[GCARC] Fw: [handiham-world] Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 25 June 2014

[Thomas F Cusack]

SOME ST8FF

> From: Patrick.Tice at allina.com <Patrick.Tice at allina.com>
> Subject: [handiham-world] Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of Wednesday, 25 June 2014
> To: handiham-world at freelists.org
> Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2014, 10:42 AM
> Courage Kenny Rehabilitation
> Institute Handiham World Weekly E-Letter for the week of
> Wednesday, 25 June 2014This is a free weekly
> news & information update from Courage Kenny Handiham
> System.
> Our contact information is at the end. Listen
> here:
> http://handiham.org/audio/handiham25JUN2014.mp3Get this podcast in
> iTunes:
> RSS feed for the audio
> podcast if you use other podcasting
> software:
> http://feeds.feedBurner.com/handihamWelcome to Handiham
> World.FCC Plans $34.9 Million FineWell, that gets our
> attention.  What we are talking about, in case
> you are a bit behind in your FCC news, is the FCC's plan
> to issue the largest fine in its history to a Chinese
> electronics manufacturer for allegedly marketing 285 models
> of signal jammers to U.S. consumers for more than two years.
> This was announced in an FCC press release on June 19 and
> the fact that a proposed forfeiture merited its own press
> release seemed notable to us.  It's pretty obvious
> that they take signal jamming seriously.  The press
> release explains:Signal jamming devices or
> “jammers” are radio frequency transmitters that
> intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized
> communications, such as cellphone calls, GPS systems, Wi-Fi
> networks, and first responder communications.  It is a
> violation of federal law to market, sell, import, or use a
> signal jammer in the United States and its territories,
> except in very limited circumstances involving federal law
> enforcement.  Jamming signals is almost as old
> as radio. Back in the Cold War era, short-wave broadcasts
> were regularly jammed to prevent entire populations from
> hearing news from outside their borders.  These days,
> jamming is quite a bit more local when it comes to cell
> phones and other wireless devices.  It can be tempting
> to jam cellular signals in theaters, where annoying patrons
> use their phones during performances.  Jamming would be
> a quick way to disable smartphones in a classroom during an
> exam, to prevent cheating.  I even read a story about a
> guy who put a cell phone jammer in his car to disrupt cell
> signals along his commuter route! But jamming is dangerous
> business.  It could easily make a call to 911
> impossible during a medical emergency or after an accident,
> when time is of the essence and lives hang in the
> balance.  And of course it will disrupt all kinds of
> other conversations and cellular-dependent communications as
> well.  That's why it's illegal:“All companies, whether domestic or
> foreign, are banned from marketing illegal jammers in the
> U.S.,” said Travis LeBlanc, Acting Chief of the
> Enforcement Bureau.  “Signal jammers present a
> direct danger to public safety, potentially blocking the
> communications of first responders.  Operating a jammer
> is also illegal, and consumers who do so face significant
> civil and criminal penalties.” There has always been a certain
> trust relationship in ham radio regarding jamming. 
> It's illegal, and we all know that.  But it's
> also wrong in a more fundamental way to deliberately
> interfere with the communications activities of a fellow
> operator.  We do hear some dodgy signals on the air,
> even jamming - which we call "intentional
> interference" - but by and large it is possible to go
> for quite a long period of time without having a
> problem.  Hams can get together and track interference,
> too - and eventually bring the perpetrator to justice with
> the help of the FCC.  It's a painfully slow
> process, but it takes time to build a case and collecting
> the data is important.  Even this high profile cellular
> interference case took two years to investigate and bring
> forward to this point. Ham radio VHF/UHF FM radios should
> work fine in the vicinity of a cellular frequency jammer
> because the frequency bands are so far apart on the
> spectrum.  Our repeater systems would remain available
> via radio, whether the cell services go down due to
> interference or from natural or manmade disasters. A very
> large part of the population depends on cellular as their
> main (or even only) telephone service.  In a disaster,
> especially a widespread one, the cellular network can be
> overloaded.  It is necessarily built to handle normal
> traffic plus a bit more, so as to balance the cost of
> infrastructure with a reasonable capacity.  A cellular
> network built to handle huge amounts of traffic would be
> expensive because most of its capacity would go unused
> during the course of normal communication demands.
