More Hams

More Extras and Techs than ever. More hams total than ever. General licenses high water mark was in December 2015.

Total Amateur Radio Station Licenses

Giant Meteor 2016

Finally an election bumper sticker I can support pic.twitter.com/S1Jszfr28b

— RayDavidson (@RayDavidson) May 29, 2016

Baofeng BF-T1 and MINI-1

Baofeng BF-T1 and MINI-1 (400 to 420 MHz):

New Baofeng mini-one: two way radio and mobile car radio. It is mini simple economical and convenient .This item is suitable for short distance communication. It is very suitable for road trips.

Features:

• Mini size /easy operation
• Max 20 saving channels
• Power output 15W
• Dual standby
• Dual call
• Easy repeater access, twice communication range
• Automatically synchronize vehicle and handheld radios
• Offline communication or emergency call between vehicle radio and handheld radio
• OUTPUT DC 5V,easy to access car EDR and mobile device

Two Way Radio
Brand name	Baofeng
Model	BF-T1
Frequency	UHF400-420MHz
Output Power	≤2W
Memory Channel	20
Battery Voltage	3.7V
Battery Capacity	1000mAh
LCD Display	Yes
VOX Function	Yes
Time Out Timer	Yes
Scan	Yes
Squelch Level	Yes
FM Radio	Yes
Built-in LED Torch	Yes
Chinese and English Voice Prompt	Yes
Dual Standby	Yes
Dual Call	Yes
Emergency Alarm Function	Yes
Power Saving Function	Yes
PC Software Programmable	Yes
Monitor	Yes
Wide/narrow band selection	Yes
Regularly Reminded	Yes
Busy Channel Lockout	Yes
Tail Elimination	Yes
Weight	102g(3.6oz)(Including battery and clip)
Size	10.5 x 5.5 x 2cm(4.13 x 2.17 x 0.79in)
MINI Mobile car radio
Brand name	Baofeng
Model	MINI-1
Frequency	UHF400-420MHz
RF power output	≤15W
Memory Channel	20
DC in (cigarette lighter interface)	DC-13.8V
External dc power supply	>2A
DC out	5V
CTCSS/CDCSS function	50CTCSS/104CDCSS
Dual standby	Yes
Dual call	Yes
Emergency alarm function	Yes
DC out (5V)	Yes
Relay connector	Yes
Connect earpiece/speaker mic	Yes
Connect mini-1 two way radio	Yes
Weight	370g(13.05oz)
Size	12.8 x 10 x 2.6cm(5.04 x 3.94 x 1.02in)

    

---

Package Includes

• 1 x MINI mobile radio
• 1 x Antenna magnetic base and Coaxial cable
• 1 x Mobile antenna
• 1 x Mounting bracket
• 1 x Cable (connect two way radio)
• 1 x Speaker Mic
• 1 x One pack of screw and accessories
• 2 x Power line2 x MINI two way radio
• 2 x Rechargeable battery
• 2 x Earpieces
• 2 x USB cable
• 2 x Belt clip
• 2 x Sling

Via /r/amateurradio/

Drone vs. Spear

Don't discount the old ways.

This feels so right.

"Middle Ages Reenactor Spears Drone Out Of The Sky" https://t.co/GJjVitjgvR pic.twitter.com/Gka7KdhYlY

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) May 16, 2016

Deputy Associate Chancellor of Academic Technology of the Committee on Strategic Dining Affairs

A follow-up to my post yesterday about spending... university title generator. I think I should apply for Deputy Dean of the Committee on Athletic Technology.

@iowahawkblog Don't know if you saw this https://t.co/6CyJRGkxlE Suggests a salary, too!

— HAL 10000 (@Hal_RTFLC) May 21, 2016

Where the Money Goes

I met a friend in DC a few years back. He worked for the Bureau of Land Management and was apologetically telling me his title as it was something like this:

Why is #CollegeTuitionSoHigh? Ask the Office of the Assistant Deputy Associate Vice Provost for Providing Information About Tuition Hikes

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 21, 2016

Wouxun KG-UV8E: Tri-band HT

BuyTwoWayRadios has the Wouxun KG-UV8E tri-band HT:

"The KG-UV8E is based on the very popular Wouxun KG-UV8D, the dual band portable handheld radio best known for its large color display, cross band repeat capability and true simultaneous two band reception, all at a very low price point. At the moment of its introduction in 2014, the KG-UV8D was an instant hit, and it is still the handheld of choice among many hams today.

However, the 2 meter and 70cm bands are becoming crowded, and many hams are moving to the 1.25 meter band for some breathing room. The problem? There aren't a lot of 1.25 meter radios out there, and the ones that are available tend to swap the beloved 2 meter band for it. This means amateurs had to choose between a dual bander with either 1.25m VHF and UHF, or 2m VHF and UHF. If you used a handheld for both, you either had to carry two dual band radios, or give up a VHF band altogether.

The solution? Wouxun created a portable handheld that includes all three. It's the KG-UV8E, and it's available now from Buy Two Way Radios!"

In short:

"The Wouxun KG-UV8E has all the same features of the KG-UV8D along with the feature upgrades of theKG-UV8D Plus. In fact, for all intents and purposes, it is a UV8D Plus, with the addition of one extra band for full transmit and receive on 1.25 meters from 222Mhz to 225Mhz."

You can pick one up for $139.99.

Full spec sheet is here (PDF).

Hytera RD965 - Tactical DMR Repeater Project

Hytera RD965 - Tactical DMR Repeater Project:

In testing UHF DMR in simplex mode, I found on typical terrain or on road convoys, the DMR radios gave us approx 2-3x the distance and had many fewer coverage holes in a given set of terrain. Another anecdote, from the basement of my house in Fort Collins, I can hit the Boulder area DMR-MARC repeater, using a HT, in DMR mode. This is pretty amazing considering the distance and stuff in the way. On analog UHF, I am lucky to hit the local Fort Collins (Horsetooth) repeater from the exact same position.

Only problem, the DMR repeaters Kent deals with are fixed position enterprise-level units, and the "manpack" repeaters he builds are typically built around ultra low power VHF/UHF. So I did a bunch of research online and found the Hytera RD965 repeater. It's small, a little larger than an old Hayes Courier HST modem. The downside compared to the other manpack repeaters was going to be its power requirements. I said that I didn't mind if we needed to have more batteries or solar panels, so we just went ahead with the project.

The idea is that we ID the best mountain-top position for the repeater to give maximal coverage of the event area, drive/hike it up there, and then leave it there for about to two weeks, until we're done with the site. The repeater is to run autonomously during that time.

Click the link for the full details (including pics) of the solution.

Hamvention Exhibit Hall in Pictures

Pictures here.

Israel’s New Terminator Bot: The DOGO

It will be back:


Via SaysUncle