Helpdesk
Q: I read with interest your article about securing a laptop with the encryption program from TrueCrypt.org. I just got a new laptop with Windows 8 but when I go to their website I’m confused as to whether their software is for Windows 8. Can you help? — Gary Fodor
A: In theory, it does not support Windows 8. The group says that support for 8 is planned.
Despite the lack of official support users do install it in Windows 8 — here's a video guide (which is also at the top of this story).
So, it’s up to you, you’d probably do fine installing it on a Windows 8 machine. But, since there is no official support you might have trouble getting help if you run into trouble.
Jetico BestCrypt Container Encryption (http://www.jetico.com/products/personal-privacy/bestcrypt-container-encryption/), a commercial encryption program, does support Windows 8.
Send technology questions to Bill Husted at tecbud@bellsouth.net.
I was the best travelled kid in the tiny town of Arkadelphia, Ark. Other kids might go to the Gulf Coast or even New Orleans on vacation. But I regularly visited Moscow, London and Paris.
My trips required about 75 watts of transmitted power and an old tube type Hallicrafter’s shortwave receiver. I was a ham radio operator back then – still am today – and radio opened up the world for me. I would sit at my radio desk – an old wooden door that sat on two saw horses – and visit with people all over the world – holding conversations hammered out on my telegraph key at the blazing speed of 5 words a minute.
Ham radio has been my favorite mode of travel since those early days. Maybe you’d like to come along for the ride too. I can help get you started.
It’s easier than ever to become a ham. In my day you had to demonstrate proficiency with Morse code and the written tests were more difficult. Now you can take a simple multiple choice test and, for the lowest level license, you should be able to pass the test with a day or two of studying. No knowledge of code is required these days.
There’s so much going on in ham radio – from using small handy-talky radios that work a lot like cellphones, to operating a station that can talk to any spot on the globe with luck and good conditions. Or you can – without as much trouble as you might think – bounce a signal off the moon. Some hams enjoy visiting using Morse code. Others, like me, spend most of their time talking with others using a microphone.
One way to get the complete story of how it all works and how you can get a license is to go the American Radio Relay League's website: www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio. You don't have to belong to get a license but the league offers a lot of help to amateur radio operators. It's worth the $39 a year to get that personal help.
When you’re ready for equipment, you can pick up a handy talky for under $100. Or, if you want to travel the world you can buy a used radio transceiver for $500 or so, or a new one for not much over $1,000.
If you want to set up a station for worldwide communication you’ll need an outdoor antenna of some kind. Many hams simply string a wire up between two trees. So the cost of that kind of antenna is really minimal – all you need is the wire and some coaxial cable to connect the wire to your radio.
There’s no way that I can make the case that amateur radio is for everyone. It truly isn’t. But I can also promise you can’t know unless you spend some time reading about it.
If you want to ask me specific questions about ham radio, feel free. You have my email address and I really enjoy talking about my favorite hobby. So drop me a line and we’ll talk.
Heck, if you get a license – who knows – maybe we’ll talk via your new radio.
About the Author
