Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Handiham World for 28 November 2012

Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 28 November 2012

This is a free weekly news & information update from Courage Center Handiham System. Our contact information is at the end, or simply email handiham@couragecenter.org for changes in subscriptions or to comment. You can listen to this news online.
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Welcome to Handiham World.

What do you know about the HF bands?

It's starting to look like newly-licensed amateur radio operators need some help understanding which band to use and when.

Back in the day, I entered amateur radio by earning a Novice license that was valid for one year. In that year, I was expected to get on the HF bands and increase my Morse code speed so that I could pass my General exam and use phone and more HF frequencies. In that year, I learned to use 80 meters in the nighttime hours for long-distance contacts and during the daylight hours for more local contacts here in Minnesota. 15 meters would prove useful in the daylight hours for worldwide communications, provided the band was "open" - and one learned that when it was not open, no amount of calling CQ would ever yield a contact. There was no getting on the air without an antenna, and for a teenager with almost no budget for ham radio, that meant building my own antennas. That's a good way to learn that an antenna for the 80 meter band takes up a lot of real estate while one for the 15 meter band will fit in nearly any yard.

Once I passed my General under the keen eye of an FCC examiner in St. Paul, MN I was ready to take advantage of all the HF bands. That meant more antenna building, which in turn taught me more about the relationship of conductor length and spacing to wavelength. Since directional antennas were said to pull in more DX, I had to build a beam antenna. I was on the roof of my parent's house putting the final touches on a three element 15 meter beam when a kid rode up on a bike and called up to me to ask if I was a ham radio operator. We both ended up enjoying amateur radio as lifelong activities. One of the things we both liked was participating in our local radio club's ARRL Field Day, another prime learning activity. At the Field Day site one could put up antennas for various bands and learn the physical characteristics of antennas designed for different frequencies. Even better, there were seasoned operators at the Field Day site to teach the newbies like us when the bands were open and which bands would yield the most contacts at any given time of day. Since Field Day usually includes different modes and power levels, we were able to learn first-hand which was most effective for a given type of communication considering band conditions and the competition.

There's no point in suggesting that "the good old days" were better than today. I would never do that, because we enjoy such a wide range of opportunities in amateur radio right now!

But... We do have to acknowledge that people enter amateur radio through a different license these days. The Technician license is most often considered a portal to the VHF and UHF bands even though it does confer some limited HF privileges. The typical Technician operator will gravitate toward FM repeater operation and will not consider HF operation until passing General. With the General Class CSCE in hand after the VE session, the new General operator now has really serious HF privileges and virtually no HF experience.

Now, let's look at what this means.

Since I administer the remote base HF stations, I notice what bands and modes people are trying to use at different times of the day and night. I observe connections via Echolink for the receive function, too. Users are often connected and listening to what must sound rather odd since they are using the wrong sideband for a given HF band. Others are listening or trying to make contacts at a time of day when a band is almost certainly dead.
In my work I often hear from new General Class licensees who are eager to get on the air but who have no idea that HF antennas are much, much larger than the VHF antennas they are used to. They also have not considered the kind of HF operation they really want to try. They are blissfully unaware of the problems they will encounter with RF interference. Some live in apartments with no access to outdoor space for antennas. I know I am going to have to manage expectations for folks who have already sunk a bundle into a new HF station without considering the lack of space for an outside antenna system. Others have plenty of space for antennas but no help to put them up.
Once on the air, the new General operator has no experience with the different operating practices found on HF. Typically the new General will not have been a short-wave listener and will not have much (if any) exposure to how a typical contact is made on the HF bands. Even then, he or she will be unaware of the difference between contest operating and casual contacts and what expectations there are for each.

Fortunately, we have plenty of learning resources. The internet has many HF resources that include descriptions of each HF band and its characteristics. Radio clubs still enthusiastically participate in ARRL Field Day, which remains one of the best places to get hands-on experience putting up antennas for various bands and dealing with station layout, band conditions, and interference. In fact, your local radio club is still an excellent learning resource because club meetings will sometimes include programs on HF operation and antennas and many of the attendees will have extensive HF experience and be willing to share. Some clubs have a "MAP", or "Member Assistance Program", that can help you with station layout and antenna installation. Experienced HF operators on the club's MAP team may be willing to visit your home and take measurements of your lot in order to recommend an effective HF antenna system.

If you are new to HF, it is normal to have many questions about how to get on the air. You most likely have not been on HF before, even if you have been a Tech for years. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't expect to learn everything all at once. It will take time and patience for you to learn which bands are best for whatever communications you want to try. Since band conditions are variable and change radically by the hour, time of day, with solar and terrestrial weather conditions, and seasonally, you will have to plan to learn in the long term. Take advantage of club programs and events. Do some reading - there are some great resources available in print and on the web. Get into the ham shack and listen, listen, listen! Make contacts on different bands to learn more about RF propagation and operating practices. Start with casual, informal contacts or friendly regional HF nets and as you learn, try the more challenging world of contesting. Try collecting a few QSL cards. Make an HF schedule with a friend.

If you are an experienced HF operator, answer a CQ on the air. Be patient with our new HF licensees and help them to learn. Point them to a welcoming HF net or suggest that they try a higher frequency band such as 15 meters when you know it will be open to DX. Suggest working all states. Ask if the new op has any questions. You may be surprised at some of them - things you know might be entirely new concepts to someone else.

Let's get out there and enjoy HF!

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

Volunteer hours needed

George, N0SBU, finds room for an antenna in the storeroom following radio camp.

Handiham volunteer George Lavallee, N0SBU, finds a place in the storeroom for a two meter beam after a Handiham Radio Camp session. George has been a volunteer for years and understands the value of helping to share ham radio with others through the Handiham program. His most recent volunteer work has been with the audio cassette tape duplication for our blind members, and he has helped us organize Handiham historical documents. George regularly reports his volunteer hours to our office by sending the total to Nancy, who makes sure that the information is passed on to Courage Center's Volunteer Department.

Why report hours?

Volunteer hours are a measure of a program's activity within Courage Center. Our Handiham volunteer hours have dropped precipitously - not because our volunteers are doing less, but because we no longer have volunteers clocking in to a physical location like the old Handiham repair shop that we used to have in Golden Valley. Those hours were easy to collect and track because guys like Rex Kiser, W0GLU, who headed up our shop team, could just go right to the Volunteer Office to sign his time card each day that he worked in the shop. Those day are gone, along with the volunteers like Rex, who is a silent key. Today's volunteers usually work at home recording audio or assessing used radio equipment. Electronic communications and transfers of recorded audio are now the norm, and there is no need to physically travel to a volunteer office in Golden Valley to sign a time card. The result is that these valuable volunteer hours are not being recorded. The stakes are higher than you might realize because some funding from outside agencies can depend on volunteer activities taking place in their geographic areas.
So don't just assume that you are reporting hours for recognition and milestone awards from Courage Center. It is much more than that - it really helps our program to get those hours recorded! I know you are not in it for the recognition. Our volunteers are dedicated to helping others advance in amateur radio, learning new things and making friends on the air. We get that, and we really appreciate your work on our behalf. Please send Nancy your hours soon, so that we can get them recorded before the end of 2012.
It's easy!

