Because this is a free service supported by our small staff and volunteers, we are not able to offer much hand-holding, but we will help you out by email or message board when we can. Please be sure to read what you can about the installation and setup carefully before emailing or posting. Often times you can find what you need in the existing setup pages or the FAQ. We do not do tech support on the telephone! Please use email.
Search is your friend!
- The Remote Base website has an excellent search tool. Use it to search for key words that might relate to the problem or question.
Use the search field, located the top right of the main page, to look for key words related to whatever problem you are having. For example, if you type in the word Skype and press the <Enter> key, the site search will return multiple results, one of which may be just what you are looking for to answer your question.
There may be problems that we don’t know about or there may be mistakes in our pages that we should correct. If you find any errors, please let us know.
Okay, let’s review that:
- Problem arises.
- Read the instructions.
- Use the search function on the website to find key words.
- Apply solution(s).
- Try it again.
- Check the instructions again and recheck your work.
- Still won’t work?
- Email for help.
Please do not ask me or our volunteers to solve your remote base problem on the air, on the nets, or by telephone.
- The only acceptable tech support contact is by email.
- We are not able to remote control your computer to fix problems, so don’t ask.
- Any questions about remote base technical problems that come up in the course of an on the air net may be discussed at the discretion of the NCS, but Handiham Staff will only answer questions via email.
- Remote base volunteers may be able to answer a question on the air, but please remember that unless the net is a TechNet forum dealing with such things, they may not be ready with information. Please don’t put volunteers – who ate already devoting many hours of their personal time to the IRB project – on the spot for tech support. They have enough to do already and you should use email instead.
Read the instructions, read the instructions, read the instructions!
Most problems are caused by failure to read and follow instructions during the setup process. Other common issues are caused by the computer or home internet connection. We are not able to provide tech support for these issues because they are not a problem in the remote base.
Sometimes there will be a problem that we have not covered in the posts on the website. We want to know about it, so let us know by email. Be specific as to the following:
- Describe the problem.
- Give the software version.
- Tell us what other software you use with the remote base. (Screen reader, Skype, Windows version, etc.)
- Tell is what you were trying to do when the problem arose.
- If you found a way to solve the problem, please mention that also.
An effective email report will be:
- Short and to the point
- Concerning one issue only – No playing a game of twenty questions.
- Complete, with all necessary information
Example of a good email inquiry:
“I was using the remote base on 75 meter phone, listening to a net, and when I try to use the controls, there seems to be considerable delay in the response. I am using Skype for my sound. My web transceiver software version is 6.0.”
- On receiving the above message containing the necessary information, we are now able to tell the user that they are using an outdated software client and we can point them to an upgrade file that will solve the delay problem.
Example of an email or phone call that cannot be answered:
“I am having trouble with the software. Call me this afternoon and walk me through it on the phone.”
- This email has no useful information. I do not know what software they are talking about and if it is the web transceiver I have no idea what version it is. The problem is not specified. Maybe they don’t have internet. Maybe they are using a Mac. And of course they have not read our policy on no phone support, which also tells me that they have most likely not read any of the instructions.
- Keep messages short and to the point but include the information we need to research the problem.
We want to see you get on the air and enjoy the remote base stations. But remember that building the software, maintaining the website, and taking care of all the station equipment is already a big, big job. That is why we expect you – a licensed amateur radio operator – to roll up your sleeves and learn to make this work, pretty much on your own. To help you, we have given you lots of support information on this website. Please take advantage of it and you will be pleased with how you can solve problems on your own!
Email Patrick Tice, WA0TDA, Handiham Manager:
