[handiham-world] Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 31 August 2011
- From: "Patrick Tice" <wa0tda@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <handiham-world@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:22:54 -0500
This is a free weekly news & information update from Courage Center Handiham
System. Our contact information is at the end
<unsaved://Untitled_1.htm#Contact> , or simply email
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_____
Welcome to Handiham World!
Description: Front view of ranch house with guys climbing on garage roof.
Photo: Where's the antenna? Believe it or not, there is a "W0OXB Special"
antenna in this photo, and it tunes 160 meters through 6 meters! There are
a lot of trees on the property, so hanging the antenna was not a problem.
The foliage also confuses the eye and effectively hides the wire antenna,
which is in excess of 200 feet long and fed with 450 Ohm ladder line to a
4:1 current balun. If you look closely, you will see the feedline just to
the left of the guy standing on the garage roof.
Last Saturday I had fun participating in a good old-fashioned "antenna
party". These antenna raising projects are loosely coordinated through our
local radio club, and I hadn't been along on one for quite some time. We
had plenty of help, but as the old saying goes, "many hands make light
work". It was certainly instructive to help, and I learned more about how
to launch wires and pull them high up into the tree branches, how to use a
guide rope to pull the center insulator and feedline away from branches, and
especially the detail work on the center insulator strain relief and weather
sealing. One tip from Dave, W0OXB: If you use high quality UV-resistant
rope to tie off the ends of the antenna, there is really no need for end
insulators. Putting on end insulators is just asking for them to get stuck
in the tree branches.
Anyway, this story isn't really about the antenna party. It's about the
final result, which (for those of you who can see the photo) is an all but
completely invisible wire antenna capable of operating on the HF bands,
including 160 meters! The QTH sporting the new antenna is on a corner lot,
and the antenna runs diagonally across it, supported by mature trees. The
450 Ohm ladder line comes down from the center of the antenna, angling over
the single-story garage's roof and to a current balun mounted on the soffit
of the house, somewhat protected from the weather. Although this kind of
feedline would be painfully obvious, coming as it does down from a point
over the front yard, a clump of birch trees effectively hides it from anyone
but the most determined observer. The result is an excellent, versatile
antenna that can be used on multiple bands without being an eyesore.
The single biggest obstacle to effective HF operation today is the
difficulty many amateur radio operators have getting an antenna up in the
air! If only it were as simple as just ordering an antenna and installing
it... But it isn't easy at all. There are antenna restrictions of all
sorts, and they are not all formal regulations, either. The restrictions
that get the most attention in the amateur radio media are those that are
codified in municipal ordinances or that are part of homeowner association
covenants. The ARRL offers resources on working through such restrictions,
and each instance is likely to be somewhat unique.
There are other, but no less real, obstacles to getting an HF antenna up.
Consider these:
. Aesthetics. The antenna will be unsightly. Yes, you and I know
that a good antenna is a thing of beauty, but your spouse and neighbors may
not like seeing that monstrosity in the blue sky above your ham shack. This
is an especially relevant concern these days when traditional TV antennas
have pretty much disappeared because of TV cable and small satellite TV dish
antennas. The TV antenna free clean look of the typical suburban roofline
makes that HF antenna stick out like a sore thumb!
. Power lines! They run where they run, and that is often exactly
in the wrong place when HF antenna installation is concerned. Older
neighborhoods typically have lines running along alleyways at the rear or
side of a property. Power lines might also line the street in front of the
house. The "drop" from the main power pole to the house sometimes crosses
large sections of the property. You cannot safely run wire antennas above
or below power lines, and running your antenna parallel to a power line may
result in a higher than average interference from power line noise.
. No antenna supports. Your lot may just not have any natural place
to support a wire antenna. The trees may be too small or in the wrong
places.
. Budget! Your budget may not be generous enough to have a tower in
the back yard. Like it or not, you may have to make do with less.
. Space. Actually, it's the lack thereof! Most city lots are a
challenge when you are talking about getting wire antennas up for bands like
160 and 75 meters, but some are really, really small.
