Brick O'Lore After Dark

A joke I ran across...

James Bond walks into a bar and takes a seat next to a very attractive woman. He gives the woman a quick glance and then casually takes a look at his watch. The woman notices this and asks, “Is your date running late?” “No,” he replies. “Q’s just given me a state-of-the-art watch and I was testing it out.” Intrigued, the woman asks, “A state-of-the-art watch? What’s so special about it?” Bond coolly explains, “It uses alpha waves to talk telepathically.” The lady says, “So what’s it telling you now?” “Well, it says you’re not wearing any panties,” says Bond. The woman giggles and replies, “Well, it must be broken because I am wearing panties!” Bond shakes his head, taps his watch and says, “Damn thing’s an hour fast.”

Tiny 2M Receiver

I was running the other day while listening to my iPod and was wishing I had a 2M receiver in that form factor. I thought it would be nice to listen to have the option of listening to the repeaters. (Even a UV-3R would be too big for my ideal running companion.) My 6th generation iPod Nano uses the headphone wire as the antenna, but I prefer the physical buttons of my 2nd generation iPod Shuffle. Being able to easily start or stop a scan while on the move would be great. And while I am dreaming, I want to use CHIRP to load the repeater frequencies.

Anybody seen anything close to what I'm talking about? Am I the only one that would be interested in this sort of device?

(This reddit post got me thinking about this again. I think about lots of things while I run, but that's not the best time for me to record them for later.)

The Most Powerful OS

7/7 The most powerful OS in the world is still the human being, that’s what drives us into the more personal computing era
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) May 28, 2014

Simple Tools II

In addition to the calendar, I also love having a big whiteboard. Networks diagrams, workflow, ad hoc WBS - there are a million things to prove the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words.

It became a bit of a running joke that I couldn't work with the team on a project or issue without being at the whiteboard.

Least Favorite Software

Are there certain software tools you hate? I hate Taleo. It may be great for HR professionals and hiring managers, but as someone looking for a job and encountering it frequently, it leaves me frustrated.

First, when you create a scrolling frame inside a web page, you start at minus one.

Then the errors start.

Error - job title too long. (You asked, I told you. 25 characters? That's it?)

Error - certification not valid. (So you have a predefined list of certifications? Therefor any certification I have that isn't on your list, I cannot add at all. Oh, you have one that is close, but not exactly the same. Should I pick that? If I do, can I attest that I have answered all the questions accurately?)

For the field that is often promoting diversity, they sure aren't building the ability to support it into their tools.

Maybe I want a job writing this software, because those people must have great job security as it is impossible that they've ever had to use their own system to apply for a job. I exaggerate but UI is really bad.

Friday Funny

Via W2LJ

Radio Features: Memories

An interesting discussion about memory features that someone would like to see in future radios.

Probably the biggest hurdle in doing this is cost - particularly hard to demand some of these features when chasing the rock bottom cost on the Chinese radios. I suspect as Moore's law continues, we'll see these options and plenty more.

Wouxun KG-UV8D: How to check version

Via Miklor on the KG-UV8D Facebook page:

UV8D Keypad/Display...
By pressing and holding the 3 Key while doing a PowerON,the UV8D will display the Model, Version and Date.

TYT TH-UV818

From Nate:

"I was wondering when they'll imitate the body design of the Yaesu/Standard/Horizon VX-7R/HX470/VXA-710."

Which reminds of where this all started for me - the Baofeng UV-3R copying the Yaesu VX-3R. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The TYT-TH-UV818...

Horizon HX470 (silver and black)
Yaesu/Vertex VX-7R (silver and black)
Yaesu/Vertex VXA-710
Yaesu FTA-720

Simple Tools

When I do finally get back to work, I'll want to get one of these giant wall calendars. It is decidedly low-tech, but I loved being able to see the year all at once. I would track:

- month-ends (when we were on a 4-4-5 fiscal calendar), so I could make sure we didn't try to schedule downtime/maintenance during that critical period
- holidays for each of the plants (US, China, Mexico)
- vacations for my staff
- off-site training for my staff

You can use dry erase markers, but I prefer using permanent Sharpies. (You already knew I was a fan of Sharpies for the ham shack.) If something was in flux, I would make a note on a Post-It that I could move around until the date was finalized. Bright colors are a must!

