Colin,
I pretty much agree with you. Accessibility is a very important
issue and certainly the more accessible a radio is the better. But,
if a radio doesn't do what I want and need or doesn't live up to the
competition in terms of performance, accessibility really becomes a
secondary issue as far as I'm concerned.
I am more than willing to make some concessions about accessibility
to get a radio that not only does what I want it to do, but does it
well besides.
As you say, most radios are definitely accessible enough to use and
none is going to be absolutely perfect.
I hear too many people talking about accessibility whether it's
radios, cell phones, or whatever, but it's amazing how infrequently
you hear about actual product performance as compared to other
similar products.
It's true digital devices really do pose a lot of problems of
accessibility which we didn't have in the analog days, but you still
can't forget usability.
Anyway, a question I think needs to be asked more often: "it's
accessible and that's great. Now, how well does it do the job?"
Don W6SMB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 2:32 PM
Subject: Re: ReModern Radios and Accessibility
> well, I thought the ft101E was one of the most accessible radios,
> with the
> acception that you had no voice readout of frequency and S meter,
> but a good
> ear will tell you what an approximate signal is, and if you use
> the method
> of listening for the sqwak every 100KC, you could easily tune and
> get an
> approximate idea of where you were on any given band.
> Most of the older rigs were like that, many of them Yaesu's.
> Most of the modern Yaesu's can be used by a blind person just
> fine....so
> saying none of them are at all accessible is not correct.
> I have an FT2800M downstairs that I use on a daily basis and it
> works and
> functions just perfectly. I have the manual in PDF format and
> when i want
> to make a menu change i simply look in the manual, count clicks
> and button
> presses, and away I go.
> If i get stuck, a simple partial reset to get menus back to
> default starts
> me out fresh again.
> It has direct frequency entry on the mike and one touch hot keys
> for any
> number of functions.
> Now tell me that most of yaesu's radios don't have all of these
> features and
> more.
> You guys wouldn't know because you hear yaesu and automatically
> discard
> anything about them instead of trying some and finding out that
> they can
> actually be made to work. Are they accessible as they could be,
> of course
> not, but most things in this sighted world aren't as accessible as
> we would
> like or as they could be, and we get over it and find ways of
> getting around
> them.
> Sell phones only recently began to have the capability of screen
> readers,
> yet it certainly didn't stop blind folks from having and using
> sell phones
> as best they could....but as soon as something accessible comes
> out, all of
> a sudden any phone that can't support a screen reader becomes
> unaccessible
> and unusable by blind people...similar situation with amateur
> radios I
> think.
> should we purposely use less accessible radios? naturally not. we
> go for the
> most accessible as we should. but saying that perfectly
> accessible, though
> not as accessible as other radios, are unaccessible is bordering
> on
> ignorance and a lack of desire to enhance ones world by finding
> ways around
> lesser accessibility.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Anthony Vece" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 12:02 PM
> Subject: Re: ReModern Radios and Accessibility
>
>
>> Hi Eric;
>>
>> I wouldn't even consider Yaesu.
>>
>> There radios are not accessible and they have no intentions of
>> making them
>> accessible.
>>
>> 73 De Anthony W2AJV
>> [log in to unmask]
>> ECHOLINK NODE NUMBER: 74389
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Eric Clegg" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 1:37 PM
>> Subject: ReModern Radios and Accessibility
>>
>>
>> > Hello listers,
>> > It seems that the more modern the rigs get the less accessible
>> > they get.
>> >
>> > For instance the little Yaesu ft817nd has to be accessorized
>> > with one of
>> > two
>> > keypads to make it workable. You still would have to get many
>> > of the
> fine
>> > options from w4rt to turn it into a real radio such as the two
>> > board
>> > filters, a better battery pack and a host of other accessories.
>> >
>> > Also if you use the keypad fromJohn Hansen or Radio Mate from
>> > BHI of
>> > England
>> > you can't use the accessory jack on the back.
>> >
>> > I understand that the box for the k2 that reads out in CW is
>> > pretty
>> > complete
>> > in the information it has to give.
>> >
>> > With respect to the Elecraft k3 now is the time to urge the
>> > manufacturer
>> > to
>> > make it accessible while it is the development stages. Not when
>> > they've
>> > shipped a thousand of them.
>> >
>> > Their comments about a small market is just junk.
>> >
>> > As a blind person I'd be willing to pay at least $300
>> > additional if the
>> > rig
>> > could be made completely accessible.
>> >
>> > If I were to get a rig right now I'd probably get a Kenwood
>> > TS480SAT
> which
>> > is quite accessible out of the box.
>> >
>> > Or a Ten-Tec Argonaut V which I would propose to control with a
>> > computer
>> > program such as the n4PY program.
>> >
>> > For my needs right now I only require 20 watts or so and easily
>> > turn
> down
>> > the power on a Kenwood.
>> >
>> > Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone.
>> >
>> > Best 73's,
>> >
>> > Eric
>> > KU3I
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
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> 11/22/2007 11:49 AM
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>>
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