[handiham-world] Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 25 August 2010
- From: "Patrick Tice" <wa0tda@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <handiham-world@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:52:48 -0500
This is a free weekly news & information update from Courage Center Handiham
System. Our contact information is at the end, or simply email
handiham@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for changes in subscriptions or to comment.
You can listen to this news online:
MP3 audio stream:
<http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u>
http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.m3u
Download the 64 kbs MP3 audio to your portable player:
<http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.mp3>
http://www.handiham.org/audio/handiham.mp3
Get this podcast in iTunes:
<http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406> Subscribe 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!
Telling the story: Mike Runholt, KC0YFV, on ARRL website
Mike, KC0YFV, and Bill, N0CIC, take down a wire antenna following Radio Camp
at Courage North.
Photo: Mike, KC0YFV, left, and Bill, N0CIC, take down one of the wire
antennas following a memorable radio camp session at Courage North. This
radio camp was the last of a long run of week-long camp sessions at the
Courage North location. In 2010, the radio camp session moved to Camp
Courage, about 40 miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Courage Center owns
both camps. The Handiham System headquarters is at Camp Courage.
Mike Runholt, KC0YFV, has written an excellent article about the Handiham
System and Radio Camp. It appears this week on the ARRL website. You can
reach Mike at his callsign at ARRL.net if you wish to comment on the story.
"The pontoon slowly motors around the lake. A group of hams gathers around
the radio. "CQ, CQ 80 meters this is W0EQO, KC0YFV at the mike, maritime
mobiling from Courage North in Lake George, Minnesota, over." So begins a
typical contact at the Handiham Radio Camp sponsored by the Courage Handiham
System, a program of the Courage Center. You have probably seen our
quarterly ad in QST and wondered what we do."
Read the entire story on the improved and newly-redesigned ARRL website:
<http://www.arrl.org/enabling-ham-radio-s-disabled>
http://www.arrl.org/enabling-ham-radio-s-disabled
Our thanks to Mike for telling the Handiham story so well. Good work, Mike!
And, hey, Bill, you look good in that photo, too. Are you the wire tangler
or the wire untangler?
73,
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Handiham Manager <mailto:wa0tda@xxxxxxxx>
wa0tda@xxxxxxxx
_____
EchoLink for Android arrives
cartoon robot with cell phone
Here's more good news for the ham operator on the go: Another popular smart
phone operating system can now run the popular EchoLink application. Already
available for the Apple iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad, this new application
will bring another potentially large group of users into the fold. The
EchoLink website states:
"EchoLink for Android is an edition of the EchoLink software that runs on an
Android <http://www.android.com/> smart phone or tablet, such as a Motorola
Droid <http://www.droiddoes.com/> or an HTC Evo
<http://www.htc.com/us/products/evo-sprint?view=1-1&sort=0> . If you own one
of these devices and are a validated EchoLink user, you can access the
EchoLink system from nearly anywhere where Wi-Fi or 3G networking is
available. EchoLink for Android is available free of charge from the Android
Market."
For those potential users who wonder if the Droid app will have features
similar to the Windows version, "The Android edition focuses on the basic
features of EchoLink, such as managing the Station List, connecting and
disconnecting, and transmitting and receiving voice and text. Unlike the
Windows edition, you can be connected to only one node at a time, and there
is no Sysop mode. The user interface has been re-designed to function
smoothly on the smaller screen of a smart phone, and to take advantage of
some of its built-in hardware features."
Droid users can get the free app by visiting the EchoLink website and
scanning a QR code image on the page, or else they can tap the "Market" icon
on their phones and searching for EchoLink.
Read more on the EchoLink website, including an explanation of EchoLink
connectivity by relay, an easy way to use one of these devices to avoid the
typical hassles of firewalls: <http://www.echolink.org/faq_android.htm>
http://www.echolink.org/faq_android.htm
Droid and iPhone/iPod users: Check into our informal Handiham net on
conference *HANDIHAM*, node number 494492, 11:00 a.m. USA Central Time,
Monday through Saturday.
_____
Feedback
cartoon dog barking at postal carrier
* John, KC0UHY, discovered a typo in the W0ZSW station setup. The ip
address should be 69.46.197.93. If anyone has had difficulty with setup,
that is probably the reason. The correct ip was shown in the graphic, but
the text was incorrect.
* Howard, KE7KNN, alerted me to the story about the Droid EchoLink app
after he heard about it on the Handiham net:
It sounds like some great changes for Droid and iPhone. Now ham radio by
cell phone means that the hobby is moving forward into the 21st century. I
do not think it will replace the handheld radio or other rigs but it might
be good for traveling. Things are moving fast in the hobby now, because
anyone can start out with a small amount of money. I hope that the doors are
open and we welcome a lot of new hams. My best to all. Howard, KE7KNN
_____
Mars Hoax is back this month
Thinking back to Radio Camp sessions at Courage North in the past, I do
recall the dark sky at Courage North, deep in the pines of Minnesota's far
north lake country, where a very bright Mars was an awe-inspiring sight. Far
from city light pollution, Courage North pretty much always serves up
excellent stargazing opportunities. Anyway, this 2003 Mars appearance
inspired a recurring "Mars hoax" every year about this time.