XLT Painless Programming Cable for Baofeng, Kenwood, and Wouxun

$20 for a genuine FTDI chip is probably a bargain for most considering the amount of time some have invested in trying to get a knock-off to work with their radio. Heck, if everyone had one of these, the number of posts to the various Yahoo Groups would drop exponentially.

And a related post on reddit: Does anybody know why modern radios still use serial connectors for their data cables instead of USB?

TYT TH-9000D: At 446Shop

I was looking at some of the stuff Nate sent me and I just happened to notice that the 446Shop has a listing for the TYT TH-9000D. Pictures at the link.

HiGrade HG-109

Nate has been looking around for the latest radios and come up with some good stuff. So, thanks to Nate! I'll start with this one - the HiGrade HG-109 which is described as:

"Handheld Walkie Talkie big screen MP3 MP4 two way radio with Camera,Video Recorder,Box Speaker 2840,FM radio,Clock,Calculator function"

Other specs are below, but check out the screen.

Nate points out some of the interesting features like MP3/MP4 player, built in digital camera + video recording capability. He also notes that one of the pictures shows a calendar with a January 2012 - so either that is a test date or this thing has been in development for awhile. I'm also confused by the listed frequency range (400 - 470 MHz) that doesn't match the "Dual Receive Yes (VV/UV/UU)" line.

Frequency Range	400-470MHz
Color	Black
Antenna type	SMA-F(Female)
Antenna Impedance	50 ohm
Output power	5W
Battery type	Li-ion battery
Battery capacity	2350mAh
Rated voltage	DC 7.4V
Charging temperature range	5°C to + 40°C
Earpiece / MIC type	2 Pin KENWOOD Type
Camera	Yes
Channel Storage	Yes	200
Video recorder	Yes	1.3MEGA
Speaker	Yes	BOX Speaker 2840
Load Settings From File	Yes
Save Settings To File	Yes
Display mode	Yes	FREQ&CH/Frequency/Channel mode
SQL	Yes	OFF-9 Level
CTCSS	Yes	QT:50/DQT:166
High/Low TX power selectable	Yes
Wide/Narrow Band	Yes
VOX	Yes	OFF-9 Level
Scan mode	Yes	TO/CO/SE
Scan	Yes
TOT: Time-out Timer	Yes
Dual RX	Yes	VV/UV/UU
BCL: Busy Channel lockout	Yes
Step	Yes	5K/10K/6.25K/12.5K/25K
REV: Reverse Frequency	Yes
Time and Date	Yes
Select Language	Yes	English/Chinese
Auto power on/off	Yes
Power management	Yes	Display battery capacity remains
Restore setting	Yes
Wallpaper setting	Yes
Contrast setting	Yes
Backlight setting	Yes
Keyboard light	Yes
Torch	Yes
Privacy protection	Yes
Auto keyboard lock	Yes
Lock screen by end-key	Yes
Power-on password	Yes
Alarm &calendar remind	Yes	Ringtone/Vibrate/Silent/Ring and vibrate
Key tone	Yes
Battery low alert	Yes
Power on/off tone	Yes
Recorder	Yes
Audio player	Yes
Video player	Yes
FM radio	Yes
File management	Yes
Alarm	Yes
Calculator	Yes
World clock	Yes

Package Includes

• 1 x Professional and Multimedia Interphone
• 1 x Antenna
• 1 x Li-ion battery pack
• 1 x LI-ion charger
• 1 x Belt clip
• 1 x User's manual

Ten-Tec Patriot: Open-source SSB/CW/Digital Transceiver

This has been out for a bit, but I wanted to get it on my list of radios to watch... the Ten-Tec Patriot 507. I don't see it listed on the Ten-Tec site yet. There is a Yahoo Group for the Patriot 507.

Most of the information is from the QRPer here. It differs from the Rebel 506 in that it will do SSB and digital modes. The Patriot will work 20 and 40 meters.

TYT TH-9000D: Mono-band Mobile

Radio-Mart.net reports the TH-9000 is being replaced by the TH-9000D. It will come in three flavors (2M, 220, and 440) and cost around $150.

