Saturday, July 28, 2012

Hong Litong HL-UV8R

So the question was asked if the $58 Hong Litong HL-UV8R was a tri-bander. Hans and others said that it
was a mono-bander that was available in various flavors. Hans even offered this mini-review:

"These are mono-band radios. Unless something improved over the last year or so,
these are NOT recommended.
My experience with this radio:
- TX audio muffled
- LCD hard to read
- Battery life disappointing (rated 1500mAh, but actually 1200mAh)
- Charging takes ages
- Parts started to fall off within a month or so
- VCO/VXO locking problems"
There is, of course, a Yahoo Group for the UV8R. (Not to be confused with the UV-8R.) No one on the UV8R group seems to know much about the radio.




And now, we have Donald who says:
"got mine yesterday. 
hong litong hl-uv8r:
2 meter,220 and 440
just a little bit bigger than uv3r
easy to program
5 watts 440
6 watts 220
loud rec audio
keypad lights up
100 channels
only has hi and low power out
mine came with bad charger.
im going to exchange it for another.
$44 cant beat it, if i can get one that works right."
That's surprising and based on all the other comments, it would mean something has changed.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Puxing PX-888K

Steve and JLWilkers mentioned the Puxing PX-888K in the comments (here, here) a couple of weeks ago, but Hans (PD0AC) is about to get his hands on one. Quoting Hans, there are a few features that make this note worthy:
  • 5 tone selective call (ZVEI,EIA,CCIR). These tones are often used in professional environments, which makes this radio compatible with commonly used professional hand-helds.
  • Scrambler, 8 groups. Although banned by law for for use by Ham radio operators, this can be a lot of fun and adds a basic level of privacy. The word ‘groups’ is presumably another word for the various frequencies which are commonly used used in voice inversion systems.
The 409Shop has them for $80. Don't forget: you may want to pick up the PX-888K in bulk to get a free jacket or polo shirt!


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Baojie BJ-UV55/HYS TC-UV55

Given the luke-warm reception of the Wouxun KG-UV920R, everyone is looking at some alternatives. Following is a essentially a guest post by Nate as he reviews the HYS TC-UV55 (Baojie BJ-UV55) by watching a video review by Andre Silva of Brazil. These mobile radios were first mentioned in his earlier Mega List guest post. I've done some editing, so assume any mistakes are mine. (Already updated as I've made plenty of mistakes! Hopefully, they are fixed now.)

Many thanks to Nate for the in-depth review!

Here is basically a "second hand" review as the video is not in English and Nate could not understand what he was saying. Basically, he watched the display and compared the specs listed in the catalog page.

This video consists of two parts. It is probably not a complete overview of all the features and menus of the HYS TC-UV55 - some key features weren't even showed. (He was using the pause buttons to check out all the settings, etc). The unit sells for about 2/3 of what they want for the KG-UV920 on AliExpress. Actually, the video is about the HYS TC-UV55 (which is essentially the same radio as the Baojie BJ-UV55 based on the specs and this video).

Part 1 Highlights

- Unique way to enter frequencies, the MHz button actually allow you to change digit by digit, most radios will just allow 1 MHz steps, and then you have to scroll up or down up to 500KHz .
- 36 Menu items (00-35).
- Offset steps - 10 KHz. Same digit by digit entry Offset Frequency (can be set between 0 and 69.9875 MHz in Frequency Mode).
- To switch between VFO and Memory Channel mode, he turned off the radio, held the MENU button while turning the radio on again. This seems odd, but I don't understand what he says. There could be a more conventional way to switch between VFO and Memory Channel. Here is a video from Thailand showing the Baojie BJ-UV88 HT radio and the guy demoing the radio did the same on the HT.
- The display can do VV VU - U+V,U+U,V+V,V+U dual band working mode can be selected arbitrarily Dual Frequency standby in any band.
- The button to the left of the MENU button, is the SCAN button.
- BDR function? TX-AB function?



Part 2 Highlights

- The display backlight can be turned off.
- Separate Tone Squelch or Digital Code Squelch can be set for TX and RX.
- The video gets cut at the end, but no Part 3...




