I was going to brag about my running...

This guy "only" walked 1.5 km... emphasis mine below. Full article here.

"In all, Gutierrez suffered a gunshot wound to the upper shoulder and triceps muscle, left chest and lateral muscle, resulting in two broken ribs, broken scapula, a softball-sized hole in his back, a collapsed lung and multiple blood infections, which required three chest tubes, three blood transfusions and seven surgeries. To top it off, the 'danger-close' 30-mm strafing runs ruptured both of his ear drums.

Despite losing five pints of blood and walking 1 ½ kilometers, Gutierrez stayed on the radio calling for his own medical evacuation and ensuring surveillance coverage for the safe return of the ground force team."

Via Says Uncle

A Prediction

SammyWalrusIV Collins Stewart: Believe Amazon will launch 10" tablet priced below $399 in early 2012 and buys Netflix.Wed, Sep 28 18:34:33 from Twitter for iPhone

I like it. Makes sense to me.

Funny

SammyWalrusIV When's my kindle phone coming?Wed, Sep 28 16:07:52 from Twitter for iPhone

Amazon - New Kindles Touch and Fire

So I'm all about the tablets right now... I was like a kid at Christmas watching two live blogs (here and here) yesterday as they covered the announcements from Amazon. I'd been reading all the predictions about how great this new tablet was going to be and then in the 48 hours leading up to the announcement, opinions seemed to become much more negative. The tablet was going to be a hack job and would be replaced with something different in Q1 2012. And what did we get... not only the color tablet we expected, but several new models of the Kindle - including a $79 low-end ebook reader and new touch screen models.

My take... I'm not sure I need anything beyond my Android Nook Color, but I think the future is very exciting! I don't think Amazon is trying to attack Apple directly. Others have said that the Kindle is not a book, but a bookstore. The Fire is a bookstore, movie studio, and a TV network - and maybe a data mine (one view - Amazon attacks Apple... and Google!)


Via Technologizer

Kindle - Nook - iPad Comparison (image from This is My Next)


The Kindle Fire competes with...
Hands on with the Kindle Fire
Amazon makes $199 challenge to iPad
Apple is no longer the only tablet maker that matters.
Playing With Fire: Amazon Launches $200 Tablet, Slashes Kindle Prices
Broken Models - Syncing and Backups
The new browser - SILK
What is old is new - SILK and Opera Mini
Slashdot's Rob worries about Privacy and Security



And again... why SILK and the new browser model means Amazon attacks Apple... and Google!

And when will the Kindle be free?

Bonus Link - you aren't getting a TouchPad.

Blades Everywhere

Being slow has it's advantages.... a long list of knife pics from a gun blogger meme about daily carry knives. My Kershaw G-10 SCAMP on the top and the Ontario RAT1 on the bottom. Both are value knives - about $25 per. Not pictured my Leatherman Juice S2 (Orange - Go Vols!). (Also, this is basically a roll call of all the gun blogger world.)

Shelley Rae
Miguel
Tam
Og
Rob
PDB
Bill
Unc
Jay
Caleb
Weerd Beard
North
Brenda
Mike
Marko
Fred
Kevin

TSA

Given my recent experience, I think this picture is worth a millions words. Picture by Robb Allen (Sharp as a Marble).

Rational Gun: Vickers Tactical Advanced Handgun 3 day class - a review

Rational Gun: Vickers Tactical Advanced Handgun 3 day class - a review:

"On the man himself: Prior to attending the course, I had heard many things on Larry himself and they were all good. His resume spoke for itself as not only being of the best but also as a former Delta Force instructor in which he would in turn train the best. I wasn’t quite sure if Larry would pull up in a gold Trans Am with Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” blaring on the stereo as he steps out wearing a pair of circa 1983 Gargoyle sunglasses, and a T-shirt that read “100% pure, uncut Larry.”  He didn’t rock the “don’t stare directly into my awesomeness” tough guy persona that I was used to dealing with in the security field nor did he present the let’s get this over with because my wife left me for a keyboard player in an REO Speedwagon cover band and I’ve been drinking Thunderbird all night” attitude I’ve endured many times in the past from certain Marine instructors in SOTG (Special Operations Training Group). Instead, Larry showed up with high energy, hilarious, good natured, and on top of his game; able to coordinate a small to large class with safety as well as efficiency at a level and speed I had not witnessed before."

Based on this review, I think I need to take a step back and reevaluate my first impression.

