Your Handiham World will be published tomorrow, Friday, September 29, 2017. Stay tuned!

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, October 4, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham04OCT.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• Better Receive Audio

• Space Weather & Ionospheric Propagation

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 1

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

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  A note from the coordinator...

  With all the events that have taken place in recent weeks, there has been a renewed focus on amateur radio’s critical role in emergency communications. The following is a news story about the amateur radio operators who have responded to the need for communications in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. http://fox61.com/2017/09/26/newington-based-ham-radio-organization-sendi...

  The Handiham Headquarters is fully staffed again this week! Please be patient as Nancy and I continue to catch up on all the messages and work that backed up while she was away.

  In the E-Letter this week there are links to a couple of YouTube videos. The first is Bob Heil, K9EID, talking about receive audio. The second is a lecture given at a DC radio club meeting about space weather. This week, we also start reprinting a series of articles covering the early history of the Handiham Program. Finally, there is an article from a 2010 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane that is especially appropriate to our discussion of emergency communications.

  Do you have a story to share about your ham radio related activities? Please send your articles and stories via email to Lucinda.Moody@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

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  Better Receive Audio

  Much has been written about how to make our SSB signals more easily understood in adverse conditions. Bob Heil explains how we can make our receivers and the audio we hear clearer and with far better clarity than one could have expected. https://youtu.be/DvJhCKyFwVc

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  Space Weather & Ionospheric Propagation

  Understanding space weather and its impact on HF propagation is helpful to ham radio operators. Check out this presentation by Dr. Damien Chua that took place on December 10, 2014 at the HacDC Amateur Radio Club (W3HAC), located in Washington, DC. https://youtu.be/WPQILipSyXI

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  Early Handiham Program History, Part 1

  by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

  (Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program. This was initially published in the Spring 1981 issue of Handiham World. Sr. Alverna, who had recently joined the Courage Handiham Program staff as educational services coordinator, had been actively involved in amateur radio for people with disabilities for years. She was one of the first members of the original Handiham organization and served as the first secretary of the System when it was known as the Handi-Ham System of Rochester, Minnesota.)

  The Handiham Program has been around for many years, just how long may be a little hard to document. I would like to share some of my memories of the early years of the System. Ned Carman, W0ZSW, was the founder of the Handiham Program. Ned, now deceased, used to talk about Jean (Heikkila) Fingarson, W0IRJ, Hildur Hedine, W0TOP, and Bill Bazil, W0CID, as first making a connection with amateur radio and people with disabilities. Bill, the only one of the three still living, recalls, “In the summer of 1958, Ned, Jean, and Hildur stopped here (Eveleth, MN). This Handiham Program was only an idea, a dream, then.” It was during this visit that the foursome tossed ideas around.

  On April 30, 1967, there was a thunderstorm watch in Rochester, Minnesota, and Ned Carman called Sr. Lauren Weinandt, WN0RRJ, and Sr. Judith Simon, WN0QVN, to activate the amateur radio stations at their respective locations: “Sky Wave” at St. Mary’s Hospital and “The Voice of Assisi” at the Assisi Heights convent. A few weeks after this, four sisters at St. Mary’s and one sister from Assisi Heights received their novice calls. At this time, only one sister in Minnesota held her general class license, Sister Cletus Kroll (now Mary Fiero), WA0JIE.

  The weather watch worked so well that Ned invited the sisters to help him start an organized group. The first meeting was attended by Helen Swanson, WN0SVD, and Charlene Mott, WN0QWE, (both deceased), Sr. Lauren and Ned Carman.

  A 14 member steering committee was formed which met on the air every week to suggest policies and discuss problems. A six member management committee met in person each month. Later, the steering committee became the board of directors and the management committee became officers.

  By early fall of 1967, there were four new novice tickets. In September of that year, Ned was honored by the Rochester Chamber of Commerce for his efforts in helping persons with disabilities, his tireless efforts in finding equipment for homebound students, taking lessons to students’ homes and finding transportation. Ned also received the WCCO radio Good Neighbor Award that year. By this time, there were ten students in the Handiham Program.

  On December 2, 1967, representatives of the Federal Communications Commission came to the Rochester Courthouse to administer the General Class test to Edna (Eddy) Thorson, WA0RRA (now N0YL); Charlene Mott and Helen Swanson. Harold Allen, FCC field engineer, and T.E. Kangas, FCC electronic engineer, were the FCC representatives, and they were so impressed with the three young women that they offered to return to Rochester if the Handiham Program ever needed them.

  On February 5, 1968, the FCC examiners returned to Rochester to give license examinations to three more members with disabilities. This time, Scott Suddendorf, WA0VUA (now deceased); Sr. Alena Bickel, WA0UWT; and Alta Mitchell, WA0VTZ, passed their general tests.

  A white elephant sale was held during the summer of 1968 to raise money to repair equipment and purchase study material. At that time, the Minnesota Society for Crippled Children and Adults (later Courage Center) gave the Handiham Program $1000 to help purchase equipment.

  The PICONET (Public Information, Convenience, or Necessity Network) and the Rochester Amateur Radio Club invited the Handiham Sytem to join them in hosting the 1968 Winter Hamfest. Handiham officers were announced at this meeting: Charlene Mott and Helen Swanson, co-chairmen; Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin, secretary; Sr. Lauren Weinandt, treasurer; Alta Mitchell, progress report chairman; Don Johnson, WA0EPX, historian; Wes McAnnally, K0HGO, chief technician, and Ned Carman, chief coordinator.

  The weekend of June 21, 1969, the Handiham members made their first big venture. Twenty-six amateur radio operators with severe disabilities traveled by bus and car to the National Amateur Radio Convention in Des Moines, IA. Six non-disabled helpers, Sr. Cletus, Sr. Judith, Sr. Clara Marie Schotzko, Sr. Alverna, Ron Frisby, K0IJU, and Ned Carman went along. The caravan of the Sunshine Bus and the loaned car left Camp Courage in Maple Lake, Minnesota at 6 a.m. and made pickup stops at the MiSCCA office in downtown Minneapolis, Assisi Heights convent in Rochester and, the Albert Lea armory.

  The Handiham Program was the talk of the convention. People who were blind pushed wheelchairs and the people in wheelchairs told people who were blind which way to go. Everyone helped someone, and you can be sure there were a good number of inside jokes about the convention. Helen Swanson, who was unable to travel by bus, made the trip to the convention in a private plane piloted by Dave Young. Her doctor, Donald Erickson, and Sr. Lauren attended her during the trip. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the featured speaker at the convention, made a special trip to Helen’s hotel room which had been equipped with a rocking bed. The Senator was quoted as having said, “I wouldn’t miss this visit for anything.”

  The trip to the convention was made possible through the generous donations of many and is an example of the support and enthusiasm that fostered the Handiham Program.

  (Sr. Alverna will continue with her account of the early years of the Handiham Program in the next issue of Handiham World)

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  Down memory lane...

  In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the February 24, 2010 issue of Handiham World.

  Amateur Radio: Reliable Emergency Communications

  by Pat Tice, WA0TDA

  If there is any theme that runs through publicity about amateur radio these days, it is generally one about the reliability of our communications in an emergency situation. In story after story that I see ferreted out by Google, ham radio operators tell the press and the public about the way amateur radio operators can stay on the air to provide vital communications when cellular phones are overloaded or down altogether and other communications infrastructure has failed. The training and volunteerism of amateur radio operators are highlights of these articles, and the very best of these stories also include some human factor - a volunteer operator who has helped the community, a team of operators who have worked in tandem with emergency personnel to provide backup communications, and sometimes even a victim who owes a debt of gratitude to amateur radio. These are themes that the ARRL has taken a leadership role in promoting, and the evidence is that the strategy has worked. More new hams than ever joined the ranks of amateur radio here in the United States last year.

  Quoting from a story on ARRL's website, "A total of 30,144 new licenses were granted in 2009, an increase of almost 7.5 percent from 2008. In 2005, 16,368 new hams joined Amateur Radio's ranks; just five years later, that number had increased by almost 14,000 -- a whopping 84 percent! The ARRL VEC is one of 14 VECs who administer Amateur Radio license exams."

  Of the many reasons people become interested in amateur radio, the one I have heard most often in recent years is that new hams want to earn a license so that they will have the means to help in emergencies and to be of service to the community. This, among the other themes, has been expertly promoted by ARRL in special websites, publicity releases, articles, and videos. Taking on the erroneous image of ham radio as an "outdated technology" that has been all but replaced by the internet, ARRL answers the questions of why we are relevant in the 21st Century on its Wordpress "We Do That Radio" and "emergency-radio" websites.

  Well, with all of that in mind, we turn to the large cardboard envelope I received from Matt Arthur, KA0PQW, this week. Matt had told me he was sending me an article, but I was surprised and delighted to see that it read:

  Honored by President Obama

  Local ham radio hobbyist recognized

  The story appeared in the February 18, 2010 edition of the Star-Eagle newspaper, and featured a photo of Matt, KA0PQW, in his well-equipped ham shack. In the article, staff writer Jody Wynnemer explained that when a letter arrived from the White House, Matt had learned that he had been selected to receive a President's Volunteer Service Award.

  "Congratulations on receiving the President's Volunteer Service Award, and thank you for helping to address the most pressing needs in your community and our country," the letter began.

  Matt was recognized for his work with the Community Emergency Response Team in Steele County, Minnesota. He recalled how he volunteered and handled communications during a flood in 2007. It had been nine hours until the National Guard could relieve him, and in the meantime he handled traffic in and out of the flood zone, passing messages to authorities in Winona.

  Those of us who know Matt as a Handiham leader and volunteer understand what a great spokesman he is for amateur radio. To paraphrase a familiar saying about politics, all good ham radio work is local - at least that's how it begins. Local ham radio classes, local Skywarn training, local ARES exercises, local club meetings and programs - and local news stories, just like the one that features Matt. Of course ham radio is worldwide by its nature, but getting the word out about the things we can do really does begin right at home.

  Congratulations to Matt, KA0PQW, on this wonderful honor!

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  What are you waiting for? Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

  How to find the Handiham Net: 

  • 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.  

  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 five hours ahead of Minnesota time during the summer.

  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 our Handiham Club Net Manager, James, KD0AES.

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  Membership

  • 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. 

    • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
      MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

    • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
      DONATION LINK

  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@allina.com

  
  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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

  Return to Handiham.org

   

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, October 11, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham11OCT.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• DMR Radio Introduction

• Yaesu System Fusion Overview

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 2

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

A phone call on Monday reminded me of this article from the Summer 1985 issue of Handiham World. Tony Tretter, K0KVO, realized the importance of one-on-one help and encouragement for Handiham Program students and members to improve their success rate on license exams and their operating skills after they obtained their license. It takes a lot of work to offer individual assistance, but if many people reach out to help those in their area, the work load would be manageable.

