Handiham World for 22 August 2012

Welcome to Handiham World.

New Tech Net Offers a Chance to Get Questions Answered

We all run into technical problems with our amateur radio equipment, antennas, computers - you name it. Ham radio is a highly technical activity, so we all need resources to help us answer questions and figure out how to track down solutions. Of course there are on line forums for such things, but having an on the air "tech net" gives us a much more spontaneous and interactive way to participate in a group discussion that may well help us learn new things.  The idea is for the Tech Net to facilitate discussions about technical topics.  It is not a lecture series, nor is it a "check in for the count" kind of net.  We welcome participants whether they simply want to tune in and listen or whether they want to transmit to ask or answer a technical question. 
It isn't every day that we launch a new net. The official start date is on Thursday, 6 September 2012. The net will meet at 7:00 PM each Thursday United States Central Time and will remain true to local time throughout the year. To be sure we are clear about this, the net will meet at 7:00 PM Minnesota time summer and winter, regardless of the change between Standard Time and Daylight Time.  This means that there will be a one hour shift relative to GMT each Autumn and again in the Spring. It is just easier to stick to the same indicated local time than to use a static GMT hour.
In the summertime, when the Tech Net is on the air at 7:00 PM (19:00 hours), the GMT hour will be 19:00 + 5, making the net time 24:00 (or 00:00) GMT.  In the winter, when Minnesota goes to Standard Time, the difference between Minnesota time and GMT becomes + 6 hours.  In that case, the net is heard at 0:100 hours GMT.
Please feel free to get on the HANDIHAM conference the next couple of Thursdays at what will be our official net time for pre-Tech Net anticipation discussions!
Here are some key things to remember about the new Tech Net:

• It is perfectly okay to simply listen to learn. You are participating just by listening. 
• You should check in if you have a comment or question related to a technical topic. (Checking in to get on a net roster is not part of this net.)
• When it is clear that a particular topic is under discussion and the discussion is not finished, please do feel free to add to the discussion if you have additional information on that topic. If you have some other technical question not related to the topic at hand, please wait until the current topic has been discussed and it is time to move on. 
• The net will be moderated and the discussion facilitated by the Net Control Station (NCS). 
• The Handiham Tech Net will meet each Thursday evening at 7:00 PM USA Central Time and last around an hour. 
• The net is heard on the following nodes and links:

HANDIHAM conference server Node 494492 (Our preferred high-capacity node.)
KA0PQW-R, node 267582
KA0PQW-L, node 538131
N0BVE-R, node 89680
IRLP node 9008 (Vancouver BC reflector)
WIRES system number 1427

Email me at handiham@couragecenter.org with your questions & comments.   
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Handiham Manager