> A cell phone without cellular
> service is like a useless brick.  A ham radio
> transceiver without a repeater system is still a fully
> functional communications device.  It can be switched
> to another repeater system or used as a simplex (single
> frequency) radio.  A cell phone whose signal is jammed
> is useless.  A ham radio transceiver can simply be
> tuned to a different frequency, since broad-spectrum jamming
> is exceedingly rare outside special military
> capabilities.  Remember that applications like Echolink
> are also susceptible to cellular network failure and dead
> cell phone batteries.That said, I know that I still
> want my smartphone to work when I need it.  If I see an
> ad for a jammer or believe that I've encountered one in
> actual use, there is a way to let the FCC know:To report the sale or use of an
> illegal jammer, contact the FCC Enforcement Bureau through
> the FCC online complaint
> portal or call 1-888-CALL-FCC (or 1-888-225-5322). 
> To voluntarily relinquish a signal jammer, please e-mail jammerinfo at fcc.gov. 
> Additional information, including the FCC
> Consumer Alert on the jamming prohibitions and the FCC
> Enforcement Advisory to retailers regarding the
> marketing of illegal signal jammers, is available at www.fcc.gov/jammers.
>   Images of a sample of the illegal signal jamming
> devices allegedly marked by C.T.S. are available in the
> enforcement action.  The FCC enforcement action against
> C.T.S. is available at: 
> http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-14-92A1.pdf
> For Handiham World,
> I'm...Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
> Courage Kenny Handiham CoordinatorBulletinsDavid Sumner K1ZZ talk to be web streamed
> tonightA talk by David Sumner K1ZZ,
> Chief Operating Officer and Secretary of the ARRL, at
> the Norfolk Amateur Radio Club (NARC) on June 25,
> 2014 will be streamed live on the internet for other radio
> amateurs to enjoy  He is presenting 'Amateur
> Radio Across the Pond' in Norwich on Wednesday,
> June 25 from about 8.00pm BST (19:00 GMT). NARC plans to
> stream the talk live via the BATC website. On the night,
> just go to http://www.batc.tv/ -
> click "LIVE EVENTS" button and the stream will be
> there. David K1ZZ is making a brief 24-hour visit to the UK
> en-route to the Ham Radio exhibition in Friedrichshafen,
> Germany, and NARC members were delighted that he agreed to
> deliver the presentation. Now, all radio amateurs can
> benefit. Feel free to share this with other hams.
> For more details see http://www.norfolkamateurradio.org/
> Steve G0KYA NARC Public Relations
> Officer (Above report shared via QRZ.com.)2014 Radio Camp (Saturday, August 16 through
> Saturday August 23, 2014)We will be using the Kenwood
> TS-590S at Radio Camp.  Sit down in front of this
> excellent radio and find out how accessible a radio can
> be!The Equipment Program will be at
> Radio Camp.  Campers will be able to take home
> equipment, provided that the Equipment Program has it
> available.  Campers should let us know what they need
> to get on the air. July 21 is the day for Part 97
> changes:ARRL reminds us that the FCC's
> recently announced revisions to the Part 97 Amateur Radio
> rules governing exam credit to former licensees, test
> administration, and emission types will go into effect on
> Monday, July 21. The new rules were published in The Federal
> Register on June 20.  Read
> the entire story on ARRL.org. Do you know how to tell if a website is
> dangerous?It may not be so obvious, you
> know. WA0CAF recommends an article
> on the techsupportalert.com website that tells you how to
> figure out when a website is one of the bad guys.
> Amazon Fire Smartphone has Accessibility
> Features:KB3LLA sent me news of the new
> Amazon Fire smartphone and its accessibility features. 
> The
> referenced article is in the Global Accessibility News,
> entitled "Amazon Unveils New Fire Smartphone with
> Accessibility Features".  The biggies are a
> screenreader, adjustable reading speed, magnifier, and high
> contrast for users who have vision impairments, closed
> captioning, hearing aid compatibility, TTY mode, and stereo
> to mono for hearing assistance, and Amazon Voice Assist,
> one-handed navigation, and low motion mode for users with
> mobility impairments.  The phone is available with
> AT&T service.  Can anyone out there tell us if you
> can install Echolink on it?  Field Day is this coming weekend: June 28-29.
