BRASS POUNDERS' QUARTERLY An Electronic NEwsletter of the ARRL National Traffic System Richard WEbb, nf5b, editor PUBLISHED BY TRAFFIC HANDLERS FOR TRAFIC HANDLERS Volume II Issue 1 COpyright 2008 by THe ARRL National Traffic SYstem Contents Editor's corner NTS news briefs General articles: IMproving your station's audio NTS Training: Circuit discipline: What it is and why it's important HOw to submit an article Where to get BPQ THIs electronic newsletter is free to all who may wish to receive it. YOu may upload it to bulletin board systems; ftp sites etc. so long as no fees are charged for access to it. INdividual articles retain the copyright of the author. EDITOR'S CORNER Please bear with my thought processes here a moment if you would and consider ARRL field day, what it is and what it's supposed to do for amateur radio. FIeld day is to demonstrate and improve on our emergency communications techniques and systems. I've seen some pretty good field day operations, and some where we just showed up at the clubhouse and operated. HOwever, oftentimes few members of the public show up, and if we're lucky one or two of them are journalists or public officials that we'd like to impress. It seems to me that many groups participating in field day underutilize message traffic to get points. HOwever, we could really fold this into field day quite easily. Your local club might have the mayor show up, or the county emergency management head. Great, for him as well as the others who stop by the site. FOr those that do, the offer to send a short message to anyone anywhere might impress. MOst field day traffic I see is the obligatory message to the sm or stm stating that your group is operating a field day station. IT seems to this writer that ARRL should do more to encourage clubs and emcomm groups operating field day to demonstrate skills such as those needed to originate and handle formal record message traffic. WE already show by the contest atmosphere that we can get our generators and field stations hummingquite nicely. A demonstration of the operating skills that might come into play is quite appropriate as well. Though many of those skills are used in contesting, others are not. Hence, some additional rules and/or rules changes to reflect this are very much in order. OF course messages sent or relayed by cw should garner a greater score than those sent on phone; which should garner more than using digital modes. This way the organization gets one of its most experienced traffic handlers to demonstrate this skill for the public and do some elmering along with having the usual field day fun. SO how about it folks? Anybody else willing to do some lobbying of HQ to make this a reality? NTS NEws briefs Once again the dreaded subject of bulk book traffic has come up in one of those brief flurries of emails. THese go around for a few days and then subside, but this time it's sustained itself in little bursts of a few emails then nothing for a few days, then another round of emails. Your editor would like to hear your thoughts on the subject. NOw before you put fingers to keyboard I'd also like to hear your ideas on ways we can still give the system good traffic to handle, thereby offering newcomers and old hands alike quality training, and a reason to remain active in NTS. TO make a long one short, the proponents for leaving things as they are state that the system would have virtually no traffic to handle were it not for the bulk originators. REgrettably this is essentially correct. so, tell us here at BPQ what you think, but also tell us how we can keep the system alive with good traffic on a day to day basis to keep us sharp and ready for the next Katrina or major earthquake. NTs leaders need to hear from you, and hopefully by discussing the issue here we can give them some meaningful input on the subject. --- THe following was received from DAve Knight, w4zjy in early March. HE notes that pacific area net cycle four will be switching to 7052 kilohertz effective with the switch to daylight savings time. --- Improving your Station's Audio By Richard Webb (NF5b) All right folks, we've worked on our station. Whether it be our portable station for public service events or our hf station in the shack we've tweaked, tried different antennas for our bands of interest, maybe bought an amplifier. Still for the public service communicator the most important thing is getting the information we transmit transferred accurately to its destination. That audio chain, from your mouth to the microphone to the transmitter is the crucial link. In the first installment we'll discuss the FM operator and the solutions to his possible problems. In part two we'll delve into microphones and the proper techniques for using them in the environment of the shack. In the third installment I'll discuss acoustic shaping of your radio shack. If you're a DXer or contester don't tune out on us just yet because this is aimed at the public service operators. You'll find some useful information here. Who am I? I'm an audio professional and musician. I've spent the majority of my life working with microphones, speakers and sound in a variety of acoustic environments. I'm not a theoretician, I have no relevant college degrees, but the college