Misc Notes
- A lot of similarities to the Baofeng UV-5R (The menu system is actually the same as the Baojie BJ-UV88 handy talkie).
-The Menu button is used to enter the item/save the change.
-The display shows a used memory channel the same way the Baofeng UV-5R does: CH-001 - used channel 1, 002 - empty memory channel 2.
-Like with the Baofeng UV-5R, programing a channel for the second time, the second frequency will become the TX frequency, the first will be the RX frequency, the display will show +-

MENU ITEMS - Default - Options
00 SQL - 5
01 BAND - UHF0 / VHF
02 TX-AB - OFF / A / B
03 BDR - OFF
04 TXP - LOW / HIGH - TX power (VHF 45W/UHF 35W)
05 TOT - 60 (Transmit Over Timer)
06 STEP - 10.00K - Channel Step(5K, 6.25K, 10K, 12.5K, 25K)
07 WN - WIDE - (Wide:25kHz ,Narrow: 12.5kHz)
08 R-DCS - OFF
09 R-CTCSS - OFF
10 T-DCS - OFF
11 T-CTCSS - OFF
12 ABR - ON
13 BEEP - ON / OFF
14 ANI-SW - ON
15 OPTSIG - OFF
16 SPMUTE - QT - Multi-kind mute modes(QT/AND/OR)
17 ANI-ID - 80808 - ANI code display(caller ID)
18 RING-T - 5 - Ring alert function
19 DTMFST - DT+ANI
20 S-CODE - 1
21 SC-REV - TO - 3 kinds of scan mode(TO/CO/SE)
22 PTT-ID - OFF - PTT-ID Function(BOT/EOT/BOTH)
23 PTT-LT - 5
24 MDF-A - FREQ
25 MDF-B - FREQ
26 BCL - OFF (Busy channel lockout)
27 AUTOLK - OFF
28 SFT-D OFF / - / + - Shift direction
29 OFFSET - Offset frequency 10KHz steps
30 MEMCH - Store VFO frequency into memory channel, second store will be for a separate TX frequency
31 DELCH - Delete memory channel.
32 WT-LED - PINK
33 RX-LED - BLUE
34 TX-LED - RED
35 RESET - ALL

LED back-light options: OFF / PINK / RED / BLUE


Links

HYS TC-UV55
QUANZHOU TRUEST COMMUNICATION CO. ,LIMITED
Catalog Page
Alibaba Listing
(Notice in older pictures the FM button was the power button).
Note how in some places the model number appear as TC-VU55 (instead of TC-UV55), even on the company's own website, on the radio in the picture the model printed is TC-UV55, and in the catalog it says: "Dual Band In-vehicle Radio TC-VU55"

Quanzhou Truest Comm Co. has a similar radio, the HYS TC-UV66, but with a knob instead of the frequency up/down buttons. The HYS TC-UV66 catalog page says: "Dual Band In-vehicle Radio TC-UV66," one line below: "Model No.︰TC-VU66," and in the picture it says: TC-UV66 - anyway, I think that the TC-UV66 is not in mass production yet. (You see it only in Alibaba, not AliExpress )

HYS TC-UV55 - Pricing
Price on AliExpress: $239.90 to $244.21
At the official QUANZHOU TRUEST COMMUNICATION CO LTD AliExpress store it is $242
Price for quantity or dealers: $100 - $200

Baojie BJ-UV55 - Pricing
Radiomart.biz - $219
Radiomart.biz - $239 - w/US B programming cable
There are currently five offers on Ebay - from $299.62 to $329.99 all free shipping.
Price on AliExpress: $207.86 to $237
At the official Quanzhou Baojie Electronic Co.,Ltd AliExpress store it is $207.86
Price for quantity or dealers: $100 - $189

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

244 9V Batteries

Beware the geek with time on his hands... and a few batteries.



marksenk Snap, crackle, pop! Fun with a few 9V batteries. (244 of them): youtu.be/8hwLHdBTQ7sWed, Jul 25 09:20:21 from The Visitor Widget

Wouxun KG-UV920R: 409Shop

Thanks again to Steve! He sent me the link to the 409Shop listing for the KG-UV920R. 409Shop is selling it for $375.




Green iPads

tim Using an iPad for a year costs less in electricity bills than the average lightbulb my.epri.com/portal/server.… via @jackWed, Jul 25 12:24:35 from web

Baofeng UV-5R: 1800 mAH Battery

marksenk Baofeng UV-5R 1800 mAH battery powers FM radio and flashlight for over 8 hours - Who will test transmit duration? #hamrWed, Jul 25 04:35:24 from SenseTwit

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Monday, July 23, 2012

A Topiary Death Star

From the "you don't see that everyday" file... a topiary Death Star.


Hipsters

I have never felt the desire to become a hipster. And, almost by definition, would a true hipster allow the hipster label to be applied?

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Cross-Band Repeat

An "oops" update from Kight Radio:
"We are going over the Wouxun Dual band mobile now. The radio is working fine in cross-band repeat. Setting are funny and you need to set Menu 32, setting x-twrpt for it to operate correctly. Radio seems to be very nice but I still feel the price is too high."
A little positive news then.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

DIY

A couple of DIY projects on LifeHacker...
There are not enough hours in the day for all these little things I think would be fun to do.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Help for Picking a New Phone

A cool web site to do side by side comparisons of various smart phones. Somebody should whip one of these up for ham radios!

Via LifeHacker

Waccom WUV-6R: Wouxun KG-UVD1P - Fight!

Hans (PD0AC) reviews the Waccom WUV-6R and compares it to the Wouxun KG-UVD1P (as well as the Baofeng UV-5R). Some of the features of the WUV-6R sounded nice, but he is very disappointed in the receiver.

Click here to read the whole review.

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Problems

Posted on Kight Radio last night:
"7/19
The Wouxun Dual band Mobile is out but its got problems. The Cross Band repeat is not setup correctly. It will repeat but will not transmit on the offset needed to access repeaters. The way they have it setup is worthless to the ham. This radio should not have been released. This shows that Wouxun did not have this radio checked ahead of time by USA Hams. The new radio is worthless the way it operates. Looks like Anytone or TYT will be the mobile to buy. Wouxun also tried to fix the price on the Dual band Mobile to be $325 - $350 which is way too high for the Chinese Radio."
It is one thing to be priced high. It is another thing to be priced high AND not work well. So Anytone, TYT, or the BAOJIE BJ-UV55 are looking like the better options. Nate sent me stuff on the BJ-UV55. I need to dig on that one and the Anytone. Anyone got some more hours in the day they can spare?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

American Ninja Warrior

What is wrong with American Ninja Warrior?

My answer - nothing the fast foward button won't fix. I've decided my next physical challenge should be to win American Ninja Warrior. All I need is some super-human upper body strength.

Sustaining

Knoxville did not do a great job of transitioning after the World's Fair, but these images of the Beijing Olympic locations are almost scary.
"See, unlike China’s empty malls or centrally-planned ghost towns, these Olympics venues weren’t always hollow shells. They were once massive and meticulously orchestrated affairs, exploding with life. Now they’re as cold and lifeless as the system of government that runs that country."

Down the Rabbit Hole

A comment on a story on Slashdot about Chinese rockets led me to the Fermi Paradox and a short story, The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model. A fun, little read - free on-line or a buck via Amazon on your Kindle.

A Song of Ice & Fire Teams

Get geared up to cheer on your favorite house from the Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series. (Via Wired)

196

"And .000063 percent -- 196 Americans-- have given more than 80 percent of the super-PAC money spent in thepresidential elections so far."

Quansheng TG-Q5: Wisdom

People have pointed out the "Lucky Stone" label on the Quansheng TG-Q5, but I think it is more important to consider the deep, philosophical message that is also on the marketing materials (see image below):
"Infinite realm begins from communication."
 Either they are talking about radios or prayer. Given the lack of an obvious speaker, microphone, or display, I am going with the latter.


