New SSTV Modes (How many is enough)

Quite some time back I counted over 27 of the various SSTV modes. It seems like each time some one creates a new SSTV program or even hardware it includes new SSTV modes. If some one can convince me of any improvements or advantage of adding new modes this seems to only make a Babylon type band condition and we are forced to continuously be up grading to get the big picture. I would  like to receive any comments on this. Ray W5NOO

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    News Letters in E-Mail  (general information by Ray W5NOO)

 We have had some inquires on what is the best way to make news letters for e-mailing . (some wish to start a local Radio Club news letter) I have little experience at the web publishing but have experimented with several ways to send a group type News Letter. I am simply using the Windows I-E Outlook Express Version 6  e-mail program to compose this letter and save it as an HTML type file in my Drafts folder and use cut and paste and font change functions to edit and attach small animation's etc. The advantage of this is that the file can have colored  text fonts and attachments and has a typical size of only 25 Kb (even a dozen or more larger  letters fit easily on a 1.4 Meg floppy) The Out look Group mailing function also has all the necessary e-mailing addresses information. I could make and send a more graphic and complex e-mail page with even video attachments or even attach or add some MIDI music in background etc., but I believe more can receive and view and print or store and prefer this simple HTML e-mail type information. One additional advantage is the viewer when on line can also click on the underlined  hypertext URL information links.   (Note: The use of  the Windows operating system and I-E 6 with the latest Microsoft Critical Upgrades installed is also less susceptible to Virus attacks)

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  Saturday IVCA SSTV Net

The Saturday .SSTV net on  14.230 MHz  at 15:00 UTC has been in operation for more than 30 years and I believe is still a very useful way for Amateurs to locate each other and communicate, especially for the new operators. As computers have now made SSTV popular and easy and inexpensive to get started with . The net is one way to help eliminate QRM on the week- end, crowded band conditions. As the net control receives and replays pictures usually in Scotty 2 mode, your picture will also usually be received over a different  area. As we can successfully only receive one station at a time this is a practical approach and if stations are impatient they can simply move to a different frequency.  The IVCA net control operators are only  scheduled for net control once every 6 weeks. If you would like to be a IVCA net control, contact me, Ray W5NOO at ray@junct.com  (It's fun......... every one sends you pictures and you feel like a big time TV program director)..

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    Voice SSTV Program Control?  (look no hands)

Has anyone considered computer Voice Control for SSTV Windows programs? I usually use an optical 5 button mouse or keyboard to control most of my SSTV programs. I do however use the older IBM speech recognition  program "Strictly Speaking Gold" to dictate and read back e-mail and word processor text etc. . I am also able to run and control several Windows programs using primarily voice control commands with programs like the Paint Shop Pro and the Windows Calculator etc. The current sound card SSTV programs however use my single computer sound card and perhaps a second sound card could provide voice SSTV system control. Faster computers and large memory and storage with improved speech recognition are just  likely to make us lazy or handicapped operators that don't type or spell; look and sound good in the future!. (Note: As I remember we have also used computer multitasking to simultaneously watch SSTV and commercial TV in a small window using a tuner/capture card and also play music all at the same time!  To avoid chat rooms and waste time or just for amusement we can also converse directly with the computer when we dictate or type into several of the free web Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs.).that have an amusing response to my various questions and comments!  (I just need to get a life)

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   New Web/Cell Phone PDA's Hardware Accessories etc. (every one can now go wireless)

Amateurs were some of the first sending pictures by radio over the air and over phone lines more than 35 years ago but the web is now permitting anyone to use an increasing number of amazing new devices hitting the market. We have several companies that are selling full featured cell phone hybrids that also provide wireless video communication with Video capture and color display that are portable, and also several companies are planning to sell  multifunction devices for wireless web access like the new Handspring "Treo 180 Communicator". We even now have a small viewing single eye glass display device that plugs in to a cell phone. The popular Personal Digital Assistant "PDA" devices like the Palm Pilot and the Handspring Visor now can  have several plug-in, add-on modules to store and play MP3 music or possibly add a Kodak Palmpix camera to capture color pictures and can also display using a SVGA with a resolutions as high as 800X600 and even a Palm wireless 802 11b module is available . You can also turn your Palm PDA into a wireless IFR remote control device that will control the TV or any thing in the house .  (For more details do a Google search for  "PDA" or  "Cell Phone/PDA")  to compare features,functions and price.(some of this new hardware has some compatibility problems but will be soon ready for prime time and I believe become popular with the public)

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    Smart Video Cameras and ComputersI

Perhaps you have learned of a video camera and computer equipped with a facial  recognition program and a mug shot data base that can identify a single individual or fugitive seated from the hundreds in a sports stadium. We also now have infrared sensitive cam's and programs that can detect heat change in a persons face when they are telling a lie with an accuracy equal to a standard polygraph system. Some previous Sony model camcorders were also able to see through clothing due to their infrared sensiitivy. New programs developed can now use video cameras and computers programs to determine the sex or age of individuals as well. (And I had always thought computer text Optical Character Recognition  OCR was amazing)

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