Life

I came home to a sick kid. We were both up all night, so playing with the KG-UV9D took a back seat. She's off to the doctor this morning, so hopefully we are on the road to recovery.

Wouxun KG-UV9D: FCC ID

On the back of the Wouxun KG-UV9D, you will find the FCC ID: WVTWOUXUN10. I believe this is the same as the KG-UV8D. (Since they were kind enough to loan me the radio, I'm going to keep mentioning and thanking BuyTwoWayRadios!)

Wouxun KG-UV9D: BuyTwoWayRadios.com

BuyTwoWayRadios has loaned me a KG-UV9D. Time to play! Any requests?

Wouxun KG-UV9D: Pre-order

BuyTwoWayRadios has the Wouxun KG-UV9D available for pre-order for $159.99. It should ship around May 8th.

"Experience Multi-Band excitement with the Wouxun KG-UV9D! This multi-modulation two way radio combines dual band transmission, 7 band reception and multiple feature options for multi-functional operation you won't get with a typical dual band handheld radio!  

The KG-UV9D transmits on 4 watts UHF and 5 watts VHF with multiple power settings. It features an impressive 999 programmable memory channels with QT/DQT encoding and decoding, DTMF encode/decode and 25KHz/12.5KHz wide/narrow bandwidth selection.

Dual Band Transmission

• 136-174MHz VHF (FM TX)

• 400-512MHz UHF (FM TX)

7 Band Reception

• 76-108MHz (FM Radio)

• 108-136MHz (AM RX)

• 136-180MHz (FM RX)

• 230-250MHz (FM RX)

• 350-400MHz (FM RX)

• 400-512MHz (FM RX)

• 700-985MHz (FM RX)

The KG-UV9D operates on multiple levels to maximize the experience! it has true dual reception, so you can receive two signals on the same or different bands simultaneously. You can even transmit on one band while you receive on the other at the same time!

But its multi-function operation doesn't end there. The KG-UV9D has multiple scan capabilites, as well. Priority scan, channel group scan, these are just a given. CTCSS/DCS scanning is a plus. Want a scan feature that's really exciting? With it's dual receive, the KG-UV9D can scan two bands at the same time. Now, that's multi-functional!

Of course, we can't forget the multi-display. First introduced with the popular KG-UV8D, the large, color screen is also a prime feature of the KG-UV9D, and with some notable improvements. Of course, there is still plenty of room to display all the information needed to operate a multi-function radio on both bands at the same time. Now the display is also adjustable, with five levels of brightness. Customize the settings for your viewing comfort while conserving battery power as needed. With the KG-UV9D in your hand, you are in control!

Speaking of control, check out Lock Mode. You can choose to lock only the keypad, lock the keypad and the encoders, lock the keypad and the PTT, or lock it all. It's no longer all or nothing. Multiple lock options let you decide how your radio can be accessed, keeping you in control.

The KG-UV9D is also loaded with other features to make it truly multi-faceted! Three programmable side keys, sub-frequency transmission setting, Channel Name edit and display, Caller ID display, 76-108Mhz FM radio, SOS function, remote alarm, single-tone pulse frequency, reverse frequency, low voltage voice prompt, VOX (Voice Operated Transmit) for hands-free operation and a high illumination flashlight are all part of the package. And yes, like the 8D, the KG-UV9D has a stopwatch!

The Wouxun KG-UV9D comes with a 7.4v 2000mAh (14.8Wh) Li-Ion battery pack, belt clip, high gain antenna, stubby antenna, wrist strap, desktop charger, AC cord, owner's manual and a one year manufacturer warranty from Wouxun." 

Traveling

Posting will be little or less for a few days more.

BuyTwoWayRadios World Amateur Radio Day Specials

BuyTwoWayRadios World Amateur Radio Day Specials:

In celebration of World Amateur Radio Day 2015, Buy Two Way Radios is offering a WARD special: Purchase a qualifying model from our selection of Amateur Radios and take an additional 10% off with Promo Code: HAMDAY15! This special discount is valid from April 17, 2015 to Midnight Monday, April 20! Simply enter Promo Code: HAMDAY15 at checkout and your 10% discount will be applied to your order.

The celebration doesn't end there. In addition to the promo code discount, we're also offering freebies and other add-ons with the purchase of select Baofeng, Leixen and Wouxun amateur radios! 

Click the link for details on the freebies.

Oscilloscopes for Radio Amateurs: Add a Scope to Your Ham Shack

I'm curious if Oscilloscopes for Radio Amateurs: Add a Scope to Your Ham Shack is any good. The description is:

Oscilloscopes are a useful tool in the world of electronics, allowing radio amateurs to “see” the signals inside their equipment. With personal computers and today’s technologies, a variety of analog, digital or hybrid scopes are available to hams for solving problems and testing new ideas in home workshops. 

Oscilloscopes for Radio Amateurs is filled with practical information you’ll need for using a scope. It begins with an overview of the oscilloscope and continues on to discuss characteristics, applications, probes, controls, and input modes. If you’re considering adding this piece of test equipment to your ham shack, there is an explanation of scope specifications and features to help you select an oscilloscope that is right for you. 

Includes:
- Why Get an Oscilloscope?
- A Little History
- Every Scope Has These Elements
- Probes and Accessories
- Scope Sections in Detail
- Input Modes
- Let’s Put a Scope to Work
- If You Are Going to Buy One – Specifications
- Software Oscilloscopes — Capable and Free
- Reviews of Several Current Models

Or does anyone know of a similar text?

AnyTone Tech TERMN-8R: Charger Modfication

K4NHA has modified his charger, so he can keep the TERMN-8R ready for action:

"Being used daily it needs charging often and many times I need to charge it on the go. Luckily this was an easy modification since the charger’s circuit is happy to accept anywhere between 12 and 15v DC."

Wouxun KG-UV9D: Product Sheet

BuyTwoWayRadios has the product sheet for the KG-UV9D [PDF]. I've copied it as images below.

Wouxun KG-UV9D: Unboxing Video

BuyTwoWayRadios has an unboxing video of the KG-UV9D.

NOAA Alerts - Part 2

Looks like several folks liked the idea of a $8 NOAA Alert Radio, but Nate points out a nifty alternative...

Radio Shack All Hazards Weather Alert Clock Radio With Skywarn

"For less than $30, you can get a radio that does: 

- NOAA (with Specific Area Message Encoding, the display will alert and show the text even if the radio is in standby). 

- Your regular analog Broadcast AM/FM (Stereo, it has 2 speakers) 

- "Skywarn band" (Which is essentially 2m and 440).- AUX input. 

- Alarm clock (2 separated alarms can be set).

It has a BNC female connector like most scanners have, so you can plug it into an external antenna as well.

I use it some times when I want to monitor a nearby repeater."

Future of Ham Radio

I think there is plenty of opportunity for growth in ham radio. In January of 2014, I had a list of reasons why, but I'll add to it here.

1. Morse code is no longer a barrier to entry.
2. Cheap radios mean cost is not a barrier to entry.
3. The prepper/survivalist movement includes interest in communications.
4. Ham radio on TV!
5. Maker movement and low cost computing options - think Raspberry Pi and SDR.
6. The breadth of ham radio - EME, digital modes, "traditional" HF, contests, Skywarn, ARES and the like, 

This January, I did several charts (1, 2, 3, and 4) to provide a visual for evaluating what is happening with the licenses.

Jeff's tweet and article are what brought this back to the top of my list.

No Kids, No Lids, No Kids http://t.co/riW2hYr8qd via @ke9v #hamradio
— Jeff Davis (@ke9v) April 14, 2015

"If on-air chatter, hamfest chit-chat, forum and blog postings are a reliable measure, then a large number of radio amateurs live in constant fear of the death of the hobby. This of course flies in the face of actual data — which shows the number of licensees in the US are at an all-time high." 

