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Reply To: | Mike Duke, K5XU |
Date: | Thu, 3 May 2007 21:24:47 -0500 |
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I don't know of anyone who has tried the Flex Radio with any screen-reader.
But, if I were a high roller, I'd bet the farm they won't work with speech.
The Flex Radio and the TenTec are highly graphical in nature, so some heavy
scripting and labeling will certainly be required if and whenever these
companies decide to listen to us. The post this evening is my first
encounter with the RF Space unit, but I have no reason to even hope their
interface is any different.
Here's what I know. More than one blind ham has approached TenTec about
their computer controlled models, and all have basically been told that it
isn't doable, and that TenTec will not persue doing it.
This is a slap in the face from the company which pioneered the talking
frequency display in the mid 70s.
It obviously will take a very loud and very clearly defined uprising to
convince these and many other new tech toy types to listen to us.
Some are suggesting the pursuit of section 255 action with the FCC. This
road is up hill all the way because of the hesitation of the FCC to touch
any section 255 issues. It is also a slow, and likely expensive process. On
top of all that, we don't have the numbers to make a significant dollar
difference in the bottom line of these companies.
Yaesu is a case for that final point. Someone told me just this week that
Yaesu has a hf model that talks ready for debut, perhaps at Dayton. That
came to me third hand, so I don't even know if it's true or not. I do know
that for at least 10 years, Yaesu also has declined to discuss accessibility
of any kind with many of us, myself included.
This is what makes companies like Elecraft, Kenwood, and Icom so important
for us.
Mike Duke, K5XU
American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs
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