Nuance for Novelty

I was listening to the Freakonomics podcast on "grit" and this really struck a chord with me:

"But I will say this: it is human nature to get bored of things and to seek the novel. And I think that one of the skills that one must develop in life, if one cares not to be a dilettante, if it’s a goal of yours to become expert in something, one of the skills is to learn to substitute nuance for novelty."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my dearest. I look forward to working you tonight. #hamentine

— Ham Hijinks (@HamHijinks) February 14, 2017

Xiegu X5105: Updates

Some updates on the Xiegu X5105 HF rig at hamradioreviews.eu including images and videos:

Stupid But Constitutional

@Popehat Actual Scalia stamp: pic.twitter.com/AqOTDt525U

— Charlie Eastaugh (@inapposite) February 3, 2017

Via odverlawyered.com

Dragon Magazine

I saw this post at the Ace of Spades and it reminded me of my younger days reading Dragon Magazine.

And, of course, I had to Google "Dragon Magazine" and I found this site, rpg.net which has all the covers and details of each issue. It is unreal the information they've cataloged there for each issue.

What Could Go Wrong?

Can't help but feel we're playing with fire here. pic.twitter.com/dqbYSmwLkx

— Niall Gooch (@niall_gooch) December 19, 2016

I may have posted this earlier - that's what happens when you get so far behind.

TID TD-9800 DMR HT: Miklor Review

Miklor reviews the TID TD-9800 Tier 2 DMR HT.

Needs Another Stamp

Not me personally, but have you heard the 500-mile email problem? https://t.co/dHHPqjQffR https://t.co/qkfkKu7Djo

— Andrei Badea (@0xabadea) January 20, 2017

Novice License Coming Back?

ARRL Seeks Opinions Concerning Possible New Entry Level License:

"An Entry Level License Committee was established by the ARRL Board of Directors and appointed in September 2016. As part of its ongoing work, the committee is gathering member input and will make recommendations to the Board for possible rules changes to submit to the FCC. 

The result could mean changes to the Technician license, but it could also be an additional, but simpler, license with privileges that would give a newcomer a taste of most facets of ham radio from HF to VHF and UHF. 

The committee has created an online member survey. Please complete and submit the survey no later than April 7, 2017. Survey results will be published."

Via W2LJ

Baofeng Tech UV-5X3: KD8DVR Review

John, KD8DVR, reviews the BTECH UV-5X3 HT. Read the whole thing at the link, but to cut to the chase:

"All in all, a great radio.  Most of the issues have been resolved that plague Baofengs.  All I'd improve, I covered in the "sucky stuff" section.  None of that is really a deal breaker.  The lack of an FCC ID makes me a little hinky; but, hopefully this will be resolved.Personally, I recommend the radio.  It is a great way to get three band capability at a budget cost.  You add this to their level of customer service and wow.... perfect combination!BTECH made a winner."

Get one at Amazon or the BTECH website.