Hi Doug and Steve!

I agree with you, it isn't good practice, but I find myself doing the same
thing because some security is better than none, hi hi. I have set it up as
momentary, but that really was never my point in this. The fact is that when
I release the key, I *know I'm leaving TX mode, so the beep is, in essence,
telling me only something that I already know. What I'm looking for, though,
is a way to learn something I don'T know. There can be some good reasons why
it doesn't necessarily go into tx mode when I press the key. Maybe I can do
something about that or maybe I can't, but that doesn't matter. What does
matter is that I should have more than blind faith going, hi hi.

Of course, if the radio connection gets captured by QRN along the way, I
know my PTT isn't working because the QRN continues. Nothing I can do about
that but wait for it to stop, then hopefully try again and can make it that
way. .

Only nuts get any pleasure from talking to themselves, hi hi. OK, well,
actually I do that sometimes because I often don't have a testing partner
handy, so if I don't do it myself, it goes undone. This XYL is generous, but
she has limits, hi hi.I had to be the nut here because no one else wanted
the job, hi hi.

 73,
Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of doug and sheilla emerson
Sent: Tuesday, 12 May 2015 4:19 a.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Echolink accessibility

Well, Steve and others, the only way I can tell is when I unkey. There is a
low pitched beap when you unkey. That tells you that you have left t x mode
and you're now in r x mode. If I'm not sure, I do something which, I admit,
probably isn't good practice. I wquickly press and release the p t t key. If
I hear the beap after the second time, I know that I have the right
sequence. But if I press the p t t key and hear the beap the first time,
well, woops! It was in transmit. Probably, the thing to do if able, is to
put the p t t in the momentary function. That way, you're not in transmit
unless you press and hold the p t t key like the other fellow on here
suggested.Hope that helps Dave down under in z l land as well as others. 73.

Doug, N6NFF

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Forst
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 8:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Echolink accessibility

Doug,

That goes back to Dave's original question.   Since you can't hold the
key down long term, do you have a way of knowing when you are
transmitting?     When doing it  the original way: press to tx and press
again to end tx,  I could never remember  or figure out where I was in the
sequence.

73, Steve KW3A

On 5/11/2015 11:24 AM, doug and sheilla emerson wrote:
> I use the left control key for my p t t on Echolink. However, I don't 
> use the momentary feature because my fingers aren't strong enough to 
> hold it down for more than a minute or so. Also, I need two hands to 
> read braille for when I give the trivia question during the Wednesday 
> night echolink net on handihams. 73 to all. Doug, N6NFF
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Buddy Brannan
> Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 8:07 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Echolink accessibility
>
> I wouldn't use the spacebar myself. I usually use ctrl (right ctrl if 
> = you can choose, and I think you can). But also set to momentary.
>
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: 814-860-3194=20
> Mobile: 814-431-0962
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
>> On May 11, 2015, at 9:42 AM, Steve Forst <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> =20
>> I had sent a reply that went direct to Dave.   I remember that 
>> someone=20=
>
>> on the Friday night net was having a ptt problem (maybe WB9R),  so 
>> for=20=
>
>> what it's worth, here it is for the list:
>> =20
>> Under tools/preferences drop down menu in echolink, I changed ptt to 
>> =
> be=20
>> the spacebar and checked the "momentary" check box.   This lets the=20
>> spacebar act like the ptt button on a microphone:  hold it down and =
> you=20
>> are in TX, release it for RX.
>> =20
>> There may be other ways to solve Dave's and Harold's problems, but  =
> this=20
>> is my 2 cents.
>> =20
>> 73, Steve KW3A
>> =20
>> =20
>> On 5/11/2015 7:51 AM, Dave Allen wrote:
>>> Hi all!
>>> =20
>>> I'm wanting to use Echolink more effectively as a single user. I can 
>>> =
> tell
>>> most prefer to use it in sysop mode, and I realise that has some =
> benefits,
>>> especially if you want to hook a radio up to it. At some point, I =
> may, but
>>> for now, it's in individual mode that I want to gain better 
>>> behaviour =
> than
>>> I'm seeing. Keyboard acommands are helpful, granted, but those only 
>>> =
> simplify
>>> some navigational functions.
>>> =20
>>> Now if you've followed me this far, here's what I want ideas on =
> achiving. I
>>> know what my hot key is for transmit. But what feedback do I get 
>>> when =
> I
>>> press it? None at all. I don't believe that is the sighted =
> experience.
>>> Surely they'd never allow that under normal circumstances.
>>> =20
>>> To be fair, I eventually know that the transmition went out, because 
>>> =
> when I
>>> release the PTT key, I hear a satisfying beep, but it seems a bit =
> unfair if
>>> not unreasonable that the only feedback I get is after the fact. Is 
>>> =
> there
>>> some kind of transmit light showing sonmewhere that I can find, and 
>>> =
> then
>>> draw a frame around it in order to give me more of the feedback that 
>>> =
> would
>>> be useful?
>>> =20
>>> I've hunted around pretty extensively, and can't find anything, =
> although
>>> maybe that is happening because I don't exactly know what I should 
>>> be looking for. If this was a good old valve job, I'd hear relays to 
>>> at =
> least
>>> fool me into thinking things were working. But the silent experience 
>>> =
> just
>>> ain't inducing much confidence. So where am I going wrong?
>>> =20
>>> Thanks for listening. I just think there should be more to it than =
> I'm aware
>>> of so far, so if someone will give me a hint or tell me I'm just =
> asking for
>>> too much from it, maybe that's just what I have to live with.
>>> =20
>>> 73,
>>> Dave
>>> =20
>>> David Allen, Director
>>> Blind-Sight Limited
>>> For computer training and support world-wide, equipment or braille 
>>> production please contact me through any of the following ways:
>>> Email: [log in to unmask]
>>> Telephone: 64-3-455-7694 (Home)
>>> 64-27-224-5489 (Mobile)
>>> PO Box 9046
>>> St Clair
>>> Dunedin 9047
>>> NEW ZEALAND
>>> =20
>>> =20
>>> =20
>
>
>