Make a short list of your volunteer activities if you need to remind yourself of what you did over the past year. Here's an example:
- Recorded for blind members each month.
- Represented Handihams at a hamfest two times.
- Gave a program about Handihams at my local club or service organization.
- Taught a class for Handihams (Radio Camp or other event)
- Repaired a broken radio for the equipment program.
Estimate the hours spent on each of these activities and add to get your total estimated annual hours. Include travel time to volunteer activities.
Send Nancy your hours via email or call her directly at 1-763-520-0512. Her email address is hamradio@couragecenter.org.

Now let's get back to George, N0SBU, for a moment. We are featuring him in this story because he is the only volunteer who is currently reporting his hours! Please don't assume that just because you were at Radio Camp or have done some other activity that we automatically recorded your hours. There is no way for us to know how long it took you to prepare for the classes you taught or how much time you took to travel to camp or to an event. All we need is a simple estimate and a brief mention if you wish of what activity it was that you did. A quick email and you are done - and it will really help us out!
Thanks again for all that you do!

Correspondence:

Dick, WA0CAF, likes a link to a blog article entitled "Windows 8 — Disappointing Usability for Both Novice and Power Users":

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/windows-8.html

Ken, KB3LLA, writes about NPR on the iPhone:

I got the "NPR News" app on my iPhone. Am very happy.
73, Ken
Editor's note: Thanks for both of these notes about new media. We think that the jury's still out on Windows 8, but time will certainly tell us whether the new operating system holds promise for people with disabilities and for use in the ham shack. For now yours truly is sticking with Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. If you have decided to get a new computer that features Windows 8, please share your experience with us. We are particularly interested in compatibility with amateur radio applications and screenreaders like NVDA. As for the NPR app, we agree - it's awesome!

Ken also writes about an opportunity for students:

To Prospective NASA Student Interns with Disabilities,
NASA is looking to increase the number of students with disabilities pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers through our internship programs.
NASA has a two-percent hiring goal for employment of people with disabilities and internships are a good way to get experience. Students can apply for summer internships now! The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, March 15, 2013, and we will begin extending offers to students as early as February 2, 2013.
Read more on the Handiham website:
http://www.handiham.org/node/154

Handiham Nets

We are on the air daily at 11:00 USA Central Time, plus Wednesday & Thursday evenings at 19:00 USA Central Time.

Join us on the Thursday evening Handiham Radio Club TechNet. The frequency in the local Minnesota repeater coverage zone: 145.45 FM, negative offset with no tone and 444.65 MHz with 114.8 Hz tone in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota. The UHF repeater will be heard more easily in the Eastern Twin Cities. You will find our daily net on the air at 11:00 hours USA Central Time, with the Sunday session featuring a special trivia question theme for a change of pace. A Wednesday evening session at 19:00 hours USA Central Time also offers a chance to take a guess at a trivia question and visit with your friends on the air. Ideal for those who can't make the daily morning session! Then Thursday evening at 19:00 hours return to the Tech net and learn something new!

EchoLink nodes:
*HANDIHAM* conference server Node 494492 (Our preferred high-capacity node.)
*VAN-IRLP*, node 256919
KA0PQW-R, node 267582
KA0PQW-L, node 538131
N0BVE-R, node 89680
Other ways to connect:
IRLP node 9008 (Vancouver BC reflector)
WIRES system number 1427

A dip in the pool

It's time to test our knowledge by taking a dip in the pool - the question pool, that is!

Let's go to the General Class pool, and this time we are going to pick a question for our HF newbies!
G1B08 asks, "When choosing a transmitting frequency, what should you do to comply with good amateur practice?"
Possible answers are:
A. Review FCC Part 97 Rules regarding permitted frequencies and emissions
B. Follow generally accepted band plans agreed to by the Amateur Radio community.
C. Before transmitting, listen to avoid interfering with ongoing communication
D. All of these choices are correct
I hinted to you that this was one for our newcomers to the HF bands. Answers A, B, and C are all good ideas, so the correct answer is D, all of these choices are correct. Few of us need to consult Part 97 for much of anything after we get a bit of experience on the air, but remember that new hams will not have the experience that you and I do if we have been hams for years. Even so, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I keep a copy of my ARRL "US Amateur Radio Bands" chart on the wall of the ham shack just in case I need to make sure that I can operate a particular mode on a band segment I don't often use. The Frequency Chart is not the same thing as the band plan, which is much more detailed and largely voluntary. You can find the band plan at http://www.arrl.org/band-plan. The idea behind the voluntary band plan is to keep interference to a minimum while increasing the likelihood of successful contacts among users of particular modes. For example, lower sideband is used by convention on 75 meters, even though the FCC does not say that we must use lower sideband. You could use upper sideband, but your transmissions would possibly cause interference to others on the band and would not be copied by anyone whose receiver was set to lower sideband. Finally, it is always good to listen before transmitting to make sure that the frequency is not already in use.
Please e-mail handiham@couragecenter.org to comment.

Remote Base health report: W0EQO is on line. W0ZSW is on line.
Work continues on the remote base software. Both stations are accessible via Echolink for receive. Look for W0ZSW-L and W0EQO-L using the search function in your Echolink application. Please note that it is not allowed to connect through RF to the two remote base Echolink nodes, you can only use the Echolink application of a computer or smartphone.

Echolink tip: Control the HF receiver frequency by typing it into the text box. Example: Get focus in the text box, then type 10 and press the enter key. The receiver goes to WWV, 10 MHz. Type 14.3 and press enter to go to the maritime mobile net on 20m. If the band seems dead, it may be that someone else has used the radio on another band and the antenna has not been tuned to the band you want to listen to. The antenna is only tuned when a user logs in with the W4MQ software and transmits. The LDG autotuner senses the RF and tunes.

No more tape digests and manuals

Please remember that the cassette tape digest ceases following the mailing at the end of November! After that all audio is in DAISY digital format or on line through the members only section of handiham.org. The Library of Congress 4-track tape system will no longer be supported in any form after 2012.
George, N0SBU, reminds us that the final tape digest mailing is out and we will no longer support cassette tapes. We do not accept donations of cassette tapes or tape equipment.
Digital mailers are important: If you do mail a digital cartridge to us, please be sure that it is an approved free matter mailer. Otherwise it will quickly cost us several dollars to package and mail out, which is more than the cost of the mailer in the first place. We don't have a stock of cartridges or mailers and not including a mailer will result in a long delay getting your request back out to you.
DAISY audio digests are available for our blind members who do not have computers, playable in your Library of Congress digital player. Handiham members who use these players and who would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly audio digests on the special Library of Congress digital cartridge should send a blank cartridge to us in a cartridge mailer (no envelopes, please), so that we can place the files on it and return it to you via free matter postal mail. Your callsign should be on both the cartridge and the mailer so that we can make sure we know who it's from. Blank cartridges and mailers are available from APH, the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Catalog Number: 1-02610-00, Price: $12.00
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Mailer Catalog Number: 1-02611-00, Price: $2.50
Order Toll-Free: (800) 223-1839.
The Library of Congress NLS has a list of vendors for the digital cartridges:
http://www.loc.gov/nls/cartridges/index.html
Get it all on line as an alternative: Visit the DAISY section on the Handiham website after logging in.

