Go Vols

I know most people don't follow this blog to learn about my football interests, but this tweet was too good to resist. (It means more if you know the Vols had lost the last 11 games to Florida and were down 3-21 at the half.)

This is literally me watching Tennessee beat Florida pic.twitter.com/uODkFx2AHp

— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) September 29, 2016

FEIDA M2 FE-768: Mini HT

I assume the Feida FE-768 ($25.50) is the tiny HT that the 409Shop teased on Twitter a while back. It looks like an iPhone charger in the second picture. It would be nice if they actually listed the frequencies it used - because they aren't listed as of this post.

Baofeng DM-5R: Tier II Upgrade Option

After being given some choices by Radioddity, Peter chose to get the Tier II version of the DM-5R:

"Dear Customer,

Thank you for your reply. We'll then transfer your order to a DM-5R with upgraded software Tier II (no additional price). And we'll ship your radio once we get it in stock (probably in late October). Thank you again for your patience.

If you have other questions, pls feel free to contact support@radioddity.com :)
Sincerely,
Radioddity"

Interesting that they mention "upgraded software."

Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Yuck. The Start Menu is a step backwards. I kept all my files handy via the recently used and pinned (by app) lists. They've made that much uglier.

I had horrible performance post install for quite a while - the disk was thrashing. I suspect some indexing or updates were still happening. It finally went back to normal.

It's jacked up the colors I'd set on the personalization scheme - in particular on the lock screen.

Outlook is doing weird things after the update as well. It won't let me click and drag messages to folders. (A work-around for this is to press the Escape key and then you can move the message.) It keeps resetting the view as well.

At this point, I see no reason to actually apply the updates to my other machines. Hopefully some of this will get sorted out in the coming days before they force the update on me.

Baofeng DM-5R: Radioddity Pre-Orders E-mail

I get e-mail notifications of comments and one hit my inbox regarding the DM-5R. The actual comment didn't get published - I don't know if the commenter decided to delete it or what. The comment included the text from a Radioddity e-mail regarding DM-5R pre-orders. Can anyone that ordered a DM-5R confirm they got this?

"Dear Customer,

We have an update for you on the status of the BaoFeng DM-5R. 

Your DM-5R is ready to be shipped. We are confident you will enjoy the crisp, clear sound of the DM-5R. The DM-5R comes out of the box supporting only MOTOTRBO Tier I. 

Thanks to the help of our Radioddity Review Team, we have found a bug in the software that makes updating the radio to Tier II inherently risky. If upgraded incorrectly, the user faces the possibility of disabling the radio, which would then need to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair. Radioddity does not suggest that you upgrade your DM-5R to Tier II manually. Manual upgrading should be done only by professionals. 

We are working to fix this. We will re-release the DM-5R in one month’s time with a system update. This re-release will have Tier II standard.  

Here are your options: 

Maintain your order status, receive the DM-5R with the current software in the next 5-10 days. 

Transfer your order to a DM-5R with upgraded software, for no additional price. Receive your radio October 20-30th. 

Cancel your order, receive a full refund. 

We are working to provide detailed documentation to assist in the Tier II upgrading process, to support those who wish to upgrade their DM-5R.

Please respond to this email and let us know which option you would like to take going forward. 

Sincerely,Radioddity" 

ARRL CHIRP Webinar

ARRL to Host CHIRP Radio Programming Webinar:

ARRL will host a CHIRP Radio Programming webinar on Wednesday, October 19, at 8 PM ET (0000 UTC on Thursday, October 20, in US time zones). This presentation will offer a brief overview of the free, open-source CHIRP software, which can be used to program most radios. 

Attendees will learn: What CHIRP is, which radios are supported, how to get CHIRP, and how to troubleshoot CHIRP. Presenter James Lee, N1DDK, became active in CHIRP development for the initial TYT9800 driver. He is a hardware development engineer for Qualcomm.

Purgatory

Methodists make up for our lack of purgatory with an abundance of committees and extended meetings.

— THE Fake UMC Bishop (@fakeUMCbishop) September 16, 2016

Baofeng DM-5R: Radioddity Responds to Questions

Radioddity posts a response to some of the questions about the DM-5R and it's DMR capabilities:

Rumor 1: The BaoFeng DM-5R is not compatible with MOTOTRBO TIER 2.
FALSE. While the BaoFeng DM-5R comes out of the box only supporting Tier 1, it can be easily upgraded to support Tier 2 online. The upgrade will be available at Radioddity.com as well as BaoFeng’s official website (under construction). This upgrade costs less than $10.

Rumor 2: The BaoFeng DM-5R is a dPMR, not a DMR.
FALSE. The standards for a DMR are as follows:
TS 102 361-1: Air interface protocol
TS 102 361-2: Voice and generic services and facilities
TS 102 361-3: Data protocol
TS 102 361-4: Trunking protocol
The DM-5R meets each of the ETSI Standards listed above. A true DMR, not a dPMR.

Rumor 3: The BaoFeng DM-5R is not FCC or IC certified.
FALSE. The BaoFeng DM-5R has met FCC and IC standards in its testing. The documents may not be visible online, as it takes about 4 weeks for the documents to be available.

They still don't give specifics on how to get Tier II - only mentioning the $10 upgrade.

Caliber Debate is Over

Clearly, the 9mm doesn't penetrate sufficiently.

Via SaysUncle

28 Websites

The North Korea internet only as 28 sites, so maybe you could really surf to the end of the internet there.

DV4Home Reddit Post

I've posted about the DV4Mobile, but this reddit thread about the DV4Home and Wireless Holdings gives me pause.

Baofeng DM-5R: Manuals and Software

Radiodiddity has posted the manual and software for the DM-5R. I hope some of our DMR experts will pour over them and report back anything interesting.

Manual direct link (PDF)
Programming software direct link (RAR)

Software Password: 123456

Boafeng DM-5R: Tier II Support

Radioddity has updated the DM-5R listing with this cryptic note about Tier II support:

"Support DMR repeater function (DMR Tier I; support Tier II if upgraded with less than $10)"

Thanks to Don for pointing out the update.

Baofeng Tech UV-5X3: Display Sync

A nice little feature of the UV-5X3 tri-bander (Amazon $64.89):

End Times

Fact.

@ChrchCurmudgeon @john_starke I firmly believe that were are closer to the end times now than we have ever been before in history.

— Vasili1097 (@vasili1097) September 13, 2016

TCP Joke

@bucslife76 @nixcraft Did someone ask for a TCP joke ? pic.twitter.com/CXd7LsowPi

— David de Groot (@DAdeGroot) September 15, 2016

TalkiePi - Raspberry Pi Walkie Talkie

TalkiePi:

"talkiepi uses Mumble for its voice communication protocol. Mumble is an open source, lightweight, high quality voice chat system designed for use by PC gamers. Mumble lent itself perfectly for this use case. There are already software clients for all platforms (Mac, Win, Linux, IOS, Android), meaning you can talk with your talkiepi using your phone or computer, and you're not limited to just talkiepi devices! By utilizing Mumble channels, user registration, and access control lists, you can configure different groups of talkiepis, just like using different channels on a traditional walkie talkie.

talkiepi is built utilizing a Raspberry Pi, USB speakerphone, some basic electronic components, and a 3D printed enclosure. talkiepi runs amumble client that has been designed specifically for push to talk via the push button interface. After it is setup on your wifi network and the software is configured, talkiepi will require little to no maintenance to use."

Via Lifehacker

409Shop Mini Radio Tease

Yeah, so I'm curious...

Mini Radio, coming soon, like the size of an AA battery, please note！#Radio #walkietalkie #mini #battery#409shop #ahuago #surecom

— 409Shop Limited (@409Shop) September 15, 2016

The Amateur Radio Parity Act: Call to Action

Urge the Senate to Support the Amateur Radio Parity Act:

Amateur radio operators provide communications support for, and participate in public service events on behalf of our communities. During and in the aftermath of disasters and emergencies, when other forms of communications are unavailable, we provide communications for first responders and Federal, state and local governmental agencies and non-governmental agencies, and to our neighbors when communications systems are overloaded or fail. Radio Amateurs contribute to the future of telecommunications as we participate in the development of innovative technology in this digital age. Amateur Radio is non-commercial, and we provide our services at no charge to anyone.

We cannot do any of these things, however, unless we can erect an effective outdoor antenna at our residences. 

On September 12, The US House of Representatives passed the "Amateur Radio Parity Act" to protect the rights of Radio Amateurs. Now is the time to contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to support this important legislation.

Baofeng DM-5R

Radioddity is pre-selling the BaoFeng DM-5R Dual Band DMR Digital Radio:

• DMR Digital Radio
• VHF/UHF 136-174/400-480Mhz
• 2000mAH High Capacity Battery
• High Power/Low power
• 5 Watt/1 Watt
• 21CM Dual Band Antenna
• 8-Level Stepped Frequency Selection
• Auto power saving function,Super-Long Standby
• Compatibility Of Digital And Analog Under DMR System
• Supports Individual Call, Group Call And All Call
• Support DMR repeater function (DMR Tier 1)
• 128 Channels
• $69.99
• Available 9/26

There is a nice little discussion on the BARN Facebook page about the DM-5R.