Batman Begins with a Glove

We all thought it was the belt that made him so effective, but if he had a crime fighting armored glove* he wouldn't have needed Robin or Batgirl.

* U.S. Department of Justice Tested and Kevin Costner Approved!


Via MJM

Revolver Etiquette

As a newbie, I don't really appreciate their other "Gun Gripe" videos. When I go into the gun store, I know I am ignorant about lots of things (and being self/internet educated my teachers aren't always the best) when it comes to guns, but I hate being treated like an idiot. And I am sure they get lots of jerks and/or idiots darkening their doors.

However, I really liked this video. I bet I've fired revolvers less than 25 times, so this video did help me learn something.

Baofeng UV-3R: Second Harmonic Issue

December's QST has a Technical Correspondence (Boafeng UV-3R 2M/70cm Handheld Transceiver) article about the second harmonic issue in the Baofeng UV-3R. Bob Allison, WB1GCM (ARRL Lab Test Engineer), used an HP-8563E spectrum analyzer to determine if the radio meets the standards of FCC Part 97 for spurious transmissions. Bob finds that the radio (two units tested) failed to meet the standards and that "to legally transmit with these radios in the 2 m band, you would have to add a second harmonic low-pass filter at the antenna jack."

First, if you don't understand the basics of a spurious transmission on the harmonic, Steve (K9DCI) provides a good analogy on the of UV-3R Yahoo Group discussion on this topic:

"Spurious signals are more like driving with a 10 foot long beam sticking out the side of the car. As long as you drive on desert roads, you can relax because you "probably" won't whack any hitchhikers in the back of the head."

Some time ago, I had noted the spurious emission problem and posted a link to the mod to fix it on my UV-3R page. And I had thought the issue might have been fixed in newly manufactured radios, since the UV-3R had gotten FCC Type 90 Acceptance. For a major information dump on the topic, I would start with this UV-3R Yahoo Group post - also from Steve (K9DCI). Grant, ZL2BK, documents the magnitude of the problem at various frequencies. Basically, the filtering is better as frequency increases.

It is the issue that will not die on the UV-3R Yahoo Group:

• The original discussion
• The new discussion prompted by the QST article
• And the Mark II?
• And the Mark II again
• How big of an issue is this really?

As you can see in the above links, it does not appear that the issue was resolved in the Mark II. Some speculate that it is a quality control issue, but I am more inclined to think it is a limitation built into the design/components of the UV-3R. G4TUP suggests that Vero Telecom (and the various resellers) do not care as they designed the radio for the commercial market and, at the higher frequencies, it works within the standards. To keep the waters muddied, Bob (GM4CID) reports that Vero Telecom claims to have fixed the issue. And Andy (G0FTD) found that hisYaesu VX7R is worse than an unmodded UV-3R.

Here is the link to the low-pass filter mod that shows you how to add a 0805 size 33pF capacitor to reduce the emissions on the second harmonic.

Oh, and because I am apparently a sadist, here is a follow-up link where the same mod was performed and the results were less successful.

Misunderstood - Fear the Pants

Josh_Ward Has Tennessee's "Fear the Pants" slogan been directed at its own fan base?Sat, Nov 26 15:41:00 from TweetDeck

I can't believe we lost to Kentucky.

Dude, you are a barista

"I could never get a Samsung. I'm creative."
"Dude, you are a barista."



Via Business Insider

Soldiers' Angels

My Sunday school class participated in a project to fill Christmas stockings and send them to soldiers who cannot be home for the holidays.

Linoge has started a similar fundraiser to support Soldiers' Angels. Beyond the warm fuzzy feeling you will get for helping out, he has a few incentives (the latest Stephen Hunter novel, some East TN MHI patches, and maybe more) to giveaway for those that participate.

Cruise on over to his site and get all the details - HERE!

I put my money where my mouth is and I'm pitching in.

4.74 Degrees of Separation

It doesn't roll off the tongue like six degrees, but apparently it is only 4.74 degrees of separation today.

The Pepper Spray Meme

Right Tool at the Right Time or as I like to call it: OPTIONS. Like this one.

And while we are on the subject...

Black Friday Shoppers Pepper Sprayed

aurich This one is for Megyn "Pepper Spray Is A Food Product" Kelly – What pepper spray does to your body: gizmodo.com/5861773/what-p…Tue, Nov 22 11:58:02 from Twitter for Mac retweeted by sarahcuda

WIREDInsider The Pepper Spray Meme is...spicy: dld.bz/a2t89Tue, Nov 22 10:28:48 from SocialOomph

darthvader I see you have purchased your own pepper spray. Indeed you are powerful as the Emperor has foreseen.Tue, Nov 22 23:15:17 from Twitterrific retweeted by sarahcuda

Kindle Fire - Rooted and Source Code

Let the hacking begin!

Learning about Cuonzo

wesrucker247 Vols-Duke getting a bit chippy. Cuonzo won't mind that. His motto: "Gentlemen off the court, warriors on the wood."Tue, Nov 21 from TweetDeck