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@couragecenter.org or call her at 763-520-0512. If you need to use the toll-free number, call 1-866-426-3442.
Handiham Manager Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, may be reached at handiham@couragecenter.org or by phone at 763-520-0511.
Mornings Monday through Thursday are the best time to contact us.
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, KD0LPX, at 763-520-0532 or email him at walt.seibert@couragecenter.org.
Call 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.
Email us to subscribe:
hamradio@couragecenter.org
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@couragecenter.org or handiham@couragecenter.org

Nancy, Handiham Secretary:
hamradio@couragecenter.org

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 handiham@couragecenter.org 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@couragecenter.org

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Handiham World for 21 November 2012

Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 21 November 2012

http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406
RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham

Welcome to Handiham World.

Being thankful

Cornucopia spilling out fruit - and a handheld radio!

At Handihams, we have many people to thank for their support.

We have our volunteers, our donors, our members who progress through their licensing classes, and long-time members who enjoy getting on the air. We have our radio campers and enthusiastic net participants. Then there are the early adopters who ferret out new technologies and share news about them with the rest of us.

Volunteers have always been key to keeping the program running. In fact, the Handiham System was first and foremost a volunteer effort from the very beginning. Today we run it with just a small paid staff (me and Nancy) and the facilities and infrastructure of our parent organization, Courage Center. This is particularly important right now because of our big move from the Courage Center Camping Department to the Courage Center Community-Based Services. And by "move" I don't mean that we just changed the organizational chart. We actually did move the Handiham System clear back from Camp Courage at Maple Lake, Minnesota to Courage Center in Golden Valley, Minnesota, 50 miles to the east. If you have ever moved an office, you have an inkling of what is involved. You have to sort, file, pack, and pitch. Boxes pile up. Decisions must be made. Logistical planning goes on for weeks. Eventually moving day comes and so does the moving crew.

The whole process takes a lot of time and effort, but do you know what?

Our services pretty much kept up with the usual delivery schedule, even through the move!

That would never have been possible without your help.

Our volunteer readers, especially Bob Zeida, N1BLF, and Ken Padgitt, W9MJY, stuck to their recording schedule so that we could get our magazine digests out to members in a timely manner. Bob stepped up to the plate and helped me with QST, assuring that our blind members would get their Digital NLS Daisy cartridges in spite of the move.
Our Net Advisory group and net control operators took charge of the daily net and kept it on the air.
The Remote Base Software group kept working on the testing process behind the scenes, and Jose, KK4JZX, continued the refinement process of the next software release.
ARRL and CQ Communications continued to refer prospective members to us and to help us get our message out.
The Stillwater (MN) Amateur Radio Association (SARA) assists with the equipment program, which is undergoing a complete revision.

It was great to have all this help while we took care of the big move. Of course there will be plenty more to do as we move forward into the new year, but we will continue to deliver our audio lectures, weekly podcasts and e-letters, and other services as we have done in the past year. The remote base stations should be working better than ever when the new software is available, and the equipment program should be up and running once again.

We are thankful indeed!

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

Camp Courage & Courage North are part of a new camp organization

Dining hall at Courage North, South entrance

Courage Center Camps and Friendship Ventures are partnering to create a new camp organization to serve people with disabilities, effective Nov. 19, 2012. The new organization will be called “Camps of Courage and Friendship” until a formal name study is completed in 2013. Campers, volunteers and staff will see traditional programs continue in 2013. Behind the scenes, new methods and approaches will be developed to incorporate the strengths of both organizations.
Learn more at:
www.campscouragefriendship.org
Handiham Radio Camp is tentatively scheduled for the Woodland campus, Camp Courage in late July and early August. No pricing has been set, but tentative dates are July 28 - August 2, 2013. That would make travel days Sunday and Friday.

Handiham System is part of Community-Based Services

The Courage Center Handiham System is now one of Courage Center's Community-Based Services. It had been a part of Courage Camps until October, 2012.
In addition to inpatient and outpatient medical rehabilitation services, Courage Center offers a number of services that support life in the community for people with disabilities or complex health conditions. Some of these services are actually provided in a community setting, others are based at one or more of our locations. The Handiham System is one of these programs that is available anywhere, thanks to web-based online delivery of many services. It has members worldwide.
We look forward to continuing our Handiham services as part of this new Courage Center organizational structure.

Correspondence:

Dick, WA0CAF, passes on a link to the new NVDA open source screenreader release:

http://www.nvda-project.org/blog/NVDA2012.3Released

Gord, VA3WXA, writes about weather radio:

Hi folks. This is Gord VA3WXA. I have been a ham for three years and I have been blind all my life.
I have had an interest in weather and Weather Radio since I was in my mid-teens. It has been one of my main points of conversation during QSOs on various repeaters and nets that I have checked into.
Last fall, I started up a Weather Radio Listeners Newsletter which is issued quarterly in: February, May, August and November. It is available by email distribution and on various websites that I have become affiliated with over the past few months.
Late this past Spring I have also started up a net devoted to Weather Radio and it has been going quite well, with an average number of check ins around 20 per week. We meet at 6:00 PM CT on IRLP reflector 9034 and it is mainly a check in net. We have also had guest speakers on with us, primarily from Environment Canada. These have been selected by myself and others on the mailing list to educate others about Weather Radio and to allow questions to be put forth and answered.
In case you don't know what Weather Radio is, it's a VHF broadcast service provided by both Environment Canada and the U.S. National Weather Service to the general populace to inform of current weather conditions and impending weather emergencies. Environment Canada broadcasts these signals across the nation twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in both English and French in Canada, and primarily in English in the US, however it can be heard in both English and Spanish on some stations. It can be heard on the following frequencies (in MHz): 162.400, 162.425, 162.450, 162.475, 162.500, 162.525, 162.550. With about ninety percent of the population living within range of a Weather Radio transmitter, most of us can hear the broadcasts. In some selected areas, the reports and warnings are also broadcast on the regular AM and FM bands. Of course you need a radio that can hear the signal and there are specific receivers made strictly to listen to weather radio transmissions. But with most of today's amateur rigs having wide frequency receive capabilities, most of us can hear these broadcasts on our handheld, mobile, and base two meter radios. One of the nice things about this service is that you can hear more than just weather information on these broadcasts. Weather Radio is an all-hazards alert system that will provide information and warnings on a variety of situations that include blizzards, hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornados, tsunamis, biohazards, child abductions, civil emergencies, chemical hazards, contagious diseases, earthquakes, nuclear events, and many others. As you can tell, it would be very beneficial for every ham to monitor one of these frequencies. However, the sweetest thing about Weather Radio is not just the warnings and information. It's also about the way these warnings can be heard. Using a receiver designed to mute the audio until it detects a specific tone or stream of digital information sent along with the broadcast signal, you don't even have to listen to the actual transmission audio at all. There are two ways to do this. All warnings are preceded by a 1050 Hz tone. When a weather radio or other type of receiver that has this tone feature detects the tone, the squelch will open so the warning broadcast can be heard. This is very similar to our CTCSS or DCS tones and codes that are used to access repeaters or turn the audio on for a receiving rig. The more modern method now in use is called SAME, or Specific Area Message Encoding. Using digital signals in the broadcasts and a SAME enabled receiver, you not only can set the specific areas of any warnings or alerts to be notified of, but also what type of alert to be notified of. This means your receiver will monitor the signal in silence, but then blast a loud warning tone when a specific alert for your specifically chosen area or areas are transmitted. You will then hear the audio of the signal. As an example, if you have a SAME-enabled receiver and live in Toronto Ontario, you might program your radio to listen only to warnings that affect the city of Toronto only. Any warnings for any other areas are ignored, unless you are like me and leave your SAME radios on the ALL COUNTY feature. As well, you could set up the receiver so you only hear alerts regarding child abductions, earthquakes, and contagious diseases. If a hurricane is heading your way though, you would not be notified of it. Regardless, the SAME feature is quite versatile in letting you tailor the warnings for your own interests or requirements. Many ham rigs have the 1050 Hz tone enabled as an option if you chose to scan the weather radio frequencies. The squelch will open when the tone is detected so you can hear the alert broadcast. You can also buy separate older weather radio-specific receivers with the 1050 Hz tone, or newer receivers that are SAME enabled. For instance, my Yaesu FT60R handheld not only comes with the weather frequencies already programmed in, but if you select the WX alert option, during any type of scan activity the radio will scan the weather frequencies and will stop and open the squelch if the alert tone is heard. My Uniden BC346T trunking scanner will open the squelch when both a tone alert or a programmed SAME message is broadcast for the area that I select. Tests of the warning system are conducted on a regular basis so listeners can test their receivers. SAME tests in Canada are done around noon every Wednesday and the basic tone alert is done around noon on the first Wednesday of each month. In the US, tests of both SAME and the tone alert are done between 9:00 AM and noon on Wednesdays. There are some stations that do tests on Tuesday evenings though. I found that out while going on YouTube . Grab a listen and see what Weather Radio has for you. For more information visit the following websites http://www.ec.gc.ca/weatheradio, or go to www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr.
If you would like to join my mailing list you can send me an email at blindgordie@gmail.com and I will send you your own copy of all the newsletters that have been issued so far. I also send out monthly reports with other information that may or may not appear in the next issue.
As a fellow white caner I feel Weather Radio is a very important tool for us to use to keep informed about up coming weather, whether it is just the forecast or severe weather. I hope to hear from you if there is an interest in this service.

73, Gord
VA3WXA

Handiham Nets

We are on the air daily at 11:00 USA Central Time, plus Wednesday & Thursday evenings at 19:00 USA Central Time.

Special alert! There will be no scheduled Tech Net on Thanksgiving. Feel free to get on the air informally if you want to compare recipes for turkey leftovers.

A dip in the pool

It's time to test our knowledge by taking a dip in the pool - the question pool, that is!

Let's go to the Extra Class pool, and this time we are going to pretend that we are shopping for a new receiver. Its specs mention "noise figure".
E4C08 asks, How might lowering the noise figure affect receiver performance?
Possible answers are:
A. It would reduce the signal to noise ratio
B. It would improve weak signal sensitivity
C. It would reduce bandwidth
D. It would increase bandwidth
Okay, so do you want a receiver with a lower noise figure or one with a higher noise figure? Let's go to the bookshelf and pull down our letter "N" encyclopedia so that we can look up "noise figure".
Ha, ha, of course we don't have a set of old encyclopedias. Instead we will go to Wikipedia, which tells us:
The noise figure is the difference in decibels (dB) between the noise output of the actual receiver to the noise output of an “ideal” receiver with the same overall gain and bandwidth when the receivers are connected to matched sources at the standard noise temperature T0 (usually 290 K).
Obviously We would all rush out to buy an "ideal receiver" if such a thing were available. Hey, it would sure work great connected to an "isotropic antenna"! But of course we all live in the real world, in which the active components in our radio equipment are not perfect and hence add some unwanted noise to the received signal. Careful engineering and high-quality components can significantly reduce this unwanted noise. The "lower noise figure" in receiver specs means that the receiver design reduces the internally generated noise while not reducing the level of the signal being received - and that's a good thing because we are then improving weak signal sensitivity, answer B.
Please e-mail handiham@couragecenter.org to comment.

Echolink tip: Control the HF receiver frequency by typing it into the text box. Example: Get focus in the text box, then type 10 and press the enter key. The receiver goes to WWV, 10 MHz. Type 14.3 and press enter to go to the maritime mobile net on 20m. If the band seems dead, it may be that someone else has used the radio on another band and the antenna has not been tuned to the band you want to listen to. The antenna is only tuned when a user logs in with the W4MQ software and transmits. The LDG autotuner senses the RF and tunes.

If problems show up, please email handiham@couragecenter.org.
Keyboard commands list updated:
http://handiham.org/remotebase/w4mq-keyboard-commands/
Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be at moderate levels on days one, two, and three (21 Nov, 22 Nov, 23 Nov).
Credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

This week @ HQ

Thanksgiving in the United States is November 22. The Handiham office is closed on November 22 and 23 for a long Thanksgiving holiday. We also plan limited office hours between Christmas and New Year's. Change in address for equipment donations: Please contact Pat, WA0TDA, before making any donation of equipment. My phone number is 763-520-0511 and my email address is pat.tice@couragecenter.org. The address is now the same as our postal mailing address. This should simplify our contact information.
Courage Center Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
Equipment change: We no longer accept antennas, except small accessory antennas for handheld radios.
Please remember that the cassette tape digest ceases following the mailing at the end of November! After that all audio is in DAISY digital format or on line through the members only section of handiham.org. The Library of Congress 4-track tape system will no longer be supported in any form after 2012.
Digital mailers are important: If you do mail a digital cartridge to us, please be sure that it is an approved free matter mailer. Otherwise it will quickly cost us several dollars to package and mail out, which is more than the cost of the mailer in the first place. We don't have a stock of cartridges or mailers and not including a mailer will result in a long delay getting your request back out to you.
DAISY audio digests are available for our blind members who do not have computers, playable in your Library of Congress digital player. Handiham members who use these players and who would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly audio digests on the special Library of Congress digital cartridge should send a blank cartridge to us in a cartridge mailer (no envelopes, please), so that we can place the files on it and return it to you via free matter postal mail. Your callsign should be on both the cartridge and the mailer so that we can make sure we know who it's from. Blank cartridges and mailers are available from APH, the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Catalog Number: 1-02610-00, Price: $12.00
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Mailer Catalog Number: 1-02611-00, Price: $2.50
Order Toll-Free: (800) 223-1839.
The Library of Congress NLS has a list of vendors for the digital cartridges:
http://www.loc.gov/nls/cartridges/index.html
Get it all on line as an alternative: Visit the DAISY section on the Handiham website after logging in.

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@couragecenter.org or call her at 763-520-0512. If you need to use the toll-free number, call 1-866-426-3442.
Handiham Manager Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, may be reached at handiham@couragecenter.org or by phone at 763-520-0511.
Mornings Monday through Thursday are the best time to contact us.
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, KD0LPX, at 763-520-0532 or email him at walt.seibert@couragecenter.org.
Call 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.
Email us to subscribe:
hamradio@couragecenter.org
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@couragecenter.org or handiham@couragecenter.org

Nancy, Handiham Secretary:
hamradio@couragecenter.org

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 handiham@couragecenter.org 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@couragecenter.org

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 14 November 2012

http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406
RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham

Welcome to Handiham World.

"This will be good for something someday."

If only we could look into a crystal ball and see the future!

How many times have you thought that some electronic part or outdated, non-functioning radio was going to come in handy someday? Plenty of times, probably. And you put that part in a box, where it joined hundreds of other someday useful parts, things that become part of a future project. Except that most times the future is not what we expect.

Most everyone does this sort of thing to some extent. We have a junk drawer in the kitchen for miscellaneous odds and ends that don't seem to go anywhere else. The ham shack has its venerable junk box tradition, too. Sometimes the junk box does yield a useful treasure that just happens to be exactly what is needed to finish a project or complete a repair. But let's face it - the most likely scenario is that once something goes into the junk box, that is where it will stay for the next 20 years. Or longer. Sometimes much longer.

I was reminded of this a couple of days ago when I took a phone call from a nice fellow who was trying to handle a fellow radio amateur's estate. It didn't take me long to figure out that he had his work cut out for him. He had hoped that the Handihams could take electronic equipment, but I had to explain to him that we can only use good, functioning radios and accessories - later model solid-state units that are likely to be useful to our members or at radio camp.

"He never threw anything away", the caller told me.

Ouch. This guy needed a reality check. Charities cannot take what amounts to "e-waste", electronic parts and devices that are so outdated, incomplete, or mysterious that it could not possibly be reasonable for the charity to process them for sale or distribution. Every charity that takes used goods faces this dilemma. Old TV sets, CRT computer monitors, outdated computers and accessories, specialized electronic gear that has long since been abandoned by industry, loose parts of every description, homemade circuits that defy description, ham radio gear that has been through a flood or a lightning strike - none of it was worth saving in the first place, and none of it is going to be accepted by charities.

I explained our situation - we have very limited needs and even more limited space. The best I could do was to suggest the county recycling center and a commercial outfit that simply comes by with a two man crew and picks up junk.

"Do they charge for that?"

Well, I told you this was a reality check. This poor fellow was doing a good deed - helping out a fellow ham with his estate - and now I had to explain to him that he (or his friend's estate) was facing the expense of hiring a crew to dispose of a big collection of junk. Over the years that I have been working for Courage Center, I have seen some really monumental junk collections. I am talking entire basements and an outbuilding or two crammed to the rafters with junk. I'll grant you that sometimes there might be a useful item in that kind of collection, but holy cow - how do you ever sort it out? The time and expense of dealing with years - decades - of collecting can be significant. Surviving relatives can be at a loss as to how to deal with such things and sometimes call us or some other charity in the hope that we can take it off their hands, but charities are not equipped to handle the transport, sorting, and disposal of e-waste.

Antennas are another issue. I remember one guy who was moving to a condo and had to downsize. We were welcome to come on over and pick up his station, but only if we took down his antenna and rusty old tower. I have to wonder what people are thinking! Do they imagine that we have a crew of tower specialists on staff, equipped with a bucket truck and insurance and bonding to safely handle such a project?

Let's face it - you don't want to burden your friends or loved ones with a huge clean up project when you have to move to a condo or apartment, or after you become a silent key. I have been thinking about this myself - not that I plan to move or get hit by a bus anytime soon. It's just that after seeing so many hams with formidable junk collections I am determined NOT to be one of them.

Be Balanced.

One of the tenets of "The Amateur's Code" written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, in 1928, is that a Radio Amateur is BALANCED. This means that "Radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community." I think this is one of the things we have to keep in mind in every aspect of our amateur radio hobby. You cannot neglect your family and disappear into the basement ham shack for weeks at a time. You need to make a living and raise your family. You need to be part of your community. You need to have balance in your life.

There is nothing wrong with being an enthusiastic amateur radio operator and building a fine station. But you cannot call it balanced if you fill your basement and garage with ham radio surplus gear and spend every waking moment doing ham radio stuff. There is nothing wrong with putting up a tower and beam, but you have to have a plan for it when it becomes clear that you will have trouble maintaining it or when you will need to move from your private single-family home to a condo or apartment.

The best way to approach balance in your ham radio life is to start with balance from the very beginning. Rather than collecting a huge raft of spare parts, set aside a limited space on a shelf for only those things you really need. Things that are not used for a set period of time (a year or two, perhaps) should be sold or given away at the local ham club. That way at least they have a chance of being worthwhile to someone rather than sitting on a shelf and getting so out of date that they will never be used. Antenna systems that you are likely not going to be able to maintain should be downsized to something that you can take care of. Years ago I felt comfortable putting up and climbing towers. Now I install wire antennas that I can manage more easily. Sure, I could afford a tower and beam, and even do the climbing. But I have made a conscious decision to enjoy ham radio in a less intrusive way. The wire antennas do just fine, and a ground-mounted vertical works for low angle signals and is easily accessed for maintenance. The secret of balance is to start early and keep at it - never let things accumulate to the point that they become too overwhelming.

Perhaps you have already amassed a big junk collection. The good news is that if you are reading this, you are still on the green side of the grass and can do something about it. Enlist the help of your local radio club, but be ready for some expense if you need to hire professionals for those jobs that cannot be handled by your friends.

