This administrivia file and the companion Amateur Radio Elmers Resource Directory are intended for non-commercial distribution via Usenet. Any other uses, please E-mail for permission. [Special note: My E-mail addresses have changed, reflecting a move to Greater Omaha Public Access Unix, which was motivated by a desire to seek a stable site for the Elmers List for some time to come. See my signature below for the new addresses. My old E-mail addresses, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, will probably work for the foreseeable future, but are not guaranteed.] 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 Edwin 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 (1947-1992, 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 a Usenet Elmer? +++++++++++++++++++++++ With the ever-widening scope of the Internet, and the amateur radio newsgroups on Usenet, the potential for Elmers to share their knowledge to a wide audience has never been greater. To that end, I have started to maintain a list of such Elmers. Volunteers need only send me their name, E-mail address, and area of expertise. I have set up an administrivia mailbox for this purpose (elmers-request@ gonix.com, the default Reply-To: of this message). 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 7 ways of obtaining the Elmers List. Any site at least reachable by Internet E-mail can use options 3 or 4: 1. Usenet News: The latest copy of the list can be found in the companion postings to this message, "Amateur Radio: Elmers Resource Directory [A-M]" and "Amateur Radio Elmers Resource Directory [N-Z]." Since the list is cross-posted to rec.radio.amateur.misc, rec.radio.info, rec.answers, and news.answers on the 1st 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. 2. 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.cs.buffalo.edu /pub/ham-radio/elmers* rtfm.mit.edu /pub/usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/* 3. 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. 4. 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: 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 send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/a-m send usenet/news.answers/radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/n-z 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). The last three services are experimental. I'm not terribly familiar with them, and cannot offer much technical support regarding their use. (I'd appreciate feedback on whether or not you find them useful, though.) 5. Internet Gopher: The latest copy of the list should be available from the following Gopher sites, all at standard port 70: cc1.kuleuven.ac.be jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca gopher.univ-lyon1.fr ftp.win.tue.nl gopher.win.tue.nl see also comp.infosystems.gopher 6. World-Wide Web (WWW): The latest copy of the list should be available from the following WWW site: URL: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu:80/hypertext/faq/usenet under pages: radio/ham-radio/elmers/admin radio/ham-radio/elmers/index radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/a-m radio/ham-radio/elmers/list/n-z radio/ham-radio/elmers/diff see also comp.infosystems.www 7. Wide-Area Information Service (WAIS): The latest copy of the list should be available from the WAIS server at rtfm.mit.edu (standard port 210) in database "usenet." see also comp.infosystems.wais 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@gonix.com (personal mail) elmers-request@gonix.com (Elmers List administrivia)