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