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

Correspondence:

Jose, KK4JZX, writes about last week's Tech Net:

Hello my friends,
Last night we had the weekly Handiham TechNet and, as promised, it was exciting. Here are some highlights.
1. KK4QL - We discussed his question of how to customize Drupal so that more information could be gathered when individuals sign up in his custom page. We had some interesting discussions about the subject; well, it was a technology net.
2. KK4JZX - I asked about how to use my new Wouxun radio effectively. I have been reviewing Buddy Brannan's eyes free document for the radio and I am learning. We had many suggestions that are really going to help me get this radio up and running.
3. KD0ETQ - Had a question or two about the viability of Windows 8 with the ham community. We reviewed this topic in some detail. As it appears, some individuals will wait it out and others will definitely adopt.
4. WB4LBM - Wanted to know if there are other voices available for the NVDA screen reader. Particularly, he wanted to know about free voices!
As promised, the Handiham TechNet is truly about technology. We continue to make it a round table discussion on everything to do with technology. While many topics have been related to RF, we do not limit it only to RF. In fact, a few weeks ago we had a question about unlocking mobile phones. If you are interested in downloading the latest TechNet and listening, go to the following page:
http://handiham.org/audio/handihamtech.mp3
If you missed prior weeks of our informational and engaging TechNet, then visit the TechNet archive page at:
http://www.handiham.org/audio/technet/
We hope you will continue to join us. In fact, we have missed a few of you for the past couple of weeks. If your interest is piqued, then listen to us every Thursday at 7 p.m. CST for the Handiham Radio Club Weekly TechNet. Herb Fields, AE5YC, was net controller this week and I, KK4JZX, will oversee net control duties on the next TechNet. Don't forget that this is a net that you might either consider listening to or participating in. No one knows what will be discussed, it is what makes the TechNet truly amazing and dynamic. We will not force topic discussions in a fixed manner, we will allow the group to dictate which direction the Net will take. Be prepared to engage in as little or as much detail as you like. Be prepared to answer questions directly and ask questions directly. While the net is directed, we still allow individuals to share ideas and tips amongst one another. We allow direct interaction and we allow it because we know that everyone benefits. What the Tech Net will not do? The Tech Net will not force particular subjects to be discussed in a structured and classroom-like environment. The Tech Net is not interested in a one way discussion on particular subject matters. The Tech Net does not have a schedule of topics to discuss. What is the Tech Net? The Tech Net is a round table forum of open discussion and interaction among the various Ham radio operators. The Tech Net is a dynamic and open forum for all to enjoy and participate in. The Tech Net encourages growth and interaction on any Technology-related topic!
So, where is the TechNet? Ok here are the many places you might find us.
EchoLink node: *handiham*
EchoLink Node: 494492
IRLP node: 9008
*VAN-IRLP* on Echolink
For frequencies and additional IRLP node information, visit http://www.handiham.org and click on the Handiham Nets link. We hope you will join us next week as we continue exploring the many facets of technology.
73,
Jose - KK4JZX

Handiham Nets

We are on the air daily at 11:00 USA Central Time, plus Wednesday & Thursday evenings at 19:00 USA Central Time. A recent HANDIHAM conference failure has caused us to shift traffic to other nodes. We suggest *VAN-IRLP*, node 256919 until the problem can be corrected.

A dip in the pool

It's time to test our knowledge by taking a dip in the pool - the question pool, that is!

Let's go to the Extra Class pool, and this time we are talking toroids. Not donuts at the ham club meeting - the ones we use in circuits, and here are three questions related to these very useful parts:
E6D06 asks: What core material property determines the inductance of a toroidal inductor?
Possible answers are:
A. Thermal impedance
B. Resistance
C. Reactivity
D. Permeability
E6D07 asks: What is the usable frequency range of inductors that use toroidal cores, assuming a correct selection of core material for the frequency being used?
Possible answers are:
A. From a few kHz to no more than 30 MHz
B. From less than 20 Hz to approximately 300 MHz
C. From approximately 10 Hz to no more than 3000 kHz
D. From about 100 kHz to at least 1000 GHz
E6D08 asks: What is one important reason for using powdered-iron toroids rather than ferrite toroids in an inductor?
Possible answers are:
A. Powdered-iron toroids generally have greater initial permeability
B. Powdered-iron toroids generally maintain their characteristics at higher currents
C. Powdered-iron toroids generally require fewer turns to produce a given inductance value
D. Powdered-iron toroids have higher power handling capacity
So did you get all the answers? Toroids are used in lots of gear these days - your ham shack almost certainly has equipment that uses one or more of these handy devices. They are typically used for chokes or as inductances in radios and tuners. If you need to get a lot of inductance is a small space, you use a toroid instead of an air-wound coil. The coil is wrapped around the toroid, and its material property determines the inductance - this property is referred to as "permeability", which is answer D. But there are different kinds of toroids that serve different purposes. Choosing the correct core material can make toroids work from less than 20 Hz to approximately 300 MHz, answer B. If you wanted to use a toroid in a project like an automatic antenna tuner, you would choose a powdered-iron core over ferrite because powdered-iron toroids generally maintain their characteristics at higher currents, answer B. After all, the antenna tuner will be handling a significant amount of current, and a ferrite core would quickly become saturated. Another place you will find powered-iron toroids is in antenna baluns, where high current is the norm. Ferrite can be used where currents are very low, such as for RF chokes on cables connected to a plasma TV set or a computer with a noisy power supply.
Please e-mail handiham@couragecenter.org to comment.

Remote Base health report: W0EQO is on line. W0ZSW is on line.

Work continues on the remote base software. Issues being addressed include the slow response to some keyboard commands and some outdated station list information. If problems show up, please email handiham@couragecenter.org.
Keyboard commands list updated:
http://handiham.org/remotebase/w4mq-keyboard-commands/
Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be at moderate levels on days one, two, and three (14 Nov, 15 Nov, 16 Nov).
Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to begin at active levels early on day 1 (14 Nov) as CME effects subside. Quiet to unsettled levels are expected on days 1 and 2 (14, 15 Nov) due to effects from a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream. On day 3 (16 Nov), conditions are expected to return to mostly quiet levels. Protons have a slight chance of reaching alert threshold on days one, two, and three (14 Nov, 15 Nov, 16 Nov).
Credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

This week @ HQ

Thanksgiving in the United States is November 22. The Handiham office is closed on November 22 and 23 for a long Thanksgiving holiday. We also plan limited office hours between Christmas and New Year's. Change in address for equipment donations: Please contact Pat, WA0TDA, before making any donation of equipment. My phone number is 763-520-0511 and my email address is pat.tice@couragecenter.org. The address is now the same as our postal mailing address. This should simplify our contact information.
Courage Center Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
Equipment change: We no longer accept antennas, except small accessory antennas for handheld radios.
Please remember that the cassette tape digest ceases following the mailing at the end of November! After that all audio is in DAISY digital format or on line through the members only section of handiham.org. The Library of Congress 4-track tape system will no longer be supported in any form after 2012.
Digital mailers are important: If you do mail a digital cartridge to us, please be sure that it is an approved free matter mailer. Otherwise it will quickly cost us several dollars to package and mail out, which is more than the cost of the mailer in the first place. We don't have a stock of cartridges or mailers and not including a mailer will result in a long delay getting your request back out to you.
DAISY audio digests are available for our blind members who do not have computers, playable in your Library of Congress digital player. Handiham members who use these players and who would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly audio digests on the special Library of Congress digital cartridge should send a blank cartridge to us in a cartridge mailer (no envelopes, please), so that we can place the files on it and return it to you via free matter postal mail. Your callsign should be on both the cartridge and the mailer so that we can make sure we know who it's from. Blank cartridges and mailers are available from APH, the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Catalog Number: 1-02610-00, Price: $12.00
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Mailer Catalog Number: 1-02611-00, Price: $2.50
Order Toll-Free: (800) 223-1839.
The Library of Congress NLS has a list of vendors for the digital cartridges:
http://www.loc.gov/nls/cartridges/index.html
Get it all on line as an alternative: Visit the DAISY section on the Handiham website after logging in.

