Part 95 Updates - Follow @2wayradios

We will tweet live updates of the Part 95 reform item during the FCC open commission meeting tomorrow #@mygmrs @radioreference #outdoors

— BuyTwoWayRadios.com (@2wayradios) May 17, 2017

I don't know about that...

Hysterical... Amazon Echo Silver by SNL.

By the way, I got my Echo Dot to control my Honeywell thermostats. Pretty cool to ask her what the temperature is upstairs or down and get her to make the changes. I'm surprised how frequently I find the voice control to be handy. (I have CarPlay and really like using Siri to make calls and read or send messages.)

Via @Scott_WZ0W

Xiaomi MiJia HT

It lives!

The firmware in Chinese isn't so friendly, but I finally had @xiaomi #Mijia work on #hamradio repeaters. And it does fine! #hamr #vhf #uhf pic.twitter.com/Ug8ahqxclY

— Christian Diemoz (@Chris_Diemoz) May 7, 2017

Ham Licenses

Ham licenses chart.

Up: Extra
This is a high water mark for the Extra class license.

Down: Overall, Advanced, General, Technician, and Novice
Advanced and Novice will only go down since no new licenses are being issued for these classes.

Month	Extra	Advanced	General	Technician	Novice	ARS Total
Apr-17	143,835	43,842	172,747	373,169	9,558	743,151
Mar-17	143,739	44,117	172,793	373,487	9,670	743,806
Feb-17	143,379	44,392	172,558	372,436	9,753	742,518
Jan-17	143,358	44,732	172,682	371,998	9,882	742,652
Dec-16	143,337	45,071	172,807	371,560	10,012	742,787

Part 95 Changes - FRS and GMRS

Good summary of the FRS and GMRS Part 95 changes.

Or listen to the BuyTwoWayRadios.com podcast to hear the discussion.

TYT MD-380: $79

Wow.

$79 plus free shipping for a TYT MD-380.

Sounds too good to be true.

Fantastic Combo

Via GunFreeZone.net

Princess Leia shared "Death Star Plans" with you

I've also thought that 99% of the plot driving problems from Seinfeld would be eliminated if they had mobile phones.

They should've used Dropbox. #MayThe4th

— Dropbox (@Dropbox) May 4, 2017

Xiaomi MiJia HT

Following...

Just received #XiaoMi walkie-talkie. A couple pics from unboxing and activations. More, including app and 1st #QSO, later. #hamr #hamradio pic.twitter.com/JIIenvEVrL

— Christian Diemoz (@Chris_Diemoz) May 2, 2017

Kindle Device Deals for Prime Members

My eyes are bothering me and I don't know if I'm finally to the point where I need readers or if it's just the start of allergy season. I've been reading a lot of books on the Kindle app on my iPhone, so I thought that might not be helping. I dug out my old Kindle Touch and after a good charge and some gyrations, it came back to life after being in a drawer for months. When I didn't think it was going to boot, I though the deal on Kindle devices might have been a sign. I'm still tempted since I'm sure they are much easier on the eyes.

For Prime members:

Kindle - $49.99 (instead of $79.99)
Kindle Paperwhite - $89.99 (instead of $119.99)
Kindle Voyage - $149.99 (instead of $199.99)

If you don't want a Kindle, you can get a refurbished Amazon Fire HD 6 Tablet for $35. That's like disposable Chinese radio prices!