of hard knocks taught me a few things about the way spaces shape the sounds around us and how different microphones capture sound. Conversely, our operating environments shape the sound our speakers put out too. Even the serious cw op who rarely hooks a microphone to his hf rig will benefit from part three. First I'm going to pick on the operator with the portable or mobile VHF/UHF station helping out with public service communications around his community. It doesn't do you any good to have a full quieting signal into the local repeater if the ambient noise around you is so high you have to repeat traffic two and three times to be understood at the other end of the circuit. Let's talk first about the operator who's helping out at the local walkathon or similar event with his handheld transceiver. For this application I've used either a speaker microphone which offered me another connection for an ear bud or a headset of my own device. The headset was originally one of those Realistic 49 mhz two ways with vox. I gutted the transmitter, left the little cheap dynamic mic element and earphone and its switchbox. I use the push to talk switch they provided for the transmitter. I just slip the little switchbox on my belt or slip it in a pocket. I like to carry my ht in a shoulder holster rig. I can sling it around on my back and have the little rubber duckie antenna in the clear to maximize my position without having to wrestle with the HT. I have my hands basically free most of the time, and when I must transmit only need reach down and push the switch. Having my hands free allows me to handle writing materials easier. Less fatigue, fewer delays while I wrestle with the handheld transceiver, paper and writing materials, my cold drink etc... The other big advantage of my headset over a speaker microphone is obvious. You don't hear the microphone handling noises as you would with a regular hand microphone. THe headset keeps the microphone in a position where it sounds good, and I can speak softly. So what's wrong with my handheld's little built-in microphone? Its okay for a quick and dirty short qso, and hence why its so handy. Let's look a little closer at the situation. Then ask yourself something. Wouldn't you rather set a better example for those public service officials you'll be working with on the disaster simulation or other event? We in ham radio are always telling the disaster response agencies that we hold our standards high. Let's let them hear us at our best during these operations. Remember many listen on scanners and will be more likely to seek us out if they hear the evidence of these higher standards we talk so much about. Now back to the handheld again. Your handheld usually consists of a circuit board or two in a case with the keypad, speaker and mic element on the front of the case. The case is mostly hollow so it acts as a resonating chamber for both your voice and the road noise or other ambient background. This resonating chamber works great in tandem with your handheld radio's tiny speaker but is terrible for its microphone. Your noise canceling microphone is baffled so as to eliminate a lot of this unwanted resonance. That's how it achieves its "noise cancelling" properties. For providing communications for the local public service event or ARES exercise the speaker microphone and an ear bud work better than the built-in microphone on your handheld transceiver. If using a regular hand microphone oftentimes cross talking it will work better. Those sibilant sounds, s's popping p's and so on are a problem, but cross talking the microphone doesn't cause your breath to blow directly on the element. Experiment with the microphones you plan to use for such activities and find out which techniques work best for them before you have to learn on the job. Lapel microphones, headsets or the ubiquitous speaker microphone coupled with an ear bud are all better choices. Which one's right for you? You'll have to decide that for yourself. If you can borrow some of these possible solutions from friends that will mate with your handheld transceiver try them all and decide. If you must buy them you can always sell the accessories you don't plan to use once you've found the method that works best for you. Next time it's the HF traffic handler and other operator who gets picked on. Let's improve our listenability folks. The public we serve will take notice! Circuit discipline: What it is and why it's important Many amateur radio activities depend a great deal on the efficient operation of networks. WHether it be the swap net, the weak signal coordination net, the awards chasing nets, or the traffic emergency and service nets. THe conduct of such nets is much smoother when the participants use good circuit discipline. For those who aren't familiar with the term, circuit discipline is conducting your operation so as not to disrupt the network, allowing everybody to get their business handled effectively and efficiently. circuit discipline is as simple as only transmitting when directed to do so, keeping transmissions short, using standard phonetics or sending good clean code accurately at any speed. Circuit discipline is also best taught by example. NEWcomers to nets hear good disciplined operators