409Shop

The 409Shop has been a mainstay for Chinese radios, but they keep expanding their offerings.

Electronic parts...

Camera Accessories...

 Car Accessories...

 Travel Products...

Bicycle Parts...

Fishing Supplies... (Wait. What?)

Baofeng UV-82: Charging Problem

Hans had a problem charging his new UV-82 battery. He took apart the charger and thinks he found the problem. I think if he looks more closely at the battery, he will see he just wasn't patient enough.

Leixen VV-808: English Manual

Leixen sent me the English version of the VV-808 Manual.

It is available via Scribd or directly from Leixen on the product page under Downloads.

Leixen VV-808 User Manual

Weierwei VEV-789 and VEV-889

Nate is on the prowl again and found the Weierwei mobiles. At $204 USD, they are a lot more expensive than the VV-808, but they are 60W and 50W.

VEV-789 - 60W VHF (136 - 174 MHz)
VEV-889 - 50W UHF (400 - 480 MHz)

Sample specs of the VEV-789 below.

SINGLE BAND MOBILE RIG

Frequency Range:
(VHF) 136 - 174 Mhz

Channel Step:-
5 / 6.25 / 10 / 12.5 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 50 / 100 KHz

Transmitting Method:-
F3E (FM)

Antenna Impedance: 50 Ohm ( Imbalance )

Frequency Stability:- ( -2.5ppm)

Power Supply:- 13.8DVC -15%

Current:-
RECEIVE (at 2 W output / 1.0 A)
TRANSMIT (MAX = 14A or less)

Dimensions:- 173 x 141 x 41 mm

Weight:- 1.2KG

Power Output:- 5 / 15 / 25/ 40 / 60

Audio Output:- 2 W or higher
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MAIN FUNCTIONS:-

- Easy Control & Select all Functions by MENU
- 200 Memory Channels, Call Channels
- Many kinds of scanning MODE
- Compose simple repeater
- Full Dot-matrix LCD Display
- Background color adjustable
- Dual watch display & Dual watch stand-by
- Microphone function keys programmable
- Scrambler function
- Speech companding
- CTCSS / DCS / 2 Tone
- Ani Function
- DTMF Function
- PC programmable
- Shared Frequency , Pilot Frequency / Offset Frequency
- Wide Band & Narrow Band
- Auto Power Off


Each package contain:
1x  VEV-789 (VHF)
1x  speaker Mic
1x Mobile Mounting Bracket
1X DC-Power Cord
1X English manual
1X Warranty Card

Zastone MP900

If you don't want a Baojie BJ-9900, you could try the Zastone MP900. I'm sure it is totally, completely, absolutely 100% different - or not.

Thanks to Nate for the link.

Made in the USA

You got your box. I got mine - a lower parts kit and 10 more magazines. So I officially can only load half of my magazines - for rifles that aren't even fully built yet. Doh.

Bunnie Interview on CSDN.net

Makers, fixers, open-source hardware, technology and more... some quotes below from Bunnie's interview with "CSDN.net, which stands for 'China Software Developer Network', or more colloquially, “Programmer Magazine.'"

It all starts with radio... of course, that is how I read it...

"In 1960, for all practical purposes there was only hardware, and it was all open. When you bought a transistor radio, it had its schematic printed in the back. If it broke, you had to fix it yourself. It was popular to buy kits to make your own radios."

Of course, you might break a few things along the way to becoming a magician...

"The Maker movement, I think, is less about developing products, and more about developing people. It’s about helping people realize that technology is something man-made, and because of this, every person has the power to control it: it just takes some knowledge. There is no magic in technology. Another way to look at it is, we can all be magicians with a little training."

And the company shouldn't have to meet any warranty obligations if a user breaks the hardware...

"I believe users should “own” their hardware, and “owning” means having the right to modify, change, etc. including root access rights. If the company has a concern about users being unsafe, then it’s easy enough to include an “opt-out” where users can simply select an electronic waiver form, and give up their support and warranty right to gain access to their own machine. Most people who care to root their machine are already smarter than the phone support they would be calling inside the company, so anyways it’s not a problem."

Three Wolves T-Shirt

Read the reviews... I bet you have to get one.

Baofeng UV-82: Battery

And the envelop please... the battery is 1800 mAh.

A Too Common Mistake

9mm in a .40.

Sounds familiar.

As I write this I'm watching Breaking Bad on Netflix and a character is talking about his Glock 22. What timing.