Well, what are the options? Before deciding on your own, it might be best
to get another opinion. That's part of the process for my club's "MAP", or
"Member Assistance Program". We didn't all just show up at the guy's house
last Saturday with a bunch of wire and tools. Prior to the antenna party, a
separate "antenna assessment" had been done. This is usually completed
weeks before the actual installation, and it involves a visit by a
knowledgeable team leader. The MAP team leader will walk through the
property, measuring the distances between likely antenna supports and
planning different installation scenarios. If the situation is hopeless, you
might as well find it out from someone who will have other ideas and be able
to offer you some alternatives. You might be surprised at how you really can
fit an antenna into the space available, but without the practiced eye of
the team leader you might have never known.
Vertical antennas can fit in small spaces and when positioned in the back
yard can also be invisible from the street in front. Most designs do require
at least some radials, but a few don't. You might consider one of the new
43 foot verticals fed with a current balun at the base. I see in the
September QST that LDG now has one for under $200. This antenna design,
available from LDG and other companies, allows you to operate on 80 through
6 meters with one antenna. True, you will not get on the "top band" (160
m), but you will have good coverage on the other bands and will be able to
make use of most bands on your HF radio. If a wire antenna won't fit, a
vertical might.
Sometimes there are just no options outdoors, but an attic antenna might be
possible. These are generally good for 14 MHz and above, because there will
not be enough space to fit antennas for the lower frequencies in an attic
space. I really don't like attic antennas much, because they are often hard
to install in unfinished attic spaces. The space may be cramped and
unlighted, and you may need to step carefully on rafters so as not to put
your foot through the ceiling below. Running feed lines can also be
challenging. Attic antennas are most suited to digital low power operation,
such as QRP CW or PSK-31.
Mobile or portable operation might be viable choices. There are small
antennas designed for backpacking into the wilderness - you might be able to
operate with one of them set up in whatever space you have available, even
at home. Be prepared for some difficult copy and some tough times breaking
pileups, though. These are not the most efficient antennas, and because
they usually are inductively loaded, they have narrow - almost single
frequency - bandwidth without tuning. One special type of portable antenna
is the simple end-fed wire. It can be thrown up into a tree at a campsite
and tuned with an antenna tuner. Some tuners are automatic and match a wide
variety of antennas. Mobile antennas suffer from the same limitations. They
are physically short and have very sharp tuning. They are also not terribly
efficient. Still, they can offer you a way to get on the air.
Remote base operation is an option for Handiham members with computers with
Microsoft WindowsR and high-speed internet. Sometimes a mixture of operation
from a home station and a remote base station is the way to go. For
example, you may have room for an antenna that operates on 14 MHz and above,
but not enough room for a wire antenna that would be effective on 3.9 MHz.
To get on that 75 meter net you like, you can then use either of the W0ZSW
or W0EQO remote base stations. The remotes are a Handiham member service.
Both stations have excellent wire antennas and are located in RF-quiet
areas.
I guess the point is that you can get on the HF bands one way or the other.
Getting help while assessing your antenna situation is a good first step.
Even if your local club does not have a member assistance program, you can
still speak up at the club meeting and ask if there might be any volunteers
who might know about antennas and who could help you decide how to best use
your available space. If stealth is an issue and you need to camouflage the
antenna, the club members will usually have some ideas and suggestions.
Just don't give up! If you want to get on the HF bands, there is a way to
do it.
For Handiham World, I'm...
Patrick Tice
wa0tda@xxxxxxxx
Handiham Manager
_____
But first - Help us win the Dr. Dave Challenge!
Description: KN0S vertical antenna installation, ground-mounted
Photo: This antenna survived Irene. (We think.)
What a week it has been for the folks in Virginia, where Dr. Dave, KN0S,
lives. Hurricane Irene followed seemingly on the heels of the earthquake
centered in Mineral, VA. Dr. Dave lost at least one antenna in the storm,
but we think he can still use his vertical HF antenna, which you see here.
It is ground-mounted and the feed point is protected by an inverted plastic
storage container. (KN0S photo.)
Thanks to everyone who has helped us with donations to the Dr. Dave
Challenge so far, including Bob, N1BLF; Jerry, KB0OHI; and Marshall, WA7SHU.