Join the Fire Brigade

By Tony Tretter, W0KVO

If my house were on fire and I only had one bucket of water, what would I do? I reckon I’d throw my one bucket of water on the fire and hope that there were a hundred more people with a bucket of water to throw on the fire. If it turned out that there was enough water, the fire would be put out in short order.

This example is much like the Handiham Program. The fire represents the needs of students and inexperienced members. If each person would do something, no matter how small or insignificant it appears on the surface, we’d have a very good chance of meeting all the needs of the Program.

What was the phone call that made me think of this article? A Handiham member called to say that she had finally passed the General Class license test after four attempts. What was the difference this time? The member had the assistance of a local ham who was able to provide some additional tutoring, enabling her to thoroughly grasp the material and be ready to pass the license exam. That individual help made the difference for her. Additionally, the VE team that conducted the exam session was familiar with the accommodations that were needed for this student and provided them in an appropriate manner.

The Handiham Program is looking for additional volunteers and clubs who would like to help members as they work toward their licenses and develop their on-air operating skills. For individuals who want to volunteer with the Handiham Program, you will have to complete a volunteer application and background check. Currently, no reputable organization will accept volunteers who have not been properly vetted. It is important for the protection of volunteers, members, and the Handiham Program.

If you want to volunteer, please send me an email at the address below telling me a little about your amateur radio experience and how you feel you could help. I will ask Nancy to send you a basic application to get you started in the volunteer paperwork process. If your club is interested in being a Handiham Affiliate, please let us know. I will send out information for your club to consider.

In the E-Letter this week there are links to a couple of videos that provide an introduction to some popular digital modes. The first is about DMR, and the seconds covers System Fusion. We continue reprinting a series of articles covering the early history of the Handiham Program. Finally, there is an article from a 2013 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane that reminds us of the importance of safety in amateur radio.

Do you have a story to share about your ham radio related activities? Please send your articles and stories via email to Lucinda.Moody@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

DMR Radio Introduction

DMR stands for Digital Mobile Radio. DMR, also called Mototrbo, is a relatively new digital system, developed by Motorola, that radio amateurs (hams) use to communicate with each other around the world by using repeaters situated locally and globally. Being digital the voice quality is crystal clear no matter where the other party is situated in the world. https://youtu.be/gpm2agmlvFI

Yaesu Fusion Overview

This is a presentation originally delivered to a couple amateur radio clubs in Northern Chicagoland. This introduction to System Fusion helps explain this great new digital voice mode to you. https://youtu.be/E81KafJT_zI

Early Handiham Program History, Part 2

by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

(Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program. This was initially published in the Summer 1981 issue of Handiham World. Sr. Alverna was the educational coordinator of the Courage Handiham Program and had been actively involved in amateur radio for people with disabilities for years.)

The Great Handiham Car/Bus Caravan left for the National ARRL Convention in Des Moines, Iowa at 7:10 a.m., Friday, June 20, 1969. Driver of the bus was Wes McAnally (now deceased), one of the very first Handiham members. Ned Carman, founder of the Program, drove the new air-conditioned Rambler Ambassador loaned to us by a Rochester car dealer, Don Dyckman. Don David Taylor, Don Johnson, and Jean Heikkila (now deceased) were elected to ride in the car. (Jean needed the reclining seat because of her disability.)

Ten-meter walkie-talkies were in each vehicle so we could communicate whenever necessary. A U-Haul trailer, loaned to us by Jim and Stan’s Texaco in Rochester, was pulled behind the Ambassador, providing ample room for things like wheelchairs, baggage, and Val’s violin. Others in the caravan were Sr. Cletus (now Mary Fiero), Jim Mowery, Woody Anderson (now deceased), Mary Amdahl, Leona Kroll, Eddy Thorson, Eve and Jean Cheney, Adolph and Helen Smith, Valerie Jordahl, Steve Braverman, Brian Altman, Alta Mitchell, Debbie Erdman (now deceased), Ott Miller (now deceased), Francis Brennan (now deceased), Karl Koppelman, Ron Frisby, Sr. Clara Marie, Sr. Judith, Sr. Berard (now Rose Schieffert), Sr. Jude, Marlene Tevedahl, Janet Bailey, Dick Nelson, and myself.

We had a lovely room at the convention which had been procured for our use by Minnesota Section Communication Manager, Larry Shima. The Handiham display at the Convention was adorned beautifully with six large promotional posters painted by Don David Taylor which explained the steps (in pictures) of how a Handiham member gets his amateur ticket. The captions over the posters read, “What will you do to meet the Challenge?” From the comments of the guests who stopped by, we had the nicest booth there. The thing that makes the posters really special is that Don has quadriplegia, and movement is difficult for him. After the convention, these posters were preserved and are now on display at Camp Courage in the Ham Radio Room there.

Some of the Handiham members who came to the convention and helped staff the Handiham room but were not in our bus/car group were Dot Yeager (no deceased), Lowell Yeager, Karol Yeager, Helen Swanson (now deceased), Fern Koskovich (now deceased), Ward and Elma Jensen, Dave Young, Joe and Marie Eggers, Jim Marshall, Jack Maus, Sr. Lauren, Charles Compton, Larry Shima, and Joe Klawitter.

Leave it to Eddy Thorson, N0YL, for her thoughtfulness. Eddy, our first real documented Handiham student, sent cards to all of the Handiham members who were unable to make the trip to the convention. Sr. Cletus made cards with the amateur calls of all the members of the Handiham Program on them. These were on display at the booth—a real mixer and conversation piece. Two distinguished guests who visited our Handiham Program booth were Sen. Barry Goldwater and Iowa’s Gov. Robert Ray.

It was quite a sight to see about twenty Handiham members and their assistants trek off to Bishop’s Restaurant for their evening meal after the Handiham display room closed in late afternoon. A ramped curb made mobility for the wheelchairs quite easy. Marlene Tevedahl was hostess to a small group at a swanky place called Babe’s. When our group of six arrived, it created quite a stir, and we were shoved ahead of a long waiting line in spite of our lack of reservations. Two couples took to a booth just to let us have their tables.

At the banquet on Sunday, there was little doubt in our minds that the conventioneers were aware of the Handiham Program presence. In an effort to get tables for seating, Ned questioned the two reserved tables in the front row. The host was audibly perturbed, but he knew the Handiham members needed seating, and there were no other places left. A lady from Arkansas, a little annoyed when she found out we were getting the front row reserved tables, said, “I know they need a place…but in the sun?”

When it was all over, the whole hotel was bedlam! Have you ever tried to get an elevator when everyone else wants one too? As the buses were being loaded, the Yeagers, the Mauses, and Sr. Judith stripped the display room and boxed things up. Ned and Ron loaded luggage and wheelchairs onto the bus for our return trip. About that time, we were blessed with a light rain which became increasingly heavy. Two persons in wheelchairs were loaded onto the bus and then the lift broke. Everyone else had to be carried onto the bus. What a relief when everyone was finally aboard. The lift door would not close, however, and boxes had to be stuffed in the door to keep the rain out. The Sunshine Bus had a speed limiter set at 50 miles per hour. Wet, tired, and laughing, the group arrived at Assisi Heights at 8:30 p.m.

There was still that long trip to Camp. About fifteen miles south of Rochester, I knew something needed to be done about getting relief for our bus driver, so I stepped on the gas of the Ambassador and arrived in Rochester early. I called every person I could think of trying to get a replacement with a bus driver’s license. John Bush (now deceased), a jovial fellow who was engineer at Assisi Heights, drove the bus to Minneapolis, where he waited with the bus until Ned returned from Camp Courage to pick him up. They finally returned to Rochester at 6:30 Monday morning. What a weekend!

Permit me to quote some of the persons who attended the ARRL convention. Eddy Thorson—“unfortunately the most interesting memories for me won’t fit in a history! A real shame…” Jane Bailey—“That was my first trip without my family. I felt apprehensive. I guess Ned sensed my uneasiness, so he left his seat and came and sat next to me. With him there, I felt relaxed.” Alta Mitchell—“Some had never been away from the security of their own family; some depended on others for assistance; and others’ lives depended on their physical care; to these persons, it was a challenge to be met with Courage. Courage they did have!” Ned Carman wrote later, “What wonderful people our Handiham members and assistants are!”

(Sr. Alverna’s account of the early years of the Handiham Program will continue in the next issue of Handiham World.)

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Down memory lane...

In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the August 21, 2013 issue of Handiham World that features former Program Coordinator, Pat Tice.

Hey, Pat - Did you ever do something really stupid while practicing the art and science of ham radio?

Funny you should ask.

The fact that I can type this story out on a keyboard is due only to the sheer luck of good timing. In my early days as a young and clueless guy in my 20's, I had rented a house with a yard and put up a used tower to support my 2-element Gotham quad antenna. The antenna had been on a tower at my parents' house, and I had managed to disassemble it and get it down to the new location. As most of us know, when you have just started out on your own, you have a very tight budget, and at that time I felt pretty lucky to be able to have a multiband transceiver and an antenna. At that stage of life there is no alternative but to watch every penny. I'd built the radio, a Heath HW-101, from a kit. The Gotham quad was just plain downright cheap, made with the lightest, cheapest aluminum alloy, wooden dowels, and cheesy plastic standoffs for the thin single-conductor aluminum wire elements. It covered 10, 15, and 20 meters, though—three bands that I liked using almost every day. (This was pre-internet, of course.)

It was not practical to transport a tower, so I set about finding a used one and settled on a well-used TV tower with a crank-up section. Not only would it be easy to mount the tower next to the house so I could stabilize it without pouring a big concrete pad, but it would also allow me to mount the antenna on the top with a TV rotor and do any tuning that might be necessary while the tower was telescoped down and the antenna was reachable from the roof of the house. The tower was pretty old, and it needed a new steel cable. Not having any money to spare, I replaced the old cable with steel guy wire. It worked, and the beam performed beautifully since the house was on a small hill, and it was a clear shot from the top of the tower to lots of DX locations.

One day I decided to climb up on the roof for something or other - maybe to tighten a guy wire or some other minor maintenance. That job completed successfully, I climbed back down the tower and stepped off into the back yard. It was exactly at that point—and I mean EXACTLY—that the steel guy wire I'd used in the antenna crank-up snapped, and the top section came telescoping down through the outer base section like a guillotine that would have sheared off my fingers and toes had I been on the tower only a few seconds longer!

Where do you even start when you list all of the stupid things that led up to that near-disaster? A well-worn used tower? I should have known it was never going to be safe for climbing. Even so, it should have been locked with a steel bar through the supports so that it could not collapse if the steel cable broke or the ratchet on the winch failed. The fact that I still have fingers to type right now is due only to lucky timing. Now, with over four decades of ham radio behind me, I definitely pay more attention to safety.

Let's face it—there are few leisure activities that offer the breadth and scope of ham radio. You can build your own equipment, design and install your own antennas, communicate while driving, biking, flying, walking, or boating, and serve your community as a public service communications volunteer. You can operate from unusual and far-flung locations. You can be competitive or just make friends. It's a big tent.

Risk and Amateur Radio

But with the amazing galaxy of activities with ham radio, there are also risks.

We are always working with electricity, which can injure or kill.

Putting up antennas and supporting structures is inherently risky; falls, electrocution, injuries from power tools—all are possibilities when you are working with projects like these.

Public service can be dangerous, too. As Rick Palm, K1CE, reminds us in the ARES E-Letter this week, there is a "Hams at Hazard" article in the September 2013 QST, showing a monument to amateur radio operators who died in service to their communities while performing public service communications. Weather spotters deploying to observation points during a weather emergency carry risk. Disaster scenes can serve up hazardous chemicals, dangerous fires and explosions, biohazards, and more.

Less often considered as a ham radio hazard is distracted driving, but it is real and ever-present any time you set aside your main task—driving the car—for some other task that takes your eyes off the road or saps too much brain power so that you cannot react quickly to the world outside your vehicle. My old Elmer once admitted to me that when he got into an interesting exchange on a repeater while driving, he inevitably failed to watch his speed and had gotten several citations. He decided on his own that he had to leave the microphone alone and concentrate on driving but could use the radio when his wife took over as driver. He made a choice that allowed him to still get on the air while staying safe. While most of us have no problem using a mobile radio, each of us does have to know our capabilities. If you, as my Elmer did, find your mind wandering instead of concentrating on driving, then you should back off on mobile operating while you drive. When I was learning to fly, my instructor told me that my first job was always to fly the plane. The radio could wait. Fly the plane! That is good advice no matter what kind of vehicle you are piloting, whether on land, water, or in the air.

Complacency!

Yes, complacency—getting so familiar and comfortable with doing something that we tend to let our attention wander and our guard down when it comes to following all the safety rules. That's one of the most dangerous states of mind to be in when engaging in any activity that involves some level of risk. How many times have you been warned about checking for overhead wires when putting up antennas? It seems elementary, but when complacency sets in, you can forget. After all, you have put up many antennas in the past, and you know how to do it, right? And still we read about amateur radio operators who get electrocuted because they didn't stick to the rules. It's easy to think to yourself that a quick trip up the tower is no big deal, but it can turn into one if you slip or have a medical emergency, and you have no one spotting for you to call for help. You may get so comfortable and confident in your driving skills that you think nothing of taking your eyes off the road to enter a repeater frequency and sub-audible tone into your radio—and that's exactly the prescription for a rear-end collision with the vehicle in front of you.

One of the worst, most tragic cases of complacency I know about was what happened to a colleague and friend who was our range officer when I was doing police work. He was all about safety on the firing range, and I always felt confident at target practice. One day he was cleaning his weapon at home when there was some distraction—a doorbell or phone call; I don't remember which, but he got up to take care of it, and in that short instant, because he was so familiar with firearms and used them every day, he forgot about safety—and one of his twin toddlers picked up the gun and shot the other one dead. Some seasoned amateurs hefted an antenna into a power line at a scout camp with fatal results. Complacency kills—and strikes when you least expect it, when you are feeling so comfortable with what you are doing that you forget the rules.

For me, ham radio has been an enjoyable part of both my play and working lives. But older is wiser, so I try harder to follow the rules. That doesn't mean I'll never slip up, but hopefully my mistakes will be minor ones, caught early on by always following all of the safety rules, even if it means taking a bit more time to complete a project or arranging for someone to stop by to spot for me or help me out.

"Safety first"—It’s not just a cute phrase. You have to really think about it.

Patrick Tice, WA0TDA

---

What are you waiting for? Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

How to find the Handiham Net: 

• 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.  

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 five hours ahead of Minnesota time during the summer.

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 James, KD0AES, for his work with the Handiham Radio Club Net. James is stepping down, and Michael, KE7VI, is returning to the position of Handiham Radio Club Net Manager.

---

Membership

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

Return to Handiham.org

 

The Handiham World Weekly E-Letter is off this week. It will return at its regularly scheduled time next week along with some interesting articles from the conference I am attending.
--Lucinda AB8WF

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, October 25, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham25OCT2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• Echolink Nets List

• Amateur Radio Podcasts

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 3

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

  ---

  A note from the coordinator...

  Handiham World was on vacation since I was at the Closing the Gap conference last week. (If you ever wonder what is up with Handiham World, just go to the website. If there are any changes, there will be an announcement posted there.) The focus of the conference is on assistive technology to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. Over the next few weeks, you will get a taste of what I saw and learned through articles in upcoming issues.

  In the E-Letter this week there are a couple of lists that are useful for ham radio operators. The first is a list of Echolink nets compiled by John, W2JLD. The second is a list of amateur radio related podcasts, put together by John, NU6P. We continue reprinting a series of articles covering the early history of the Handiham Program. Finally, there is an article from a 2015 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane about working 6 meters.

  Do you have a story to share about your ham radio related activities? Please send your articles and stories via email to Lucinda.Moody@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

  ---

  List of Echolink Nets (ALL TIMES ARE EST)

  Editor’s note: Thanks to John, W2JLD, for this list of Echolink nets.

  Monday - Saturday - 2pm Est. time - "The Alaska Morning Net"- Irlp 9101/Echolink WL7LP-R#9191

  Monday - Saturday - 10am- Friends Conference - IRLP 9618- "The Good Morning Net"- N0STY - Nasty

  Monday - Friday - 7am-9am - Dodropin Conference - " Kowabunga Net"

  Monday - Friday - 8am - "Professional Loafers NET"- VE3PBO -R - Node 891471

  Monday - Friday - 9am-10am - KB4SVP-R - " Breakfast group"

  Monday - Friday - 12noon - Handihams Conference server - Handiham net

  Monday - Friday - 2:30pm-4pm -" Vagabond Ragchew Net"- WB9SZL-R, Node 420473

  Monday - Friday - 7pm-9pm - KB4SVP-R -"Coffee shop"

  Monday - Sunday - 8am - 9am - ELMIRA,ONT - "ERC NET" - U-NODE CONFERENCE

  Monday - Sunday - 9pm - K4NET-L NET- NCS VARIES

  Monday - 8pm - "220 Rag Chewers Net"- Friends Conf - IRLP 9618

  Monday - 8pm - Georgia conference server

  Monday - 8pm - The Guild Conference - GMARC - WW8GM-R - NCS VARIES

  Monday - 8:30pm - Public svc Net- N3TN-R - Node #286427

  Monday - 9pm - General Net- N3TN-R - Node #286427

  Monday - 9pm - K8DAC-R - SVARA NET- SAGINAW,MICHIGAM

  Monday - 9pm - K4NET - L- METRO ATLANTA 2M EMERGENCY NET

  Monday - IRLP 9251 - 10:30pm - "Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio Club"

  Tuesday - 7pm - N2AAR-R - FUN NET

  Tuesday - 7pm - Dodropin Conference - "Ladies Tea Time"-

  Tuesday - 7pm - *K7PB* Conference - K7PB - IRLP Caribbean Net

  Tuesday - 8pm - GEORGIA CONFERENCE - ECHOLINK STORM NET

  Tuesday - 8pm - Techlink Conf - Mississauga Amateur Radio Club- VA3WM John

  Tuesday - 8pm - Dodropin Conference - " Tuesday night Technology Net"-V01UKZ - Darryl

  Tuesday - 9pm-World Conference - "WORLD PARANORMAL NET"- KD2KVZ - David

  Tuesday - 10pm-Michigan Conference - "NORTH AMERICAN HANDSHAKERS NET"

  Wednesday - 5pm - The Guild Conference - "The Guild Coffee Net"

  Wednesday - 7pm - W2QYT-R - CENTRAL NY SWAP NET

  Wednesday - 7:30pm - VE3OSR Repeater - ECHOLINK Node # 333014

  Wednesday - 8pm - U-NODE Conference - Elmira amateur radio club

  Wednesday - 8pm - Handiham Conference - Handiham NET- N6NFF

  Wednesday - 10pm -Dodropin Conference - HAM NATION-N3NTV - Dave

  Thursday - 7pm - SCARS - "TIN NET"- VARIES

  Thursday - 8pm - K8VON-R - Defiance, Oh ARC Net- K8VON-John

  Thursday - 8pm - K2SRV-R- GAINES,NY - node #603973 - 442.875mhz/141.3/+5 offset - PCN Net- AC2UR - Steve

  Thursday - 8pm - CROSSROADS NET - Cross Roads Conference server

  Thursday - 9pm - "The Pet Net"- Friends Conference

  Thursday - 10:30pm - WORLD Conf/9251 - The Outdoor Adventure Net

  Thursday - 11:30pm - NATIONAL HISTORY NET - KB7KWK-L Node #538499

  Friday - 12noon - Handiham Conference- N5XCX- Woody

  Friday - 5pm - The Guild Conference - The Guild Fellowship Net- W4JMF - Jason

  Friday - 6pm - Friends Conf - "A.R.R.L. News discussion net"- N0STY - Nasty

  Friday - 7pm - ARUFON - AMATEUR RADIO UFO NET - ECHOLINK NET

  Friday - 8pm - Techlink Conference - "The Technet" - VK6BQQ - Reggie

  Friday- 8:30pm - DCF-ARC- Emcomm Net- N7BZN - Scott

  Friday - 9pm - " The Net" - IRLP 9668- WB8ODF

  Friday – 9:30pm - FRIENDS CONFERNCE - "YL NET"

  Friday – 9:30pm - Starlink Conference - "THE FRIDAY NIGHT NET"- KW4QJ - John

  Saturday - 7 am -World Conference - "SCRAMBLED EGGS AND TOAST NET"-W2JLD- John

  Saturday - 7:30am - Dodropin - DX Morning Net- 9Y4C Dexter

  Saturday - 8am - SCARS Conference - "SOUTH CARS NET"- N0STY - Nasty

  Saturday - 12 noon - SCARS Conference - "INTERCONTINENTAL NET"- NCS Varies

  Saturday - 7pm - SCARS - " SATURDAY EVENING RAG CHEW NET"- NO7O

  Saturday - 8pm - WX_TALK - "SKYWARN AND NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER NET"

  Saturday - 9pm - DX-LINK - WIRES-X NET/AMERALINK REFLECTOR- WA3PNY-Jeff

  Sunday - 10am - FRIENDS CONFERENCE - R.A.I.N. Report- N0STY - Nasty

  Sunday - 6pm - FRIENDS CONFERENCE - "IOWA NET"

  Sunday - 7pm - SCARS - "SUNDAY EVENING RAG CHEW NET"- K2HA

  Sunday - 7pm - ARUFON - AMATEUR RADIO UFO

  Sunday - 8pm - SBE CONFERNCE - "HAMS IN BROADCASTING"

  Sunday - 8pm - W2VL-R - LIMARC - LONG ISLAND AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

  Sunday - 8pm - MICHIGAN CONFERENCE -"MICHIGAN UPPER PENINSULA NET"- Varies

  Sunday - 8pm - KUEKA LAKE ARC- N2AAR-R - NODE #578244

  Sunday - 8:30pm - " Skywarn Youth Net- EchoLink Node: 291849 or N∅NWS-R

  Sunday - 9pm - DCF-ARC - Disaster Communications Forum Net

  Sunday - 9pm - W8HP-L - "Hazel Park ARC Net" - 1st/last Sunday - KD8TBC - Lee

  ---

  Amateur Radio Podcasts

  Editor’s note: Thanks to John, NU6P, for providing this list of ham radio podcasts.

  100 Watts and a Wire http://100wattsandawire.com/

  ARES e Letter Audio Version from the ARRL http://www.arrl.org/ares-e-letter-audio-version

  ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news

  ARRL the Doctor is In http://www.arrl.org/doctor

  Amateur Radio Newsline https://www.arnewsline.org/

  Ham Nation https://twit.tv/shows/ham-nation

  Ham Radio 360 http://hamradio360.com/index.php/category/podcast/

  Ham Radio Now https://www.hamradionow.tv/home

  Ham Talk Live https://www.spreaker.com/show/ham-talk-live

  QSO Today http://www.qsotoday.com/

  The RAIN Report http://therainreport.com/

  This Week in Amateur Radio http://twiar.net/

  ---

  Early Handiham Program History, Part 3

  by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

  Handiham History: Beginnings of May Convocation and Radio Camp

  (Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program.)

  On December 2, 1969, the Articles of Incorporation were signed at the Olmsted County Court House in Rochester, Minnesota, and the Program received its nonprofit status. Article II stated, “The purpose for which the corporation is organized are to encourage and promote an interest in Amateur Radio among persons with disabilities and to help provide them with encouragement, equipment, and training.”

  It was apparent at this time that a name change was in order to broaden the focus of this fast-growing group. The original name, “Handiham System of Rochester, Minnesota” was changed to the “Handiham System of Minnesota.” Founder Ned Carman, W0ZSW, said “Won’t it be wonderful when every person in Minnesota with a disability has the opportunity of being an amateur radio operator?”

  The first annual May Convocation took place in 1969. Once established as an affiliate of MiSCCA, we were qualified to use the Camp Courage site. The purpose of the Convocation was to recruit new members—both those with disabilities and those without disabilities.

  With an increase in student members, we found a shortage of amateurs willing to assist on a local level. For some, there was a willingness to help, but a fear of persons with physical disabilities. The May weekend at camp was a super opportunity to unite persons with and without disabilities in a non-competitive atmosphere of relaxation and learning. There was a tremendous turnout. Some spent the full weekend, while others came just for one day. Approximately 70 persons participated.

  Eddy Thorson recalls being hostess for the first May Convocation. “I’ll never forget that Friday night sitting there armed only with a clipboard while a horde of hungry people bearing suitcases converged upon me from all directions! Awesome indeed.”

  The May Convo was concluded with an interdenominational Sunday service, conducted by clergy of three different religious convictions—Reverends George Metcalf, W0JH, Frank Brentine, WN0CHA, and Cliff Gronneburg, W0KRK.

  In September, 1970, radio week was added to the Handiham Program yearly events. Radio week was a full week at Camp Courage for the purpose of studying radio, Morse code, and theory. Emphasis was not placed on the importance of studying prior to the session (or if it was, it was not heeded), and several came unprepared. Ott Miller, W0EQO, then president of the Program, was an excellent instructor but just could not teach everything in one week. The FCC examiners arrived on Thursday to administer the examinations. Out of the nine who took the General test, only two passed. It was a real blow to Ott and Ned, who had worked so hard covering the material. The only saving factor was that two people passed the advanced test, and all of the Novices passed their tests. If nothing else, we did learn a lesson—stress home preparation.

  Camp Courage has two separate units—one for people with physical disabilities and another for those with speech and hearing impairments. Because we were late in making reservations for the physically disabled side, we missed out and had to use the speech and hearing side. Those of us who served as “motors” for the non-electric wheelchairs were mighty tuckered out going up those hills three times a day. I don’t know what we would have done without the cheerful, hard-working camp counselors! They helped to smooth the difficult spots. All things were looked upon by them as a challenge to be met. Bless them!

  (Sr. Alverna’s account of the early years of the Handiham Program will continue in the next issue of Handiham World.)

  ---

  Down memory lane...

  In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the June 3, 2015 issue of Handiham World written by Dr. Ron Milliman, K8HSY.

  Getting Started on 6 Meters
  

  By Dr. Ron Milliman, K8HSY

  The 6 meter band (50-54 MHz) is often referred to as the “mystery band” or the “magic band” by many hams. It is almost always available for short distances, like line of sight, but it occasionally opens up for some exciting DX opportunities too. You just never know when those exciting DX openings are going to happen. When it does open up, it might only last for a few minutes and then, suddenly go dead, available once again to only line of sight contacts or somewhat longer contacts with the help of a repeater, much like two meters.

  6 meter propagation is substantially controlled by sun spot and atmospheric conditions. For instance, on 6 meters when the solar flux index numbers rise to between 150 and 200, the F-layer skip can provide, literally, worldwide QSO opportunities. 6 can get really exciting when openings arise from sporadic-E, aurora, meteor-scatter, trans-equatorial and even moon bounce leading to some fun communications.

  Of these propagation events, sporadic-E is most often used for 6 meter long distance communications. Sporadic-E openings usually hit maximum during the solstices in the months of June and December. When these openings occur, such propagation often provides QSOs over distances of from a few hundred miles to possibly even a few thousand miles or more with what we call a "double-hop." These openings occur every year, no matter what the sun spot index is. Though this propagation opening can happen at any time, normally, the E-skip is most prevalent from May to July, with another heightened opportunity during December and the first half of January. Again, such openings can last for a few minutes up to a few hours. It is lots of fun and excitement while it lasts, and you can work the skip quite successfully with very little power and with even a very modest antenna array.

  Equipment You Need

  It is especially easy to get on 6 meters these days because many of our modern transceivers are designed to cover 160 through 6 meters. If you want to get the best results working DX, however, you will need a transceiver that provides more modes than just FM. You need a rig that will allow you to work SSB and even CW if you enjoy operating CW. Ten watts is sufficient when 6 is really open.

  
  

  Your Antenna

  
  

  There are numerous commercially made antennas on the market designed to cover the 6 meter band, including Yagis, verticals, various types of wire antennas, single-banders, multi-banders, etc. The prices range from well below $100 to well over $1000, and they are available from most all of the well-known brand name companies.

  However, since the size of most 6 meter antennas is relatively small, they are also quite easy to build yourself. There is an endless repertoire of designs from which to select readily available online and described in many articles published in the ham magazines. A simple dipole, for example, is only 9’ 4” cut for the bottom of the band, and only 9’ cut for the middle of the band. Even with this very basic of all antennas, you can still make lots of DX contacts when 6 meters is open. When it isn’t open, a dipole will also allow you to make solid local contacts working simplex or through repeaters. Since a dipole has some directional characteristics, it is also desirable and quite easy to homebrew a rotatable dipole from light weight, aluminum tubing. In like manner, it is very easy to build a Yagi; a 3-element Yagi utilizing a director, driven element, and reflector, is still quite small and will give you considerable added DB gain over a simple dipole. Excellent results can also be obtained on 6 meters from other simple antennas too. For instance, ground-planes and J-Poles are popular 6 meter antennas. Construction details for all of these kinds of antennas are readily available from many online sources.

  Antenna polarization is another factor that needs to be considered, depending upon what kind of communications you are seeking on 6 meters. Antennas can be either horizontally or vertically polarized. While the details of antenna polarization are beyond the scope of this basic article, let it suffice to state that for working DX on 6 meters, polarization is not very important. However, in contrast, for working short distance, ground wave, how your antenna is polarized is considerably more important. In general, 6 meter Yagis or rotatable dipoles tend to use horizontal polarization, which have a higher angle of radiation than vertically polarized antennas. Of course, a Yagi, for example, can be erected for either horizontal or vertical polarization, and some are actually designed for both. Verticals, ground-planes and J-Poles are all normally vertically polarized antennas. Vertically polarized antennas have a lower angle of radiation, and thus, they normally perform best over longer distances. The ideal antenna would be both vertically and horizontally polarized, and there are such antennas available commercially, and construction details for home-brewing such arrays can be found online.

  Listen for the Beacons

  To help you know when 6 meters is open and open into which area of the country or world, there are numerous beacons set up that you can listen for. Here in the United States beacons can be heard in the frequency range between 50.060 and 50.080 MHz. However, in other countries around the globe, they are more scattered across the 6 meter band. For a comprehensive and up-to-date list of 6 meter beacons go to:
  G3USF's Worldwide List of 50MHz Beacons:
  http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm

  The 6 Meter Band Structure

  According to Dave Finley, N1IRZ in his article entitled: "Six Meters: An Introduction," published in QRPp, Spring 2000, "...six meters is much more rigidly structured in terms of what frequencies are used for what purposes than the HF bands tend to be. 6 meters has a CW-only sub-band which runs from 50.0 to 50.1 MHz... Also, Calling frequencies are used extensively. From 50.100 to 50.125 is a "DX Window," in which domestic QSOs tend to be discouraged. The DX calling frequency is 50.110. The traditional domestic calling frequency is 50.125." Several years ago, back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, there was a movement to extend the DX window to 50.130 and make 50.200 the new domestic calling frequency. The movement was precipitated by the extension of six-meter privileges to hams in other countries around the globe, resulting in a significant increase in the number of DX stations on the air. However, this movement never really caught on. N1IRZ goes on to point out that "...The recommended CW calling frequency is 50.090, but you will often hear CW CQs on 50.125, too… I would recommend monitoring both 50.125 and 50.200, as well as 50.090, during an opening. If the opening seems really good, start checking 50.110 for DX stations, too."

  Do You Know Your Grid Square?

  As N1IRZ points out you need to know your grid square when operating 6 meters because you are likely to be asked for it. The grid square system "is almost universally used as a locator system by VHF, UHF and microwave operators." It "divides the world into 32,400 squares, each 2 degrees of longitude by 1 degree of latitude. There are larger "fields" of 100 locator squares each, and each square is divided into smaller sub-squares. Most generally, it will be sufficient if you only know your 2 degree by 1 degree square."

  Dave, N1IRZ, says: "VHF operators collect grid squares like HF operators collect countries. Many are working toward the ARRL's VHF-UHF Century Club (VUCC) award, which requires confirmed contacts with 100 grid squares. During VHF contests, some enthusiasts go on "Grid Expeditions," to put rare grid squares on the air, while others become "rovers" to operate from several grids during the contest. Just as states or countries serve as multipliers for HF-contest scores, grid squares are the typical multipliers for VHF-contest scores."

  To find your grid square, go to:
  http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/grids.php

  If you work 6 meters very much, it might be a good idea to even add your grid square number to your QSL card information.

  The Key Word When Working 6 Meters

  The key word when working 6 meters is 'patience.' It requires considerable patience, and you will need to make it a part of your ham operating routine to check 6 meters frequently for band openings. Listening for several beacons will let you know not only if the band is open but also what part of the country or world is open to you. Of course, 6 is open pretty much all of the time for local communications, much like 2 meters in that regard.

  Good luck...

  Ron, K8HSY

  Editor’s Note: Be sure to also check out the tutorials by Handiham Volunteer Matt Arthur on 6 meters in the Op Skills section of the Members Only website.

  ---

  Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

  How to find the Handiham Net: 

  • 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.  

  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 five hours ahead of Minnesota time during the summer.

  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, KE7VI, the Handiham Radio Club Net Manager.

  ---

  Membership

  • 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. 

    • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
      MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

    • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
      DONATION LINK

  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@allina.com

  
  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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

  Return to Handiham.org

   

You Can Now Obtain Your Technician Amateur Radio License

with

This Completely Free Starter Kit

Free Ham Starter Kit

Free online study, training and test examination course to prepare you for the Technician Amateur Radio license.

The Courage Kenny Handiham Program, in cooperation with the Wireless Industry Foundation, is providing a completely free Starter Kit to get you on your path to becoming a licensed ham. You will be provided with a complete set of study materials for the Technician license exam. This includes a free subscription to the Ham Test Online Program, and a free VHF/UHF handi-talkie, subject to availability. 

Simply go to this link and complete the application process:

http://growhamradio.club/New_Ham_Starter_Kit/Index.htm

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, November 1, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham01NOV2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• NASA-Hadley Links
  

• Assistive Technology Assessment
  

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 4

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

As winter approaches in the northern hemisphere, thoughts turn to long nights operating the radio in a warm, comfortable shack. When you are tuning around the bands, be sure to check out the Split Rock Special Event – Edmund Fitzgerald Commemoration – November 3-5, 2017.

The Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA), a Handiham Affiliated Club, will be operating to commemorate the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Using the club’s call sign, WØJH, more than twenty SARA members will operate from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park (ARLHS USA 783) in Lake County, MN. This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the ship’s mysterious sinking and our thirteenth year of operating this Special Event.

Join them in Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew by making contact with W0JH!

W0JH Operating Schedule

Friday, November 3 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm (Central Time)

Saturday, November 4 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (Central Time)

Sunday, November 5 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (Central Time)

Frequencies of Operation:

3.860, 7.260, 14.260, 21.360, 28.360 MHz (+/- QRM)

Midwest or local stations should look for them on the 75m and 40m bands in the early morning and late afternoon.

They will have a station working PSK31, so look for W0JH (070 #1905) around 3.580, 7.070, and 21.070 as well.

Don’t forget to request an electronic QSL certificate:

Send an email request to: SplitRock2017@radioham.org with the following information:

Your call sign

Date of QSO

Time of QSO in UTC

Band/Frequency

Mode

Your RST report

The email address where you want the certificate sent

*Any email received without the above information will be returned for clarification.

No QSL Cards or other postal mail requests will be accepted.

Certificates for valid contacts will be set as a PDF file to your email address beginning 2 to 3 weeks following the event.

Another sign of the approach of winter is the time change. Many of us will be changing our clocks this weekend (except those lucky enough to live in locations where the time does not change). Don’t forget to turn your clocks back Saturday night so you are on-time for all your Sunday activities!

In the E-Letter this week there are some NASA-Hadley links regarding the solar system, extreme weather, and the solar eclipse. The next link is to a presentation on Assistive Technology Assessments. Sister Alverna’s early history of the Handiham Program is back with Part 4. Finally, there is an article from the Summer 1984 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

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NASA-Hadley Links

Editor’s note: Thanks to Ken KB3LLA for these links.

Here is the link to the NASA-Hadley "The Birth and Eventual Death of Our Solar System" webinar: https://hadley.edu/SolarSystem.asp

Here is the link to the NASA-Hadley "Extreme Weather: Studying the Impact of Water" webinar: https://hadley.edu/Extremeweather.asp

Here is the link to the NASA-Hadley Explore the “Solar Eclipse” webinar: https://hadley.edu/Eclipse.asp

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Assistive Technology Assessment

Presented by Ike Presley

In this webcast, Presley talks about the world of assistive technology and walks us through a range of assistive technology options. He shares some of the strategies involved in conducting an assessment as well as in choosing the right assistive technology tool for the learner. Presley also provides guidance regarding how often learners should be reassessed and resources for staying current with assistive technologies.

Ike Presley is a project manager at the American Foundation for the Blind's National Literacy Center. As a member of the Literacy Team, Presley helps develop resources and materials that can be used by service providers to improve the quality of their service. https://youtu.be/BFahrZI7aQA

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Early Handiham Program History, Part 4

by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

Handiham History: Remembering Past Members

(Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program.)

In the summer of 1970, the Handiham Program lost their first member in death—Mary Adams, WN0VLM. Although only a Novice, she was very active in CW—a motivated student with a real desire to upgrade. Later that same year, Mike Archambeau and Doug Peterson died. These three deaths so close to each other prompted Handiham Program founder, Ned Carman, to comment, “At best, life here for many of our members is frail.” He felt a great personal loss at the death of members.

In December 1969, Ott Miller, W0EQO, Faribault, Minnesota, was elected president of the Handiham Program at the Winter Hamfest. Ott was well-known in the Amateur Radio fraternity. His election marked the first time anyone outside the Rochester, Minnesota area was elected an officer of the organization.

Ott’s interest in Amateur Radio began when he was a young man, shortly after he had polio and his mobility was limited. As a new ham, he enjoyed experimenting with as well as operating his station. About this same time, Ned was friends with Ott’s younger brother. It was then that Ned was first introduced to the hobby. One could say then, that without Ott there may not have been a Handiham Program.

Under Ott’s leadership, helpful contacts broadened. He was active on several local nets and much of his time was devoted to exploring new ways to make Amateur Radio concepts more understandable. With his electronic repair background, he looked for ways to make station operation easier for persons with disabilities.

What a shock it was on that colder winter night on February 2, 1971, when Ott’s sister called to tell us that Ott died while visiting friends at the Eagle’s Club not far from his home.

A big snow storm hit the day before Ott’s funeral, but it did not deter his many friends from being present at the First Lutheran Church to bid their final farewell to this gentle, patient, caring friend and fellow amateur radio operator.

The Handiham Program does more than just educate ham radio operators. An unexpected side benefit for Jean Heikkila, W0IRJ, and Orvin Fingarson, WN0DCA, came out of the May Convocation in 1970. Little did anyone expect that wedding bells would be ringing for them in November. What a surprise it was on the Handiham Round-up in early September when Jean announced, “Orvin and I are getting married.” When asked about their decision, Jean said, “It was love at first sight.” It was a touching wedding, with more than 300 persons witnessing the interdenominational service; and Orvin, a music major, sang to his bride.

(Sr. Alverna’s account of the early years of the Handiham Program will continue in the next issue of Handiham World.)

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Down memory lane...

In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the Summer 1984 issue of Handiham World, reprinted from the American-Statesman, Austin, Texas.

Blind Radio Operator Finds Eyes for Others

Mike Shaw was sitting in the bedroom of his West Austin home when the message came over his ham radio. A Louisiana hospital needed a cornea to transplant into the eye of a 16-month-old girl.

Shaw relayed the message to the Austin Lions Club Eye bank, which had just received a cornea from the family of a Georgetown child who had died.

“Within hours, the cornea was flown to New Orleans and transplanted into the eye of Jamona Anderson,” said Eleanor McMain, director of the Southern Eye Bank in New Orleans.

The happy ending marked another success for Shaw, an amateur radio operator whose blindness is no deterrent to helping others see.

Shaw, 28, sits in his bedroom each day to listen to three broadcasts from around the country. The broadcasts contain messages from eye banks that are looking for eyes or corneas, or have eyes available.

The broadcasts at 6:45 and 8 am and 8 pm contain messages such as, “Kansas City needs two eyes under the age of 50, fresh tissue,” and give a phone number, Shaw said.

Shaw then calls the eye bank at Seton Medical Center. If the bank has eyes or corneas from donors, an employee will call the number Shaw provides and arrange to fly the eyes to that city.

Jamona Anderson’s new cornea came from Jessica Vasquez, a 13-month-old girl who died November 15 in Brackenridge Hospital. Jessica’s liver was transplanted into a 10-month-old baby in Pittsburgh, and her other eye was used to repair the cornea of a 14-year-old Elgin boy.

Jamona’s mother, Ramona Anderson of Hahnville, Louisiana, said that before the transplant, her daughter had several operations for an eye problem she had since birth. Anderson called Shaw “beautiful” for his help.

Shaw, who is unemployed because of health problems connected with diabetes, said he learned to operate a ham radio 16 years ago at the Texas School for the Blind.

A brain tumor damaged Shaw’s optic nerve when he was 5, and he has been blind since then. The damage cannot be repaired by an eye transplant.

He said a sighted friend got him interested in volunteer monitoring five years ago, and he thinks he is the only person in Austin monitoring the broadcasts regularly. Shaw doesn’t know how many people have received eyes because of his help.

I enjoy it,” he said. “It’s good to have something to do. I don’t want people to be in the shape I am in. This is a seeing world, and people ought to be able to see.”

