Hi, Mike & listers!
Flexradio says that Ham Radio Deluxe can be used as a rig control
program. This would provide at lease basic accessibility, though it is
not a substitute for a complete control & config software package,
unfortunately.
I hope to talk with some of you at ACB this summer regarding
accessibility issues. I would like to get one of our volunteers to help
us learn more about SDRs and screenreader accessibility.
Hope that rumor about a new talking Yaesu is true!
Regards,
Patrick Tice, WA0TDA
Manager, Courage Handiham System
3915 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55422
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-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Duke, K5XU
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 9:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Software Defined & controled Radios
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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