FOC supports newcomers to morse!

FOC introduces a program to help newcomers, both young and old, to using Morse. Paul, VP9KF (FOC 1578) has donated 20 K1EL keyer kits (K-PCB v12) which are being assembled, tested and finished ready to be given to deserving newcomers. The first tranche of 10 has gone to the UK & EU. The second will be staying in the US for NA & SA. These are not being given out as raffle prizes and the like. If you're presented with one of these, you know that you have stood out and attracted the attention of FOC members who want to help you!

---

FOC on Wikipedia

---

Public Events by Dave Lawley G4BUO (FOC 1486)

As a member of Cray Valley Radio Society located in south-east London, Dave G4BUO has taken a leading part in the organisation of high-profile special event stations, where amateur radio has been demonstrated to the public. A key feature is to get visitors involved, and encourage them to sit down at the rig and pass 'greetings messages' to overseas amateurs.

This was first done at M2000A which celebrated the new millennium. The station was located at Greenwich, on the prime meridian, and parties of local schoolchildren got some basic tuition in the art of radio communication and were then invited to take the mic and pass greetings messages. They were all shy at first, but once the first bold child came forward, all the others in the class also wanted to have a go and took their turn at the radio. We hope this has fired an interest in radio communication in at least some of our visitors.

This was followed by the prestigious GB50 station in 2002, to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee. GB50 was located on the north terrace of Windsor Castle and was visited by the Patron of RSGB, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip. gb50.com has a picture of the Prince being shown amateur HF communication by FOC members Tim Kirby, G4VXE (FOC 1683) (left) and G4BUO. The young shortwave listener is Simon Treacher, now licensed as 2E0CVN and a very accomplished CW operator.

The third major station to show amateur radio to the public was again at Greenwich, in 2005 to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Again, visitors - especially youngsters - were encouraged to take the microphone and pass greetings messages. A selection of pictures from this project are at gb200t.com. All three stations gave opportunities to promote amateur radio in the local media, and M2000A also featured very briefly on breakfast TV.

Cray Valley RS has conducted many amateur radio licence courses, at Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced level, and makes sure to give 'after care' to all new licensees in order to ensure that they get the
most out of their new hobby.

---

Stuart's Story - how an FOC Member Helps

With the permission of Stuart's mom Susan, I present the "rest of Stuart's story" to my fellow FOC members. The first paragraph was Stuart's mom's response to my suggestion that I send K2ZR's QSL card to Stuart. Please read on, you'll be glad you did! Dick Stein, K2ZR (FOC 1694)

Quoting Stuart's mom Susan:
"Stuart would be thrilled to receive it. I am really not exaggerating how excited he was/is. He has a recording of all he did there on his hand held recorder and has listened to it over and over. He has also plotted out geographically each contact that he made. Our address follows at the end of this e-mail.

If you don't mind, I'll tell you a little bit of Stuart's history. I'm biased, of course, but he's overcome some overwhelming odds - he is a determined kid, that's for sure! He is a surviving twin. He and his twin brother, Spencer, were born severely prematurely. Stuart weighed 1 pound 13 ounces at birth. His twin died at 9 days after major abdominal surgery for necrotizing enterocollitis (a perforation of the intestine), which Stuart was struck by 3 days later. He also had a major abdominal surgery during which he crashed. We were told he would most likely not survive even an hour after the surgery. In addition to his intestinal problems, he had major problems with his lungs and was on a ventilator for 45 days. He breathed on his own for the first time at day 45, which is also the very first time we were able to hold him. His stay in the neonatal intensive care unit was 100 days. He survived his prematurity but was left with asthma which at times has been life threatening, gross motor challenges, eye problems, severe migraines, an anaphylactic food allergy, and Asperger's Syndrome (a high functioning form of autism characterized by perseverating focus on areas of interest - like ham radio!) Stuart is a bright, motivated, very sweet boy (again, I'm biased!) who is gifted in music (in addition to playing piano, violin, and guitar, he has perfect pitch, and has composed several pieces of music - one of which will be played by his school orchestra next December), math, computers - any thing technical and that lends itself to patterns (Morse Code!) He struggles socially, as he doesn't have many peer related areas of interest. That is a big reason why it is so thrilling to see him make contact with you and other ham radio operators. He really longs for someone to share the high levels of enthusiasm he has for his areas of interest - right now, Morse Code is at the top of the list.

He was so disappointed that he is not going to make the July test date, but we'll definitely get him there in August. Also, I know he wants to blog back to you about his field day. He read the story on my blackberry several times while we were driving him to camp. The first thing he did when he met his camp counselor was to tell him about his ham radio interest, about field day, and to play him the recording of his first Morse Code contact. Thank you again for making all of this possible."

PS: Quoting Stuart's mom:" Dick, you'll appreciate this, I called the camp today to see how he was doing and they told me he is teaching all of the counselors Morse Code."

I am proud and honoured to say that Stuart had his first contact with me.  http://kb6nu.com/field-day-2009-stuart-makes-his-first-contact/

---

Bill K4LTA (FOC 1548) - Beating the odds (one of our 3 blind members)

A few of the changes in the 53 years that I have been K4LTA

One of the big changes for me is the logging of my contacts.  At first in 1956, I would write down enough information in braille for my log and about once a week would transcribe it on loose leaf paper on my portable typewriter and put it in a binder.  

Later, I was able to afford a separate typewriter for my hamshack and could type the log while I was making the contacts.  

I later learned to enjoy contesting which posed a logging problem in that it took my wife, Ruby, now K4UPS, almost as long to edit my log as I spent in the contest.  

Now with computer logging, I use TR log for contests and also my daily logging, Ruby can edit a contest log in 30 minutes and we can attach it to an e-mail headed to the contest committee.  

Sending morse code is so much easier, too, progressing from a straight key that I used for the first year, to a semi-automatic bug for sending code for 3 years, then to an electronic keyer which had come into existance by that time, in the early 1960s. Now, if I am at all serious about a contest, I do the sending on a computer keyboard which takes a lot more work out of sending. I still prefer and use my electronic keyer and Bencher paddles for all my daily contacts.

My first equipment was a Globe Scout transmitter and Hammerlund HQ-129X receiver, followed by a Johnson Viking I and Hallicrafters SX-101 receiver before I got into transceivers.  My first transciver was a National NCX-3, followed by a Swan 350, a Galaxy 5 transceiver, before my first Ten-Tec rig, a Triton 4.  I was privileged to know Al Kahn, K4FW, personally and have had many visits with him while getting my Ten-Tec gear serviced at the factory.

My current equipment is 2 Omni 6 plus transceivers which are computer controlled, 2 Ten-Tec Hercules amplifiers, 2 automatic Ten-Tec tuners. I use these two identical set-ups operating SO2R in contests.  I am still not very good at it after 5 years but can definitely work more stations with 2 radios than with only one.  

Screen reading programs, I use Vocal-eyes and Window-eyes by GW micro, makes it possible for me to use the computers and read any portion of the screen that I select.  Of course, the screen reading software works with voice synthicizers on the computers, I use Double Talk and DEC-talk.

Summary: My life has been greatly enriched through our wonderful hobby of amateur radio, most of all by the hundreds of wonderful friends that I have made world-wide.  Of course, one of my greatest honours was becoming a member of  FOC and 20 years later still enjoying the FOC activities and many personal friends I have made through our club. Other highlights have been to attend the FOC annual weekend in the UK on 5 different occasions and our 18 trips to the Caribbean since 1980 operating from 7 different islands.

---

G3YXX - My radio Life and Times

---

An example of the club's quarterly magazine, FOCUS. FOCUS may be freely distributed as a whole by using a link to this site. Reproduction of articles may be made by contacting us through the Contact link.