Editor’s Note: The following is from the QRZ page for W0EYE: “W0EYE is the official call sign of the Eye Bank Net, formally the Eye Emergency Net. The net was organized in 1962 at Iowa City by Dr. Al Braley, M.D., W0GET and Ted Hunter, W0NTI (both are Silent Keys) The first on the air meeting was on December 20th 1962. The purpose of the net is for locating and arranging for the distribution of eye tissue to be used in sight saving emergency corneal transplant operations. We handled this traffic for over thirty years, serving more than fifty hospitals across the country, with close to one hundred-fifty members. During that time we tranferred 11,066 eyes. We have generated much good publicity for Ham Radio and have received many honors, including a Presidential Citation. We continue to meet out of fellowship and to help keep the tradition of Amateur Radio in public service alive. The International Eye Bank Association has asked us to continue our net, in case their newer methods of communications should ever fail. All licensed Hams are welcome to check in and join us daily at 3.970 Mhz at 0045 UTC”

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Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

How to find the Handiham Net: 

• 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.  

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 five hours ahead of Minnesota time during the summer.

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

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

Return to Handiham.org

 

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, November 8, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham08NOV2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• Ham Radio Operators Coming to the Rescue
  

• Accessible Time and Date Website

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 5

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

The weather is getting a definite chill, causing me to realize that, ready or not, winter is coming. While I am not a fan of bitterly cold weather, the long nights during winter do bring about improved DX propagation on the lower bands. In fact, my first HF contact after I got my ham license was on 75 meters to Spain on half a vertical antenna. I say half a vertical antenna because I did not have any radials down yet. (Yes, I did impress my Elmer with that contact!) Fast forward a few years, and with the addition of 120 40-foot radials, I worked the world using that same vertical antenna.

Change can be a good thing! Just like my vertical antenna needed changing in the form of radials to make it more effective, the Handiham Program website is in need of some upgrades to increase its effectiveness for our members. The website, located at https://handiham.org, is undergoing some serious renovations. Pages are being updated, links are being corrected, and the site is being mapped in preparation for rolling out the updated website. The organizational structure will be changing to make it more accessible. If you have some time, look over the site and send me an email with changes, thoughts, or suggestions. Your input and feedback is greatly appreciated!

In the E-Letter this week there are some links to news stories about the amateur radio response in Puerto Rico. The next link is to a suggestion about an accessible time and date website. Sister Alverna’s early history of the Handiham Program is back with Part 5. Finally, there is an article from the Spring 1982 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

Ham Radio Operators Coming to the Rescue for Puerto Rico

Communication is key right now as people try to help those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, but without power, that hasn't been easy. Check out these news clips about ham radio operators in hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico and those assisting from outside areas.

https://youtu.be/l53nw6VWpBs

https://youtu.be/V6Q7A5H1_1g

https://youtu.be/qgIjnTbqg4c

Accessible Time and Date Website

Shane Buck likes the site www.thetimenow.com for its accessibility. How about you? What is your go-to site for time and date? Share your suggestions, and we can include them in a future E-Letter.

Early Handiham Program History, Part 5

by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

Handiham History: Program Gains Momentum

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program.)

February, 1971—The Handiham Program’s Board of Directors searched its membership to find just the right person to fill the vacant position of president. We had to find an influential person in the amateur radio fraternity; an individual with a desire to promote the cause of amateur radio for persons with disabilities. The person who seemed ideal for the job was Ward Jensen, W0TLE.

Ward owned and operated a thriving amateur radio business known as Electronic Center in Minneapolis. He was well-known, loved, and respected in the world of ham radio. It was nearly impossible to expect a man as busy as Ward Jensen to serve as the Handiham Program’s president. It was nothing new, however, for the Handiham Program to ask for big things. Ned
Carman, founder of the Handiham Program, was particularly happy when Ward accepted, because of their long friendship and admiration for each other.

At this time, Ward had been serving on the Handiham Program Board of Directors since December of 1969, but he did not really know how his life would be changed with the new position. He soon found himself devoting all his spare time to the Program. Wherever he went, he talked about the Program’s need for volunteers. It wasn’t long before there was a full, active volunteer staff working on donated equipment that was in need of repair. Ward became very good at “arm twisting”—some of those who were talked into volunteering say they haven’t been the same since. Several of those early volunteers are still with the Program some ten years later.

In the March, 1971 FLYER, then the official newsletter of the Rochester Amateur Radio Club and the Handiham Program, our new president wrote, “Today, I believe the Handiham Program is the largest group of actively participating Radio Amateurs in Minnesota. If I count the latest membership list correctly, it now stands at better than 100 able-bodied persons and 65 members and students with disabilities, all working and participating actively in one phase or another toward our objectives. Where else can we find such a dedicated group? We’ve just gotta go places and do things!” This is the kind of determination and spirit which continues to be reflected in Ward’s relationship with the Program.

Officers of the Program worked closely with Ward and provided tremendous support. Alta Mitchell, WA0VTZ, vice-president (“president of vice” as we fondly called her); Helen Torbenson, WB9GPG, secretary; and Cecil Davis, W0AZR, treasurer, were the principal officers and worked with the 14 member Board of Directors. Finances were never all that abundant, but Cecil always managed to pay the bills somehow and have a fairly good bank balance at the end of the year. At the annual meeting in December, 1970, the bank balance was $458.54.

It was about this time that the idea of having a Handiham Program in every state was actually pursued. Iowa was the first to start a chapter in 1972. They had 35 members and seven students. The 3900 Club was a good support to the Iowa Program, but they still found the going to be very difficult. Finding one-on-one helpers and money were two of their biggest problems. Camp Sunnyside in Iowa was the site of a complete ham radio station which was donated by the Handiham Program in Minnesota. Duane Van Vickle, WA0VRJ, and Maurice Dougel, WA0UVH, worked very hard to make this Program successful, but there was just not enough help to keep the group going strong. Other states that showed an interest but did not actually organize were Wisconsin, Kansas, and North and South Dakota.

Under the direction of Ward Jensen, Radio Station KCCR 750 AM was set up at Camp Courage. Campers now had their own broadcast station. This provided them with entertainment and an opportunity for training. The console itself was donated by Faribault Radio Station KDHL through the efforts of former president Ott Miller, W0EQO.

(Sr. Alverna’s account of the early years of the Handiham Program will continue in the next issue of Handiham World.)

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Down memory lane...

In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the Spring 1982 issue of Handiham World.

Rockets? Satellites? You’re Kidding!

During the West Coast Radio Camp visit to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Norm Chaflin showed an article he had clipped from a magazine. The article dealt with putting satellites in geostationary orbits to enable the general populace to enjoy television broadcasts from all parts of the earth—

“…Let us suppose that such a station were built in this orbit. It could be provided with receiving and transmitting equipment and could act as a repeater to relay transmissions between any two points on the hemisphere beneath, using any frequency that will penetrate the ionosphere.”

The article goes on to describe in minute detail the nature of satellites, their necessary positions, the physics involved in getting them up into space and in a stationary orbit, and even the required earth station antennas. In short, the article described precisely what’s being done these days in the satellite relayed television.

So what’s so special about that? Nothing, nowadays; but the article, titled “Extra-Terrestrial Relays—Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?” appeared in the October 1945 issue of Wireless World! This visionary writer, Arthur C. Clarke (author of 2001: A Space Odyssey), went on to write—

“…Many may consider the solution proposed in this discussion too far-fetched to be taken very seriously. Such an attitude is unreasonable, as everything envisioned here is a logical extension of developments in the last ten years—in particular the perfection of the long range rocket of which the V2 was the prototype…It will be possible in a few more years to build radio controlled rockets which can be steered into such orbits beyond the limits of the atmosphere and left to broadcast scientific information back to the earth. A little later, manned rockets will be able to make similar flights with sufficient excess power to break the orbit and return to earth.”

Editor’s Note: These days, it does not take a lot of equipment to operate satellites in the ham bands. One simply needs an antenna that can be angled to follow the position of the satellite, a receiver for the downlink band, and a transmitter on the uplink band. Check out www.amsat.org for more information.

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Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

How to find the Handiham Net: 

• 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.  

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.

---

Membership

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

Return to Handiham.org

 

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, November 15, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham15NOV2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• The Legacy of Stella Young

• New Assistive Technology from 2017

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 6

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

While researching topics for this week’s E-Letter, I did a search for attitude and disability. Imagine my dismay when all I could find was article after article about others’ attitudes toward persons with disabilities. That wasn’t what I was looking for at all! You see, while we are impacted by the attitudes of those around us, we are more affected by the attitude we have toward ourselves. Do we believe that we can accomplish our goals? If so, do we take the actions necessary to work toward making our goals a reality? Yes, our attitudes are important, because without a “can-do” attitude, we will have little chance of progress toward our desired outcome. If we don’t also actively pursue our goals, however, all the attitude in the world won’t change anything!

In Down Memory Lane this week, Dr. Tom Linde described just such a situation regarding learning Morse code. If one’s attitude toward code is that it is impossible to learn, there is not much chance you will ever learn it. If, like in Sister Alverna’s article, you find ways to practice regularly, in addition to believing that you are capable of learning Morse code, you will likely accomplish your goal, even if it takes a long time to do so. I have found that it is the goals we have to really work at to accomplish that are the most satisfying.

How about you? Are you studying for a license upgrade? Did you get your license after the Morse code requirement was dropped and now you want to learn? Maybe you are in college, or maybe you are developing your computer skills through studying at home. Whatever your goals in life are, make sure you approach them with a “can-do” attitude and lots of effort!

In the Handiham Program office, Nancy has been working on updating the E-Letter and Handiham Notify lists along with the Members Only list for the website. If you need to update anything, you can email her at Nancy.Meydell@allina.com. I have been working on the website, updating all the pages in preparation for the big change as we transition to the updated version of Handiham.org. Next week is a holiday in the United States, so the Handiham office will be closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Additionally, there will be no E-Letter next week, so look for your next issue on November 29.

Watch for a new feature in the E-Letter in two weeks! We found some Handiham gear, hats and mugs, from over the years of the program. We will have a trivia question each week. If you get the correct answer, you will have a chance to win some of that loot. Stay tuned, and get ready to respond!

In the E-Letter this week there is a link to an article about the legacy of Stella Young, a woman whose Ted Talk was featured in the E-Letter a while back. There is another link to an article about three life-changing advances in assistive technology this year. Sister Alverna’s early history of the Handiham Program is back with Part 6. Finally, there is an article from the Summer 1982 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

The Legacy of Stella Young

A couple of months ago, the link to Stella Young’s Ted Talk was in Handiham World. Here is a follow-up to that video, talking about her legacy. While she died unexpectedly at a young age, her thoughts about people with disabilities are especially appropriate to the topic of this week’s E-Letter. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/12/08...

