying close attention to its impact on consumers and the
particulars of a given market, to balance deregulation with consumer
protection." He stated that he "approached his decisions with a fundamental
belief that a robust, competitive marketplace, not regulation, is ultimately
the best protector of the public interest and the best method of delivering
the benefits of choice, innovation, and affordability to American
consumers."
Martin was roundly criticized by a Congressional report for his
micromanaging leadership style and for turning the FCC into a demoralized,
ineffective agency. The February CQ Magazine Washington Readout column by
W5YI, details these accusations, and also points out the alleged role
Martin's FCC played in failing to appoint a replacement for Riley
Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Special Counsel for Amateur Radio, and the hiding of
engineering information damaging to the deployment and promotion of BPL,
Broadband over Powerlines.
_____
Solar super-flare: What could happen
<http://www.handiham.org/node/189> Solar WX News
NASA Science News is reporting that a new NASA-funded study details what
might happen to our modern, high-tech society in the event of a 'super solar
flare' followed by an extreme geomagnetic storm. Some of the conclusions
might surprise you.
You have your choice of either listening to audio of this story or reading
it online.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/21jan_severespaceweather.htm?lis...
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/21jan_severespaceweather.htm?list65
29>
_____
Ten Steps toward a Healthier Radio Club
Phil, K9HI
By Phil Temples, K9HI <mailto:phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>
phil@xxxxxxxxxxx
With our busy schedules, sometimes going to your local radio club meeting is
just one of those things that gets put off. But what if your club meetings
were fun? What if everyone came to the meetings? What would it take for that
to happen? The author has a few ideas how to make this a reality.
Read more on the ARRL website:
<http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/03/05/1/?nc=1>
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/03/05/1/?nc=1
Or listen to Phil read the article for you via the Handiham audio system:
<http://handiham.org/audio/10stepsclub.m3u>
http://handiham.org/audio/10stepsclub.m3u
_____
Freedom Scientific e-Learning Entrance
Handiham Radio Club President Ken Silberman, KB3LLA, sends us an online
learning link from the JAWS people, Freedom Scientific:
http://www.freedomscientific.com/Training/e-LearningEntrance.asp
Ken writes that some webinars are free and some are for considerable cost.
_____
This week at Headquarters:
* George, N0SBU, has just completed master 4-track tape recordings of
our online audio for the TM-V71A and the TS-480 radios. This will be
available to our members who do not have computers or Internet connections.
Thanks, George, and thanks to Joe, N3AIN, and Linda, N7HVF, for their help
in producing the original audio.
* PICONET is online with a great website:
<http://www.piconet3925.com>
<http://www.piconet3925.com> http://www.piconet3925.com
* Handiham Members wanting Remote Base access please email
wa0tda@xxxxxxxxx I am starting to compile a user list.
<http://www.piconet3925.com>
* New training net meets on N0BVE 145.450 repeater, node 89680: There
is a new Handiham training net meeting the first Wednesday of each month at
19:00 hours Central Time. This works out to 01:00 hours GMT Thursday. The
purpose of the net is to train new net control stations in the basics of
running a net. If you have had cold feet about being a net control station
yourself, why not check in on the first Wednesday of each month and get some
pointers? Howard, KE7KNN, is the net manager and you can contact him with
questions by sending an email to wa0tda@xxxxxxxx, who will pass it on.
* February audio is starting to be posted. QST, CQ, & WORLDRADIO audio
digests are available for our members. Login to the member section of the
<http://handiham.org/user> Handiham website and find the magazine digests
in the Library. The February 2009 QST, and the January CQ, and Worldradio
digests have been read by Bob Zeida, N1BLF. Remember that January is the
last print edition of Worldradio, so you'll want to catch that audio.
* 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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or call
her toll-free at 1-866-426-3442. Mornings are the best time to contact us.
_____
What nets will you find on the EchoLink-enabled N0BVE repeater system?
<http://www.handiham.org/node/131> Daily On The Air (DOTA)
You already have N0BVE in your EchoLink favorites, so what nets can you hear
on node 89680?
Check out Avery's List of Nets on the N0BVE repeater system, EchoLink node
89680:
Monday
Handiham Daily Worldwide Net 11:00 a.m. Central Time, 17:00 GMT. EchoLink
enabled. 145.450.
7:00 PM Central Time Courage Center Handiham Net. EchoLink enabled. 145.450.
(0:100 Tuesday GMT.)
Tuesday
Handiham Daily Worldwide Net 11:00 a.m. Central Time, 17:00 GMT. EchoLink
enabled. 145.450.
7:00 p.m. Minnetonka Radio Club on 145.450.
AMSAT Net on both 145.21,145.45 and 444.0 Repeaters 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday
Handiham Daily Worldwide Net 11:00 a.m. Central Time, 17:00 GMT. EchoLink
enabled. 145.450.
Handiham NTS 19:00 Central Time (First Wednesday of every Month) Training
net for people who want to be net controls for Handiham nets.
Thursday
Handiham Daily Worldwide Net 11:00 a.m. Central Time, 17:00 GMT. EchoLink
enabled. 145.450.
Friday
Handiham Daily Worldwide Net 11:00 a.m. Central Time, 17:00 GMT. EchoLink
enabled. 145.450.
Saturday
9:00 a.m. QCWA (Chapter #8) Net 145.450.
Handiham Daily Worldwide Net 11:00 a.m. Central Time, 17:00 GMT. EchoLink
enabled. 145.450.
7 p.m. Saturday Ham Talk Net 145.21,145.450, Rain Dial-up report, NEWSLINE,
ARRL audio newsletter, This week in Amateur Radio, (SKYWARN update.
March-Sept.)
_____
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:
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year.
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activities.
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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
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Handiham members with disabilities can take an online audio course at
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. Beginner
. General
. Extra
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_____
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
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. By wa0tda at 01/28/2009 - 19:06
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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)
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We look forward to hearing from you soon.
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