Via Tam (View from the Porch)

IT Generalists

Scaling lessons from Google’s CIO — Cloud Computing News:

"In the question and answer period that followed, Fried elaborated on these concepts, telling someone that IT generalists are probably born, not made. He said at Google, the company looks for folks that want to keep improving their skills, and even has a program to help give those people the tools to be better engineers when they find those traits in employees. He said the Google culture is one where the general engineers who understand the system have a lot of input and power, which is a cultural shift that organizations that want to build at scale should try to implement."

We are all becoming generalists at our company. When there are so few of us, you have to learn a little bit of everything.

Where the wild Zombies are...

Neat map of where we can expect the zombie apocalypse to concentrate in the beginning.

Speaking of Tablets

Woot's Daily Deal:

Motorola XOOM 10.1” 32GB Android Tablet with Wi-Fi

$349.99

• + $5 shipping

CONDITION:

Refurbished

PRODUCT:

1 Motorola XOOM 10.1” 32GB, Wi-Fi, Android 3.1, NVIDIA Dual-Core, Flash, microSD, 5MP; 2MP Cameras

View From The Porch: Snitch Culture.

View From The Porch: Snitch Culture.:

"In Maryland recently, a delivery driver saw something he thought was suspicious in his cargo, and went to the police. What was the suspicious package?

One stop was receiving a delivery of several thousand rounds of ammunition, and the stop wasn't at a gun store or shooting range or police department, but at a private residence."

On a related note, I've seen stories about criminals that were caught with a gun or two and (horrors!) two hundred rounds of ammunition in their car/house. My thought, of course, is "just two hundred? He must have been coming back from the range." Two boxes of Federal Bulk 22lr from Wally World gets you over a thousand rounds.

Do you manage e-mail or does it manage you?

msuster RT @andrewhyde inbox = tetris getting zero lines doesn't win it just makes the next move easy.Wed, Sep 28 01:08:29 from web

Black Offices

wesrucker247 Derek Dooley and Dwight K. Schrute both have black offices, because black offices are intimidating.Wed, Sep 28 19:14:02 from TweetDeck

Because that's the way it has always been?

Doc__Ad @Pogue why aren't elevators designed such that if you hit the wrong floor you can re-press the button and cancel your error?Thu, Sep 22 08:57:25 from Echofon retweeted by Pogue

Or because the people that compulsively press an already lit button would cause you to miss your floor.

Net Controller

I think being a net controller would be a good experience... unfortunately, I'm not sure I could commit based on my schedule.

"I am looking for a net control or several net controls that could help out especially on the 3rd Thursday of each month, if your interested please contact me, I have a SCERS / ARES/ RACES meeting then and I am unable to do , and Danny of course does the Trivia, so its a little long for one to do..Never been a NCO, well nows your chance to get experience and have fun at the same time, I have heard several say they cannot do it, no , you can, and yes you well make some mistakes as I did and every other NCO ... don't be afraid, give it a try , we had to start somewhere also, and I can tell you I made mistakes, and still do, the net was formed 5 years ago, at the TenTec hamfest, to bring everyone together, to say hello, talk about whats going on , and just have a good time...and to be able to pass along announcements and information on those who may be sick and or need our prayers...if you would be interested in doing the Invocation also let me know or just jump in if no one is there to do."

Baofeng UV-3R: A Quick Start Video Guide

Chris Howard (2E0CTH) has a great UV-3R Quick Start Video Guide.

How to kill a joke...

I was reading an article that pointed to the Wikipedia entry for False Premise. I think that article could also be used to demonstrate how something isn't funny at all when you try to explain it.

A false premise can also be a premise that is poorly or incompletely defined so as to make the conclusion questionable. The following joke from Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Barillustrates the point:

"An old cowboy goes into a bar and orders a drink. As he sits there sipping his whiskey, a young lady sits down next to him. ... She says, 'I'm a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about women. ...' A little while later, a couple sits down next to the old cowboy and asks him, 'Are you a real cowboy?' He replies, 'I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian.'"

The mistake the cowboy makes is that he assumes that the definition of a lesbian is somebody who spends the "whole day thinking about women." The reason the joke works is because in a certain way that definition could apply to lesbians, but it fails to address the point that a lesbian is a homosexual female. The cowboy is neither homosexual nor female, therefore he is not a lesbian.

Emphasis mine.

HRO Auctions

Ham Radio Outlet is now doing auctions for ham equipment.

Just like you and me...

... only better.


Gary Varvel

Are you kidding me?