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Quansheng TG-Q5: 409Shop

Anonymous pointed out that the 409Shop has the Quansheng TG-Q5 for $38. I wish they would release a video, so we could see more of the radio in action.


Taxes, Transfers, and Voting

Roberta X has an extreme proposal...
"It's simple: if the Feds give you money, from a handout to a paycheck to a bailout, you can't vote."
"I always said you shouldn't get a vote unless you were a net tax payer."
Speaking of "net tax payers," I read this depressing bit of news that the middle class is no longer a net contributor (via Althouse):
"Because transfer payments are, in effect, the opposite of taxes, it makes sense to look not just at taxes paid, but at taxes paid minus transfers received. For 2009, the most recent year available, here are taxes less transfers as a percentage of market income (income that households earned from their work and savings):
Bottom quintile: -301 percent
Second quintile: -42 percent
Middle quintile: -5 percent
Fourth quintile: 10 percent
Highest quintile: 22 percent
Top one percent: 28 percent
The negative 301 percent means that a typical family in the bottom quintile receives about $3 in transfer payments for every dollar earned.
The most surprising fact to me was that the effective tax rate is negative for the middle quintile. According to the CBO data, this number was +14 percent in 1979 (when the data begin) and remained positive through 2007. It was negative 0.5 percent in 2008, and negative 5 percent in 2009. That is, the middle class, having long been a net contributor to the funding of government, is now a net recipient of government largess."
Maybe this means President Obama was 60% right about building things on our own. (Also via Althouse)

Monday, July 16, 2012

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Unboxing Video

My Greek is horrible, but you at least can get a look.

Quansheng TG-Q5

Maybe we can soon have it all. We can get tons of features thanks to Moore's Law and through the miracle of SDR. And we can get some snazy looking radios like the Quansheng TG-Q5. Hams will never have been so well dressed.



Credit to Hans (PD0AC) for finding this radio.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Ed Drops A Bomb!

Wow! Wow. Just wow. I got the following e-mail from Ed:

Dear Customer,
Here is the latest news on Chinese dual-band mobile radios.
Wouxun Dual Band Mobile  -  KG-UV920R
On June 21 I was informed that Wouxun would supply a small number of these radios to selected dealers (max of 10).  At that time they also quoted a dealer costs that I thought was outrageous.  The dealer costs was almost what I have always considered the retail price would be.  In an email I told them sternly that with any dealer markup at all, the radio would not sell in the US and I would decline to purchase samples.
Wouxun response was that when full production began, the dealer costs would be lower.  Since I've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars building a market for this company over the past few years, I decided I would not let others bring this radio to market before I did.  I reluctantly placed an order for 10 radios, figuring I would sell them at costs, to get them to market.
After my order was shipped, Wouxun informed me that these sample radios must NOT be sold for less than $320-$330.  They went on to say "If we found you or your dealer's end price was lower this range without our permission in advance, then we will stop supplying this model to you."
For the past two years, I've repeatedly told Wouxun that this radio must sell for no more than $250-$275 for it to be competitive with the big three Japanese companies.  It appears this advice has fallen on deaf ears.
These pre-production radios lack some of the features the full-production radios will have.  These will not be FCC Certified for Part 90 use.  They will have narrow band capability but will not have the 2.5 kHz tuning step required for Part 90 radios beginning in 2013.  The frequency range will be RX:136-174 & 350-480 and TX: 136-174 & 400-480.  They did not indicate if any wide-band receive, such as 118 MHz AM, would be available on these pre-production models.
Although these radios may lack some of the bells and whistles we've expected, I imagine they will still be good dual band radios for the ham market.  BUT, I still don't feel they are worth $325.
Wouxun says I can't sell these for less than $325.  They did not say that I can not include a FREE HT with the purchase.  (Rest assured, they will raise holy crap about it, but I'm used to that)  So here's my plan.  I will place the limited number I have on sale for $350 and include a free KG-UV2D HT in the deal.  I'll profit nothing at this but we'll see what happens.
Anytone Dual Band Mobile  -  AT-588UV
For the past two years, I have consulted with Anytone as they developed their dual band mobile radio.  Anytone send a non-working model of the radio for me to show at the Dayton Hamvention (Wouxun would not send anything).  Anytone is now sending a working model (for free!) and says full production will begin in early August.  Anytone has quoted a price that lets me know this radio will retail in the $250-$275 range.  It will be Part 90 Certified and will have some wide-band receive ranges, including AM aircraft.  I look forward to working with this company and expect their mobile to be a big seller.
TYT Quad Band Mobile  -  TH-9800
This radio covers 10 meters, 6 meters, 2 meters and 440 (only FM mode).  TYT sent a semi-working model for me to show at Dayton.  It would light up with menus working and etc.  Those who played with the display said it is a clone of the Yaesu FT-8900.  I have a close contact at TYT and am told they are working hard to get this radio into production in October.
Conclusion
I will continue to do my best to bring quality made Chinese radios to the US market and will only send these emails when necessary.
This particular email is going to about 5,000 people so please don't expect a quick response if you send me a question.
Regards,
Ed Griffin
Wouxun.US  &  Import Communications
www.wouxun.us
www.importcommunications.com

