[image: Logo for Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, part of Allina
Health]
*Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for
the week of Wednesday, December 20, 2017*
This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny
Handiham Program <https://handiham.org>, serving people with disabilities
in Amateur Radio since 1967.
Our contact information is at the end.
Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham20DEC2017.mp3
Get this podcast in iTunes:
[image: Subscribe to our audio podcast in iTunes]
<http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406>
RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham ;<http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham>
Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.
<//www.freelists.org/list/handiham-world>
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*Welcome to Handiham World.*
*In this edition: *
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*A note from the coordinator*
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* Santa Nets *
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* Ham Radio In the News*
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* Win Some Handiham History Loot *
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* In Amateur Radio History…*
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*Check into our nets!*
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*...And more!*
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*A note from the coordinator...*
As 2017 comes to a close, we end our celebration of the 50th anniversary of
the Handiham Program. It has been good to look back over the years of the
program as we plan for the future. There is one last big change coming as
we end our 50 year birthday festivities—the Handiham site is being redone!
During the interview process last summer, Handiham members shared their
wishes for an upgraded Handiham Program website, so Santa is delivering
over the holidays. You will find that the website will be offline for parts
of the next couple weeks. Please be patient, and check back for the updated
site. I look forward to hearing your feedback once the new site is online!
In the Handiham Program office, we are preparing for the holiday break.
Work will continue as normal on Thursday, December 21, but that is the last
day for normal office hours until January 3, 2018. Please be sure to
contact Nancy or me right away if you need anything because we will not be
responding to phone calls or emails during the break. Don’t forget, if you
currently use old links to access content on the website, be aware that
they will no longer work after the new website is rolled out. If you need
to update anything like your contact information, call sign, license class,
membership, or members only log-in information, you can email Nancy at
Nancy.Meydell@xxxxxxxxxx.
Answer the Handiham History trivia question correctly to be eligible to win
this week’s loot! Winners will need to respond, confirming their contact
information before we send out your prize. Please note: only current
Handiham Members are eligible to win.
In the E-Letter this week there are some links to Santa Nets. There is a
link to NASA’s yearlong special event station, and, in honor of the end of
2017, there is an article about transatlantic testing that took place in
1921.
Do you have a story to share about assistive technology or ham radio
related activities? Please send your articles and stories via email to
Lucinda.Moody@xxxxxxxxxx or by calling me at 612-775-2290.
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* Santa Nets *
I had the privilege of being Net Control for a local Santa Net several
years ago, a fun and memorable experience! I highly recommend helping the
little ones in your life talk to Santa. It is a great way to introduce them
to ham radio! Check out the links below if you need help finding Santa.
Listen in on your local repeaters too. Santa nets are often run on
Christmas Eve locally. Don’t forget to track the Big Guy himself on
Christmas Eve at https://www.noradsanta.org/.
http://www.3916nets.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/3916santanet/
and a clip from a 2016 Santa Net on YouTube: https://youtu.be/akTgr086kic
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* Ham Radio in the News*
NASA Yearlong Special Event Station—NASA On the Air.
[image: image of moon surface with lunar landing module, astronaut, and
United States flag with text, NASA on the air. Amateur Radio Special Event
December 2017 through December 2018.]
https://nasaontheair.wordpress.com/
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* Win Some Handiham History Loot *
Here is your chance to own a piece of Handiham Program history! This week,
we are offering another 40th Anniversary Handiham hat. These hats were
originally offered in 2007 as part of the celebration of forty years of the
Handiham Program. If you want a chance to win this hat, make sure your
membership is current and answer the following question:
[image: Tan baseball style cap with embroidered Handiham 40th Anniversary
logo on the front” width=]
* What was Ott Miller’s Call Sign? (Hint: Check out past E-Letters from
2017 if you are not sure of the answers to these questions.) *
You can send your answer via email to Nancy.Meydell@xxxxxxxxxx or call
612-775-2291. Make sure to include your name, call sign, license class, and
current contact information. We will pick the winner on Wednesday, January
3, 2018.
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* In Amateur Radio History...*
* Transatlantic Tests Succeed! *
[image: black and white image of ham radio operator at desk]
International DXing is taken for granted by a lot of radio amateurs
nowadays, but a look at the QSO card of Jim Russell, W8BU, reminds us that
it wasn’t always so…
Russell, formerly 8BU, was a retired attorney from a suburb of Cleveland,
Ohio, and had applied for membership in the Handiham Program. His card
touted the fact that he was one of about 30 American ham operators who took
part in the first successful Transatlantic Sending Tests in 1921.
The Tests, conducted by the American Radio Relay League, marked the
beginning of world-wide Amateur Radio communication as we know it today.
Details of the epoch-making accomplishment were documented in the January
1922 issue of QST.
The December 1921 tests were actually the second attempt at verifiable
transatlantic transmissions by amateurs. The first test failed several
months before. Although American ship operators had reported hearing
signals from American amateurs during transatlantic runs prior to the
tests, there was considerable doubt that the low power, short wave
transmissions of amateurs could be heard across the Atlantic.
In 1921, the ARRL took responsibility for the transatlantic tests. Given
the state of commercial communication and transportation at the time,
elaborate arrangements had to be made.
The ARRL sent an American listener to England to supplement the efforts of
the British amateurs and facilitate “free-for-all” periods of the testing
which gave all amateurs in the United States a chance to participate in the
tests. Paul F. Godley, then considered “America’s most expert operator in
the reception of short wave signals,” was chosen as the overseas listener.