From the TYT site:

■  Frequency Range: VHF:136-174MHz / 245-245.9875MHz (220-260MHz) / UHF: 400-480MHz
■  Output Power: VHF: 10W/25W/60W / UHF: 45W/25W/10W
■  8 group's of scrambler
■  1750Hz Tone
■  CTCSS/DCS setting & scanning
■  0-9 SQL grade setting
■  Frequency/Channel scanning
■  High/Mid/Low power selectable
■  Voice compander
■  Repeater offset shift
■  Keypad lock function
■  Contact book
■  Battery voltage display
■  DTMF/2 tone/5 tone
■  ANI ID
■  Remote kill/ stun/ activate/ revive
■  Emergenvy alarm
■  Wide/Narrow band setting
■  TX inhibit
■  Busy Channel Lock-Out
■  Channel name editing
■  Reverse frequency
■  Talk around
■  Scrambler(Optional)
■  Voice prompt
■  Time-out Timer
■  Auto Power off
■  VFO step setting:5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25/50kHz

Shoes II

In case there is any doubt, I really like these shoes. Time to toss the two pair that are the most worn out. After looking at all of them, I think I can get a few more miles out of the oldest pair because I changed how I run and the wear pattern is different. The third pair has about 500 miles on them including the 26.2 from the marathon.

Leixen VV-898: Available on AliExpress

You can now order the Leixen VV-898 dual-band 10W mobile from AliExpress for $159.00.

Main Feature:

1.        Dual band: TX:136-174MHz/400-470MHz

                              RX:136-174MHz/400-470MHz/200-260MHz/87.5-108MHz

2.        Dual Reception/Dual Display

3.       APRO: Voice Companding and Scrambler

4.       Multi silent mode (QT/QTADT/QTXDT)       214 groups DCS/58 groups CTCSS

5.       DTMF encoding and DTMF decoding

6.       PTT ID(Voice broadcast PTT ID)

7.       All calls, group calls and selective calls

8.       RX Inhibit/ RXTX Inhibit/Revive(Stun/Kill/Revive)

9.       Monitor, SMQ,MOLO

10.   Scan/Scan add

11.   Channel name edit available

12.   199 memory channels

13.   High/Low power(10W/4W)

14.   APO(Auto Power Off)

15.   TOT(Time-out timer)

16.   Font Set(Big/Small)

17.   VOX(Level adjustable)

18.   Busy channel lockout

19.   Keyboard lock (Auto/Manual)

20.   Multi scan mode (TO/CO)

21.   Channel steps (2.5K/5K/6.25K/10K/12.5K/25K)

22.   Wide/Narrow band selection (25KHz/12.5KHz)

23.   TX Stop

24.   Emergency Alarm

25.   RPT Offset(Single/RPT+/RPT-)

26.   Reverse frequency function/ Talk Around/1750Hz burst tone

27.   Lease Function(can program lease time of the radio at a exact time)

28.    Input frequency by using Keypad

29.   Four key programmable

30.    Wireless changing frequency

31.    Timepiece

32.   PC software disable frequency input

33.    Passwords for menu functions Set

34.    PTT Times per Minutes Set

35.    All/Function reset

36.    13.8V DC Power Supply

37.    Size: 120*85*40mm

Ripe for Abuse

So using this idea, setup a rule for a "friend" in their Outlook when they are away from their desk. Have it trigger on some common e-mail they get frequently. Hilarity and a fist fight ensue.

Hello Computer

To quote Mr. Scott's encounter with an old computer, "Keyboard. How quaint."


Via Alphecca

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Win One

Win one here.

Xiegu X108

So take all this with a grain of salt, because it is just a couple of pictures and a title... but it is from the X1M guy. I figure I'll post it, so we have more eyeballs looking out for it.

"X108 - 20W portable shortwave transceiver"

Wouxun KG-UV8D: 2.5K Steps

BuyTwoWayRadios has the updated KG-UV8D with the 2.5K Steps. They are also including a free 2600 mAh battery upgrade for $159.99 (free shipping.)

Retirement

Well, you guys let me down. Of the 100,000,000 purchases of Ham Radio for Dummies Kindle book that I needed for you to make, so I could retire... you were 999,999,997 short.

And the worse news is the price has jumped back up to $13.99.

Oh well, maybe next time.

;)

Thanks to those who did use the link!

Underemployed and Overqualified

When you put it that way, maybe I will just start saying I am employment-challenged. Some choice quotes:

“There’s no such thing as overqualified, only ‘I can find a job I prefer more’.”

