Posted-By: auto-faq 3.3 beta (Perl 5.003)
Archive-name: radio/ham-radio/elmers/admin
Posting-Frequency: posted on the first Monday of each month
URL: http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/elmers/

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               Amateur Radio: Elmers List Info and Administrivia
                                       
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   This administrivia file and the companion Amateur Radio Elmers
   Resource Directory are intended for non-commercial distribution via
   the Internet. Any other uses, please E-mail for permission.
   
   [Special Note: Greater Omaha Public Access Unix has been acquired by
   Novia Internetworking as of September 1, 1996. Novia will assume
   ownership of the gonix.com domain and intends to keep it active
   (aliased to novia.net) for the foreseeable future. This means that you
   may use either the new novia.net addresses, listed below, or the old
   gonix.com addresses for the Amateur Radio Elmers Resource Directory.
   I'd like to thank the administrators of Gonix for their outstanding
   support of this resource over the years, and look forward to a
   fruitful relationship with Novia Internetworking for some time to
   come.]
   
   In order to standardize the Internet resource notation used in this
   Directory, I've decided to adopt Uniform Resource Locator (URL) format
   throughout. In addition to being a straightforward, human-readable,
   format for specifying File Transfer Protocol (FTP) archives, Gopher
   and World-Wide Web (WWW) servers, and Usenet newsgroups, it is also
   amenable to formatting as hypertext links in Hypertext Markup Language
   (HTML). For example, users viewing this document at designated
   World-Wide Web Servers (see "How may I obtain the latest copy of the
   Elmers List?" below) will see all URL's converted to hypertext links
   on their WWW client. Rather than fumbling with the various conventions
   of FTP, Gopher, WWW, and Usenet News software, the document or
   directory referenced by a hypertext link is but one mouse-click (or
   key-click) away.
   
   While I'm happy to incorporate the latest and most popular
   information-formatting standards into the documents that I maintain, I
   really can't allow myself to be dragged into the role of a WWW
   help-desk for all of the Internet. Please understand this when I
   politely refer you to other Elmers, easily-obtainable on-line
   documentation, or even local expertise such as resident gurus,
   consultants, or help-desks at your school, company, or information
   service provider.
   
   The URL format is easily mapped into human FTP, Telnet, Gopher, and
   Usenet News reader commands. For example:
   
   ftp://ftp.cs.buffalo.edu/pub/ham-radio/README
   
   Anonymous FTP to ftp.cs.buffalo.edu and get the file README under the
   /pub/ham-radio directory.
   
   gopher://oes1.oes.ca.gov:5555/
   
   Access the Gopher root page at oes1.oes.ca.gov via non-standard port
   5555 (if the standard Gopher port of 70 was used, the ":5555" part
   would be replaced by ":70" or most likely not appear at all).
   
   telnet://callsign.cs.buffalo.edu:2000/
   
   Initiate a Telnet (remote terminal) session with
   callsign.cs.buffalo.edu via non-standard port 2000 (if the standard
   Telnet port of 23 was used, the ":2000" part would be replaced by
   ":23" or most likely not appear at all).
   
   news:rec.radio.info
   
   Access the rec.radio.info newsgroup on your Usenet newsreader from
   your local news server.
   
   URL's that start with:
   
   http:
   
   Are only accessible via WWW client software or "browsers".
   
   For more information about URL formats, see:
   
   ftp://nis.nsf.net/documents/rfc/rfc1630.txt
   http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Addressing/Addressing.html
   
   Disclaimer: While I have personally confirmed the accuracy of all
   URL's through the Lynx WWW client, any referenced documents external
   to this document are subject to future changes beyond my control. In
   addition, with networks and their administration being what it is,
   many services with up-to-date URL's may be temporarily unreachable.
   Please consult with your local gurus, consulting staff, or help-desk
   to confirm that it's a non-local problem, then ask the Elmer him or
   herself (me in the case of URL's which appear outside of individual
   entries). The currency and accuracy of URL's should be at least no
   worse than that of the Elmers entries themselves (which are each
   individually confirmed by me every 2 years, and updated within 1 month
   on request of the Elmer).
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
A Brief Historical Overview:

   If there is any one constant in the changing state of the
   communications art, it is that "Hams" (Amateur Radio Operators) have
   always been on the forefront of it. Rumors abound where the term "Ham"
   came from. Some of the more amusing are described in the list of
   Frequently Asked Questions for this newsgroup.
   
   Regardless of origin of the name, a "Ham" is universally recognizable
   as one who experiments in radio and communications.
   