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Three Life-Changing Assistive Technologies from 2017

Here is an article about three assistive technology options that can help people with various disabilities. http://theinstitute.ieee.org/ieee-roundup/blogs/blog/three-lifechanging-...

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Early Handiham Program History, Part 6

by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

Handiham History: Emphasis on Education

(Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program.)

In 1969, Tony Tretter, W0KVO, an able-bodied member from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, took on the project of working with student Mike Peterson, WA0VUP. Mike was in a wheelchair and legally blind. Tony found that Mike learned best when things were taught to him by a ham because most written materials needed explanation and background information which is unfamiliar to most non-amateurs.

After working with Mike, Tony developed a program of study for other students—a question and answer sheet designed for use with the license manual. As each sheet was completed and returned, it would be corrected and another sheet would be sent out. This seemed to work quite well, but it became a lot of paperwork over time. Before long, Tony had a change of work schedules which forced him to give up this method of teaching. Tony’s motto had always been, “a one-to-one for every student.” He felt strongly that an experienced amateur was needed for encouragement, direction, and motivation—vital ingredients in each student’s progress.

People studying in places like Rochester, Minnesota, found that instruction was not a big problem. The Rochester Amateur Radio Club conducted regular classes. Handiham students found these classes to be a real encouragement as well as a great opportunity for them to meet other amateurs who were willing to help with equipment and antennas once they got their licenses.

When a number of students are studying together, they find their own ways of learning. Ma Bell’s telephone system got a lot of use by a couple of folks. I enjoy telling the story about Sister Alena, WA0UWT, and Alta Mitchell, WA0VTZ. I attempted to call the radio room at Assisi Heights Convent where both Sister Alena and I lived. The line was repeatedly busy, so I walked down to find out what the problem was. There was no problem at all. Sister and Alta were making CW contact across town, and, after each transmission, they would check on the phone to see that all was received correctly. They were like kids being caught! With daily contacts, however, they soon became proficient with Morse code. Before long, they were sporting their General class licenses, but using a microphone wasn’t nearly as much fun!

It didn’t take long for Jon to see the tremendous gift of hope Ned was bringing to people with disabilities through the Handiham Program. Jon came up with the idea to set aside a day at the annual May Convocation at Camp Courage to honor Ned, calling it Founder’s Day. Ward Jensen, W0TLE, Handiham Program president at that time, thought it was an excellent suggestion and a precedent was set for future years.

On May 6, 1972, founder and friend of the Program, Ned Carman, W0ZSW, was presented with an engraved watch, a red windbreaker jacket with the newly designed Handiham emblem on the back, a framed certificate, and the remaining cash. Judy Vervair made a huge white cake with the same emblem that was on the jacket. The presentation was a total surprise to Ned and was the first time I had ever seen him speechless and choked up. The gesture of love and thanks had touched him deeply.

(Sr. Alverna’s account of the early years of the Handiham Program will continue in the next issue of Handiham World.)

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Down memory lane...

In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the Summer 1982 issue of Handiham World.

Great Expectations!

by Tom Linde, KC0L

Not long ago, I was reading an article about CW (Morse code) in one of my ham radio magazines and stopped short at something I read. The author described CW as a “secret language” which was “often impossible to learn.”

I guess there are a lot of people who feel that way about Morse code. I did for many years. It was really hard work for me to pass the various tests with which we prove our ability to the FCC. I wonder though, how much of our apprehension, how much of our concern, how much of our general antagonism about CW stems from faulty expectations and attitudes? I just wonder, if by expecting code to be an obstacle, a treacherous barrier, we set up obstacles to learning in our own minds that really don’t need to be there at all?

If you stand back and look at it objectively, what is Morse code? It is about four dozen auditory symbols. These symbols are combinations of short and long bursts of sound. Now really, people. Forty-eight symbols is not that big of a deal! Even as you read these words in Handiham World, your eyes are scanning that many or more visual symbols. You scan at a tremendous rate. The average reader has no trouble doing 200 to 300 words per minute, except maybe for very technical stuff.

Now, we get back to CW. We are asked to use our ears to scan not 200 words a minute, but five or 13 or 20 words per minute. When you look at it this way, it begins to look almost funny. Of course, it isn’t funny for many people.

Maybe it would be easier if we, as amateur radio operators, come to look at code as an alternative language rather than a secret language. Maybe it would be good to keep in mind the fact that our eyes are no more marvelous in reading print than our ears are in hearing it, as symbolized in those goofy, but easy, bursts of sound.

Expectations are a major influence in what we decide to do, what we attempt to do, and what we ultimately succeed in doing.

What can we, as hams with common interests, do to achieve more positive expectations about our common language? Let’s expect more of ourselves. Let’s expect more of our ears (or however we receive code). Let’s stamp out concerns that are essentially irrational so that we can enjoy our common language. It is a vital and beautiful part of our hobby.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Tom Linde was a psychologist with the Veterans Administration in Knoxville, Iowa. He had cerebral palsy, was an amateur radio operator for most of his life, and taught Morse code at a number of Handiham Radio Camp sessions after earning his Extra Class license.

---

Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

How to find the Handiham Net: 

• 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.  

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.

---

Membership

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

Return to Handiham.org

 

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, November 29, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham29NOV2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• Smart Homes Are Game Changer for People with Disabilities

• Win Some Handiham History Loot
  

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 7

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

It is hard to believe that December is just around the corner. 2018 will be here before we know it! This is a great time to check out your station, as many are still enjoying nice weather that makes outside work quite comfortable. Checking all your connections, grounds, and equipment will go a long way toward ensuring lots of great contacts during the colder months. Antenna work is simply not a good idea during the winter, although one ham I know says falling off the roof onto a snow pile is not too uncomfortable! Hopefully you will be able to get your station in order and ready for action on days when getting out is rather unpleasant!

In the Handiham Program office, we are catching up after being closed for the holiday last week. Nancy has attempted to contact many members who are not on the list to receive Handiham World. As a result, we have several new subscribers. Don’t forget, if you need to update anything like your contact information, call sign, license class, membership, or members only log-in information, you can email her at Nancy.Meydell@allina.com. I have been working on the website, building the updated version of Handiham.org, in addition to keeping up with the regular responsibilities here in the Handiham Program headquarters.

This is a good week to read on in the E-Letter. 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 is a link to a video about the life-changing impacts of smart technology for persons with disabilities. Sister Alverna’s early history of the Handiham Program is back with Part 7. Finally, there is an article from the Spring 1983 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

Smart Homes Are Game Changer for People with Disabilities

A convenience for some, new technology connecting a range of devices and appliances in smart homes is changing the lives of people who have disabilities. Todd Stabelfeldt is a complete quadriplegic who uses tech like Apple's HomeKit and Switch Control to run a business, help around the house - and perhaps most importantly to him - care for his family. https://youtu.be/4s9vCFkmabs

Win Some Handiham History Loot

Here is your chance to own a piece of Handiham Program history! This week, we are offering a Handiham mug. This isn’t just any mug, this mug is old enough to say Handiham System rather than Handiham Program! If you want a chance to win this mug, make sure your membership is current and answer the following question:

Who was the first Handiham Member to get a call sign?

(Hint, think YL.)

You can send your answer via email to Nancy.Meydell@allina.com 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 Tuesday, December 5.

---

Early Handiham Program History, Part 7

by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

Handiham History: The Loss of Ned Carman

(Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program.)

Memories have a way of sorting out only good things about those who have touched us in a special way before leaving this life. This rings true as I now recall the life of Ned Carman, W0ZSW, founder of the Handiham Program. Ned was a strong man, great in stature, yet gentle in his care for others. He had a need to reach out and to help, particularly those with physical limitations. It was his belief that every person had the right to enjoy life as he enjoyed life.

Perhaps his charisma was the art of allowing his friends to feel they were special. At times, when persons would speak of their relationship with him, they would end by saying, “Ned and I had a special relationship.” What a unique gift!

At 6 a.m. June 1, 1972, Sister Pauline awoke me with a phone message of Ned’s death from Erdene Carman, Ned’s XYL. Sister was reluctant to deliver the news because of her own disbelief and prefaced it with, “I must have misunderstood this message.”

Rev. Thomas Ploof, K0SAZ, a long-time friend of Ned’s, delivered the homily at the interdenominational funeral service at Assisi Heights, Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Francis, in Rochester, Minnesota. He said, “It is not necessary for me to tell you in the Handiham Program what one man who loved and cared meant to your lives. Life is better for you because of the gentle, persistent, soft-spoken encouragement of this good man who dared to care for others.”

And then again, “The relationship to a formal religion was not as important to Ned as it is to most of us. Yet, on this occasion, I should be permitted to say that he was in the process of becoming a man of intense prayer, with a very real relationship to God.”

On the night before Ned’s death, several of us had gathered at the Rochester Radio Club station to assemble our monthly club paper and ready it for mailing. Ned, with other club members, worked hard to meet the deadline. Before the meeting, he stopped at my office to pick up materials for assembling. I was particularly tired and jokingly said, “I’m going to spend my first 100 years in heaven just resting.” His response was, “Sister, what do you think heaven is like?” Then he answered his own question by saying, “I think it will be an opportunity to finish the work that we did not complete here on earth.” I was quick to disagree with this theory. Now in retrospect, I wonder—he may have been right. The Handiham Program has been achieving tremendous growth and success during these ten years since 1972. It just might be he is doing exactly what he said he hoped to do.

Several times during Ned’s life, he was honored for his outstanding achievements. In 1967, he received the WCCO Radio Good Neighbor Award and the Rochester Chamber of Commerce Courtesy Award; in 1968, the Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds; in 1970, the Forest Bryant Award—Minnesota Amateur of the Year; In 1971, Rochester Amateur Radio Club Commendation Award; and last and most treasured, the Founders Day Award of the Handiham Program, May 6, 1972.

Perhaps the person in the Handiham Program who felt the loss most keenly was Ward Jensen, W0TLE, who was forced to carry a much heavier load. He wrote, “Ours is not to question that our Handiham founder should be called to his eternal home. Let us rather rejoice that his sojourn among us could unite us in the common cause of brotherhood. In passing to his final reward, our Ned has attained his greatest achievement—to unite us in a crusade no matter our creed.”

(Sr. Alverna’s account of the early years of the Handiham Program will continue in the next issue of Handiham World.)

---

Down memory lane...

In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the Spring 1983 issue of Handiham World.

“Elmer” Helps Person with Disability Reach Out to the World

(Reprinted from November 28, 1982, Cincinnati Enquirer)

Clif Brown, ham license KA8HNE, is an “Elmer.” In ham radio jargon, an Elmer is a radio amateur who helps someone become a ham. Elmers also help newly licensed amateurs get their stations set up and into operation. Elmers are special people.

