iPad Mini

Here is the best review of the iPad Mini I have seen so far:

"Still, by staying out of the $199-tablet fray, Apple avoided the sort of market-eradicating scenario that might have instantly rendered the Android contenders irrelevant. If you’ve got around $200 to spend on a tablet, they remain well worth considering. 

If your budget’s got more wiggle room, the iPad Mini is the best compact-size tablet on the market. Apple didn’t build yet another bargain-basement special; it squeezed all of the big iPad’s industrial-design panache, software polish and third-party apps, and most of its technology, into a smaller thinner, lighter, lower-priced model. The result may be a product in a category of one — but I have a hunch it’s going to be an awfully popular category."

Chierda CD-UV55

Kight Radio has a new HT on his site - the Chierda CD-UV55 dual band:

"We were impressed with the quality and operation of this new handheld. Very easy to program by hand without reading the manual. Solid feel, 7 color LCD Readout. I like it ! A step up in quality from most Chinese Handhelds on the market. I couldn't stay away from this radio so I bought several. This is a good replacement for the Wouxun."

The radio is $99.95 USD.

Frequency Range	136~174MHz (receive/transmit), 350~390MHz (only receive), 400~470MHz (receive/transmit)
Power	VHF: 5W, UHF: 4W W
Channel	128
Working Voltage	7.4V V
Encryption	CTCSS,DCSS
Battery Capacity	1500 mAh
Standby Time	About 72 hours hour
Working Time	About 24 hours hour
Features	1.6" LCD display; FM:76~108MHz; Dual-band display, dual-standby
Packing List	1 x Walkie talkie
	1 x Battery
	1 x Antenna
	1 x Bracket
	1 x Strap
	1 x DC 10V charging station
	1  x Englich Manual

Anytone AT-588UV: Availability Update from Ed

Via the AT-588UV Yahoo Group:

"Anytone will produce a test run of 50 radios this week. I will receive a large number of these and will offer them for sale. Those that have requested notification on my web site will receive details by email.

A few of these first units have been promised to some of my dealers. The others will be offered for sale via my web site. First come first served.

Anytone has sought FCC certification for this model and is waiting for approval. These first 50 sold will NOT have the FCC certification sticker. The sticker will be provided after the sale. The first 50 sold will have the original microphone. The improved microphone, with built-in speaker will come with later production. I will furnish the improved microphone to the first customers, either free or at my costs.

Full production of this radio is scheduled for Nov 20. I will take pre-production orders right away, for delivery about Dec 1.

To receive information by email when all this is available, (plus prices, shipping, schedule, etc.) please click the "Request re-stock notice?" button on this web page....

If your name is already on this list, you do not need to enter it again.

Regards,Ed GriffinWouxun.US / Import Communicationswww.AT-588UV.com"

Kight Radio: Frequent Flyer Program

Not many details yet, but Kight Radio is developing a points-based customer loyalty program. Cool.

Magic Smoke

I always wondered where the magic smoke was stored and how you documented that in a diagram. Now I know.

Yahoo Group Numbers

The Yahoo Group for the Baofeng UV-5R is insane.

Since it started nine months ago, there have been over 11,000 messages - averaging almost 1,250 per month. September and October will both be over 2,000 each. At this point, it is almost unusable for me. I don't have the time to wade through that many messages - especially when they are mostly repeat issues. Most of which could be solved by searching the group or visiting sites like http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/.

A couple of points of reference...

The UV-3R group had about 3,000 messages over the same nine months. It broke 1,000 messages in a month once (Sept.). The Wouxun group had just over 2,000 for the same period and has never had more than 1,000 messages in a month going back to its start in 2009.

App vs Service

I like this definition...

asymco I have a simple rule to distinguish between an app and a service. If you have to supply a username and password to an app, it’s a service.Tue, Oct 16 12:32:52 from Twitter for Mac

TYT TH-9800: Quad Band Mobile in November

Dale reports that TYT has formally changed the label to a "Quad Band Mobile." He also says that production should start this month for a batch of test radios. He hopes to have the radios available in early November.

Anytone AT-588UV: Opinions

So, on the one hand, we have VA3ISP doing a hands on review of an early version of the AT-588UV. He makes several notes on his third day with the radio and says, "I am sorta bashing this radio at the moment but I haven’t really done much real world testing yet." He then provides his final analysis on the pre-release version - "Pure Garbage!" He lists the major faults as:

- RX audio is terrible. Constant static in the background even with transmitter in close proximity.
- Front end of radio is wide open like a barn door. I hear pager blasts from almost 1Mhz up the dial.
- Cannot store PL/CTCSS tones into memory from front panel.
- TX audio has an AGC problem. Audio volume goes up and down/
- No remote head bracket. It wasn't even in the making when I first spoke to them. They are now adding a bracket so you can remotely mount the head. ( What’s the use of a detachable face…. it’s not a car stereo )
- Beep when setting options is obnoxiously loud. Doesn't seem to be controllable with volume.