Money is tight these days and we desperately need your support. Now, thanks
to a generous challenge grant by Dr. Dave Justis, KN0S, we have a chance to
help fill the budget gap. Dr. Dave will donate $5,000 to the Handiham
System if we can raise a matching amount. That means we need to really put
the fund-raising into high gear! If you can help, designate a donation to
Handihams, stating that it is for the "Dr. Dave Challenge". We will keep
you posted in our weekly e-letter as to the progress of the fund.
Nancy can take credit card donations via the toll-free number,
1-866-426-3442, or accept checks sent to our Courage Center Handiham
address:
Courage Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
Be sure to put a note saying "Dr. Dave Challenge" somewhere in the envelope
or on the note line of the check. If you donate online as detailed toward
the end of your weekly e-letter, be sure to designate to Handihams and then
send me an email letting me know you donated to the Dr. Dave fund:
wa0tda@xxxxxxxxx
Thank you so much for your support!
_____
Public service: Net control duties at the Mud Run.
Description: Lucinda waits for the next mud run race to start. She sits at a
table holding radio gear and ambulance is in background.
Waiting for the next race to start. Photo courtesy AB8WF
By Lucinda Moody, AB8WF
Here is the short version of this year's Grand Rapids, MI Mud Run. I found
out the night before that I needed to provide my own equipment for net
control. I quickly packed up the radio, cords, magnetic antenna base, and
the longer 2 meter whip antenna. I was able to park next to a tent and run
the cords out through the window. I arrived on scene at 6:00am. The races
started at 8:00am with a new race each hour. The Mud Run is a 2.5k course
with 13 mud obstacles. Two laps are run to complete a 5k. While we did have
a few broken bones and several cut feet, most of the calls were for problems
with the course obstacles, requiring lots of duct tape. One ham called for
help repeatedly. The course director insisted she had sent volunteers out
that had fixed the problem, but the calls for help kept coming. Finally, our
communications director went out and found that the volunteers had gone
somewhere else! More calls for help came during the kid's mini run. Some PVC
pipe had come apart causing the netting to come down on kids who were in the
mud pit, and one of our hams had to go into the mud to help. Even though we
had a smaller group of hams than we would have liked, the event went well.
Editor's note: Lucinda took charge of remote base skills instruction at
Handiham Radio camp. She is an enthusiastic public service communicator and
active in traffic handling in the ARRL Michigan Section.
_____
Letters
Description: dog barking at cartoon mail carrier
Phil, K9HI, shared a link about getting the kiddos started in ham radio:
* Local Children Schooled on Technology of Amateur Radio at St.
Columbkille Summer Camp:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/pubaf/news/2011_jun-aug/summer_camp.html
Description: resistor dividing line
Buddy Brannon, KB5ELV, shared a link, but before the link, here's a teaser
from the Budcast blog:
"I just received the following Email from Wayne, N6KR, at Elecraft. FDIM
stands for "Four Days In May", a sort of convention within the Dayton
Hamvention, sponsored by QRP International. The Buildathon is an event where
a bunch of people get together and build a kit from a bunch of parts. What
Wayne suggests here is very exciting. Speaking as a long-time blind ham, I
for one would be very excited to be able to build something and take part in
an aspect of the hobby that I have to this point not been able to enjoy."
* An Idea For the 2012 FDIM Buildathon:
<http://buddy.brannan.name/blog/?p=108>
http://buddy.brannan.name/blog/?p=108
_____
Morse code fun on the air!
Description: code key
Here is a heads up about two CW events right around the corner from Graham,
G3ZOD FISTS #8385. Dig out that key and have some fun!
No less than two straight key events coming up! Note: both really do mean
straight ("up and down") keys although Straight Key Week does additionally
allow the use of side-swiper ("cootie") keys.
The FISTS Straight Key Week 2011 (SKW) runs from Sunday 4th September 00:01
to Saturday 10th September 23:59.
Note: The FISTS Log Converter Windows program can be used to create a log
and score for Straight Key Week; just record the FISTS member numbers in
your electronic logbook's comments / remarks, e.g. FISTS 765432
FISTS North America's International G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest runs
from Friday 2nd September 23:00 UTC to Sunday 4th September 23:00 UTC.
(Information courtesy K3PID.)
_____
NASA reports on a new breakthrough in solar storm detection
Description: Solar WX News
NASA Science News for August 25, 2011 reports that a new breakthrough in
sunspot detection could provide days of extra early warning for strong solar
storms. This would obviously be of interest to amateur radio operators, who
are always interested in more accurate solar weather predictions.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/25aug_sunspotbreak
through/
_____
EchoLink on your Android
Description: Pat, WA0TDA, holds LG Optimus-T Android phone up for the camera
to show EchoLink connected to the *HANDIHAM* conference.
You can get the free amateur radio VoIP application EchoLink for the Android
phone or tablet. That's not really news, but in case you are new to the
Android phone world, you might want to visit Echolink.org to read more about
the app, which is available in the Marketplace:
http://www.echolink.org/faq_android.htm
An easy way to get Echolink on your Android phone is to scan the QR code
that appears with the above story. If you do not have this scanning feature
on your phone, simply head for the Market and search for EchoLink.
One question that comes up often is whether EchoLink is blind-accessible. It
is, and there is an excellent source for more information in a Blind Cool
Tech podcast on that very subject. Christian Moller, SM0UWV, demonstrates
EchoLink running on an Android phone and reports that it works with the
screen reader software. Here is a direct link to the 18 MB download in MP3
format:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/bct/bct1561EchoLink.mp3
To find out more about Blind Cool Tech podcasts, visit:
http://www.blindcooltech.com/
_____
Troubleshooting 101: Mobile rig gets really hot - solved!
Description: driving in cartoon car
Talk about a hot topic! We got lots of opinions on last week's
troubleshooting mystery, so here are a few of the comments. First, though,
we travel back in time one week and refresh our memories:
Okay, here's the scenario: Let's say you have a mobile 2 meter FM radio
that you either used in a vehicle or on your desktop with a power supply.
In the years that you owned that radio, you made the typical kinds of
contacts one would make while traveling in the car. You would meet someone
on the air, talk for a while, and then drive out of repeater range or arrive
at your destination and sign off. On your desktop, the radio also played
well. You made some casual radio contacts for the most part, and you joined
the local hour-long radio club nets, including the Handiham net, several
times a week. The radio always performed flawlessly, but you decided it was
time to upgrade to a dual-bander or multimode radio. So you took the trusty
old 2 meter mobile out of service and there it sat, unused and gathering
dust.
"What can I do with that old radio?", you thought to yourself as you tidied
up the ham shack one Saturday morning. "It's not really worth much, but it
works fine and it's silly to get rid of it."
Then it came to you: That old 2 meter rig would make a great EchoLink node.
Combine it with an old computer, which you certainly had, a simple
interface, and a homebrew quarter wave vertical antenna and you would have a
nice little EchoLink node that you could run on 2 meter simplex. It would
be fun to connect via your own node while you were out and about in the
nearby neighborhood.
Fast forward to the completed project, which worked perfectly. It was easy
to use a handheld radio to control the node while you walked the dog around
the neighborhood. Furthermore, the signal level was much more consistent
than the one from an EchoLink repeater over 15 miles away. It made using
your handheld radio much more fun, because you could connect to the world.
One fine day you decided to really have fun and go out for a long bike ride,
taking your handheld radio and an earbud earphone for easy monitoring.
Since you wanted to listen more than talk while riding on the bike path, you
connected the node to the Handiham daily EchoLink net. It was fun to listen
to all of your friends while you enjoyed the long bike ride, and during a
rest stop at a picnic shelter, you even took a couple of minutes to check in
with net control.
Arriving back home, you were a bit tired and hot, but not as hot as your
mobile radio running the Echolink node! When you checked the EchoLink node
radio, you found that it was too hot to touch. That old mobile radio had
never run that hot before, so what could be wrong? Why was it so hot now,
when it had never gotten that hot before?
