[PVRCNC] A new contester

[Marty Young]

I'd like to share the unique way I spent NAQP SSB this
time.  I've already shared this with Jeff (aka "Jim")
NX9T and appreciate his comments back to me, thanks,
Jeff.  I'll try not to make this too long ...

I have a friend, Ray, WA4WGA, who has been blind since
birth.  He also suffers from related CP (mild) which
has something to do with his blindness,  He is a good
radio op., but has always needed some form of human
assistance whenever he has tried his hand at
contesting.  Mainly needing a sighted "logger" and
restricing his contesting to Field Day.

These past months we have been brainstorming, as he
has shown a keen interest in contesting, in ways he
would be able to operate an HF contest autonomously. 
We decided to use NC QSO party as a test bed for our
ideas.  He would operate my station while I was out
participating as a mobile rover.

He came over this past Saturday.  We implemented the
computer screen reader onto my PC, got him acclimated
N1MM and my rig's audio enunciation feature, and we
made some q's in the NAQP on a S&P basis.  Things were
looking up.

I must say, what followed was amazing.  Now I know
what the Israelites felt as they watched Moses part
the Red Sea!

I explained to Ray the benefits of running, and that
he needed to learn how to do it.  He certainly knows
what that was and we discussed logistics of it.  One
thing led to another and the next thing I know he has
two headsets on simultaneously (one for the computer
screen reader and other Heil set for the radio)  He's
got the screen reader yaking at him incessantly,
working Q's, and typing all at the same time.  He got
a rate going of about 50/hr on 75 meters.  You would
have to be there to believe it!

After about 45 minutes during a lull, he removed the
headsets and turned to me and said, "I think we have
proof-of-concept!"

Like all of us, he will need to refine his technique
and learn the subtleties of contesting, but gents, he
has slept with the pod and is one of us now.  (For you
younger guys, have an oldster explain what that
means!)

I'm going to try to coerce him into joining PVRC-NC so
help me "twist his arm" by welcoming him into the
fold.

Contact information for Ray, WA4WGA, is: 
rtmahorney at earthlink.net

73  Marty


 
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