My shooting from the hip response... Ed is fed up enough with Wouxun that he is will to stress the relationship, but he's not done that without a Plan B (name change to Import Communications, Baofeng, Anytone, TYT). It also makes me think that Wouxun may have done us a great service by leading the way, but they may price themselves out of the low cost market - then they will be competing with the big boys on performance and quality. I'm sure the message board will be hopping tonight. I'm going to bed, but there will be interesting reading in the morning I am sure! I'm gonna have to read up on the AT-588UV, too.

Extending Frequencies & Warranty Support

"Is unlock software really needed for the 6D? I know the models I sell are factory set for various ranges and sold at varying prices. Unlock software is not available for the 6D radio and I hope it stays that way. When Jim started working on Commander for the 6D, I personally asked him to leave out the unlock feature. I often get "warranty" request only to find bricked radios with RX & TX set for foolish ranges like 0-999 MHz for both VHF and UHF. China gives practically NO warranty support, so all this comes out of the pocket of the dealers. I hope unlock software for the 6D never makes it to the public because it's been a pain in the rear for the other models.
Regards,
Ed Griffin
www.Wouxun.US"
I understand his point, but I would think he should just have a policy that trying to extend the usable frequencies voids the warranty. It might make some people mad, but those are the people he probably doesn't really want as a customer anyway.

Geek Humor

In a comment regarding all the stolen passwords of the last week was this gem: SQL Injection Madness.

Poor Bladezor was having a bad day:
"Ugh, one of you guys dropped the table again..I'm not fixing it again.."

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Punny

Richard_Dew @Pogue Saw this in Toronto. Might be the next step for your son. Another chance to brighten the day of others: pic.twitter.com/iyIBnRoxWed, Jul 11 10:57:46 from web
retweeted by Pogue

Friday, July 13, 2012

Take 15, Graduate in 4

Take 15, Graduate in 4:
"When I went to college, you were expected to graduate in four years.

For today’s college students, this expectation has somehow gotten off-track.
We have embarked on an all-out effort to make on-time graduation the new norm for our students. Starting in the fall of 2013, our full-time undergraduates will be charged for 15 credit hours per semester—the number they must take to graduate in four years. They now pay for only 12 credit hours, regardless of how many they take. "
"This new plan will be a money-saver for students and their families. Adding just one year of college costs an extra $24,000."
Look how much we are saving you! Ignore that tuition is going up! Sounds like spin to me. And I took 21 hours a semester on occasion, so it is safe to say that I'm okay with people taking more than 12 hours.