Contrast that with the comments from Ed and Dale.

Ed: "By the way, several dual band mobiles are being released, but the Anytone is far and away the best I've seen so far."

Dale: "AT-588UV is due out they say at the end of this month. We have tested the radios and everything checks out perfect."

They are talking about later versions, but there is a wide gap between garbage and best/perfect.

TYT TH-UV3R: $44.95 Sale at Kight Radio

A three day sale at Kight Radio Electronics on the TYT TH-UV3R for $44.95 USD. (Total cost with shipping and insurance is $52.34 USD.)

KG-UV920R: CheapHam.com

CheapHam.com says they will have a new version of the KG-UV920R on (or around) Monday, Oct 29. (The link says 26th, but text on the page says 29th.) This version will have 2.5K steps. I wonder if there will be other improvements. And, oh, they are pricing it at $289 USD.

The $29 in the iPad Mini

Ha! It all makes sense now.

dmoren I just assume the extra $29 in the iPad mini’s price accounts for the Lightning cable they include.Tue, Oct 23 19:42:36 from Tweetbot for Mac retweeted by asymco

Quote of the Day

"Remember – The Constitution does not grant rights.

SysAdmins, on the other hand…"

Portability of Personal Data

If it is portable for you, it is portable for the bad guys, too.

TSA

I agree they are getting more aggressive - aggressive with the people they are supposed to protect.

I've had run-ins with the TSA before (and another thing about that encounter).

I had another discussion with them this week. My daughter was sick when we left Knoxville for the happiest place on earth, so we had her digital thermometer in a carry-on. No issues when going through security in Knoxville - in fact, we got to go through the metal detector instead of the cancer machine. Win!

On the return, my wife and daughter got to go through the metal detector, so I asked if I could go through, too. Surprisingly, they let me. No fuss. So far, so good. (In fact, on the way to Orlando, I got to meet Jessie Godderz of Big Brother fame aka Mr. PEC-Tacular.)

However, the aforementioned digital thermometer got flagged in the x-ray machine because it had a nine volt battery in it. They asked whose bag it was, so I pointed to the three year old. The TSA agent took the backpack to a metal table to do the search. He asked if there was a battery in the bag. We said yes and that it was in a digital thermometer. He could not find said thermometer in the bag and my wife kept reaching to help him. This seemed to annoy him as we were not supposed to touch the bag.

During the search, I don't remember what he said, but something set me off, so I started my usual speech about my tax dollars at work and security theater. This really got his knickers in a knot. After finally finding the "hidden" thermometer, he took the bag to be re-scanned. While he was there, he must have asked for a supervisor to talk with the grumpy old white man.

The supervisor asked me if I had a problem with them searching my bag. I said I had a problem with the inconsistency - that the thermometer had not been a problem at the other airport. She said I should be glad that they found it here to keep me safe. What?!?! I should be glad you found a thermometer?!?! These people have no concept that false-positives are a bad thing, too. She was quite aggressive in her tone and insisted that I was in the wrong.

My wife got nervous and asked me to drop it.

The original agent held out the bag to me, but would not let go. I truly believe that he was hoping I would jerk it out of his hand, so that they could give me an even harder time. Finally, he let go and we moved on to our flight.

I cannot believe so many people are happy with the TSA as stated in the first link of this post. Security theater is better than reality.

Zapier

I've played with IFTTT, but haven't really found the need for it to do anything for me. I'm still intrigued by the potential of the tool to automate tasks and so I'm glad to see other options like Zapier.

UTK Greeks

UTK Greeks having some fun in more constructive manner at CCA than say some others more recently in the news.

Baofeng UV-5R: Standardizing

No, not the models... you will get a new model name anytime Baofeng thinks they can make an extra buck.

I'm referring to KD7LRJ's decision to standardize on the Baofeng UV-5R. Given the cost and features, he has picked the UV-5R as his standard. He only has to learn one radio, can limit the different types of software required to program the radios, and can commonize the accessories.

He goes in to much more detail about his process and some of the pros/cons here.

Out of Office

Sorry for the lack of posting. Life has been very busy lately. Normal posting should resume on Wednesday.

