Well said.  I use the Perkins braille writer and it sure is easier hi hi.
glad you can use the slate and stylus well--it comes in handy for sure!
Have fun! 73,
Barb [log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard WEbb" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 7:12 PM
Subject: traffic handling, was races/ares format


> HI folks,
>
> SHe's right, don't worry about the form, just braille it down.
>
> SInce there's a lot of new no-code blood that's never handled written
> traffic, let's discuss what it is, and more importantly why it's a
> necessary skill for emergency and disaster communicators.
>
> WHen handling disaster communications you'e going to need to take down
> messages verbatim as sent.  Traffic handling refines this skill so it
> isn't new to you.
>
> Oldtimer brass pounders believe they have the superior mode for
> handling traffic, and in many ways they do.  nO ambiguities can creep
> in as they can with phone traffic handling, as one copies what's sent.
> aS soon as the cw traffic handler sends nr and a number the station
> copies what he hears.  Oversimplifying I know, but we'll move on for
> now.
>
> LEt's look at these ambiguities that can creep in on phone.  was that
> a five or a nine in that address?  HOw do you spell JOhnson?  OR was
> that Johnston?
>
> Learning to send traffic so as ti make copying easier on phone is also
> an acquired skill which gets better through practice.
>
> I don't have a perkins brailler.  I use a slate and stylus and back
> myself up with a tape recorder connected to the hf rig when handling
> traffic.  IF my computer is booted up at the time i copy directly into
> a text file.  IF copying via slate and stylus, I use grade one
> braille.  I tried grade three, but decided that ambiguities could
> creep in, so I went back to actually a form of grade 0, numbers are
> nemeth code,no letter signs or number signs.
>
> I'll switch to grade two for words sometimes, but usually before
> traffic is relayed if it must be I'll recopy it on the computer for
> archival and zip a braille copy off on the embosser for reading
> on-air.
>
> THere are some blind folks I know that are regular traffic handlers
> who are not braille conversatnt, but it's a lot of work, more than I'd
> care to go through.  ONe fellow I know copies traffic via tape
> recorder, listens to the tape on headphones while dictating it to
> another tape recorder so he has clean copy to read on the air.  THen
> he listens through an earphone while he sends the traffic.
>
> NOtetaker users probably use a similar technique, listening to their
> notetaker's pseech output while sending traffic on the air.  AS for
> this op, I prefer braille.  I weouldn't want to do it without braille.
>
> SOme other tricks i use for copying traffic:
>
> I never bother to write down the precedence unless it is other than
> routine.  OTherwise punching out that r just takes time.  For the
> handling instructions I never braille the hx part, just the actuall
> handling instruction.  THe rest of the preamble must be taken down
> verbatim, but it allows me some space so I can keep up.
>
> HOpe that's helpful to some of you.
>
> IN other words, you don't need the form as much to use for copying
> traffic as you need to understand it so all of the parts of the
> message are taken down properly and relayed properly.
>
> 73 de nf5b
>
>
>
>
>
> Richard Webb
>
> Electric Spider Productions
>
> "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
>
> --- Benjamin Franklin November 1755
>
>
>
>