   Whether it be constructing a low-power CW radio with vacuum tubes, or
   designing TCP/IP packet networks, such experimentation has
   historically spilled over into the mainstream such as was the case
   with Howard Armstrong, who developed the regenerative oscillator and
   FM radio, or General Curtis LeMay (W6EZV) who was instrumental in
   making Single-Sideband the communications standard for the Strategic
   Air Command (1946-1992, now reorganized into a joint command called
   USSTRATCOM) and eventually the U.S. Air Force. Although
   packet-switching techniques originated from DARPA (Defense Advanced
   Research Projects Agency) and the ARPANet, no one can deny the
   tremendous influence that amateurs have had in demonstrating the
   viability of TCP/IP and AX.25 communications via radio links. The
   efforts of AMSAT (the Amateur Satellite Corporation), including the
   development of many ham satellites and the low-orbiting Microsats
   (communications satellites no bigger than a breadbox that use
   store-and-forward packet techniques), have certainly advanced the
   state-of-the-art in communications, one of the defined purposes of the
   Amateur Radio Service, as recognized by international treaty.
   
   Since in many cases hams are writing "the book", there is often no
   "book" or other established reference for a beginner to refer to.
   Traditionally, information has been passed on from ham to ham via
   word-of-mouth. Like many of the traditional crafts, a variation of the
   Master-Apprentice system has emerged, the Elmer-Novice relationship.
   Called "Elmers" because they are usually older and wiser, having the
   benefit of many years in the hobby, including several failed projects,
   and an electric shock or two, they have traditionally been the
   mainstay of amateur radio, and the source of many new hams,
   particularly those interested in working on emerging technologies.
   
   Even more importantly, Elmers provided an outlet for the impatient
   newcomer who wanted "to know everything, and right away." Faced with
   such a request, a good Elmer will smile and proceed to lead the novice
   through some project or operating experience. Several hours, days, or
   weeks later, the novice would have his answers, but would have earned
   them. Even better, the sense of accomplishment would boost the
   novice's confidence and nudge him or her down the road to being a
   model, experienced ham operator.
   
   Many present hams feel that such an experience is missing today. In
   today's hustle-bustle world, the response to such natural curiosity
   and desire to learn is, more often than not, "I'm too busy" or "RTFM."
   As a result, the quality of new hams declines and the knowledge and
   operating habits they develop in their first formative months and
   years leave much to be desired. And the very same hams who claim that
   they "can't understand the new generation" also, in almost the same
   breath, lament about the "decline of amateur radio."
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
What is an Elmer today?

   An Elmer today is of any age, male or female, who has some expertise
   and is willing to share it with beginners. Elmers don't even need to
   be licensed amateurs, just people with knowledge in some area of
   electronics or communications technology.
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
What is an Internet Elmer?

   With the ever-widening scope of the Internet, the amateur radio
   newsgroups on Usenet, and now the World-Wide Web, the potential for
   Elmers to share their knowledge to a wide audience has never been
   greater. To that end, I maintain a list of such Elmers. Volunteers
   need only send me their name, E-mail address, and area(s) of
   expertise. URL-format pointers to resources they maintain, such as WWW
   home pages or FTP archives, would also be quite welcome. The list has
   gotten large enough that there should be plenty of suitable examples
   to model your entry after. If you need some further assistance
   formatting your entry, drop me a line and tell me a bit about
   yourself. Ironically, sometimes the best Elmers write to me saying,
   "I'm not an expert, but..."
   
   As part of the Elmers List's entry into the World-Wide Web, I've also
   provided a formatted WWW Registration Form. It may be accessed from:
   
   http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/elmers/register.html
   
   I have set up an administrivia mailbox for correspondence related to
   this list (elmers-request@novia.net, the default Reply-To: of this
   message). I would prefer that all such correspondence be directed to
   that address. In addition to saving it into a special folder, my
   incoming E-mail filter will also send you an automated return-receipt.
   While I can guarantee that I will read all mail sent to elmers-request
   before the next month's posting of the list, mail sent to pschleck may
   not necessarily get reviewed for some time (although all E-mail sent
   to me is certainly read with interest *eventually*).
   
   Those desiring a more extensive list, or who need more specific
   assistance, are encouraged to contact Rosalie White, WA1STO,
   Educational Services Manager at the American Radio Relay League, 225
   Main St., Newington, CT 06111 or via electronic mail addressed to
   rwhite@arrl.org.
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
How may I obtain the latest copy of the Elmers List?