Bev Perdue | NC Governor | Suspend Elections | Jobs | The Daily Caller:

"“I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover,” Perdue said at a rotary club event in Cary, North Carolina, according to the Raleigh News and Observer. “I really hope that someone can agree with me on that.”"

Seriously? That's the answer? I don't think this idea passes the good sense test.

Tablets, Tablets, Tablets

A review of the iPad challengers...

And a new one coming next week... Amazon Tablet announcement on Wednesday

Amazon Kindle Tablet Could Shake Up Tablet Wars: Here's How | PCWorld (Via Slashdot.org) - thoughts about Amazon's possible tablet and strategy - pros and cons.

Looks like I am one of the cool kids with my 7" Nook Color Android tablet...

The Motorola 7" Android Tablet

The 7" HP TouchPad that will never be.

And the power of the iPad and other consumer devices in the enterprise - they have been leaking into our company for years and it is only getting worse, err better, err worse.

Online Identity

If you've read anything about the changes to Facebook, you know that they are trying to access data from every facet of your life. Mark Zuckerberg has already said that privacy is dead. Even when signing out of Facebook, you will find that it has stored your credentials as you visit other sites that have integrated with Facebook. (Deleting all your Facebook cookies can work around that.) The plan is to make Facebook a requirement instead of being optional as you visit sites outside the walled garden. For example, if you want to use Spotify, you are now required to have a Facebook account.

And given the stance that there should be no anonymous Facebook accounts, there doesn't seem to be a way around this requirement.

Perhaps something like this is the future...

PSEUDONYMITY. You heard it here first. I think it’s a big concept. Pseudonymity is the combination of anonymity and authority. It is an alter ego name that follows you on the Internet. It allows you to interact with people in different ways.

I would use the word "reputation" instead of "authority," but I think we are talking about basically the same thing. You may not know who I am, but if you follow my blog, you will know what to expect from me and get to decide if I am trustworthy/interesting/crazy.

Worser and Worser

wesrucker247 From the "things that only happen at Tennessee" department: Smokey the dog tears ACL. No, really: http://t.co/iD5NFMukTue, Sep 27 10:02:45 from TweetDeck

Seriously. When will UT start to catch some breaks?

DEAD SIX is Out Today

DEAD SIX is out today! « Monster Hunter Nation:

"The plot is big. The action is big, but we kept it plausible. The tactics/equipment stuff is solid. One of my proof readers is a guy that Jack Bauer would hang out with. We did our homework. Considering that we wrote this years ago and put in the Arab Spring, a narcotrafficante revolution in Mexico, and stealth helicopters, none of which (we knew) existed at the time, I’d say we were at least semi-plausible in our brainstorming process. We took some liberties with reality, all authors do, but we tried not to make them stupid liberties."

Larry must be listening to my suggestions.

Baofeng UV-3R: DC Cigarette Lighter/ USB Charging Cable

Main Trading Company has a USB charging cable and cigarette lighter charger for the UV-3R for $13. (Their cable is much prettier than mine.) I find having the cigarette lighter DC charger with a USB port to be very useful... I can charge my phone, my GPS, my iPad, my Nook, or my UV-3R.

Baofeng UV-3R: Mark II Display

Check out the video to get a feel for the two line display on the Baofeng UV-3R Mark II.

Amazon Kindle Fire

parislemon On Wednesday, Amazon Will Unveil The “Kindle Fire” http://t.co/OOvg4KJdMon, Sep 26 16:31:04 from Tweet Button retweeted by arrington

From the article:

Another thing I wasn’t sure about was the chip inside of the device. I’ve now learned it’s a TI dual-core OMAP chip. This is the same chip used inside many newer Android devices. The PlayBook also uses it. I’m not sure what the clock-speed of the CPU will be, but I’d guess 1.2 GHz. This will make it significantly faster than the rival Nook Color, which uses a single core 800 MHz OMAP.

And...

The Nook Color 2 will also be built on top of Gingerbread, Android 2.3, we hear. That would put it ahead of the Kindle Fire, which is believed to be based on Android 2.1. Again, neither of them look anything like Android, but the APIs available are key when it comes to the Android version. 

How many songs does it hold?

Via The Gun Source

IrfanView

Over at Kevin Kelley's Cool Tool they recommend IrfanView for your image viewing/editing needs. I've been using it since the 90's. It is good stuff.

Slippery Slope

First they came for my detergent.
Then they came for my light bulbs.
And now they want my inhaler.
Bastards.