First of all the word “overqualified” should be stricken from the dictionary. Overqualified implies a person with one set of skills is inherently too awesome to do a job which relies on a different (subjectively lesser) set of skills. If you’ve got your head in the clouds it makes sense. If you’ve lived in the real world you know it’s utterly untrue. 

“Overqualified” is an idea which should be killed with fire. It’s a failure of reasoning that crawled from the gaping maws of pinheads who should know better. Nitwits that tend to confuse “someone who can make more money doing something else” with “radioactive”. They also confuse “we treat employees like scum and they crawl on their hands and knees to escape us” with “all those employees that ran screaming from our little hellhole were overqualified”.

So, I'm still looking for a job and I have in my mind what that job should look like. I've struggled with the whole idea of being overqualified - part of the problem is ego (which is basically what the Adaptive Curmudgen is talking about), but on the flip side, I have been passed over for a job because the employer thought I was overqualified and would bolt for greener pastures. They came to that decision after three face-to-face interviews and having at least a couple of unsolicited references provided on my behalf. (Speaking of opposites, there are a lot of jobs where I am underqualified despite twenty years of experience, two masters degrees, and several certifications as I'm not as hands-on as I once was.)

I find there is much less stress when I think in terms of what will make me happy regardless of being under or overqualified:

- staying in Knoxville
- interesting work
- being surrounded by nice people
- not a sweat shop
- opportunity for growth and development
- a good salary and benefits

My desire to stay in Knoxville is the biggest hurdle in finding the right job. Fingers crossed that I will find the job here for which I am qualified and will give me a chance at being happy.

Ham Radios for Dummies - Kindle Version $1.99

You can get the Kindle version of Ham Radios for Dummies for $1.99 on Amazon.com.

There are several other inexpensive titles covering the Raspberry Pi, Arduino, etc. that hams might find interesting as well.

(As usual, if you purchase using my link, I will get paid something through the Amazon Affiliate program. So if about 100,000,000 of you would purchase the book through my link, I could retire. Thanks in advance!)

Via Lifehacker

Game of Thrones OpSec

An isolated computer - no network connectivity. I wonder how many WordStar 4.0 viruses there are out there?

Baofeng UV-5R: Change Requests

Mike (W9MDB) is talking with the factory and asking for several changes on behalf of the user community. I always like to see how the manufacturers respond. I don't expect them to meet every demand, but when they do share the reasoning behind making the change or not, it helps me understand their technical abilities and business perspective better:

#1 Bug – The [Exit] key sends DTMF "0" instead of "D".

#2 Bug -- The mic jacks seem to be a very common problem.  The contacts will stay open preventing the internal mic from working.  Apparently due to some material around the jacks which melts in heat and will clog up the contacts.

#3 New -- Need to the ability to disable the VFO/MR button so the radio can be truly Part 90 compliant.

#4 New -- The ability to turn off the lower display (2nd VFO) completely -- and the A/B switch – for simple Part 90 operation scenarios

#5 New -- Get the “real” firmware revision level – maybe using the “9” key during power on?

#6 Bug – When scanning MR channels that have R-CTCS tones there is not enough time allotted to allow them to lock on the lower frequency R-CTCS tones

.#7 New – Allow the alarm to be completely disabled 

#8 Bug – When SAVE is not OFF and ABR > 8, the broadcast FM radio will have a pulsing noise after returning from being interrupted by a received signal.

#9 Bug – The enable/disable VHF TX and UHF TX features do not work#10 New – MDF-AB – OFF,FREQ,NAME – OFF means the display is left alone, FREQ means selecting a channel with [A/B] will force the selected channel to display FREQ and the other channel to display NAME.  NAME forces the selected channel to NAME and the other channel to FREQ.

Antennas

First, from Roberta X's trip to Dayton, I love the models in this picture. But wait there is more... they are functional for 2 meters! Check that link for other pictures from her trip. Also, hop over to her other blog for a look at some of her "key" findings at the hamvention.

Another antenna seen via @gregmalcolm on Twitter. Unfortunately, I don't have the infrastructure for a hair-tenna.

Just saw this at Dayton #hamvention. That's an actual working antenna! pic.twitter.com/UpOUGBtkrJ
— KD8QGM (@gregmalcolm) May 17, 2014

Wouxun KG-UV8D

First and foremost, thanks again to the guys at BuyTwoWayRadios for loaning the KG-UV8D to me.