... 

This meme is faulty, the product of unimaginative thinking. “I believe that children are our future” — that sort of tired, simplistic rhetoric. The bio pages on QRZ are testament to the tens of thousands of hams who got interested in this hobby early in life, then had no time for it in subsequent decades. Only after marriage, family and career were well underway was there enough free time to consider a return to amateur radio.

Wouxun KG-UV9D

BuyTwoWayRadios announces the new Wouxun KG-UV9D:

"Billed by Wouxun as a multi-band, multi-RX, multi-display, multi-modulation and multi-functional two-way radio, the KG-UV9D offers dual band transmit and 7 (that's right, you read seven) bands reception. The list includes 76-108MHz (FM radio), 108-136MHz (AM RX), 136-174MHz FM RX/TX), 400-512MHz (FM RX/TX), 230-250MHz (FM RX), 350-400MHz (FM RX) and 700-985MHz (FM RX). 

While the full color display is similar in design to the KG-UV8D, the new radio looks and feels different. The KG-UV9D also has some new or improved features. According to Wouxun, some of the features of the KG-UV9D include Twin Band Simultaneous Scan, Multi-Keypad Lock Modes and the ability to adjust the brightness of the backlight with five level settings."

Runbo H1

Thanks to Bill for the pointer to the Runbo Facebook page and the heads up about the H1:

"Faster, Safer and Smarter Hardware and OS With Quad Core 1.5GHZ CPU 64-bit architectures, H1 ran faster than ever before. It is secured with hardware encryption and Security Enhanced Android 5.0 Lollipop, providing a smoother and more secure computing experience.

IP67 engineered, H1 is resistant to water, shock, dust. It endures one meter drop to plank wood or even concrete in some case. Optional industry-grade 4.3” Capacitance touch screen is readable outdoor in sunlight, supporting glove/wet hand operation."

Game of Thrones - All 5 Books for $10 (Paperback)

So I thought $24 was a good deal for all five books in the Game of Thrones series... well, Wal-Mart has all five paperbacks for $10. (And that matches the best deal I've seen for the Kindle version.)

Via Kinja

Rigol DS1054Z Oscilloscope

Mike's got a new toy. I always tempted by adding tools to my bench... you know, something besides a screw driver and duct tape would be nice to have.

Go Big Orange

Via the Ham Radio forum at AR15.com:

Of course, being from Knoxville, I'm a fan of orange (and white).

And it makes sense that I would like the orange on the TERMN-8R.

Pofung GT-1

My car is in the shop and I'm sitting here playing catch up... so here's Hans on the Pofung GT-1:

"After being confronted with all the lies surrounding the Pofung GT-1 there’s no way I can justify a diplomatic way of saying things. The GT-1 is just old wine in a new bottle, the battery voltage / capacity is one big lie and so is the promised power output. 

The receiver is still disappointing unless you live in the proverbial ‘middle of nowhere’. To make matters worse the GT-1 is more expensive than a Baofeng BF-666S / BF-777S / BF-888S."

He recommends getting a UV-5R or ANILE-8R instead. (His review of the AnyTone Tech ANILE-8R is here.)

SnapPower Charger

I've looked at face plates that have integrated USB ports, but the SnapPower Charger is different in that it requires no wiring.

Via Uncrate

NOAA Alerts

Speaking of NOAA alerts, this RadioShack SAME Weather Radio for $7.99 was getting a lot of praise on the 470 repeater the other day.

AnyTone Tech NSTIG-8R and Baofeng UV-5R Comparison

The Baofeng UV-5R is a very popular radio. I don't have any real data to prove this, but anecdotally it seems to be a favorite of new hams especially. AnyTone Tech is making the case for spending a little more to get the NSTIG-8R - which clearly has better features than the Baofeng UV-5R.

True Detective Season 2

True Detective starring Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch premieres 6/21.

