Courage Center Handiham System

Are there any Orca users out there?

If so, we would like to hear from you. Orca is the open-source screenreader for Linux, an alternative to the extensive commercial operating systems and screenreaders. Orca is a flexible, extensible, and powerful assistive technology for people with visual impairments. Using various combinations of speech synthesis, Braille, and magnification, Orca helps provide access to applications and toolkits that support the AT-SPI (e.g., the GNOME desktop in Linux).

The dedication and expertise of our ham radio friends never ceases to amaze! Recently we received a wonderful letter from Molly Chiswell, complete with the tribute I am including here. It is about her husband, Earl Chiswell, W0IAK. Before we get to the tribute, which details Earl's extraordinary life in ham radio and electronics, I want to share a few words from Molly:

"Earl, my husband, was a ham from a very early age. His interest and love of ham radio continued throughout his life. He admired and was supportive of your efforts at the Courage Center and expressed his wish that any tributes be sent to you."

Our thanks to Molly and the friends of the Chiswells, who donated to support the ongoing work of Courage Center to enrich the lives of people with disabilities. The tribute follows my signature - it's really interesting and inspiring!

Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Manager, Courage Center Handiham System

Tribute To Earl Chiswell

Earl Chiswell, 86, beloved husband, father, brother and friend, passed away peacefully on July 2,2008 at Bigfork Valley Hospital, MN, due to complications of a severe stroke last October.

BBC: Morse still popular despite mobile phone

Check out this video story from the BBC, in which Morse code on amateur radio is front and center for some operators:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7544147.stm

We have some really great volunteers at Courage Center’s many programs and locations. Of course I don’t always know the volunteers who have helped out in other programs than Handihams, or at other locations, like Camp Courage. Volunteers also come and go, volunteering as long as they can, then retiring due to health concerns or when they can no longer drive. Sometimes I only find out about a volunteer after the fact. This happened when I got the June-July issue of the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting newsletter late last month. Thumbing through it, I noticed a tribute article about Nell B. Coil, W0MSW, who became a silent key on June 18, 2008 at the age of 97! She first became a ham in 1933, 75 years ago. What caught my attention was the statement she made about how she and her husband Bert volunteered at Camp Courage:

This is Martin, WB5AGZ. I don't know if you keep a knowledge base on various tricks for knowing what one's rig is doing, but I did find a way to tell what frequency that Kenwood TM-271A is on. It is useful when managing the channel memories. I would call this very limited use, but it might help somebody.

It took me a while, but I finally figured out what the first IF of the Kenwood is. It is 49.95 MHz, high side injection so the LO (Local Oscillator) is always 49.95 MHz above the frequency one wishes to receive. This means your receiver must tune between 185.5 and 223.5.

Thacher Island Expedition W1T

THACHER ISLAND EXPEDITION

This is a special event callsign being used for a one day (16Aug2008) expedition
to Thacher Island. The event is being organized by the Cape Ann Amateur Radio
Association (www.caara.net), W1GLO. Transportation & hospitality being provided
by the Thacher Island Association
(www.thacherisland.org).