   There are currently 6 ways of obtaining the Elmers List. Any site at
   least reachable by Internet E-mail can use options 5 or 6:
   
    1. World-Wide Web (WWW): This is the recommended method for accessing
       the Elmers list, as it allows this resource to be viewed as
       hypertext. The home site at www.novia.net features immediate
       updates each month, hypertext-linked subject and geographic
       indexes, keyword searching, and registration and feedback forms.
       The other two sites use automatically-converted versions of the
       Usenet news articles, but are still usable, particularly if you
       are outside North America. The site marked with an asterisk also
       offers Wide-Area Information Service (WAIS) index searching by
       keyword for all Usenet News FAQ's:
          + http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/elmers/
          +
            http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/rec.radio.amateur.mi
            sc.html
          + http://www.cs.ruu.nl/cgi-bin/faqwais *
       (Note: Because of maintenance problems - FAQ documents not being
       promptly updated in particular - the sites at Ohio State and Smart
       Pages are no longer recommended for accessing a current copy of
       the Elmers List and have been removed from the above list.)
       see also the newsgroups under comp.infosystems.www.* (I haven't
       listed URL's for all of the newsgroups under this hierarchy as
       there are now about a dozen of them (!!!).)
    2. Usenet News: This was the original distribution medium for the
       Elmers list. It continues to be supported for users who cannot
       access the World-Wide Web. Since the document uses URL's
       throughout, the news article version may also be viewed as
       hypertext via some mail and news readers. The latest copy of the
       list can be found in the news articles with the Subjects of
       "Amateur Radio: Elmers Resource Directory [A-*]," "Amateur Radio:
       Elmers Resource Directory [*-*]," and "Amateur Radio Elmers
       Resource Directory [*-Z]" (The * represents a wildcard character,
       as the need to split the list evenly, as well as keep all parts
       under the 64K message limit for Usenet, requires that I adjust the
       split occasionally). Since the list is cross-posted to the
       following newsgroups:
          + news:rec.radio.amateur.misc
          + news:rec.radio.info
          + news:rec.answers
          + news:news.answers
       on the first Monday of each month, with an expiration date 6 weeks
       into the future, there should always be a copy available at most
       news sites. Check your newsreader documentation for information
       about reading previously-read articles or articles that are
       "threaded" to this one. Also complain to your local news
       administrator (E-mail to "news" or "usenet" on your local host) if
       your local news server is configured to ignore Expires headers
       (and thus prematurely delete the articles) in worthwhile, mostly
       moderated, information newsgroups like those listed above.
    3. Anonymous FTP: If your site is directly connected to the Internet,
       you may retrieve the latest copy via File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
       from the following sites:
          + ftp://ftp.novia.net/customers/pschleck/elmers/
          + ftp://ftp.cs.buffalo.edu/pub/ham-radio/
          +
            ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elm
            ers/
          + ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/
    4. Internet Gopher: The latest copy of the list should be available
       from the following Gopher sites:
          + gopher://jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca/
          + gopher://gopher.univ-lyon1.fr/
          + gopher://ftp.win.tue.nl/
          + gopher://gopher.win.tue.nl/
       see also news:comp.infosystems.gopher
    5. Mailing-List: Since the list is cross-posted to rec.radio.info,
       the latest copy may be obtained from the mailing-list gateway for
       that newsgroup (along with many other informational articles about
       radio) when it is published each month. To subscribe, send E-mail
       to:
       listserv@ucsd.edu
       and in the BODY (not the Subject) of the message, write:

        subscribe radio-info
       The server may not be able to determine your return address. In
       that case write:

        subscribe radio-info (your E-mail address)
       You should get an acknowledgement very shortly.
    6. Mail-Server: If you don't want to read through the entire gateway
       of rec.radio.info, or want a copy of the list right away, send
       E-mail to:
       ftpmail@ftp.novia.net
       and in the BODY (not the Subject) of the message, write:


        open
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/admin
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/index/subject
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/index/geographic
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/list/part1
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/list/part2
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/list/part3
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/list/part4
        get /customers/pschleck/elmers/diff

       Alternatively, send E-mail to:
       mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
       and in the BODY (not the Subject) of the message, write:


        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/admin
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/index/subject
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/index/geographic
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/part1
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/part2
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/part3
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/part4
        send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/diff

       and the latest copy of the list should be sent to you E-mail
       within 24 hours (the mail-server uses batch priority to reduce
       system demand).
       
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
How may I contribute to the Elmers List?

   By using this resource, you are benefitting the net by obtaining
   assistance in the fastest and most efficient way possible. By
   volunteering to appear on this list, you are contributing to the good
   reputation of the radio-related newsgroups.
   
   Thanks to all the volunteer Elmers, as well as courteous list users,
   for making this service a success.
   
   --
   73, Paul W. Schleck, KD3FU
   
   pschleck@novia.net (personal mail)
   elmers-request@novia.net (Elmers List administrivia)

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