Docker and Windows

I'd been looking at Docker and saw this Slashdot post about a Windows container technology. As I was reading the comments, it made me think of how we used to setup a new Windows 3.1 machine. Basically, we got the machine on the network (with a PE3 if we had to problems!) and copied all the folders down. Change a few config/ini files and it was ready to go. Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking this way.

Jellomizer says in this comment:

"The is to solve the problem is simple. Keep the apps self contained. No shared libraries or dll. To move the package you just move the directory containing the app to an other location. Some will say that is how Macs do it. But I would go further and say that is how it was done in DOS. 

The shared library is an out of date concept, while sounds good when storage was expensive, today we are virtualizing full platforms just to prevent version incomparably.
What may be a little bonus is to give application/process level networking settings so you can just virtual network your app from the OS"

Runbo Q5-S Android Phone/Radios

I saw in an e-mail from Grapevine Amateur Radio that they are selling the Runbo Q5-S (in UHF or VHF):

"Brand new. The Runbo Q5 S is the successor of the Runbo X5+. It comes with a Quad Core processor at 1.5 GHz and a better graphic processor. It has overall better performance than the X5+. As all Runbo products, it has been built with high quality materials allowing him to be the next starting line of Runbo models. 

The Runbo Q5 S has a resolution of 1280×720 and support multi-touch capacity. It features a powerful Gorilla Glass which is extremely resistant again scratches and impacts. Enjoy you photos and videos as you would on other popular smartphones with the great 4.5 Inch screen.

Runbo Q5 S is equipped with an RF connector so you can connect the delivered antenna to use it as a Walkie Talkie device; the actual version covers Very High Frequencies (VHF, 136-174 MHz)."

No More Cert Renewals

What a great way to save some money!

How not to deal with an expired SSL Certificate http://t.co/h5U9qWm8PT pic.twitter.com/FehGNvQsF8
— SERVERTASTIC (@servertastic) April 9, 2015

AnyTone Tech: TERMN-8R NOAA Alerts

I can confirm the NOAA alerts work on the TERMN-8R. I was getting my e-mail warnings (like the one at the bottom of this post), so I thought I would listen to the SkyWarn 940 Net when I remembered to turn on the NOAA alerts.




From: CWA@mail12.knoxcounty.smartmsg.com

Subject: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 845 PM EDT
FOR KNOX...EAST CENTRAL ROANE...NORTHEASTERN LOUDON AND SOUTHEASTERN
ANDERSON COUNTIES...
AT 808 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR OAK RIDGE...
MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
HAZARD...QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 60 MPH WIND GUSTS.
SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED.
IMPACT...HAIL DAMAGE TO VEHICLES IS EXPECTED. EXPECT WIND DAMAGE TO
ROOFS...SIDING AND TREES.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
KNOXVILLE...OAK RIDGE...CLINTON...LENOIR CITY...ALCOA...FARRAGUT...
LOUISVILLE...HALLS...KARNS...BEARDEN...LAKE FOREST AND POWELL.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT FOR CENTRAL
TENNESSEE.
...POSSIBLE
HAIL...1.00IN
WIND...60MPH

Vero Telecom (VGC) VR-6600PRO: Scan Speed

Thanks to BuyTwoWayRadios for loaning me the Vero Telecom (VGC) VR-6600PRO. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to play with it - work, life, etc. But here is a video demonstrating the scan speed. There are just a few channels programmed in, but you can get a sense of the scan speed.

AnyTone Tech TERMN-8R: KG7NXH Review

KG7NXH: "This is probably the best Chinese dual band walkie talkie out there."

Ham Radio Badges

Badges? We don't need no stinkin badges. I'm not sure if this is better or worse than the concealed carry badge.

Now light bars for our vehicles and uniforms - we need those.

Blackbox (Baofeng) Base Station

A little something via Facebook to spice up your morning...

I saw thumbnail of that image first. I thought it was an Atari joystick.

