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Radio Monitoring For The Visually Impaired Shortwave listening, scanning, and other forms of radio monitoring are popular hobbies amongst visually impaired people. The internet and digital radio technology have revolutionized radio monitoring for everyone. For visually impaired individuals, these have had the added advantage of making radio monitoring more accessible than ever before. As technology advances, this accessibility will continue to expand. This section of Radio Enthusiast looks at radio listening for the visually impaired hobbyist. Here you will find articles tips, and links about making radios and monitoring information more accessible. The section is broken out into two broad categories: access to radio equipment, and access to information. Access To Radio Equipment Simply put, if you are blind or partially sighted, you are going to have two basic problems with radios: initially knowing what control does what (since you can't see the labels on the various switches and knobs) and figuring out what the radio's display is showing. Fortunately, both issues are resolvable if you take a deliberate approach to them. Figuring out what the various knobs, switches, and buttons do mostly means hooking up the radio to an antenna (if one is needed), turning the unit on, and trying each of the controls to see how it effects reception. It's really as simple as that, and primarily requires time and practice. If your radio and its controls are large enough, you might be able to add Braille or raised-letter labels to some controls that are used often. For example, my bedside scanner has locator dots on the "lockout" and "scan" buttons, and on the number 5 of the keypad. (I'm not visually impaired, but wanted to be able to tune the scanner in the dark.) One blind hobbyist I know makes elaborate Braille and raised-line "maps" of all his radios, which he uses as references to all the controls, buttons and jacks, but this is probably overkill for most radios. With practice, you will be able to memorize the location and functions of the most-used controls. Braille labels, raised locator dots, and other marking devices are available from several vendors, including Independent Living Aids, SightConnection, and Ann Morris Enterprises. Since we're talking about radios, the obvious question is: what radio should a visually impaired monitor get? For the most part, the answer is: the same radio as a sighted radio monitor should. At its core, what you need as a visually impaired monitor is no different than anyone else. That said, there are a few radio features that can make life easier for the visually impaired hobbyist. You should look for a radio with digital tuning, specifically, one which has a calculator-like keypad which can be used to enter frequencies. One of the biggest problems a visually-impaired monitoring hobbyist faces is knowing what frequency their receiver is tuned to. The old-style dial-and-pointer system of determining where one is in the radio system is difficult for someone who can't see. With modern keypad tuning, going to a specific frequency is easy. Want to tune to the BBC on 5975 KHz? You tap in the exact frequency: 5-9-7-5, and then ENTER. Viola, you're at BBC. This is not to say that it's impossible to tune with old analog-readout radios. I've seen dials with tactile or Braille markings that are quire accurate, and hobbyists who are quite skilled at using them. Some of the fine old radios of yesteryear are perfectly appropriate for visually impaired monitoring. It's just that the new keypad-tuned units lend a sense of accuracy to tuning that can't be beat. Keypad-tuned shortwave radios and scanners are plentiful, in both portable and tabletop configurations. In fact, in the case of scanners, that's pretty much the only way to tune them. Another useful feature for the blind monitor are memories or presets which allow you to store stations and reception mode for later recall at the touch of a key or two. What about "talking" radios? Oddly, digital voice synthesis is a feature that has not commonly made its way to the radio receiver market. Kenwood's since-discontinued R-5000 had a voice-output option, but beyond it and a few amateur transceivers, not much has made it to market. Computer-tuned radios such as the WinRadio or TenTec offer some promise, as your regular computer accessibility software will provide access to the radio interface. Another useful tuning tool that you should not overlook is your brain. You will undoubtedly develop a sense for tuning. With a little time and patience you'll soon get a sense of what stations operate at various points on the dial, you'll memorize major frequencies, come to recognize how various stations sound, and in general be able to navigate the bands quite well by ear. A good memory and good ear will be your greatest tuning assets. Other Tips Probably the best thing you can do with any radio receiver is read the instruction manual. You may think you know how to use your radio, and maybe you do, but in most cases you will pick up a tip or two by reading the manual. Depending upon the make of radio you have, getting the manual into an accessible format can be easy or hard. Some manufacturers make electronic versions of their product manuals available, typically in a *.pdf format. So, first check out the web site of your particular radio's maker. Here are some currently available manuals: Sangean Warning: this section of their site appallingly uses an entire graphic as a link. Probably won't work with most screen readers. If you're stuck with this site e-mail me with what you are looking for. Radio Shack Radio Shack provides electronic versions of many of its manuals, including discontinued models. Icom Free downloads of their shortwave, ham and marine radio manuals. Partners: 2002 JTed |