For the TLDR crowd, I'll sum up by saying that I think this radio is the next step in the evolution of the Chinese handheld transceivers. I say this for a few reasons. First, I think we will start to see a lot more color displays. The true dual receive is a step forward as well. While I don't believe that cross-band repeat will now be available on every new radio, it does demonstrate the potential capabilities coming out of China. And little things like the blinking phone icon for activity (that I discuss next) also add up to make this an great evolutionary step.

As I mentioned, I'll start with a small thing that makes a huge difference and makes me wish all my radios had this feature - the blinking phone icon to indicate which frequency had the most recent activity. Such a simple thing, but when you aren't staring at the screen and are monitoring two repeaters owned by the same ham, it eliminates any confusion about where the activity was.

And for what it's worth, I do like green for the "A/B" and "EXIT" buttons. It just makes navigating a little easier. I don't know why the new radios have all black buttons - saving a penny in the manufacturing cost?

From a subjective perspective, I really like how the radio feels in my hand. It isn't that much thinner than the KG-UV1DP, but it feels better. I also like the feel better than the Baofeng UV-5R.

The dual receive works perfectly. While my brain/CPU can't always follow two conversations at once, it allows me to hear both and then easily pick one to monitor using the RPT button to switch to the single frequency mode.

As for the cross-band repeat, I did not encounter any problems using it. I think it is a great feature/option to have, but not something I will use all the time. For temporary usage I think it is perfect, but I cringe anytime I read about someone trying to make this a "permanent" repeater.

Speaking of options, the KG-UV8D lets you customize the functions of some of the keys, so you can tailor it a bit to meet your preferences.

People always ask about the S meter on these radios. Between my good QTH and mostly listening to some great repeaters, I don't see much besides a full meter. Here is a short video here showing something besides zero and full strength.

Scanning is fine for my use, but by others' standards it is still too slow. A sample is here, so you can decide for yourself.

John has a mini-review on the Yahoo Group:

"Receive sensitivity is very good- about 0.25 microvolt.
Transmit power- 5W VHF, 4W UHF
True Dual Band Rx- you hear both upper and lower simultaneously
Easy to setup XBand repeat
Nice large multi-color display 

Annoyances:
Back light stays on during scan- same as other Wouxuns. Seems it should be OFF during scan and ON when it stops on an active channel.
Scan is still not professional- scan stops when any button is pressed. As a result, if you think you are scanning but bump any button, scan stops and you don't know it. The scan button should start and stop scan period, unless it is in SE mode where it automatically stops on any active channel.
The 8D is a very nice radio and it will replace my aging (but still working) 4 year old KG-UVD1P."

My test unit would do 135 to 174.995 and 400 to 479.995 out of the box. Miklor has the software to expand the frequencies (134 to 174 and 400 to 519), but you do so at your own risk.

Hans has the KG-UV8D on his test bench (along with the Puxing PX-UV973) and reports that harmonic suppression and sensitivity measurements are where they should be expected. He goes on to say:

"preventing both oscillators of interfering with each other
Here both radios fail miserably. For some reason both manufacturers weren’t able to to get this right, resulting in an awful lot of spurious emissions up and down the carrier. 

The problem is most evident when you’re receiving around the third harmonics of your transmit frequency."

His post indicates more information will follow.

Resume or Eulogy

The TED talk below is a little dry, but the premise is an interesting one... are you building your resume or working on your Eulogy?

4096

Forget 2048... 4096!

AnyTone AT-5888UV III: Tri-band Mobile

Thanks to Nate for sending this to me!

Ed at Import Communications has posted a Dayton sneak peak - the AnyTone AT-5888UV III, a tri-band (144, 220, 440) mobile. No pricing yet. Ed says more details coming after Dayton, but it should be available in July or August.

True Detective Season 2

Something about this doesn't seem right to me.

Travor Bullpup

Looks fun...

M41A Pulse Rifle

Not available in stores.

Prom Around These Parts

This is how we do it. (Update - the picture was taken down b/c "guns scary." I've got it still...

TYT TH-9000: No More?

It was almost a year ago that Ed (Import Communications) shared the information about AnyTone claiming that TYT had copied their radio and wanted to stop the sale of the TH-9000.

Martyn says that the lawyers are now reaching the US market.

Operators Operating Mag Flips in Operations

Via Gun Nuts Media