Amen, brother.

stevenf I don't understand how USB plugs are always upside-down the first time you try to plug them in and ALSO THE SECOND TIME.Sat, Sep 24 23:56:23 from Echofon retweeted by harrymccracken

Dead Six

I finished Dead Six while at the beach. I liked it. A lot. Even better than Larry's MHI series. I may not keep up with MHI, but, if there is another, and I think there will be, I'll grab it up. And reading it on the Android Nook was a nice experience.

Nook Color Android

So I've been playing with my Nook Color Android tablet. My reference points are an iPad2 (the gold standard for tablets) and my Droid Pro phone (running Android). My first impressions were favorable and that has not changed.

I like the 7" form factor. It is very usable and takes up less space in my bag than does the iPad.

The battery life doesn't seem to be as good as the iPad. I've not done any specific testing, but my gut says I'm charging it more often with roughly equivalent usage. I don't think this is a Nook issue - more of an Android problem. My Droid Pro has mysterious battery sucking apps running that fix themselves.

Unlike the Droid Pro, some applications (Google Reader for one) occasionally blow up and have to be restarted on the Nook Color Android. This doesn't happen very frequently, but I've almost never seen it on the Droid Pro.

Overall, a few hiccups but a great value at half the price of an iPad.

The Six Killer Apps of Prosperity

Another intereting TED Talk...

Niall Ferguson - The Six Killer Apps of Prosperity:

1. Competition
2. The Scientific Revolution
3. Property rights
4. Modern medicine
5. The consumer society
6. The work ethic

 

Definitely worth 15-20 minutes of your time to listen to his discussion of why some regions have been more prosperous over time and why they may be losing that advantage now. He suggests that "we" aren't paying attention. I submit that if would read half the blogs I follow, he would know that many of us are acutely aware of the decline.

Via The Simple Dollar

I like the commercial.

Via SaysUncle.

Coal Creek Armory in Kingston is now Open

According to this post on the CCA blog, the Kingston store is now open. Let the games begin!

Undercover Cop Car

They stole the idea from Running Scared.


Via ENDO

W.E.B. Griffin

Slim recommended W.E.B. Griffin to me before my first beach trip this year. I picked up The Lieutenants: Brotherhood of War and finally read it at home, since I can't read a ton of books on my vacations due to the preschooler factor. I really enjoyed it, so I ran over to McKay's before this trip to get the next book in the series, but McKay's is like a box of chocolates. I ended up getting the first and second book in his Presidential Agent series. I finished By Order of the President and liked it as well. Lovely... another author and several series that I'm going to spend lots of time reading.

 

eBook for Dead Six

So my complaint with the MHI series is that it involves plots to save the world/universe/the future/the past/etc. I bought the eBook for Dead Six. For six bucks and a good chance the change of genera will limit the scope of the adventure (or maybe not), I think it is worth the click to buy now! Also, I like that I can download it in any format I prefer (for example, ePub for my Android Nook). A quick on-line purchase, a download, copied to my Dropbox, and voila... there it appears in Aldiko.

The Pants

The Pants didn't pull out the victory in Florida, but they are still cool.

Go Gata

About a 10 point underdog, but I hope we beat them for a variety of reasons, including this:

He Doesn't Always Drink Beer...

The world's most interesting man... Vladimir Putin, Action Man - Alan Taylor - In Focus - The Atlantic:

"Vladimir Putin, the 58-year-old former president and current prime minister of Russia, has cultivated a distinct public image over the past several years. The politician has piloted firefighting planes, darted whales, driven race cars, and even taken a submersible 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) below the surface of Lake Baikal."

Seriously, click the link and look at all the pictures. Wild.

Via Andrew Chen

Baofeng UV-3R: Is the UV-X4 the Mark II?

I got an e-mail from Vero Telecom announcing the UV-X4. The image shows the dual display and dual band antenna. Also, it shows the new FCC number.

Dear Our valued customer,

Good day！UV-X4 has approved CE,FCC  and ROHS certifications:

 

Want To More Detail About UV-X4,Please Download the Brochure of UV-X4:

OEM MOQ : 100 PCS

Thanks and best regards!

VERO SALES TEAMS

3 floor,No.3 Chongxiang St,Quanzhou,Fujian,P.R.C 362006

T: 86-595-22496660 | F: 86-595-86761912 | M: 86-159 6055 9990

W: http://www.verotelecom.com  | E: info@verotelecom.com

September is National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month and I am committing to doing something to make myself better prepared for the arrival of the Big Bad.

Maybe a chain saw or wind-up radio.

Or work on my go-bag.

Or get some LED lanterns.

Or just a new flashlight.

If only there was a small, inexpensive radio I could buy to supplement my existing ham equipment.