> Here is the press release for the
> Stillwater (MN) Amateur Radio Association ARRL
> Field Day event, which will be held in the eastern Twin
> Cities.  Accessible parking and bathrooms are available
> at the site. Area amateur radio operators (hams) will be
> demonstrating communications skills at Autumn Hills Park
> (5701 Norwich Parkway) in Oak Park Heights, MN. Field Day is
> an annual event held at over 2,500 locations and involves
> 35,000 radio operators throughout the U.S. and Canada.
> Portable field stations will be set to demonstrate the
> newest digital communications systems, including satellite
> capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse
> code.   The event is sponsored locally by the
> Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) and will be open
> to the public Saturday, June 28 (1:00 – 8:00 p.m.) and
> Sunday, June 29 (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.). Information
> about becoming a ham will be available, including workshops
> for newly licensed operators and how they can assist
> communities with weather spotting and emergency
> communications. Boy Scouts are invited to participate and
> can learn requirements for earning their Radio Merit Badge.
>   Ham operators, regulated by the Federal
> Communications Commission, have provided vital
> communications when cell and conventional telephones are
> overloaded or inoperative. For over 80 years, hams have
> voluntarily provided emergency communications for various
> public safety departments and support agencies. This year
> marks the 100th anniversary of the national association for
> amateur radio operators.   Anyone interested in
> learning about amateur radio is invited to attend the event.
> For more information visit the SARA web site at:
> www.radioham.org
> New Orbiting Carbon Observatory
> ready for launch:NASA Science News for June 24,
> 2014 reports that NASA is about to launch a satellite
> dedicated to the study of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
> The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) will map global CO2
> sources and sinks, and help researchers predict the future
> of climate change.   SCIENCECAST VIDEO: http://youtu.be/BZtXdBBzJyA
>   WEB STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/24jun_oco2/
> Practical RadioOne of the biggest dangers in ham radio
> isn't even recognized.Here's an interesting thing to
> consider:  Do you think you know what the dangers are
> in a particular line of work or with a recreational or hobby
> activity?  As a former policeman myself, I like to
> bring up the occupation of law enforcement.  Think a
> little while about what you know about police work.  A
> police officer carries a firearm.  Guns can cause death
> or injury when misused, so there's plenty of training
> involved.  Still, there is always some possibility of
> losing the weapon in an out of control situation or getting
> careless and complacent with it, leading to an
> accident.  Then there is the operation of the patrol
> car.  You might have an auto accident.  Bad people
> could attack you on a traffic stop, or you might get shot at
> while responding to a burglary.  You could get
> ambushed.  Lots of things can happen, so can you guess
> what big danger dogs police officers?Give up?  The answer might surprise
> you.  It's obesity and heart disease brought on by
> too much sitting!  Police work can indeed be deadly,
> but if you are a typical officer you are going to be doing
> quite a lot of sitting.  Sitting in a patrol car,
> sitting at a desk in front of a computer screen doing
> reports, sitting while waiting for something to happen,
> sitting, sitting, and more sitting.And sitting is bad for you. At
> least if you do it all day long. Do you do most of your ham radio
> operation while walking or running?  Me neither. 
> Like you and most other ham radio operators, I pull up a
> chair in the ham shack and park myself there for what can be
> hours of on the air activity.  Is it fun?  Yes!  Is it
> healthy?  Um... Not really if you just sit there
> drinking coffee and snacking while chatting on the
> radio.Let's face it:  Ham radio
> is like many other activities in that it is basically
> sedentary.  Look at how we all like to share pictures
> of our ham shacks.  There is the operating desk, the
> equipment, and the chair.  Whether the setup looks like
> the deck of the Starship enterprise or a piece of plywood on
> two sawhorses, it always includes a chair.  And
> that's where we park ourselves for far too many
> hours.  Sitting is probably more dangerous as a health
> hazard than many other risks in ham radio. Aside from taking ham radio with
> you on a walk by packing the HT with, there are really not
> that many ways to operate the radio without sitting at a
> desk or behind the wheel.  We know that too much
> sitting can be bad for your health, whether you are a police
> officer or an amateur radio operator.  Spend
> about 4-1/2 minutes listening to this audio piece on NPR if
> you don't believe me.  There are some ways to
> lessen the danger from sitting.  Mini-breaks can really help. 