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@couragecenter.org or call her at 763-520-0512. If you need to use the toll-free number, call 1-866-426-3442.
Handiham Manager Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, may be reached at handiham@couragecenter.org or by phone at 763-520-0511.
Mornings Monday through Thursday are the best time to contact us.
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, KD0LPX, at 763-520-0532 or email him at walt.seibert@couragecenter.org.
Call 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.
Email us to subscribe:
hamradio@couragecenter.org
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@couragecenter.org or handiham@couragecenter.org

Nancy, Handiham Secretary:
hamradio@couragecenter.org

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 handiham@couragecenter.org 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@couragecenter.org

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Handiham World for 07 November 2012

Courage Center Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 07 November 2012

http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=372422406
RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/handiham

Welcome to Handiham World.

Thanks for being so patient with us during our move back to Courage Center. We appreciate your support!
As you will read in the correspondence for today, ARRL is calling for all of us to read about proposed changes to Part 97, the rules governing the Amateur Radio Service. It is our privilege to live in a country that allows and values input to the rulemaking process, so we think that you - our Handiham members - should read about the proposed changes and comment on them if you see fit to do so. Even if you choose not to comment, you will be better informed.
Before we go any further, let's just make it clear that there has been a steady trend toward making the regulations favor less direct FCC oversight and more practical, cost-effective processes. You can see this trend going far back, even to the time the Volunteer Examiner system was set up. Frankly, the changes we have seen have been beneficial to the Amateur Radio Service. Most everyone appreciates being able to access examinations without having to travel long distances to FCC Field Offices, as was required in the past. Other significant changes simplified the licensing structure, eliminating new Novice and Advanced examinations. The Technician was consolidated and simplified, removing the old Tech Plus. Morse code testing was eliminated, leaving it to individual amateurs to decide whether they wanted to learn code.
These changes made sense in a changing world where government was becoming more efficient. The last thing the FCC needed was to have to process more license applications and upgrades for elements that added little to the overall value and experience of Amateur Radio. I don't think anyone really misses the Advanced license exams, though many of us still have a soft spot in our hearts for the Morse code. However, neither of those things really could be called essential to the Amateur Service. The bottom line is that if you can make things simpler and more efficient without affecting quality, then you should probably do so.
Now the FCC proposes some changes to our rules that follow the trend toward simplification and efficiency. To summarize:
In this document, the Commission proposes to amend the amateur radio service rules to grant examination credit for expired and beyond-the-grace-period-for renewal amateur radio operator licenses; to shorten the grace period during which an expired amateur license may be renewed to 180 days; to revise the time a call sign is not available to the vanity call sign system correspondingly; and to reduce to two the number of volunteer examiners needed to administer an amateur license examination. This document also asks for comment on amending the rules to permit remote test administration, and proposes to amend the amateur radio service rules to allow amateur stations to transmit certain additional emission types.
In order to really understand the NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking), you should visit ARRL.org and view the explanation found there.
While I am not going to tell you what to think, I do see several things in the proposed changes that could affect Handiham members. One obvious one is that for those whose license has expired, credit would be given for elements passed. In other words, one would not have to start all over again at the Tech level and pass General and Extra to get back to where they were before letting their licenses lapse. Another is that sometimes Handiham members live in remote and sparsely populated areas where it can be difficult to put together a VE team. Having flexibility in these kinds of situations would help to serve more people. For example, it might be easier to put together a pair of VEs to give exams in a small, rural community that would otherwise not even be a venue for testing at all. In more extreme cases of isolation, it could be possible to use technology to monitor an examination remotely. Most of us who live in urban areas don't have any problem at all accessing convenient VE sessions, but rural areas are quite a challenge. We do have Handiham members in such places and most of them face extra difficulties and expense obtaining transportation to a VE session.
So please inform yourself, make use of ARRL's fine resources, and visit the improved, easy to use Federal Register website to study the NPRM and to comment if you wish. And let's remind ourselves how very good it is to live in a country where our comments will shape policy.
Email me at handiham@couragecenter.org with your questions & comments.
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Handiham Manager
Link to ARRL story:
http://tinyurl.com/95u6xro
Link to the NPRM on the Federal Register:
https://federalregister.gov/a/2012-26201

Correspondence:

ARRL Dakota Division Director K0GW writes, seeking input from his Division:
In October, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making proposing changes to the Amateur Service rules. The FCC proposal includes:

granting Exam credit for expired amateur operator licenses;
shortening the grace period for renewal of amateur license from 2 years to 6 months;
reducing the required number of Volunteer Examiners from 3 to 2;
permitting remote test administration; and
allowing amateur stations to transmit TDMA using FXE phone and FXD data emissions.

Here's a link to the ARRL Web story:
http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-seeks-to-change-amateur-radio-licensing-rules-allow-additional-emission-types
And here's the link to the FCC's NPRM:
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db1002/FCC-12-121A1.pdf
Comments are due to FCC by December 24, 2012. I would like to hear your comments and feedback on any of the FCC proposals in this NPRM.
Thanks es 73, Greg Widin, K0GW ARRL Dakota Division Director ARRL--of, by and for the Radio Amateur
ARRL Dakota Division Director: Gregory P Widin, K0GW
k0gw@arrl.org
Handiham Radio Club President KB3LLA found a way to communicate with Antarctica via IRLP:
Palmer Station hosts an IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) Amateur Radio node #8838 for ham radio communications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Station

Don't miss the new Tech Net! This week is session ten.

We have heard lots of positive comments about our new Handiham Tech Net, a place to discuss technology related to amateur radio. The Tech Net is on the air at 19:00 hours USA Central Time each Thursday. The regular Handiham Radio Club Wednesday evening net is at the same 19:00 hours, just one day earlier. Daily nets are at 11:00 hours USA Central Time. Our audio archive is updated each week, so if you missed the first nine sessions you can find them here:

Missed the weekly on the air Handiham Tech Net? Listen to it here!

Missed last week's Handiham Tech Net? Go to the archive page.
Join us on the Thursday evening Handiham Radio Club TechNet. The frequency in the local Minnesota repeater coverage zone: 145.45 FM, negative offset with no tone and 444.65 MHz with 114.8 Hz tone in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota. The UHF repeater will be heard more easily in the Eastern Twin Cities. You will find our daily net on the air at 11:00 hours USA Central Time, with the Sunday session featuring a special trivia question theme for a change of pace. A Wednesday evening session at 19:00 hours USA Central Time also offers a chance to take a guess at a trivia question and visit with your friends on the air. Ideal for those who can't make the daily morning session! Then Thursday evening at 19:00 hours return to the Tech net and learn something new!

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

A dip in the pool

It's time to test our knowledge by taking a dip in the pool - the question pool, that is!

Let's go to the Extra Class pool, and this time we are looking at a mini-quiz - five related questions from Section 9.3:

E4A07 asks: Which of the following is an advantage of using an antenna analyzer compared to an SWR bridge to measure antenna SWR?