Baofeng UV-3R: Guest Post/Review at AmateurRadio.com

Matt, over at AmateurRadio.com, asked me to do a guest post at his site. The following UV-3R review first appeared there on September 2, 2011. AmateurRadio.com has been a great resource for me - leading me to the likes of Julian and others - check it out.

Baofeng UV-3R Review

Following the success of the Wouxun radios, we have a new Chinese handheld transceiver that has many hams excited – the Baofeng UV-3R. The UV-3R is a dual band (UHF/VHF) 2W “micro” transceiver manufactured by Vero Global Telecom and sold by Baofeng. While the Baofeng brand is the most popular, the radio is also sold as the Comtex UV-3R, the Magiksu UV-3R, and the Zastone ZT-UV3R. (Baofeng also sells the UV-100 and UV-200 models that share common internals with the UV-3R, but have some cosmetic differences. Also, on ebay.com you can find speaker mics for these models that are unavailable for the UV-3R.) One reason the UV-3R is so popular is its relatively low price – less than $50 via ebay and slightly more from the US suppliers. At this price and small form factor, it makes a great back-up radio to keep in a truck glove box or a laptop bag.

Cosmetically, the UV-3R is very similar to the Yaesu VX-3R.   
The dimensions are the same, but the UV-3R is missing a few buttons on the front panel and the functions of the duplicate buttons are not the same as the VX-3R.  The UV-3R, in the fine tradition of Chinese radios, adds an LED flashlight. The radio also is available in red, yellow, blue, and camouflage in addition to the standard black. When holding both the Yaesu and Baofeng in my hand, it is easy to see and feel the superior quality of the Japanese radio.
A quick review of the technical specifications reveals that this radio is dramatically different from the VX-3R. The UV-3R is a 2M/440 MHz transceiver and FM broadcast receiver. An abbreviated list of its features/functions/specs is below. (A full list can be found here.) The radio is built by levering the power of the RDA1846 by RDA Microelectronics. This single transceiver chip provides most of the radio functionality - essentially making it a SDR.


Functions and Features
- 50 CTCSS, 104 CDCSS
- Time-out Timer (Off/30/60/90/120/150/180 secs)
- Shift Frequency
- VOX (Off/1-9 Levels)
- Call Tone (1750 KHz)
- Squelch Set (1-9 Levels)
- Electronic Volume Adjusting (8 Levels)
- Keypad Lock - Backlight (On/Off/Key)
- Tail Tone Elimination
- Battery Save
- Restore to Factory Default
- PC Programming
- FM Radio Channel Storage


Technical Specification - General
Frequency Range | 136-174/400-470 MHz
Channel Capacity | 99
Channel Spacing | 5/6.25/12.5/25 KHz
Operated Voltage | 3.8V
Standard Battery | 1500 mAh
Battery Life | 10 hours
Dimensions | 1.9" x 3.2" X .9" (Approximate)
Weight | 140g

Technical Specification - Transmitter
RF Power Output | 2W

Early adopters were “treated” to a version that appeared to be rushed to market – the units only had twelve menu options, the s-meter was worthless, and it came in a rather plain box. The subsequent version added six more menu options, improved the signal meter, and now comes in a more polished box.





The menu options are:

Menu #	Name	Description	Options
1	RXCODE	Receive Tone	Off, CTCSS, DCS
2	TXCODE	Transmit Tone	Off, CTCSS, DCS
3	SQL	Squelch	0-9
4	LIGHT	LCD Illumination	Off, On, Key
5	K TONE	Keypad Beep	Off, On
6	VOX	VOX/Handsfree	Off, 1-9
7	POWER	RF Output Power	High, Low
8	DW	Dual Watch/UHF & VHF	Off, On
9	STEP	Freq Size Step	12.5/25KHz
10	OFFSET	Repeater Offset	0-37.995, 0-69.995M
11	SHIFT	Repeater Shift	0,+,-
12	STE	Squelch Tone Elimination	Off, On
13	W/N	Wide/Narrow Receive	Wide/Narrow
14	SAVE	Battery Save	Off, On
15	TOT	Timeout Timer	Off, 30, 60, etc.
16	SCANM	Scan Memory	TO Time based – time out/ CO Carrier (present) based – carrier out
17	RELAYM	Relay Message
18	BCLO	Busy Channel Lock	Off/On (No Tx when receiving)

In addition to the cost and size, hams give the UV-3R favorable reports for both transmitted and received audio. On July 20, 2011, the UV-3R became Type 90 accepted by the FCC. The FCC documents can be found here.