> I work in front of a computer all day long.  Instead of
> sitting for hours, I get up from the desk and walk around a
> couple of times an hour. If I need a bathroom break, I take
> a trip to a farther away option rather than the closest one,
> as long as it is within reason.  That way I can get the
> blood circulating.  If your legs feel numb or "go
> to sleep", you are sitting far too long and should
> schedule more breaks.  Every day I take just a couple
> of minutes to do some exercises away from the desk,
> too.  I don't have the answer,
> because there is no magic way to avoid sitting when you are
> doing some serious radio - but I can suggest balancing out
> sitting with activities that help you move
> around.This is practical radio - You
> still have to avoid plenty of other hazards in radio and
> elsewhere, but sitting too much is a sneaky one that you
> have to fight every day. Let's stay on the right side of
> the sod!  Take care of your health so you can be around
> for a few more solar cycles at least. Handiham Nets are on the air
> daily. While Echolink contacts won't
> count for Field Day, it is still fun to get on the Saturday
> net this coming weekend.  You can trade a few Field Day
> stories if you have them. Summertime is a busy season for
> everyone, and that means our net control volunteers as
> well.  If we cannot fill a net control position this
> summer, please feel free to just start a roundtable
> conversation.  Listen for the Handiham Wednesday
> evening net tonight and try to answer the N6NFF trivia
> question during the first half hour.  Check in later
> just to get in the log and say hello.  The trivia
> question answer is revealed shortly after the first half
> hour.  If you are up to a challenge, see if you can
> correctly answer this week's question.We are scheduled to be on the air
> daily at 11:00 USA Central Time, plus Wednesday &
> Thursday evenings at 19:00 USA Central Time.  A
> big THANK YOU to all of our net control stations! 
> We maintain our nets at 11:00
> hours daily relative to Minnesota time.  Since the nets
> remain true to Minnesota time, the difference between
> Minnesota Daylight Saving time and GMT is -5 hours and the
> net is on the air at 16:00 hours GMT.  
> The two evening sessions are at
> 00:00 GMT Thursday and Friday.  Here in Minnesota that
> translates to 7:00 PM Wednesday and Thursday. 
> The official and most current net
> news may be found at: 
> http://www.handiham.org/nets This week @
> HQReading online? You'll find the weekly
> e-letter online to be mobile-friendly if you use the
> following link:https://handiham.org/local/blind/this_week.htm
> Email has
> changed.Our new addresses
> are:·        
> Nancy.Meydell at Allina.com·        
> Patrick.Tice at Allina.comToll-Free number is working:A brief outage of our toll-free
> number has been fixed.  The number goes to Nancy's
> extension.  We do ask that you call 612-775-2291
> instead of the toll-free, which is 866-426-3442, if you
> possibly can, since we do have to pay charges on the
> toll-free calls. Digests &
> LecturesA reminder:  You may hear the old
> contact information, including email addresses and phone
> numbers, in previously recorded audio lectures or
> digests.  Please disregard old contact information and
> use our new email addresses and phone numbers. 
> Similarly, old audio podcasts and HTML e-letters will have
> outdated information.  Disregard it and use the latest
> email addresses and phone numbers. July 2014 production
> news:
> The July 2014 QST Daisy digest by
> Bob, N1BLF, is ready for our members to play on their NLS or
> other DAISY players. Jim, KJ3P, has completed the June 2014
> CQ digest this week for our blind members. The new Technician 2014 - 2018
> Question Pool with only correct answers has been read by Jim
> Perry, KJ3P.  Remember that this new pool is only for
> testing on or after July 1, 2014.  I have started a recording project
> for Operating Skills, based on the ARRL book, "Internet
> Linking for Radio Amateurs" by K1RFD. The goal is to
> make more information on VoIP available to our blind
> members.  There has been no time to read for several
> weeks due to Dayton, Memorial Day, and the telephone. 