and want to emulate what they hear. AS well as helping the newcomers it presents us in a positive way to the agencies we serve in time of disaster. why is it then that circuit discipline gets such short shrift in training materials and on the air? I recently took and passed all three levels of the emergency communications course and did not see a whole lot on circuit discipline, in fact I saw nothing on the subject. WHen you took the tests for your licenses that you hold there were no questions about it. If you spend a lot of time working with nets as I do you'll notice its lack. The modern radio amateur is more accustomed to thinking in terms of clear readable signals through repeaters and links. This means he's always going to be able to hear net control, will check in when his category is called and not have any problems communicating when he has need to transmit. THe opposite often applies when he first ventures into the world of the hf net, whether it be in pursuit of a coveted award for his shack wall or to contact his buddy on a vessel at sea. These same operating conditions are going to confront him if working the disaster with no repeaters and his compromise antenna for vhf and uhf. Many operators who should know better exhibit poor circuit discipline as well. THey transmit when they shouldn't, often causing chaos. FIrst they aren't familiar with the simple concept of how to obtain relay assistance if they do not hear net control. INstead of transmitting his/her callsign once, waiting two to three minutes and if no response lather rinse repeat they transmit every 30 seconds or so that so-and-so can't hear net control. even if priority traffic is being handled on the frequency somebody must jump in, handle the motormouth and then let the traffic proceed. For example: I was monitoring the frequency used by a net which serves vesels at sea as well as missionaries and others. THe station in control of the net was trying to assist a vessel at sea but did not have a good copy on the maritime mobile operator. so he asks who hears the maritime mobile. NOw some guy in NEW ENgland has to transmit commenting that he does not hear the maritime mobile. THe net control station did NOT ask who doesn't hear the vessel. Who didn't hear the vesel was quite irrelevant. If the poor radio op was sinking and needed emergency assistance knowing who did not hear him wasn't going to do him any good. YET if net control did find somebody who heard him well they could get together and effect a rescue. Leaders in charge of training at the local level should teach their pool of emergency communicators proper circuit discipline, and regular net participants should endeavor to operate their stations with an eye toward practicing it. We have many new operators on the high frequency bands, and they learn from us old hands. Let's help them learn the right way of doing things! HEre then are eleven pointers which will help you maintain good circuit discipline, whether you're a newcomer or have just developed some bad habits over the years: 1. IF you must tune up by transmitting tune a few khz away from net frequency so as not to interfere with the net. 2. Adjust your equipment so as to fall within specifications for your mode of operation, and so as to transmit a clear readable signal. 3. FOllow the directions of net control at all times. IF you are addressed directly and do not understand your instructions or feel that some clarification is in order by all means request it. NET control may be distracted and not quite up on his/her game at the moment. 4. If you can't hear net control, briefly transmit your callsign and request relay assistance when you hear other stations checking in, then stand by. iF no relay assistance is forthcoming within a couple of minutes repeat. Keep your transmissions as brief as possible. 5. When attempting to relay for others, state your callsign phonetically and use the word "relay" to indicate this is your reason for rechecking the net. DO not proceed until you are instructed to do so. NEt control may acknowledge you but this is not permission to proceed. when relaying a station to net control be clear, be accurate, and return to ncs quickly. 6. DO not respond to stations maliciously interfering or otherwise engage such stations. NEt stations will appreciate your silence, and the behavior will only persist if acknowledged. 7. Be prepared with writing materials ready to hand so as not to delay the net while you hunt for paper, pencils, etc. 8. When receiving traffic on net frequency be sure to copy information accurately and neatly so that it can be read later. 9. when sending traffic send clearly and at a comfortable speed for the receiving operator. keep transmissions short and listen for fill requests. 10. On voice nets disable vox if you use it. YOu can always engage your vox when you have need to transmit. Other sounds in your environment can cause you to transmit unintentionally, and the unintentional qrm is just as harmful as the malicious sort. 11. WHen seeking to join an unfamiliar net listen for awhile to see where procedures may differ from standards you are accustomed to. Endeavor to follow local procedures when you participate. How to submit an article Send a file attach of a straight ascii file to the editor at elspider@bellsouth.net for inclusion. Brief items for our news section should be sent as a regular email. Again, attach plain ascii files only. If using MS Word choose the save-as option to save as plain text, possibly called dos text. CHeck your favorite word processor's doccumentation on creating ascii files. NO graphics files, pdf etcetera please! THis electronic newsletter is intended to be machine readable. This newsletter may be distributed on packet and other radio systems where system operators and relay stations wish to closely monitor content of transmissions. IT is intended to be platform independent which is not possible with graphical file formats. Even the operator with the old commodore or Apple II should be able to read this newsletter, or the fellow using the old dumb terminal. Text to speech systems etcetera should have no problems reading this newsletter. IF possible use a file extension of .art for your article. IF it fits one of these categories use the category name as the file name. Regular categories for which we seek articles are as follows: general : articles of general interest to traffic handlers. USE a file name of general.art training : Articles regarding training hints and tips. AS above, use training.art if possible. Outreach : articles on ways to reach out to the public and promote NTS and amateur radio message handling capabilities. AS with the above examples, outreach.art. Using these naming conventions allows your editor to auto- matically process your article. TYpe the title twice, the first time at left margin preceded by a * character. THe second time centered as you'd like it to appear. THe line with the * will be used to automatically build a table of contents and the asterisk removed. YOur article will then appear with title centered. Immediately below the centered title please place your name and call sign so that folks will know who authored the article. If you have an email address please provide it as well. THough often these can be looked up the information provided in call sign databases is often incorrect. IF you are a net manager or hold an aRRL field organization position please provide this information as well. IF possible keep line lengths to 70 characters or fewer. Again remember that we are attempting to be platform independent. Many of our readers will wish to view this on their screens instead of printing it out. IF you cannot save your article as plain text paste the text into an email and send it. Your editor will do his best to format it properly for display on most computer systems. IF you do this state in the subject line that text enclosed in email is an article for BPQ. Although you retain the copyright on your work, submission of any articles implies permission to publish them in BPQ and distribute said work electronically without remuneration to you or BPQ. NO fee may be charged to receive BPQ. WHere to get BPQ http://home.earthlink.net/~bscottmd/ http://home.comcast.net/~wx4j/ http://home.mindspring.com/~1_qnc/w4zjy/ Many fine internet connected bulletin boards also carry bPQ in the hamnews file area as a zip file using the same naming conventions as the text files within them. THese files are distributed by the ham-fdn and the International FIlegate Project. Visit www.filegate.net/ Fidonet: Many fine bulletin board systems available via telnet www and dial-up can link to the ham-fdn described above. IF you don't see it on your favorite fido board ask the sysop to link to the hamnews area through his/her regular files link. THe headquarters of the ham-fdn can be accessed as follows: Waldo's place USA. modem 12am-6pm EST. (919) 774-5930 telnet://bbs.wpusa.dynip.com http://www.wpusa.dynip.com/ ftp://ftp.wpusa.dynip.com RADIO RESCUE NET OPERATIONS BBS Modem only 0600-1200 UTC 28.8 kbps n81 (901) 465-9921 IF you are the system operator of a BBS (either landline or radio) and cannot get BPQ through your regular links it can be sent you via email as either regular email or a file attach. SEnd an email to bpq.distro@116-901.ftn.wpusa.dynip.com Provide your email address in the text and tell us how you'd like to receive BPQ. Also tell us what kind of bbs system you operate, its frequencies of operation if a packet board or its dial-up/telnet info etc. Also, please give us your callsign. we wish to keep the email distribution list fairly small, so look to your favorite internet dial-up or packet connections first if at all possible. Thanks for reading and 73 Richard Webb, nf5b send correspondence to the editor via email using the following email address: elspider@bellsouth.net OR using plaintext only to: bpq.editor@116-901.ftn.wpusa.dynip.com All file attached article submissions should be sent to the bellsouth address . See the earlier section on how to submit an article. Place bpq feedback or similar text in the subject line so that it receives proper attention from the editor. reproduction of articles in club newsletters is permitted so long as BPQ and the original author are credited. FOr more information contact the editor. BRASS POUNDERS' QUARTERLY Published by traffic handlers for traffic handlers COpyright ARRL National Traffic SYstem, electronic distribution encouraged. *** end of file***