Hi Wendell,

If your friend's dad is unlicensed, Hamdiham has tutorial tapes etc.

If you are wondering about adaptations for rigs, there are many rigs
accessible to us.  Generally, you need a rig with a voice synthesizer which
will read frequency.  Obviously, a solid-state rig wouldn't require tuning.

For older rigs, we all have made various adaptations.  For example, in my
old TS-820s, it had a 25 KHz calibrator, so if you didn't know where you
were, you can start from a band edge and count the 25 KHz tones.  The knob
turned at 20 KHz per revolution, so I could tune to close to a KHz of the
desired frequency.

There are variable voltage oscillators that you can hook across a meter to
read the relative indication of any meter, such as plate current, relative
forward and reverse power, etc.

Hope that helps.

Steve
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  ----- Original Message -----
From: "Wendell Hall" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 10:32 PM
Subject: Re: ^ Newbie information


Hi guys, I'm sorry to belabor the point, but please indulge me.  I checked
out handiham.org and didn't find what I was looking for; handihams.org still
gives a 500 server error.

I can't imagine how to help my friend's Dad do such things as figure out
what
frequency his radio's LCD display indicates.  This is something that, being
sighted, I take for granted.  All of my radios have LCD displays and I've
never had to consider how I would know what frequency I was transmitting on
without them.

I have no doubt that my friend's Dad could listen to the tapes and get a
license; after all he just retired from his position as a teacher at the
Maryland School for the Blind.  But I am lacking in imagination, I guess, as
to how to make ham radios work for someone who cannot see.

I'm thinking that software-controlled radios would be the easy way to make
it
happen.  I know there are software applications which will speak what is on
the screen, and while I imagine that would be a bit clumsy it could work.

But my experience in ham radio so far is using Handie-talkies, which do not
to my knowledge have an easy way for someone who cannot see their displays
to
find out what frequency they are on, much less manipulate the concatenated
commands necessary to access more complicated operating modes from their
keypads.

Once again, I'm sorry to bother you all, and maybe I'm less than the best
Elmer for my friend's Dad, but if you have an idea where I can go for help
please speak up.

TNX DE N3KKE