Here are just a few of the responses:
. KB0ZNU says: A couple of things. Check the SWR on the homemade
vertical. The more likely solution is that mobile rigs are not generally
designed for the duty cycle that running an EchoLink or IRLP node can
subject them to, but one can still use them for this. My suggestion would be
to take a 12 V computer case fan that's just sitting in your junk box, and
tap off the same supply that runs your radio. Blow the fan over the radio's
finals. While you're at it, if it's say a 50 watt radio, throttle the power
back to 25 watts or so, so you're not running the transmitter full tilt.
. SP9QLO says: It's always good to look for the easiest solution.
You enjoyed listening on your HT while your IRLP node radio had a very hard
time transmitting for a very long time. Normally you transmit a bit and then
listen which gives your radio a time to "rest" a bit. Just try to think
about a half an hour long transmission! The radio is hot after even a much
shorter time.
. Kevin says: Clean the radio with a vacuum to remove dust buildup
that might be clogging the cooling fins and dissipate the internal heat
build-up by simply moving the mobile rig to a different place in your shack
so that it is getting a good supply of moving air. (Or install a fan.)
. W1MWB says: I use an HTX-242 on my link and keep a box fan in
front of it, which keeps it cool. When running a link, your radio is
transmitting a lot more than it is receiving, especially on a busy
conference like *HANDIHAM*. Even a radio like the Icom V-8000 which is 90%
fan and heat sink and 10% radio, will get hot when used on a link.
Especially during a net, when you are listening more than talking, the radio
is operating at almost continuous power. Making sure the unit is free of
dust and has a good fan will help it will have a longer life. I've been
running a link for 3 years on and off, and saw my V-8000 ruined by
excessive heat and no fans.
. WA6IVG says: It's called duty cycle. Most rigs are specified by
the maker to be capable of running a stated amount of transmit power on a
particular mode for a certain time. Since CW and SSB are not transmitting
full power all the time most HF rigs can put up with running their full
power over a longer period of time than would be the case with FM where the
transmitter is putting out full power any time the mike is keyed. In the
case of your running the EchoLink node and mostly listening, the node
transmitter is always transmitting, or almost always, and therefore exceeds
its specified power/duty cycle time quickly. Particularly if you're going to
be close to home, switching the poor old faithful beastie to low power would
solve the problem. This is definitely something to be considered carefully
when running any rig unattended.
. KA0PQW says: You took a two meter radio that you have only used in
intermittent service and then started using it as an EchoLink node. So now
it is transmitting continuous duty. Of course when you do that, it is going
to run hot. Most ham rigs will run very hot if you have them transmitting
for a solid hour or hours at a time. The easiest solution to this is to put
a good fan over the heat sink. Usually then they will do ok with that kind
of service. Some rigs, when you run them hot like that, can start acting
very strange. They may start making strange noises and maybe even frequency
jump and maybe even shut down. Of course it is always a good idea to have a
fan on such a transmitter. Rigs just run a lot better when they are kept
cool.
. KJ6CBW says: I imagine that the system was running at a 100% duty
cycle all the time and didn't have enough ventilation to dissipate the heat.
And it was "gathering dust," which was probably blocking some vent ports. So
vacuuming out the dust would help, but maybe the rig just wasn't designed to
what we're trying to do, and we need something larger running low power.
. WA0CAF says: I'm pretty sure the cause of the heating is a
difference in the duty cycle between EchoLink and normal usage. (Hear Dick,
WA0CAF, tell you in his own words in the podcast audio edition.)
Well, I guess I can't stump you with that troubleshooting question. Most
everyone knows from experience that radios running high duty cycle modes
like FM get warm to the touch even after relatively short transmissions.
Just to sum up, in EchoLink or IRLP node radio operation the transmitter
would be keyed during almost the entire length of the net. It would not be
surprising for it to get too hot to touch. A radio in such service should
be operating at low power, have an unrestricted air flow around the heat
sink, not be operated in high temperature surroundings, and have its cooling
system augmented by a cooling fan.
Do you have a troubleshooting story? Email me at wa0tda@xxxxxxxx for
possible publication in next week's edition.