BuyTwoWayRadios: How to Pronounce Baofeng

Another mystery solved... BuyTwoWayRadios: How to Pronounce Baofeng. And, yeah, I've been doing it wrong for years.

Game of Thrones - All 5 Books for $24 (Paperback)

Just ahead of the season six start...

Once upon a time, you could get all five Game of Thrones (Kindle) books for $10. (Currently, $20 for the Kindle versions.)

If you prefer the dead tree version, you can get the paperbacks for about $24.

Bunnie Related Tweets

Nothing to do with Easter...

Check out my article in @IEEESpectrum The Death of Moore's Law Will Spur Innovation http://t.co/ZOHYZi0mS9 #OSH4ever #MooreAt50
— bunnie (@bunniestudios) April 1, 2015

"For example, throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium, programmers were encouraged to abandon hand-optimized assembly language in favor of cramming in more features using ever higher-level languages. Snappy performance, if it wasn’t there on release day, would come soon enough with the next generation of CPUs."

chumby was a former project of Bunnie's. I have a chumby One and used it for awhile, but it was never the smart desk clock on steroids that I thought it would be.

C3 prototypes pic.twitter.com/UPd3tZZnxP
— chumby (@chumby) April 1, 2015

CHIRP: TERMN-8R and OBLTR-8R Support

Per the AnyTone Tech web page, CHIRP now has basic channel editing support for both the TERMN-8R and OBLTR-8R. I'm sure there will be more to come.

More Changes for Ten-Tec

Copied from the Ten-Tec home page:

Press Release

(April 2, 2015) RKR Designs, LLC of Longmont Colorado has announced that they have acquired the assets of Alpha Amplifier and TEN-TEC brands from RF Concepts. RKR plans to expand the product line, while continuing to service their customers that have enjoyed their products over the years.

The principals of RKR Designs are Richard Gall, Ken Long and Rich Danielson (Gall and Danielson of QSC Systems, Longmont, Colorado have been a successful contract manufacturer, for over 20 years). Ken Long, N0QO has over 20 years in the electronics and amateur radio industry. Long will be President and CEO of the new company. QSC has been building Alpha amplifiers for over 5 years. They have also been building boards for TEN-TEC since their purchase by RF Concepts last year. Mr. Long said “QSC has always been a fantastic contract manufacturer, and has the expertise and knowledge that will allow us to bring down costs, while increasing quality and reducing manufacturing times.”

When asked for comment, Michael Seedman, AA6DY said “I can’t think of a more capable group of people to take over the 45 year Alpha Amplifier/TEN-TEC legacy. Ken Long has been involved with the industry for years, and has a great feeling for products and operations. He has the manufacturing and engineering resources available to deliver quality products that our customers demand”. Mr. Seedman went on to say “Alpha and TEN-TEC have always had a warm spot in my heart, and I am thrilled that RKR Designs will be able to continue the operations of the business. I wish them the best”.

Ken, Richard and Rich have been working very close over the past several years and feel that this new relationship will benefit the company and customers moving forward. This closer relationship to the contract manufacturer will allow a more consistent process and delivery of quality products along with significant cost benefits.

RKR Designs LLC is privately held, and terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Panera WiFi

Wow, it is bad today. (So bad I couldn't even finish this post while there.)

They must be forcing Dial-up Mode.

Yesterday - Slashdot

These stories gave me deja vu all over again.

V'Ger Source Code Released

Scientists Discover Meaning of Life Through Massive Computing Project

If You Thought Studying History Was Bad, This Math Professor Is Making It Harder

If you don't know the references, turn in your geek card then check out V'Ger, 42, and Foundation.

Yesterday

"I remember the time when you knew which radio was better because it weighed more. Nowadays all radios are light, because they all have computers inside and nothing more."

Evernote Jot Script 2

Still on my quest for the perfect stylus... I'm anxious to see some reviews on the second version of the Jot Script.