Now NASA Science News for August 25, 2010 is reporting that the Mars Hoax is
back and it's trickier than ever. Read today's story from Science@NASA to
find out what's really going to happen in the night sky on August 27th.
There is also an option to listen to the story in streaming audio:
<http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/25aug_marshoax/>
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/25aug_marshoax/
_____
Remote base progress report
Kenwood TS-570
We have made excellent progress on W0ZSW, the second HF remote base station
this week. After a series of internet failures at Camp Courage, a defective
DSL modem has been replaced and things are looking good. Today Lyle Koehler,
K0LR, is adding the EchoLink connection to the station, and we will be able
to include it in the beta testing. The issue of voice readout not working
for our blind users is still bugging us, and we think it will be necessary
to replace the radio, a TS-570, with a TS-480. We will move forward on this
soon.
Would you like to try the station right now?
If you would like to connect to the station via EchoLink to listen to the
radio, you can search for W0ZSW-L, node 524906, and connect. Entering a
frequency and pressing the enter key will allow you to change the radio's
receive frequency from the EchoLink text box. Enter U, L, or A for Upper
sideband, Lower sideband, or AM, respectively. One thing to remember is that
EchoLink control only works on receive, not transmit, and it is only
available if there is no control operator logged in to the W4MQ remote base
software.
_____
This week @ HQ
* The e-letter will be on vacation until September 15, when it will
return tanned, rested, and ready for another exciting ham radio season. The
Friday audio lectures are accompanying the weekly e-letter on vacation, so
that they can compare notes.
* Tonight is net night! The Wednesday evening EchoLink net is at
19:30 United States Central Daylight time, which translates to +5 hours, or
00:30 GMT Thursday morning during North American Daylight Time. In the
winter, the GMT schedule is +6 hours. Connect from any Internet-enabled
computer in the world, and come out on Twin Cities repeater N0BVE on
145.450. If there is no designated Net Control, there will be a simple
roundtable net.
EchoLink nodes:
KA0PQW-R, node 267582
N0BVE-R, node 89680
HANDIHAM conference server Node 494492 (Our preferred high-capacity node.)
Other ways to connect:
IRLP node 9008 (Vancouver BC reflector)
WIRES system number 1427
* Your Handiham World Summer 2010 newsletter is now available in two
versions. Download the newsletter and enjoy the articles online or print
your own exact copy. Feel free to share the content on your local radio
club's website, too. Just give us the credit for the article and include our
contact information. We always appreciate it when you help us share the word
about ham radio and the Courage Center Handiham System.
The link to the PDF version is here:
<http://handiham.org/local/downloads/hhw_summer_2010.pdf>
http://handiham.org/local/downloads/hhw_summer_2010.pdf
If you are blind, we also have a Daisy version that includes spoken word
audio in a special format that can be navigated by users of Library of
Congress players or other Daisy book players. You can find the links you
need here: <http://www.handiham.org/node/897>
http://www.handiham.org/node/897
One thing that is missing from both the PDF and DAISY versions of the
Handiham World is the giving envelope. If you are on our mailing list, you
should receive a printed copy of the newsletter in the mail. Please look for
the giving envelope in the newsletter and help us out a bit if you can. We
really appreciate it. If you are not on our mailing list and would like a
free copy, please drop us a line at: <mailto:hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Of call toll-free: 1-866-426-3442
* 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.
_____
Supporting Handihams
graphic showing figure using wheelchair holding hand of standing figure
Now you can support the Handiham program by donating on line using Courage
Center's secure website.
It is easy, but one thing to remember is that you need to use the pull-down
menu to designate your gift to the Handiham program.
. Step one: Follow this link to the secure Courage Center Website:
https://couragecenter.us/SSLPage.aspx?pid=294
<https://couragecenter.us/SSLPage.aspx?pid=294&srcid=344> &srcid=344
. Step two: Fill out the form, being careful to use the pull-down
Designation menu to select "Handi-Hams".
. Step three: Submit the form to complete your donation. If the gift
is a tribute to someone, don't forget to fill out the tribute information.
This would be a gift in memory of a silent key, for example.
We really appreciate your help. As you know, we have cut expenses this year
due to the difficult economic conditions. We are working hard to make sure
that we are delivering the most services to our members for the money - and
we plan to continue doing just that in 2010.
_____
Thank you from the Members, Volunteers, and Staff of the Handiham System
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, Handiham Manager
patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Handiham Membership Dues
Reminder: Handiham renewals are 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. Your renewal
date is the anniversary of your last renewal, so your membership extends 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 Walt Seibert at 763-520-0532 or
email him at walt.seibert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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.1-866-426-3442 toll-free -- Help us get new
hams on the air.
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:
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 Handiham System
Reach me by email at:
patt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nancy, Handiham Secretary:
hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Radio Camp email:
radiocamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____
ARRL 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.
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