The UV-3R is easy to use in spite of a somewhat confusing manual. ZL2GVA mitigated that short-coming by releasing an easy to use cheat-sheet.  While most folks find it easy to program the memories from the radio itself, the UV-3R can be programmed from a computer using a USB cable and software from Baofeng. In addition to the factory software, the UV-3R is also supported by the CHIRP cross radio programming application. (CHRIP may not program all features for all radios; it is intended to allow hams to transfer memories from one device to another with little effort.)

In addition to the USB programming cable, the radio has several accessories. It comes with the manual, charger, a charger adaptor (if needed), a charging stand, wrist strap, an UHF antenna, a VHF antenna, an ear bud/mic combo, and a belt clip. The shorter antenna (with a red ring) is for UHF. The longer antenna is for VHF. The UV-3R requires an antenna with a SMA-M connector. The antennas perform well, but many folks have wished for a dual band antenna. The Nagoya NA-701 and Nagoya NA-666 both seem to be popular choices. The antenna connector is fairly close to the LED, so some trimming may have to be done to get a good fit.

Car chargers, cases, and the USB programming cable are available as options or sometimes included as a bundle with the radio. The battery is a common NP-60 (FUJI compatible), so picking up an extra one is easy to do. Also, with a slight modification to account for the belt clip mount, the AA battery pack (FBA-37) for the Yaesu VX-3R can be used to run the UV-3R. For me, the car charger and the AA battery pack are the must have accessories for the UV-3R in its role as a backup radio.

The radio is not without some minor problems and quirks. For example, one oddity is that it uses the less common negative tip for the power plug. As for the problems, hams have reported issues with fit and finish – specifically plugs/sockets that result in loose connections. If pushing the plug with all your might doesn’t work, then try backing it out a little. Also, hams have found spurious emissions on harmonic frequencies.  There was a lot of debate about the severity of this issue on the UV-3R Yahoo group – bench vs. real world, letter vs. spirit of the FCC regulations, Type 90 Acceptance impact, etc. Whatever the severity of the emissions, it did not prevent the UV-3R from meeting the requirements of the FCC. Another common complaint was with the loud receive volume. Even at the lowest setting, the radio is quite loud. For that reason, I don’t like using it where it will bother others.

One of the advantages of an inexpensive radio is that you don’t risk much when trying to modify it. Disassembly mostly involves removing screws, but you will have to unsolder the antenna connector. Two mods seem to be the most common as they address some of the issues mentioned above. The first adds a capacitor to reduce spurious emissions on the harmonics.  The second also involves adding a resistor to reduce the loud receive volume issue.  More frivolous mods include turning the LCD blue – but then you can have a blue radio with a blue screen.

For me, this little radio has provided a great learning experience as well as a good value for my money. It may not be the best radio ever, but the price, size, and overall good performance make it a good choice for backup radio or even one for a new ham to get on the air. It also has been interesting to see:

• the debates that sprung up around the severity of the spurious emissions,
• the wisdom (or not) of using a dual band antenna,
• the variety of applications from simple transceiver to APRS and tracking satellites

Credit goes to a lot of the guys on the UV-3R Yahoo group  – I don’t have the knowledge, tools, or time to do a lot of the research/testing/playing that they have done. I highly recommend the Yahoo group – although it has now reached a point where a lot of the same questions are being asked.


Editor's note: I personally follow Brick's blog and find it very worthwhile. While not all content is Amateur Radio related, I encourage you to check it out. -Matt W1MST Brick O'Lore wrote this guest post and blogs regularly about a variety of topics at http://www.brickolore.com. Contact him at brickolore@gmail.com.

Tablet Links

What a tangled web we weave...

Color Kindle? Running Android?

Eric Schmidt: The Next Big Android Launch is Coming in Oct or Nov

Sony Tablet Wonder if they will make some slick device and then wreck it by making it proprietary.

Amazon’s Future Is So Much Bigger Than a Tablet - I like the line saying that the Kindle isn't a book - it is a bookstore.

Amazon.com begins rolling out new homepage design - so it is easier for tablet users?

Amazon Book Service Rent books on demand?

Low Expectations for the Amazon Tablet?

I missed the FIXIT Clinic

FIXIT Clinic:

"17th Street Studios, located at 1642 Highland Ave., is offering a free FIXIT Clinic at 6pm, tomorrow, Wednesday, September 14. All you have to do is bring one item that is broken (this can be ANYTHING that is broken) and we will provide as many tools and helpers to help you fix it."