Possible answers are:

A. Antenna analyzers automatically tune your antenna for resonance
B. Antenna analyzers do not need an external RF source
C. Antenna analyzers display a time-varying representation of the modulation envelope
D. All of these choices are correct

E4A08 asks: Which of the following instruments would be best for measuring the SWR of a beam antenna?

Possible answers are:

A. A spectrum analyzer
B. A Q meter
C. An ohmmeter
D. An antenna analyzer

E4B06 asks: How much power is being absorbed by the load when a directional power meter connected between a transmitter and a terminating load reads 100 watts forward power and 25 watts reflected power?
Possible answers are:

A. 100 watts
B. 125 watts
C. 25 watts
D. 75 watts

E4B09 asks: What is indicated if the current reading on an RF ammeter placed in series with the antenna feed line of a transmitter increases as the transmitter is tuned to resonance?

Possible answers are:

A. There is possibly a short to ground in the feed line
B. The transmitter is not properly neutralized
C. There is an impedance mismatch between the antenna and feed line
D. There is more power going into the antenna
And finally, E4B11 asks: How should a portable antenna analyzer be connected when measuring antenna resonance and feed point impedance?
Possible answers are:

A. Loosely couple the analyzer near the antenna base
B. Connect the analyzer via a high-impedance transformer to the antenna
C. Connect the antenna and a dummy load to the analyzer
D. Connect the antenna feed line directly to the analyzer’s connector
Wow, did you feel ready for five questions? They are really all related to making measurements on antenna systems. Each time we install an antenna system we must expect to make some adjustments. Sometimes the antenna is tuned incorrectly. Each installation is unique and dependent on how the antenna is put together and how it is deployed - height above ground, nearby objects, grounding system - there's just so much to consider! The fact is that you will have to take measurements to see if the antenna is even close to where it needs to be to resonate properly.
Fortunately there is some really good, convenient equipment available to help us make such measurements. We no longer have to depend on an SWR bridge inside the ham shack, which is what I had to do in the bad old days. I was a teenager back then (in the late 1960's), and it was a good thing I was young and full of energy because making an adjustment to the antenna involved many trips between the ham shack and the antenna. Running back indoors to key the transmitter and take an SWR reading over and over and over as I made tiny adjustments to the antenna was the only way I had to make sure the antenna system tuned they way I wanted it to.
Now we have "antenna analyzers". Antenna analyzers do not need an external RF source (Answer B), so that means you can set them up with a short coaxial jumper to the antenna, right outdoors where it is easy to make adjustments and take measurements quickly and efficiently. An antenna analyzer would clearly be the best choice for measuring the SWR of a beam antenna (Answer D).
If, on the other hand, you wanted to know how much power is being absorbed by the load (the antenna) and how much is being reflected, you might use a directional power meter connected between a transmitter and a terminating load. If it reads 100 watts forward power and 25 watts reflected power, you know that 75 watts is getting out to the load (Answer D.)
Let's say you have an RF ammeter to measure current to the antenna. If the current reading on an RF ammeter placed in series with the antenna feed line of a transmitter increases as the transmitter is tuned to resonance, that means that there is more power going into the antenna (Answer D.)
If you are using an antenna analyzer (by far the easiest of all of these), you simply connect it to the antenna's feedline in place of the transmitter (Answer D.)
There is usually no need for every ham radio operator to own his or her own antenna analyzer. This is a good piece of equipment for your local radio club to have for loan to club members as needed. If you are a person who loves to experiment with antennas, you could consider buying one yourself, but the average person will not do antenna work that often. If your club does not have one, you might consider bringing up the subject at a club meeting.
Please e-mail handiham@couragecenter.org to comment.

Remote Base health report: W0EQO is on line. W0ZSW is back on line. It has moved to grid square EN34MV.

We are pleased to let you know that we already have W0ZSW back on line. It was unavailable for less than a week - not bad, considering that we moved the station to the Twin Cities.

We are pleased that W0ZSW can still operate on 160 through 6 meters.

There is an occasional problem with interference on receive at W0ZSW from a plasma TV set. We are investigating that and hope to minimize it.

A change in internet providers may be in the works at the W0EQO location. We will keep you posted in the daily remote base health report.

Work continues on the remote base software. Issues being addressed include the slow response to some keyboard commands and some outdated station list information. If problems show up, please email handiham@couragecenter.org.
Keyboard commands list updated:
http://handiham.org/remotebase/w4mq-keyboard-commands/
Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-flare activity.
Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet for the next three days (06-08 November).
Credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

This week @ HQ
Bob, N1BLF, has completed the CQ and Worldradio digest recordings for us. That means we can get the DAISY format November digest audio out to our blind members this week. Watch for your digital cartridge or use the member section to download the zip DAISY files. Thanks, Bob!
Change in address for equipment donations: Please contact Pat, WA0TDA, before making any donation of equipment. My phone number is 763-520-0511 and my email address is pat.tice@couragecenter.org. The address is now the same as our postal mailing address. This should simplify our contact information.
Courage Center Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
Equipment change: We no longer accept antennas, except small accessory antennas for handheld radios.
Please remember that the cassette tape digest ceases following the mailing at the end of November! After that all audio is in DAISY digital format or on line through the members only section of handiham.org. The Library of Congress 4-track tape system will no longer be supported in any form after 2012.
Digital mailers are important: If you do mail a digital cartridge to us, please be sure that it is an approved free matter mailer. Otherwise it will quickly cost us several dollars to package and mail out, which is more than the cost of the mailer in the first place. We don't have a stock of cartridges or mailers and not including a mailer will result in a long delay getting your request back out to you.
DAISY audio digests are available for our blind members who do not have computers, playable in your Library of Congress digital player. Handiham members who use these players and who would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly audio digests on the special Library of Congress digital cartridge should send a blank cartridge to us in a cartridge mailer (no envelopes, please), so that we can place the files on it and return it to you via free matter postal mail. Your callsign should be on both the cartridge and the mailer so that we can make sure we know who it's from. Blank cartridges and mailers are available from APH, the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Catalog Number: 1-02610-00, Price: $12.00
Digital Talking Book Cartridge Mailer Catalog Number: 1-02611-00, Price: $2.50
Order Toll-Free: (800) 223-1839.
The Library of Congress NLS has a list of vendors for the digital cartridges:
http://www.loc.gov/nls/cartridges/index.html
Get it all on line as an alternative: Visit the DAISY section on the Handiham website after logging in.

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@couragecenter.org or call her at 763-520-0512. If you need to use the toll-free number, call 1-866-426-3442.
Handiham Manager Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, may be reached at handiham@couragecenter.org or by phone at 763-520-0511.
Mornings Monday through Thursday are the best time to contact us.
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, KD0LPX, at 763-520-0532 or email him at walt.seibert@couragecenter.org.
Call 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.
Email us to subscribe:
hamradio@couragecenter.org
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@couragecenter.org or handiham@couragecenter.org

Nancy, Handiham Secretary:
hamradio@couragecenter.org

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 handiham@couragecenter.org 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@couragecenter.org