Waccom WUV-6R: Jacket

I take it all back. Now that I can get a jacket for my Waccom WUV-6R, I am all over it! I wonder if they will throw in a couple of free pens.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Microsoft is Pivoting

Is Microsoft going to buy the market? From TNL.net:
"Let’s remem­ber here that Microsoft has over $50 bil­lion in cash. What if it com­mit­ted one fifth of that to the new plat­form ($10 bil­lion) and decided that its attack on the mar­ket would be on build quality and pric­ing. Doing so could push the tablet in the $100–200 range and the PC into the $400–500 range, mak­ing it sub­stan­tially more com­pet­i­tive (mes­sag­ing: you can get a tablet from Apple or you can get a PC AND a tablet from Microsoft)."
Via



Better Than Nothing

I'm, obviously, a big fan of inexpensive things like the Chinese radios. I'm willing to take a risk when it comes to quality and performance if the price is low enough. But there are limits... if you are chasing the absolute lowest price, you may end up with something that isn't even worth the small amount you paid. (And don't get me started about the transaction costs of scouring the whole internet to save $0.05 on a $50.00 purchase.)

Not Better Than Nothing
Hans (PD0AC) has a post up about Waccom where he wonders if they aren't buying up the early versions of various radios - early versions that have problems that were fixed in subsequent releases. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that some of these companies are actually related - that they've created tiers/brands for the various levels of quality. If a radio is good, sell it under the primary brand. If you have a bad batch, sell them under a secondary brand, so you don't dilute the stronger reputation of the primary.

These Waccoms seem to be the exception to the "better than nothing" rule in that, for essentially the same money, you could have a much better product. That's why I call this a "not better than nothing" option - you have wasted a scare resource in a race to the bottom.

Better Than Nothing
When it comes to self-defense, I'm less inclined to find the cheapest gun available, but there are some interesting options out there. (Everyday of the week and twice on Sunday, I would pick an inexpensive gun over no gun - even if it was one of these.)

Today, I saw this article about Cheaper Than Dirt's best selling gun - the Interstate Arms Hawk Model 982. The 982 is a clone of the popular Remington 870 and is less than $200. The article says it is so successful because "it does a great job of doing exactly what the manufacturer intended it to do, which is to be a rugged home defense gun." Then came this article about a polymer AR lower for only $50. There must be something in the water, because Tam also had this post about cheap fakes of the already inexpensive Magpul sights.

Not everyone can afford a Bio Force Gun 9000, so these less expensive options have their place. I would tend to think of them as "trunk guns" unless I couldn't afford something else. In that case, they would be my pride and joy. Much like I think of the Baofengs as cheap insurance. It may not be the best performer, but the low price allows me to keep one at the office, one in each car, etc. Since I don't have a complete armory at my house, maybe a 982 and a polymer lower is in my future.


Cheaper Than Dirt article via Gun Nuts Media

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Drama Llama

Steve (Founder and Moderator of the Wouxun Yahoo Group):
"I know most all members are excitedly looking forward to release and availability of the KG-UV920R. Many recall this was an oft promised release for the last almost 2 years.
I have just learned from highly reliable sources that Wouxun has chosen to play "hardball" with all/many of its vendors by mandating that their retail pricing not be lower than the $320-330 range. Backing up this threat is Wouxun's warning that dealers violating this practice will be denied shipment of these units. I believe many of us had been led to believe they were working with a price point originally around $250 retail
Wouxun management is a member of our fine group and I am sure they would welcome your views. To avoid clogging this board with your reactions you may choose to email them directly at "wouxun@wouxun.com"
We have numerous vendors and Wouxun management as members and I would welcome their clarification of Wouxun's position if I've misrepresented it."
Ed Greany (1 of 2 Eds that sell the Wouxun Radios):
"I'm sorry I cannot lend any clarification to this matter. This same story came up last year with regards to the handheld unit. I have never been notified by China of such a requirement."
And I agree with Adam:
"This is funny because it exactly resembles a certain case study in marketing I recall.  When your customers are expecting a lower price you temper their expectations by "leaking" pricing info in advance of the release that's much higher than desired, then "cave" to customer demand later, all the while reaping the benefits of free publicity and additional hype. Ed's recollection of a similar story about another unit only supports the idea that this is not much more than a marketing gimmick."

Programming Software Trouble-shooting

I've seen it enough times on the Yahoo Group and in the comments here that I think it bears repeating.