Anytone AT-588UV: USB

So many possibilities for the USB port:

"This is a suggestion I have made but have gotten no comment yet. The USB connection on the left side is actually no more than a charging voltage for cell phone type equipment. I suggested it would be more desirable to have this as a data port. I think I suggested they make it a second, parallel mic jack."

Wouxun KG-UVD1P: 6M

I had never seen this before... "Wouxun KG-UVD1P VHF plus Six Meters! Handheld"

From the MTC page:

Wouxun KG-UVD1P Dual Band VHF/ 50 MHZ Handheld Commercial Radio

Please understand what you are buying before you purchase this radio. This is not a VHF/UHF model. If you purchase by mistake and then ship it back , you will be charged a re stocking fee to cover the shipping cost.

Dual band VHF/UHF. Freq. range: 136-174, 50-54 MHz RX and TX. KG-UVD1P 2 meters and 6 meters!

Description

The KG-UD1P is a rugged compact, high-performance VHF/UHF handheld commercial transceiver providing up to 5 Watts of RF power on VHF and 4 Watts on 50 MHZ
Frequency Range of 136-174, 50-54 MHz RX and TX. FM: 76-108 MHz (RX).

Via the KG-UV_Commander Yahoo Group

Morse Code Machine

A little time waster...

Anytone AT-588UV: Yahoo Group

And of course there is a Yahoo Group for the AT-588UV.

Anytone AT-588UV: VA3ISP First Look

Looks like Moleculo is still waiting on his unit to review, but VA3ISP has cracked the box on his and gives us his initial impressions starting with literally the box.

"Box is just plain white."

I've noticed the boxes tend to evolve overtime. Given their origins in Asia, I think the flashier boxes should be called Gangnam Style.

"The power leads are tinned at the end, makes for a nice connection."

That's a nice touch. He continues to say that display seems okay and the dials worked well. There were a couple of concerns on the audio side: receiving audio is noisy even when full quieting and transmitted audio is lower after a pause in speaking (problem with automatic gain control?).

I look forward to his future posts about the AT-588UV.

If you missed some of the previous information about the radio:

• In July, Ed suggests the Anytone may be a much better option than the Wouxun UV-920R.
• He gives an update in September with expected pricing and features.
• And soon follows up with more details.

God's Plan

Barefoot or minimalist running is all the rage.

I say if God had wanted us to run barefoot, He wouldn't have given us shoes.

In a related note, I am very happy with my new Asics GT-2170.

Tying Your Shoes

You are doing it wrong. I've got a new pair of running shoes and I was going to experiment with the Runner's Knot. Maybe I should try this way, too.

Debate Zinger

OVERREACTING___ MISS TEEN SOUTH CAROLINA THINKS OBAMA NEED TO ARTICULATE MORE BETTER!!!! #Debate2012 #USAMERICANSWed, Oct 03 21:31:51 from Twitter for iPhone

Crossover 27Q

The Chinese continue to crank out the inexpensive electronics. In this case, it is not a radio, but a monitor - the Crossover 27Q. It is said to use the same LCD panel as the Apple Thunderbolt Display. Yet another opportunity to save a lot of money if you are willing to take a risk.

HamSphere - Virtual Ham Radio

Anyone play with HamSphere? I'm just curious as it seems to be a neat idea. Free for 15 days to play around, but there is a fee after that. Looks like they are working on iPhone and Android apps.

Baofeng UV-5R: Pricing Updates

The following is from Nate:

"Jun's Electronics A.K.A HamCity.com now sells the Baofeng UV-5R for $55.
They also sell the Kenwood USB programming cable for $12.

Shipping via UPS ground is about $12

Total: $79

So just $22 more is not too bad if you are like me and don't want to risk it or wait for 3-4 weeks (409shop).

If you need a second radio, or have the Kenwood USB programming cable already (or don't care about programming your radio from your computer):

Hamcity.com - UV-5R: $55

Shipping via UPS ground: $11 (not a typo, Jun's website charges you an extra buck to ship the cable with radio).

Total: $66

Not too bad, only $19 more, than 409Shop.

I've used the following for comparison: 

409Shop - UV-5R : $47.Kenwood USB programming cable: $8.Free postal shipping.
Total: $55

Kight Radio have just recently updated his website:http://www.kightradio.com/ - It looks good, but I think that the website is still in it's beta phase, because it seems like some features don't work.
He has a free shipping promotion with the coupon code: OCT30

You might be able to nab a UV-5R there for $60 if you don't need the programming cable (only $13 more than 409Shop, for a US seller).

(He sells the programming cable for $15)."

I had also noticed that the KightRadio site had been updated. Here is the direct link to his Chinese Radio News/Blog section.