Brown, of Hartwell, Ohio, is special even among Elmers, though. His prime interest is in helping persons with disabilities. Teaching ham radio to persons who have disabilities is rewarding for Brown, but he finds elusive the specific reasons for this feeling. “The only thing I get is the satisfaction of helping someone else,” he said. “I would much rather give my time and effort to get something to happen than simply to give my money and sit back and watch it happen.”

His work also involves costs of supplies and travel expenses, as well as his time. He readily acknowledges that his wife, Louise, may have influenced his feelings about the need for personal involvement in charitable activities. She has been a volunteer at Hamilton County’s Drake Memorial Hospital for several years.

“Through her work there, I can see how ham radio could help many of the patients,” Brown said. He is not alone in his efforts to help people with disabilities get into amateur radio. In addition to other Elmers who are already active in Greater Cincinnati, Brown has the support of a National organization.

The Handiham Program is a non-profit organization, headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota. The organization provides special study guides, loans of equipment, special training sessions, and a newsletter to help persons with disabilities obtain ham licenses.

Brown has begun a drive to make persons with disabilities in the Tri-state aware of amateur radio and what they can do through it. However, his efforts in this regard are less gratifying than he would hope. The reason for this, he believes, is that many persons with severe disabilities believe they will not be able to overcome their disabilities to get their amateur radio license.

“We want any persons with a disability who is curious about ham radio to check it out. No matter what the disability involves, they may be able to get a ham license and operate. This is true of nearly anyone no matter what their disability.”

Editor’s Note: What was true in 1983 remains true today. Ham radio is a great hobby for persons with a wide variety of disabilities. It challenges people to develop their skills in science, technology, engineering, and math while also improving their social opportunities.

---

Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

How to find the Handiham Net: 

• 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.  

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.

---

Membership

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

Return to Handiham.org

 

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, December 6, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham06DEC2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• STEM Links

• Review of New EIBraille

• Win Some Handiham History Loot

• Early Handiham Program History, Part 8

• Down memory lane…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

December has officially arrived and with it a change from unseasonably warm weather to more seasonally appropriate and even below normal temperatures. Change is inevitable. Change is inevitable within the Handiham Program as well. This week, we are running the last of Sister Alverna’s articles on the early history of the program. As we transition into the New Year, we will see many changes coming to the E-Letter, the website, and even the services the program offers. Stay tuned to see what is coming, and be sure to let us know your thoughts.

In the Handiham Program office, work is progressing on the new website. Stay tuned for announcements about the changes. 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. Don’t forget, 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@allina.com.

Answer the Handiham History trivia question correctly to be eligible to win this week’s loot! Only a few people responded with the correct answer last week, so your odds of winning are really good if you answer the question! 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 is are several links to some hands on kits to experiment with science, technology, engineering, and math. Sister Alverna’s early history of the Handiham Program is back with Part 8. Finally, there is an article from the Summer 1983 issue of Handiham World in Down Memory Lane.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

STEM Links

Ken Silberman, KB3LLA, sent these links. Check them out! They offer hands on ways to experiment with and better understand the science, technology, engineering, and math used in amateur radio.

Electricity Master Lab: https://www.scientificsonline.com/product/electricity-master-lab

Tesla Coil: https://www.scientificsonline.com/product/50000-volt-tesla-coil-with-exp...

Accessible Snap Circuit Kit (Please note that this product has not yet been released. It should be out next year.) http://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/blog/accessible-snap-circuit-kit

---

Review of New EIBraille

Thanks to Dick Garey, WA0CAF, for sending us this link to a review of the new EIBraille. https://nfb.org/blog/article/3407

---

Win Some Handiham History Loot

Here is your chance to own a piece of Handiham Program history! This week, we are offering another Handiham mug. This isn’t just any mug, this mug is old enough to say Handiham System rather than Handiham Program! If you want a chance to win this mug, make sure your membership is current and answer the following question:

What two call signs were used during the 2007 Special Event Station honoring 40 Years of the Handiham Program? (Hint: Check out past E-Letters if you are not sure of the answers to these questions.)

You can send your answer via email to Nancy.Meydell@allina.com 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 Tuesday, December 12.

---

Early Handiham Program History, Part 8

by Sr. Alverna O’Laughlin

Handiham History: System Takes a Turn

(Editor’s note: This is the eighth and final installment in a series of articles on the early history of the Handiham Program.)

After the death of Handiham program founder Ned Carman in June 1972, the Program’s members knew they needed to redouble their efforts to keep growing. Ward Jensen, W0TLE, called for a united membership effort. Many responded, but Ward knew that numbers alone weren’t enough and a stronger, firmer base was needed. He turned to Wilko Schoenbohm, executive director of MiSCCA, later Courage Center. Mr. Schoenbohm had been watching the rapid growth and dedication of this small volunteer group and was pleased to see what Amateur Radio was doing for persons with disabilities.

Late in 1972, Bruce Humphrys, K0HR, staff member of Courage Center, was appointed by Mr. Schoenbohm as staff liaison to the Program. Bruce, already an amateur and a volunteer member of the Handiham Program, was the perfect choice. He continued his work with the community services department of Courage Center and took on the Handiham Program as an added responsibility. The change enabled the administrative offices of the Program to move from the Assisi Heights Convent in Rochester to the Minneapolis area.

An all-out campaign was launched to get retired amateurs to promise hours of volunteer time. Technicians were needed in the shop, as well as office and secretarial help. Ward Jensen was very successful in influencing fine amateurs to volunteer their expertise and skills to help persons with disabilities. Ward had been in the amateur equipment sales business many years and was well known and liked. This venture proved very successful.

Courage Center completed its new building in Golden Valley in 1974, and a special room was built to fit the needs of the Handiham Program—a large office, station space, and a nearby repair room. Many said, “What will we do with all that space?” Nine years later, the building walls are a testimony to the tremendous growth of the Program.

Not long after the Handiham Program moved to the Golden Valley location, the need for a paid director and secretarial help became apparent. About this time, the decision to become a service rather than affiliate of Courage Center was being discussed. The change would mean a dissolution of the volunteer group known as the Handiham System of Minnesota, Inc.

Many persons who helped get things off the ground in the beginning felt sure we could do it on our own without giving up the volunteer status. Not all shared the same views. Without question, if we intended to grow and expand, we needed paid positions to maintain the operation of the Handiham Program.

In 1974, after many months of many meetings and painful deliberation, the Handiham System of Minnesota, Inc. dissolved as an independent organization and became a service of Courage Center. Bruce Humphrys was appointed director. This meant many changes, changes that came hard for some of those dedicated persons who worked hard to get the Handiham Program off the ground eight years before. Bruce was in tune with these feelings and did his best to make the transfer as easy as possible without losing his authority as director. Now this nonprofit service organization was officially recognized at the Courage Handiham System.

Editor’s Note: Now the organization is officially the Courage Kenny Handiham Program. We hope this current name will be ours for a long time to come!

---

Down memory lane...

In honor of the celebration of 50 years of the Handiham Program, here is an article from the Summer 1983 issue of Handiham World.

The Final Chapter or the First Chapter

The article “System Takes a Turn” in this issue was the last in a series which chronicled the early history of the Handiham Program. Our past has been exciting, strenuous, sometimes heartbreaking, but always full of hope.

I like to imagine this last article not as the final chapter in a story, but rather as the first. During our first 17 years, we have learned how to respond to needs, how to care, how to dare to try something for the welfare of our members. We have boldly gone where no others have tread, leaving strong footholds for others to follow.

We are proud of our history and jubilant about our future. The Handiham Program has grown in more than mere numbers. It has grown in its stability, and this stability is a result of financial support. Through the continued support of our many members, the donations of other individuals and foundations, and the long-range wisdom of endowment gifts, we are ensuring that our vital services will be available for as long as people need them.

Our future looks bright. We invite you to share in this celebration of plans well-made and help strongly-given.

By Bruce Humphrys, K0HR

Editor’s note: As we reach the end of 2017, Handiham World will be changing its focus to the future of the Handiham Program. I hope you have enjoyed this peek into the past 50 years!

---

Check into our Handiham nets... Everyone is welcome! 

How to find the Handiham Net: 

• 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.  

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.

---

Membership

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

Return to Handiham.org

 

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, December 13, 2017

This is a free weekly news & information update from the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, serving people with disabilities in Amateur Radio since 1967. 

Our contact information is at the end.

Listen here:
https://handiham.org/audio/handiham13DEC2017.mp3

Get this podcast in iTunes:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• Snap Circuits Review

• Ham Radio In the News

• Win Some Handiham History Loot

• Benton County ARES Reaches Out

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

A note from the coordinator...

The kits that Ken, KB3LLA, sent links to last week generated several emails back to the program. It seems there will be some children and adults playing with STEM projects this Christmas! It is always gratifying to see people interested in learning and testing their skills in science, technology, math, and engineering.

In the Handiham Program office, we are preparing for the holiday break. If you need anything before the end of the year, you will want to contact us soon. The office will be closed from Friday, December 22 through Tuesday, January 2. During this time, the website will be intermittently out of service. If you need any lectures to work on over the holiday break, please be sure to download them soon! Don’t forget that if you currently use old links to access content on the website, they will no longer work after the new website is rolled out. You will only be able to access them by logging in with your username and password. 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@allina.com.

Answer the Handiham History trivia question correctly to be eligible to win this week’s prize! Only a few people responded with the correct answer again last week, so your odds of winning remain good if you answer the question! 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 is a review of the Snap Circuits kit from last week by Bill, K9BV, some links to amateur radio in the news, and an article about a special surprise for one Handiham member who has been working particularly hard over the past several months.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

Snap Circuits Review from K9BV

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, 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:

RSS feed for the audio podcast if you use other podcasting software:
http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handiham

Subscribe or change your subscription to the E-mail version here.

Welcome to Handiham World.

In this edition: 

• A note from the coordinator

• Santa Nets

• Ham Radio In the News

• Win Some Handiham History Loot

• In Amateur Radio History…

• Check into our nets!

• ...And more!

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@allina.com.

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@allina.com or by calling me at 612-775-2290.

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

Ham Radio in the News

NASA Yearlong Special Event Station—NASA On the Air.

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:

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@allina.com 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!

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: 

• 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.  

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

• 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. 

  • Handiham annual membership dues are $12.00.  The lifetime membership rate is $120.00.
    MEMBERSHIP DUES PAYMENT LINK

  • If you want to donate to the Handiham Program, please use our donation website.  The instructions are at the following link:
    DONATION LINK

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@allina.com

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@allina.com  for changes of address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address and your new address.

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