Godley had originally planned to use the receiving station of Commander
Frank Phillips near London, but initial results there were discouraging,
and he moved to Ardrossan-Moor in Scotland. There he erected a tent with a
lantern and oil stove and a 1300 foot long “beverage” wire antenna for his
temporary station. Godley was accompanied by an official listener, D. E.
Pearson of the Marconi Company in Glasgow, to watch and verify the
reception of every signal.
For six hours each night, December 7th to the 16th, transmissions were made
by amateurs in America and watch was kept by Godley in Scotland. Each night
was divided into two parts, the first part from 7 to 9:30 pm EST was
free-for-all period, consisting of 10 periods of 15 minutes each. During
each period, all amateurs in a given inspection district called “test” and
signed. The periods were rotated so that all districts would have an equal
chance of being received.
The second part of each night, from 9:30 pm to 1:00 am EST, was devoted to
individual stations which had been chosen earlier as the best American
stations through preliminary qualifications. The preliminary qualification
criterion was that the station be able to cover 1,000 miles overland.
Sealed secret cypher combinations were assigned to qualifying stations
along with individual transmission schedules. These selected stations
transmitted for rotating 15 minute periods during the second half of the
test period each night.
Although the cyphers and calls of several American stations were heard
during the testing period, the distinction of sending the first amateur
transatlantic message ever goes to E. H. Armstrong, 1BCG, Greenwich,
Connecticut. The message, which carried congratulations to Godley from the
ARRL, was received on December 12, 1921 and was acknowledged by Godley by
cable. An interesting sidelight is that the very first signal heard in the
test came from 1AAW who was later determined to be operating an illegal
station. 1AAW declined stepping forward to claim the honor of being the
first station heard overseas.
Elation over the successful transatlantic testing prompted the following
prediction in QST many years ago: “It is with much trepidation that we
venture to talk of the future. Who can say? But surely these
accomplishments open the road to a broader field of Citizen Radio. The
scientific world is startled at our ARRL’s achievement. In the most graphic
way, we have demonstrated the high radiation efficiency of the shortwaves.
To put a message across the Atlantic on less than one kilowatt! It was
done. To cross the Atlantic on antenna powers of 50 watts or less! It was
done. To get over on wave lengths sometimes under 200 meters, with our
aerials that are as grasshoppers to the commercial stations. That too was
done.
“We sincerely hope that, as a result of these tests, Amateurs not only in
Britain but on the Continent as well will be inspired to get into the relay
game and duplicate our feat in the reverse direction giving us the
opportunity to repay our debt to them; that being shown possible, one-way
amateur traffic to England and other countries may begin soon on schedule;
and that the British authorities in particular will be so impressed by the
potentialities of such work as demonstrated by our tests that the amateur
restrictions in that country may soon be sufficiently modified to give hope
to two-way amateur communication across the Atlantic.
“Surely radio has been given added impetus by these tests, and certainly
the day of International Private Radio has been brought closer!”
*Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! *
How to find the Handiham Net:
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The Handiham EchoLink conference is 494492. Connect via your iPhone,
Android phone, PC, or on a connected simplex node or repeater system in
your area.
The Handiham Net will be on the air daily. If there is no net control
station on any scheduled net day, we will have a roundtable on the air
get-together.
[image: Cartoon multicolored stickman family holding hands, one
wheelchair user among them.]
Our daily Echolink net continues to operate for anyone and everyone who
wishes to participate at 11:00 hours CDT (Noon Eastern and 09:00 Pacific),
as well as Wednesday evenings at 19:00 hours CDT (7 PM). If you calculate
GMT, the time difference is that GMT is six hours ahead of Minnesota time
during the winter.
Doug, N6NFF, poses a trivia question in the first half of the Wednesday
evening session, so check in early if you want to take a guess. The answer
to the trivia question is generally given shortly after the half-hour mark.
A big THANK YOU to all of our net control stations and to Michael, VE7KI,
the Handiham Radio Club Net Manager.
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*Membership*
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*You can pay your Handiham dues and certain other program fees on line.
Simply follow the link to our secure payment site, then enter your
information and submit the payment. *
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Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00. The lifetime membership
rate is $120.00.
MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK
<https://pay.usbank.com/default.aspx?id=COURAGE_KENNY_HANDIHAMS>
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If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our
donation website. The instructions are at the following link:
DONATION LINK <http://www.handiham.org/drupal2/node/8>
How to contact us
There are several ways to contact us.
*Postal Mail: *
*Courage Kenny Handiham Program 3915 Golden Valley Road MR#78446 Golden
Valley, MN 55422*
*E-Mail: **Nancy.Meydell@xxxxxxxxxx* <Nancy.Meydell@xxxxxxxxxx>
*Preferred telephone: 1-612-775-2291 Toll-Free telephone: 1-866-HANDIHAM
(1-866-426-3442)*
Note: Mondays through Thursdays between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM United States
Central Time are the best times to contact us.
You may also call Handiham Program Coordinator Lucinda Moody, AB8WF, at:
612-775-2290.
73, and I hope to hear you on the air soon!
For Handiham World, this is Lucinda Moody, AB8WF
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 Nancy.Meydell@xxxxxxxxxx
for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address
and your new address.