Programming Software Trouble-shooting

Step 1: Make sure the plug is firmly pushed in to the radio.
Step 2: Push the plug some more.
Step 3: Find your strongest friend and ask them to push on the plug even more.
Step 4: Check the driver, verify the COM port, download the latest version of the software, etc.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Monday, July 9, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: High Capacity Battery Video

Just in case you wanted to see the size of the high capacity battery in motion.

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Problems and Delays

From Kight Radio:
"Wouxun has released limited quantities of their new Dual Band mobile to dealers. All dealers are limited to 10 units at this time because the mobile is not if full production yet. They did release some of the dual band mobile to the Chinese market to test and and Chinese wholesalers reported problems with them and they were returned to Wouxun and were told it would be abother 30 days before the problem is fixed ( this was on 6/2 ) The new radios will not have 2.5 steps and they will not be FCC certified. The sample dealers are being shipped by Wouxun on July 9th so it will be July 13 or 14 before they show up at the dealers. I would watch ebay close, I am sure one will be found there within a few days"
As predicted they are showing up on eBay as David and someone on the Yahoo Group noticed, but the listing has already been pulled.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

$75,000


DrewEdwardsUT Fantastic premise. RT @richarddeitsch: A pair of researchers ask the Q: How much money do you need to be happy? nyti.ms/PtFC7TSun, Jul 08 00:18:16 from Tweetbot for iOS

Friday, July 6, 2012

Wouxun KG-UV920R: July Brochure

Wouxun posted an update to the Yahoo Group with a new brochure for the KG-UV920R. I wonder if "marketed" means available for sale/brought to market or just advertised.
"TO ALL:
WOUXUN FIRST MOBILE RADIO KG-UV920R is marketed this July. Please view the
product information on the leaflet which we uploaded on FILES:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wouxun_KG-UVD1/message/10105
Any suggestions or opinions, please feel free to keep us informed.
WOUXUN Electronics CO. Ltd."












Thursday, July 5, 2012

Easy Come, Easy Go

I wasn't sure I was going to post about it, but since someone brought it up in the comments, the www.chinaradiousers.com site has been down for several days - maybe even a week. I could make arguments both ways about the usefulness of a site specific to Chinese radios, but was going to give it a chance. For a new site, it seemed to have a little momentum going.

The site currently says:
"Site
will be back up within 24 hours
We are moving to a different faster server "

I had noticed there was an earlier error message about some trial software expiring. I was kinda assuming that http://www.kightradio.com was responsible for setting it up, since it was promoted there. I went to verify the owner with a whois lookup, but they have used a third party to protect their identity. (I do that, too, so I'm not implying there is anything fishy going on here.)

Domain Name: CHINARADIOUSERS.COM
Registrant: PrivacyProtect.org
Domain Admin (contact@privacyprotect.org)
ID#10760, PO Box 16

So, like many things internet or ham, it is probably someone's hobby. I'm sure they will get around to it eventually. And if not, the Yahoo groups and other ham forums are always there.

Baofeng UV-5R: High Capacity Battery

Want a higher capacity battery? Want your UV-5R to look like a Zack Morris phone? Why not do both!

Try the 7.4V 3600mAH Ultra High Double Capacity Battery from RadioShop888.


Baofeng UV-5R: Reverse Scan

I was doing some catching up on the UV-5R Yahoo Group and found this thread that says you can reverse the direction of the scan by pressing the down arrow.

Does it work on the other Baofengs? I've not got one handy to try.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Euron a.k.a. Drunk Cows

The SCOTUS decision on Obamacare has everyone's attention, so we've forgotten for the moment what is going on in Europe.

It reminds me of Enron Cows.

Europe link via Uncle

SDR

Hans discusses some of the short-comings of software defined radio like disappointing receivers, weird sounds, and a... DUDE you can totally build a radio on a $20 USB stick! Wait. Sorry about that. What was I saying? Oh yeah, SDR has some problems.

And that is why SDR will continue to improve... we are like three years old that can't help but change our focus when something shiny and new appears. As he concludes in the article and the comments, there are some problems with SDR. It isn't a silver bullet, but we've only scratched the surface in both the ham and other communities.