Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Baofeng UV-3R: +Plus Video

Another video from the 409Shop about the UV-3R+ Plus. My takeaways... the Kenwood style plug looks really bulky on the still small radio and you can charge a battery independent of the radio in the drop-in charger.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Ham Radio Deluxe Business Plan

When the new owners bought Ham Radio Deluxe, I did not expect them to get rich through licensing or support fees. However, I did not count on other revenue streams like the HRD branded Cafe Press clothing, mugs, etc. I am sure hams everywhere will be ordering the Women's Boy Brief in Fuchsia/Pink for $18.19!



Monday, February 20, 2012

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Changing World

For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage:
"One group still largely resists the trend: college graduates, who overwhelmingly marry before having children. That is turning family structure into a new class divide, with the economic and social rewards of marriage increasingly reserved for people with the most education."
The drivers for skipping marriage... Selfishness? Independence? I'm not a proponent of loveless marriages, but this is still disturbing to me.

Baofeng UV-3R: PA2OLD

PA2OLD from the Netherlands has a plethora of information regarding the UV-3R. His posts are a mix of English and Dutch. Also, check out the pics of his shack while you are there. Impressive!

Baofeng UV-5R: Dual Band?

If this picture is accurate, then the UV-5R is a dual-bander instead of a single band radio like the TYT TH-F8.




Image courtesy of OH6HGN who posted about the UV-5R several days ago.

Also, a hat tip to Nate who pointed out the OH6HGN web page.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: New Baofeng Model

Chris (NH7QH) at Hawaii Radio Sales sent me the following about the new Baofeng UV-5R. (On a side note, Chris is now also selling ham equipment via eBay.)
"Just got this email - looks like it is a TYT TH-F8 - same marks and all mono band, already FCC approved since a TYT."
He also included a couple of pictures - see below. The styling looks more like the UV-3R +. Other obvious features are the charging connectors on the battery pack (so a drop in charger) and the keypad. I am not as familiar with the TYT radios, but it looks like Baofeng is willing to leverage the success of the UV-3R to build its brand by buying radios from multiple companies (Vero Telecom and now TYT). This model also more directly competes with the Wouxun. (I felt like the UV-3R was more of niche radio than a direct replacement for the Wouxun's.) These Chinese radios are keeping it interesting for sure. Maybe Baofeng needs to rebrand a mobile and steal the thunder from the much anticipated KG-UV920R.

Pricing on the TYT TH-F8 is around $50 to $75 on ebay. Here are the specs for the TH-F8.

 Single band, dual display, dual standby
■  A/B band independent operation
■  128 groups channels storage
■  FM radio and 25 stations storage
■  Wide/Narrow Band(25kHz/12.5kHz)
■  0~9 grades VOX selectable
■  Chinese/English voice prompt
■  CTCSS/DCS and scanning
■  1750Hz tone
■  PTT & ANI ID
■  Priority transmit selectable
■  0~9 grades squelch level setting
■  LED display mode
■  Keypad beeper setting
■  Transmit over beeper
■  Dual watch/monitor
■  Receive saving function
■  Auto keypad lock
■  Power-on display
■  Battery power voltage
■  Power-on message
■  Repeater offset function
■  Channel name display and setting
■  Reapter shift direction
■  VFO step function
■  Shortcut menu operation mode
■  Emergency Alarm
■  DTMF encoder & decoder(optional)
■  8 groups scrambler(optional)
■  2/5 tone encoder & decoder(optional )
■  Remote skill/stun/activate(optional)
■  High/Low TX power selectable
■  Busy channel lock-out(BCLO)
■  Transmitter time-out timer(TOT)
■  Voice companding
■  Tri-color background light selectable
■  PC programmable
■  Wire clone

Friday, February 17, 2012

Harsh

wesrucker247 This picture has made me laugh for ... oh ... about seven years and counting: yfrog.com/oen3qkpjFri, Feb 17 01:41:31 from TweetDeck

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Baofeng UV-3R: Tasteful Colors

Looks like Baofeng took a page out of an old playbook with their colors.

Realistic Flavoradio:


Image courtesy of RetroThing


Git 'R Done Camo Green, Police Blue, Fire Engine Red, Submarine Yellow, andTactical Black
Image courtesy of me



That makes cents

Hallerin It costs 2.4 cents to make a penny. 11.2 cents to make a nickel. Any wonder we have a near 2T deficit. No wonder we can't make a dime!Thu, Feb 16 06:22:07 from web