Patrick Tice
wa0tda@xxxxxxxx
Handiham Manager
_____
A dip in the pool
Today we have a question about something we find in virtually every ham
shack, and probably nearly every household, too: lead-tin solder.
G0B10 asks us: Which of the following is a danger from lead-tin solder?
Possible answers are:
A. Lead can contaminate food if hands are not washed carefully after
handling.
B. High voltages can cause lead-tin solder to disintegrate suddenly.
C. Tin in the solder can "cold flow" causing shorts in the circuit.
D. RF energy can convert the lead into a poisonous gas.
This one is something you might know about if you have followed the news
about lead in the environment over the years. Lead-tin solder is being
replaced by new lead-free solder, driven in part by regulations eliminating
lead from consumer electronics in the European Union. The reason is that
lead is a toxin, and can cause health problems if ingested. It makes sense
to use less of it in consumer products of all types. The correct answer is
A: Lead can contaminate food if hands are not washed carefully after
handling.
It is good practice to wash your hands before eating if you are using solder
of any kind. Traces of lead may not seem to do immediate harm, but the
accumulation of even trace amounts of lead in the body over time can cause
nervous system damage and other disorders.
_____
Remote Base Health Report for 31 August 2011
Description: Kenwood TS-480 transceiver, used in both remote base stations.
Both stations are operational.
W0EQO is on line. W0ZSW is on line as of this publication date. Users may
choose IRB Sound on the W0ZSW station if they prefer it over SKYPE. The
W0EQO station does require SKYPE, however. IRB Sound on W0EQO has been
noticed to have dropouts on transmit. W0ZSW was offline for a short time
this morning for updates, which have been completed successfully.
* Summer band conditions: The Upper Midwest of the United States has
been experiencing high temperatures and very humid air masses. These
conditions make for frequent thunderstorms, which cause horrendous levels of
static on the HF bands. This will make the remote bases a little hard to
use at times. Conditions may be best in the late night and early pre-dawn
hours when thunderstorms have quieted down a bit.
* At the same time, the daytime band conditions on 75 and 40 meters
have been rather poor due to absorption brought on by the long sunny days
here in the Northern Hemisphere. Trying to check into the PICONET on 3.925
MHz has been a challenge!
You can view the status page at: <http://www.handiham.org/node/1005>
http://www.handiham.org/node/1005
_____
This week @ HQ
Description: Handiham headquarters at Camp Courage, Maple Lake Minnesota
* Labor Day holiday: The office will be closed Friday through Monday,
September 2 - 5, for an extended Labor Day holiday. Nancy will be in the
office Tuesday, while Pat returns to work on Wednesday.
* The tape digest will be delayed or not published at all this month
because our 4-track recorder has stopped working. If anyone has one to
donate, we would sure appreciate it. George reported that the existing
recorder failed yesterday.
* Matt, KA0PQW, has completed the second Wouxun audio tutorial. The
series is here:
1. http://handiham.org/manuals/Wouxun/KG-UVD1P/01-wouxun_ht.mp3
<http://handiham.org/manuals/Wouxun/KG-UVD1P/01-wouxun_ht.mp3>
2. http://handiham.org/manuals/Wouxun/KG-UVD1P/02-wouxun_ht.mp3
<http://handiham.org/manuals/Wouxun/KG-UVD1P/02-wouxun_ht.mp3>
. Tonight is EchoLink net night. The Wednesday evening EchoLink net
is at 19:30 United States Central time, which translates to 00:30 GMT
Thursday morning.
EchoLink nodes:
* KA0PQW-R, node 267582
* N0BVE-R, node 89680
* *HANDIHAM* conference server Node 494492 (Our preferred
high-capacity node.)
o Other ways to connect:
* IRLP node 9008 (Vancouver BC reflector)
* WIRES system number 1427
* Stay in touch! Be sure to send Nancy your changes 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 - 2011.
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 2011.
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 $12 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 $36.
. Lifetime membership is $120.
. If you can't afford the dues, request a 90 day non-renewable
sponsored membership.
. 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
_____
Description: 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.
Courage Center Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
763-520-0512
hamradio@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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- » [handiham-world] Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 31 August 2011 - Patrick Tice
