Vitai VC-9900R

Also from the looks familiar files... VITAI VC-9900R High Performance HF/VHF/UHF Radio Transceiver:

Main Function:

• Quad-band operating frequency: 29/50/144/430MHz
• V + U/V + V/U + U dual-band operating
• AM mode for aeronautical band (108-118MHz)
• 809 Memory Channels
• Wide/Narrow Bandwidth Selective (25/12.5kHz)
• CTCSS encode/decode
• DCS encode/decode
• Cross-band repeat
• COMP function
• DTMF-ANI/5 Tone-ANI function
• 2/5 tones
• Automatic power-off
• Display brightness setting
• Hyper memory (store complete radio configuration)
• Built-in scrambler
• Compare this one with FT-8900R

Specification:

Model: VC-9900R
Type: Amateur HF/VHF/UHF Transceiver

Frequency Range
TX: 28.0-29.7/50-54/144-146/430-440MHz (Europe)
    28.0-29.7/50-54/144-148/430-450MHz (USA)
 
RX: 28.0-29.7/50-54/108-180/320-480MHz

Channel Spacing
5/10/12.5/15/20/25/50KHz steps

Working Mode
TX: FM/NFM
RX: AM/FM/NFM

Memory Channel
809

RF Output Power
Hi: 50/50/50/35W
Mid1: 20/20/20/20W
Mid2: 10/10/10/10W
Lo: 5/5/5/5W

Receiver System
double conversion super-heterodyne
1st IF
46.05 MHz (left band), 47.25MHz (right band)
2nd IF
450kHz

Sensitivity
<0 .2uv="" db="" p="" sinad="">FM: 12kHz (-6dB), 30kHz (-60dB)

Image rejection
N/A

Voltage
13.8V DC

Current drain
RX: 500mA (squelched)
TX: 8.5A (maximum)

Impedance
50Ω SO-239

Dimensions (W x H x D)
140 x 42 x 168mm
Weight
1kg

Manufactured
China, 2012 - 201x

Vero Telecom: 2014 (?) Catalog

Vero Telecom published a link to their 2014 (?) catalog (PDF). Several of the radios will look familiar I think. A sampling follows...

PortableSDR: Hackaday Prize Finalist

The PortableSDR project is one of five finalist for the Hackaday prize.

Thanks to HC for the note about this.

Happy Singles Day

In honor of Singles Day, buy a Chinese radio from Amazon.

ARRL Ham Radio License Manual - Kindle Edition

The ARRL has announced that it is making the The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual ($19.95) in the Kindle format. I used an older edition of this book for passing my tech.



Via Jeff Davis

Bike Ride

Not your average bike ride..


Apologies to whoever posted the link that got to me - I lost track of whoever did.

Cost

I just posted about the Raspberry Pi A+ and the last quote was about how much the A+ cost in terms of Starbucks coffee. I've used the same metric for thinking about buying an app on my phone. My stream of consciousness led me to the latte factor next. Which then got me thinking and I realized the Starbucks comparison does not include a key factor - time.

I'm cheap, so the following may not surprise anyone... I'm going to start thinking about the Starbucks comparison this way - using a few assumptions:

A cup of Starbucks is $4.
My average annual rate of return over the long term is 6%.
I have twenty years until I retire.

That means the Raspberry Pi A+ that is "the cost of 4 Starbucks coffees" with my calculations will cost: $52.

Efficiency

Perfection is the enemy of good. Also, there is such a thing as good enough.

Raspberry Pi A+

So they released the Raspberry Pi B+ recently and now the A+ is coming:

“It’s easy for people to look at the Model A and think it’s just a cheaper variant of the B. When they look at it like that they might as well just go for the deluxe model since it’s only an extra $10,” explains Upton. “I feel like some people missed out on why the lower-power model like the Model A can make sense. If you’re building something with robotics, or essentially any project that doesn’t need Ethernet networking, it’s a great fit.” 

Eben also thinks it would make a mockery of the original $25 computer promise if they didn’t continue with the Model A: “It’s also really important to us because it’s our flagship product. It was our original stake in the ground and where it all started.”

The article continues:

“It gives people a really low-cost way to come and play with Linux and it gives people a low-cost way to get a Raspberry Pi. We still think most people are still going to buy B+s, but it gives people a way to come and join in for the cost of 4 Starbucks coffees.” 

Refurb Amazon Kindle Paperwhite - $79

I'm tempted... Refurb Amazon Kindle Paperwhite for $79.