> I hope to do more soon. Jim Perry, KJ3P, Bob Zeida, N1BLF,
> and Ken Padgitt, W9MJY do the volunteer digest
> recording.  Thanks, guys!Secure, blind-friendly Handiham website
> login:  
> https://handiham.org/user#main-content·        
> We ask
> that you please log in securely if you are using any kind of
> a public network or unsecured wireless.  ·        
> To the
> best of our knowledge, the Handiham website was not
> compromised by the Heartbleed bug.·        
> Test your own or other
> websites for Heartbleed at this website.·        
> I
> also use a Chrome extension called Chromebleed to detect
> visited sites that may be
> compromised.Remote Base NewsI would like to hear from blind
> Ham Radio Deluxe users!  If you are blind or
> have another disability such as a motor impairment  and
> use HRD, I'd like to hear how it is working for
> you.  We may consider HRD as a replacement for the W4MQ
> software, so internet remote trials will eventually be
> scheduled if we find interested testers. If you know how to
> use HRD and want to be a tester, please drop me a line at Patrick.Tice at Allina.com.You
> can download the latest free version of Ham Radio Deluxe 5.2
> on the IW5EDI website.  Thanks to Ken, KB3LLA, for
> reminding me to post the link.  By the way, Ken also
> reports that so far as his initial tests go the menu system
> in HRD version 5 is JAWS-accessible. Handiham Remote Base internet
> station W0ZSW is on line for your use 24/7.  
> W0EQO has an internet firewall issue and can only be
> operated by administrators at this time.  We apologize
> for the inconvenience.If you use Skype for audio, please connect
> and disconnect the Skype call to the remote base
> manually.  The automatic calling and hang up is no
> longer supported in Skype. 200 watt operation is restored on 160, 80,
> and 40 meters for Extra and Advanced Class users on W0ZSW.
> ·        
> Outages: Outages are reported on
> http://handiham.org/remotebase/station-status/. Digital Cartridges now Stocked at Handiham
> HQ:Nancy now has the NLS 4GB digital
> cartridges and mailers available at our cost.  She
> says: We now have a supply of digital Talking Book
> cartridges and mailers available for purchase for our
> Handiham members.  The total cost for a set is
> $15.50.  We will download any digital study materials
> from the Members Only section of our website onto your
> cartridge at no additional cost.  Minnesota residents
> please add $1.13 MN Sales Tax.   Want to log in instead?  Let's
> go:Secure, blind-friendly Handiham
> website login: 
> https://handiham.org/user#main-contentStay in
> touchBe sure to send Nancy your
> changes of address, phone number changes, or email address
> changes so that we can continue to stay in touch with you.
> You may either email Nancy at Nancy.Meydell at allina.com
> or call her at
> 612-775-2291. If you
> need to use the toll-free number, call 1-866-426-3442. 
> Nancy Meydell, Handiham Secretary:
> 612-775-2291 (General information about the Handiham
> program, membership renewals)Patrick Tice, WA0TDA: 612-775-2290
> (Program Coordinator, technical questions, remote base
> requests, questions about licensing)Mornings Monday
> through Thursday are the best time to contact
> us. The Courage Kenny
> Handiham Program depends on the support of people like you,
> who want to share the fun and friendship of ham radio with
> others. Please help us provide services to people with
> disabilities. Call 1-866-426-3442
> toll-free. -- Help us get new hams on the air.Get the Handiham
> E-Letter by email every Wednesday, and stay up-to-date with
> ham radio news. You may listen in
> audio to the E-Letter at Handiham Weekly E-Letter in MP3
> format
> Email us to
> subscribe:
> Nancy.Meydell at allina.comThat's it for this
> week. 73 from all of us at the Courage Kenny
> Handihams!
> Pat, WA0TDA
> Coordinator, Courage
> Kenny Handiham Program
> Reach me by email
> at:
> Patrick.Tice at allina.com
> 
> Nancy, Handiham
> Secretary:
> Nancy.Meydell at allina.com
> 
> Courage Kenny Handiham
> Program
> 3915 Golden Valley
> Road
> Golden Valley, MN 
> 55422
> Nancy.Meydell at allina.com
> ARRL is the premier organization
> supporting Amateur Radio worldwide. Please contact Handihams
> for help joining the ARRL. We will be happy to help you fill
> out the paperwork!The weekly e-letter is a
> compilation of software tips, operating information, and
> Handiham news. It is published on Wednesdays, and is
> available to everyone free of charge. Please email
> Patrick.Tice at allina.com  for changes of
> address, unsubscribes, etc. Include your old email address
> and your new address.Return to
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>