Tom's "Read the Manual" story reminds me of 2 experiences.

Several people including the late Kevin Nathan, at least one other 
person on this list, and myself spent a considerable amount of time on 
the telephone with a new blind ham in my area, answering his questions 
about both the TS2000 and the TS480.

I told this person about the local people that I knew who were using 
these rigs.

A few days later, one of the TS2000 owners phoned me at work to ask if 
he could drop in for a visit.

When he came into my office, the conversation (or should I say 
monologue) went something like this:

Owner: "I'm really concerned about this new blind ham. You need to 
talk him out of buying a TS2000 because it's too complicated, and I 
can't operate it. He really needs to do some homework. You really 
aren't helping him by encouraging him to even consider that radio. Why 
would you think of doing that?

Me: "Do you have the voice chip in your 2000?"

Owner: "No, because I don't need it."

Me: "Perhaps you should install one; it might help you too. Have you 
ever heard of Handi-Hams?"

Owner: "Yes, but what's that got to do with it?"

me: "Nothing, accept that they have boat loads of information which 
clearly identifies the TS2000 as one of the more accessible and blind 
user friendly rigs out there. He has done his homework. Now, here is 
your assignment. Go read what Handi-Hams says about it, then call me 
back and we'll continue this discussion."

That was 3 years ago. the TS2000 owner and I had many subsequent 
conversations before he moved away, but no more on that subject.

I probably came down a bit hard on him, but I had seen him behave like 
that before with other new people (who were not blind) to the point 
that some of them skipped out of the radio club. Right or wrong, that 
day I just wasn't going to put up with that behavior. BTW, he wasn't 
kidding when he said he couldn't operate the TS2000. He was always 
forgetting to switch from VHF to HF, thereby trying to check into nets 
on the wrong frequency, etc. His biggest problem, I think, was simply 
not paying attention.

After doing his own homework, the new blind ham chose to buy a TS480, 
which he likes very much.

Not long after he bought it, but before he got his antenna up, a ham 
who goes to church with him came by to look at it. When the guy saw 
it, he said: "You need to sell that thing right now and get something 
else!"

Blind ham: "Why?"

Ham from church: "Because it has entirely too many buttons on it. You 
can't see the labels, and I don't know what all those buttons do."

My friend replied: "Come back in two weeks, and I'll show you.


Mike Duke, K5XU
American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs