The ARRL Club News
ARRL Club News for April 2009
ARRL Club Newsletter
March 31, 2009
____________________________________________________________
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor
Teaching
It has been said that if you stand in the rain you are going to get
wet, which simply stated means that if you just show up you are going
to learn something.
Everyday we play two important roles in life, the teacher and more
importantly that of the student. We can identify these roles through
Amateur Radio and our radio club activities.
Often we think of the instructor and student roles in a traditional
classroom setting or a training session but when you think about it
there are many subtle ways in which we impart knowledge to others or
broaden our own understanding of a topic. A lot of what we do in
life has been learned from watching others and then trying it
ourselves. Think about this when you are on the air. Anyone who has
ever tuned a radio receiver is well aware that more people are
listening to a conversation on the radio waves than the two stations
directly in QSO. Each time we key the transmitter we are teaching by
example and hopefully these are all good lessons. Observation and
listening on the air is a great way to learn the ropes but eventually
we have to experience something to become proficient. Sure, we may
stumble in the beginning but experience is a great teacher and
provides us with lessons that can never be learned in a classroom.
Eventually the student will become the teacher and the cycle
continues.
Know Code
This cute play on words is used by many Morse aficionados who want to
world to think that in order to be a "real ham" one must be
proficient at telegraphy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the early part of the twentieth century many ships at sea used
Morse code to communicate and knowledge of the code was required so
as to not cause interference to seafaring communications.
In the USA and many other countries Morse proficiency is no longer a
requirement for any Amateur Radio license but it is still a favorite
operating mode for many however if we are to be effective
communicators in the twenty-first century then we will need to know a
lot more than Morse code. Basic computer skills such as saving and
sending files, configuring software programs and interfacing
transceivers with computers have become characteristic with Amateur
Radio today. A working knowledge of wireless networking and digital
communication can prove to be invaluable during an emergency.
With so many facets no single activity can define Amateur Radio. Ham
radio has always been a journey of discovery and a quest to learn and
experience new things. From spark to vacuum tube to solid state to
digital, ham radio has always been on the move. It takes a lot more
than Morse code to be an effective radio amateur.
Make It Fun
Hands on demonstrations have always been fun ways to teach new
things. It is not uncommon for folks to get set in a routine and
after a while they begin to lose touch with current technology.
Allowing people experience things like new logging software, digital
applications or Logbook of The World is a great way to broaden
horizons and expose your club members to all the cool stuff that is
out there today.
Don't Overlook the Basics
A symphony is played one note at a time demonstrating that complex
functions can be reduced to a series of simple procedures. Mastering
some basic skills will make anyone appear like an expert so
demonstrating some basics can have a huge impact on proficiency.
Some "Basic 101" topics may include soldering, computer file
management, making a QSO or whatever you group asks for.
Old Dog, New Tricks -- Young Dog, New Tricks
Nobody is ever too old to stop learning. Exercising the mind as well
as the body keeps us healthy. An operator who cut his teeth with
Hartley oscillators and vacuum tubes can still master basic computer
skills if they approach it with an open mind and the material is
presented in comprehensible modules.
Finally a club can develop a pool of people who are knowledgeable
about different topics. Some clubs publish an "Elmer List" in the
club newsletter or on their website. People requiring help can
contact the expert and ask their question. Experience is a good
teacher and an experienced person is a good mentor.
************************************************************************
Prehistoric Solution for Some Modern Dilemmas
In today's cryptically secure world we have many passwords and
personal identification numbers (PIN) to remember. Passwords and
PINs such should be guarded closely and for added security they
should be changed regularly. Keeping track of these pass codes can
be a strain on the cranium especially for the lesser used secret
alphanumeric combinations. Here is a good trick to use for
remembering your usernames and passwords, write them down. Yes, ever
since caveman used a charred stick to scratch the directions to his
favorite hunting locations on the cave wall humans have used the
notepad to enhance the quality of life. In the future when you need
a password simply look at your notebook. (The high tech guys call
this data retrieval.)
Soon after the charred stick event caveman discovered that a picture
is worth a thousand words. A simple solution for remembering setting
for software is to take a screen shot* of the configuration screen,
paste it into a document and save in a folder. Should you have to
reconfigure you program simply open your document and compare it to
the software configuration screen and make sure that all information
is entered correctly and any check boxes that need to be checked are
done. I have done this for several friends and I tell them that
before calling me for help they should open the file and make their
screen look like the picture.
* Making a screen shot involves two steps.
1- Hold down the CTRL key while pressing the PRINT SCRN key to
capture what is on your computer screen.
2- In your word document position the cursor where you want to paste
the picture capture in the previous step. Hold down the CTRL key and
press the key for the letter V.
************************************************************************
Milestones March 2009
25 Years March
*W1
CT Milford Amateur Repeater Association KB1CBD
*W2
NNJ Metroplex Amateur Radio Club W2MPX
*W4
GA Alford Memorial Radio Club Inc. W4BOC
*W5
STX Bryan Amateur Radio Club W5BCS
*W8
OH Huber Heights Amateur Radio Club NO8I
50 Years March
*W5
NTX Garland Amateur Radio Club K5QHD
OK Kay County Amateur Radio Club W5HZZ
*W7
NV Nevada Amateur Radio Association W7YN
60 Years March
*W4
SFL Broward Amateur Radio Club W4AB
*W5
OK Lawton Ft Sill Amateur Radio Club W5KS
*W8
OH West Park Radiops Amateur Radio Club W8VM
*W9
IL Sangamon Valley Radio Club W9DUA
IN Kokomo Amateur Radio Club W9GO
75 Years March
*W2
WNY Rome Radio Club Inc. W2OFQ
WNY Utica Amateur Radio Club K2IQ
*W6
ORG Orange County Amateur Radio Club W6ZE
*W8
OH Massillon Amateur Radio Club W8NP
*W9
IL Starved Rock Radio Club W9MKS
=============================================================================
The ARRL Club News is published on the first Wednesday of each month by
the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur
Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax
860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.
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Page last modified: 03:09 PM, 15 Nov 2006 ET
Page author: clubs@arrl.org
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