I wish I had the free time to go to this. I have plenty of broken stuff and I'm sure I could have learned something.

Fear the Pants

Via No Silence Here

File Sharing

Ain't that the truth..

xkcd

Heathkit Coming Back to Amateur Radio

Heathkit's Amateur Radio Plans Taking Shape:

"We are working on developing a few Amateur Radio kits. Initially, the kit line will include a few ‘accessories’ like kits for a Dual Watt Meter, Antenna Tuners and the Cantenna. Once we are a little more ‘settled’ I think we will develop a QRP receiver. We won’t rush to market just to get there. We want to develop a line of kits in the tradition of Heathkit. I’m hoping to have one-two kits by the end-of-the-year.”

Lots of love for Heathkit in the ham community. The key is that they don't rush just because they think they can make a buck on the name.

Pajamas Media » Iran and the EMP Threat

Slim sent me the following link on Monday. He likes for me to start the week on a cheery note.

Pajamas Media » Iran and the EMP Threat:

"This will be the result of an electromagnetic pulse attack over the atmosphere of the United States. In less than a billionth of a second, the electrical intensity on Earth becomes so hot that microchips fry, power lines overload, and the electrical grid collapses. Everything with microelectronics in it fails.

Within days, tens of millions of Americans will need to leave their homes looking for water and food. Within five to 10 days, due to water pollution and sanitation issues, many will fall ill — people across America will face starvation, disease, and death. In just one year after the attack, up to two-thirds of the American population will cease to exist."

Signal to Noise

A problem for hams, engineers, and techs everywhere.

Tennessee's Got Talent

It's no Maryville City, but I found it entertaining.

Action Delivery Force!

Futurama

Via Wired

Infographs

"Ever since the Twin Towers fell, the United States has been at war. The costs of that decade of conflict have been unimaginably high: trillions of dollars spent, hundreds of thousands of lives lost. The numbers are almost too big to grasp, let alone quantify. The graphics below are our incomplete attempt to do so."

Lots of interesting graphics at the Danger Room.

Droid Hams

So I tried to join the Droid Hams Yahoo Group, but I missed the fine print (see below) and was denied.

Description
Droid users that are licensed hams
If you want to join present your call sign otherwise you will be denied

Since I tried to sign up using my Brick account and without mentioning my call, my request was denied. I don't dispute the group owner's right to restrict access, but I think the more open groups have a better chance of success. My supporting data... this group had one message in August and one message so far in September. Not too active.

QotD

One of the accountants at work just recently got his new Windows 7 laptop. Upon hearing that Windows 8 is coming out and will have a new interface, he wondered why they couldn't just release a Windows Classic, so we don't have to keep learning new operating systems.

Baofeng UV-3R: Google Doc FAQ

Psolo (IK1ZYW) has started a Google Doc FAQ for the UV-3R. Not a bad idea if you ask me. There are lots of place holders for the moment, but he seems spot on for identifying some of the critical topics. I'll have to keep an eye on it.

Baofeng UV-3R: MTC Branded

Looks like there is a new kid on the block... Main Trading Company now has an MTC branded version of the UV-3R.


Thanks to Chris, NH7QH, at NH7QH Radio Supplies, LLC (formerly Baofeng-UV3R.US) for the tip.

Waffle House Index

How bad is a given situation? Use the Waffle House Index:

Green means the restaurant is serving a full menu, a signal that damage in an area is limited and the lights are on. Yellow means a limited menu, indicating power from a generator, at best, and low food supplies. Red means the restaurant is closed, a sign of severe damage in the area or unsafe conditions."

Via SaysUncle

Baofeng UV-3R: NH7QH Radio Supplies Updates

Chris from NH7QH Radio Supplies, LLC sent me some updates to share with the community.

First, he has all the colors in stock - including the extremely desirable yellow. (Of course, now I'm tempted to wait on a Mark II.)

Second, he mentioned a new box. I thought this might be related to the Mark II, but I don't think so.

Also, he points to a change in the FCC registration for the ZVMVGC3RX4.

Baofeng UV-3R: Mark II

The internet is all a twitter with news that there is a new version of the UV-3R - the Mark II.



No one knows yet, but speculation abounds that the loud volume and other issues may have been fixed. Also, perhaps this version will work with a speaker-mic. The only certainties are the new dual frequency display and a dual-band antenna.

One of the VeroTelecom sites has been updated to mention a dual display version. FleetwoodDP has them on their site with the new info as well.

Andy posted on the UV-3R Yahoo Group with some additional info:

"Got an email today from 409 shop. I asked about whether the Mark 2 is able to do dual receive FROM the memories (Mk1 cannot, you have to dual watch in VFO mode only). Apparently you can (hooray). The cycle between the frequencies is apparently every 5 seconds. Also you can do VV/UU/UV modes too. The Mark 1 cannot, it can only switch between a VHF and a UHF frequency."

I'm disappointed to see a new Yahoo Group for the UV-3R Mark II. I'd be surprised if they are so different that it is worth a new group.

I'll post more as people start getting their hands on the Mark II.

Ready for some Good News

Bruce is gone. Kiffin ran off. NCAA investigations. Pat is sick. The Vols were dropped from the ESPN Gameday intro. Peyton's neck is broken. And now, Eric Berry is out with a torn ACL.

We are due for some good news.

Ham Radio Deluxe has been Sold!

After some speculation about the future of HRD, there was an announcement on the QRZ forurms:

"Development to continue on HRD....
Today, Simon accepted an offer for Mike Carper WA9PIE, Randy Gawtry, K0CBH and Rick Ruhl W4PC to purchase the source and rights to ham Radio Deluxe.
We plan to continue the development and support of this fine product."

In a second post, he continues:

"Details forthcoming. I just ask for everyone's patience. An official announcement will come from myself, Randy and Mike in the next few days."

I would be very surprised to see it remain completely free - at best, I hope for a freemium model.

What is your name? Top Ten Replies to the TSA

As I mentioned earlier, I got selected by the TSA for additional screening and one of their super sophisticated terrorist detection mechanisms is to ask "What is your name?" Despite my disposition for being a smart ass, I answered with my name. Here are the Top Ten answers, I should have given:

10. Eric Stratton. Damn glad to meet you.
9. أنا لا أتحدث الإنجليزية. (Arabic for "I don't speak English")
8. Barack Hussein Obama
7. Bob Smith
6. John Galt
5. Death to the Infidels!
4. What do you want it to be? (With a wink.)
3. Osama bin Laden
2. Saddam Hussein
1. Is this a trick question?

Baofeng UV-3R: Factory Reset

Most UV-3R owners have probably already figured out that the manual is wrong, but for those that haven't... to do a factory reset, hold the U/V button down while turning the radio on. While unfortunate, it has been amusing to see all the "RTFM" replies that direct folks to an incorrect answer on the UV-3R Yahoo Group.

Baofeng UV-3R: LED Size

For those interested in swapping out the LEDs, they are 0603 size, i.e. 1.6mm x 0.8mm.

Android Nook

Less than 24 hours with it, but I like it.

Booktrack Adds Music and Sound Effects To Ebooks

Now, if they could just add moving pictures, books would be awesome!

Booktrack Adds Music and Sound Effects To Ebooks - Slashdot

And another thing...

After examining my boarding pass and drivers license, the TSA agent asked me what my name was. I'm thinking she should know after looking at those two documents, but I tell her anyway. What kinda of stupid terrorist won't know the name on their ID? Yet another effective security measure if I ever saw one.

Lottery Winner

I just won the TSA lottery and got selected for additional screening. An alarm went off after a swab of my hand was tested. (Really appreciated the giggles and chorus of "ooooo" from the dozen agents/officers/other uniformed people when the machine buzzed. At least I was quickly moved to the area, so they could go back to chitchatting.) During my fondling session, they told me some lotions will trigger the alarm. Sounds like a good system to me. I feel safer already. I didn't pitch a fit as I want to get home today, but I expressed my displeasure to several of them and used the words "ridiculous" and "security theater." The only funny part was the raised eyebrow from one of the agents when he saw them pull a couple copies of American Rifleman (trips are when I catch up on my dead tree reading) from my bag. There are pretty pictures of some Kimbers on the back.

General Neyland

I'm a little too young to have seen him coach, but I wish I had. Story here.

Out of the Country

I'll be back soon. Lots to catch up on... including a Baofeng UV-3R Mark II.

Legal?

So a thunderstorm is within 10 miles of Neyland Stadium. They have shut the gates and told us that we cannot leave. I'm not sure if this is legal. I don't want to leave, but I am curious what rules apply.

Shelby Hamfest

I'm way behind on my posting and I'm off to the Shelby Hamfest tomorrow. I think I will have to try another "Brick Breaker" some time this week-end to clean out my RSS feed, tabs, and e-mails.

Yes.

Is Technology Making Us Lazy? - WIREDInsider:

'via Blog this'