[QCWA] Here's an idea

[William Pasternak]

As usual, brilliant!

Thanks Lloyd

de
Bill P.


At 07:35 PM 1/12/2013, Lloyd Colston wrote:
>Well, I am sure that it will surprise you to learn that I am getting
>older.  I don't climb towers.  I do good to program a radio.  I can
>still see, though the vision is corrected.  I can still hear but you
>get to repeat yourself a lot.
>
>If I make it to 70, will I be in a nursing home?
>
>Many nursing homes don't want to mess with an old geezer with a room
>full of radios that may get stolen and expose the facility to an
>insurance claim, much less holes in walls.
>
>I doubt many of you remember WA5IMO.  I do.  I valued the effort his
>son put into his final days.  You see, Joe was a Navy MARS member.
>His ability to check into that service nets was greatly reduced when
>he entered a nursing facility.  Except, his son set up an Echolink
>connection from a computer in the facility to a radio at his home.
>Now his son was not a MARS member.  His dad was.  Control operator
>operations were done by the Dad on Echolink.
>
>I call that LOVE.
>
>Now, lets fast forward some 15 years.
>
>Technology has advanced to http://www.remotehams.com software allowing
>users the ability to control remote base stations around the Nation
>and the globe.  I am a control operator of a number of remotes.  I
>hope to set up one of my own.  With my control operator privileges, I
>can check into the QCWA #63 net from a remote base in NM, MI, CA, or
>WA.  I can change the antenna on a remote base in WA.  I can rotate a
>beam on a NM remote.  I can talk to my Norwegian friends on a simplex
>remote while tormenting them with my Swedish with an Oklahoma accent.
>I can enjoy a multi-continental QSO with Europe, Africa, and America
>on a remote base in South Africa.
>
>Now, there are those that say "that is NOT real radio".  I remember
>the transition from my crystal-controlled AM transmitter to my
>VFO-operated SSB transceiver, too.   <G>
>
>For us Old Farts, I could see the value in QCWA if there were a number
>of remote base stations around the Country that allowed members to
>have control operator privileges so we could check in to the HF radio
>nets or the VHF/UHF radio nets that are on one of the pages in the
>Journal.  I could see value in a net run like Southcars where one
>checks in, gives a report that includes member #8276, and is made
>welcome with "there's member 8276 checking in from Oklahoma!"  That
>happens now for me on a remote in FL.
>
>Yes it takes $$$.  Yes, it takes time.  It can be done for under $3K
>per remote, ex. IC-706MKII, B&W broadband antenna for 160-6, a power
>supply, some sort of support for the antenna, a cheap computer and
>Internet DSL or Cable service.
>
>I could see Linda, in five years, seeing value in QCWA membership.
>
>After all, HandiHams is doing this now:
>http://handiham.org/remotebase/   ... just with different software.
>Handiham Services - Member dues are $12 U.S./year for those receiving
>services.   I'd pay more than that with my QCWA dues, if there was two
>remote bases I could use with my QCWA friends.   I already am.  <G>
>
>In the mean time, back to the real world.
>
>73 and ya'll be safe now.
>
>
>
>--
>
>Lloyd Colston KC5FM
>Altus, OK USA http://wx5em.us
>Straight Key Century Club #5676
>Croatian Telegraphy Club CTC # 1.931
>CARF #294 Ten-Ten #10231 NAQCC #4408
>Southcars #8276 QCWA #31935 ARRL #8037325
>http://www.carf.net http://www.ten-ten.org http://norcars.net/
>http://kc5fm.blogspot.com  http://doodle.com/kc5fm
>______________________________________________________________
>QCWA mailing list
>Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qcwa
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:QCWA at mailman.qth.net
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html