Hams and Runners

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday about hams and the half the marathon that I often try to thank the volunteers as I run - at least when I have enough breath to do it. Usually it is simple "thanks" for people at a water stop, a course monitor, or policeman stopping traffic. For the hams, I toss out a "73" as  I go by. It really caught one ham off guard on Saturday. I could hear him excitedly telling his buddies what I said. I think this Venn diagram explains his excitement.

Half Marathon, Hams, and APRS

I ran the Strawberry Plains Half Marathon this week-end. The METERS group was out in force. They even had a big display showing the APRS data. Thanks to all the volunteers!

TYT MD-380 Tools in Practical Wireless

Cool!

#md380tools has found its way into March Edition of Practical Wireless. #hamradio #md380 pic.twitter.com/IcuR5z4ylE

— Simon (@M0IVQ) February 6, 2017

Could Be Worse

I'll see your face for radio and raise you a voice for blogging.

Fields of Fire and the Frontlines series

Marko Kloos is about to release the latest in his Frontlines series - Fields of Fire (Book 5). I can't get his books for free at library, so I will shell out the $5 on Amazon for it. If you've not read the others, he's got them on sale for a dollar each. Obviously, he's trying to get you hooked, so you'll spend the big bucks like me.

BuyTwoWayRadios.com: TYT MD-380 Spare Parts

Nice to have options:

We now have spare parts for the TYT MD-380 DMR radio. https://t.co/BwAFEU7Wo1 @brickolore @HamRadioDMR @amatradio #hamr #hamradio

— BuyTwoWayRadios.com (@2wayradios) January 27, 2017

Baofeng or Bangfeng?

No love for the Baofengs. The shooting starts around 2:50.


Via AR-15.com

Joke of the Year

I know it's early, but as a follow-up to yesterday's post about addressing your Amazon Echo as "Computer," I cracked up reading this fantastic comment:

Hey, now you can just say "computer" to give your @amazonecho a command. Does that mean it's Enterprise-ready? https://t.co/R43Hv8Z6bY pic.twitter.com/30S93cC24B

— Gomix (@gomixme) January 24, 2017

Computer

I've been toying with the idea of buying an Amazon Echo.

They've made the wake word configurable, so you can say "computer" and Alexa will respond.

I'm definitely going to order one now.

For those that don't get the reference (the fun starts around the 1 minute mark):

Ham Radio Operator’s Manual of Operating

The National Radio Retransmission Legion (NRRL) will release next week an updated version of it’s popular “Ham Radio Operator’s Manual of Operating.” This edition will be a departure from its usually highly technical subject matter. Instead, the NRRL says the authors decided to “get back to the basics.”

Eight steps.

TL;DR.

Pinewood Derby Telemetry

Just like a mini F1 car...

Some dads build their kids Pinewood Derby car I just embed an IOT sensor in my sons so we can get better data. https://t.co/qIbaheKGyD

— Jerry Gamblin (@JGamblin) January 11, 2017

Guilty As Charged

My wife sent this to me...

Me: Does it bother u when I call out plot points b4 they happen?
Hubby: It'd bother me a lot less if u just wrote a damn tv show & got paid pic.twitter.com/JhsFkWSy99

— Jen (@jbuffyangel) January 11, 2017

Sounds About Right

Instagram: My life is a party.

Snapchat: My life is a quirky tv show

Facebook: My life turned out great!

Twitter: We're all going to die.

— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) January 8, 2017

DMR Radios to Avoid

A list.

High Tech

Well, in any case, it was tech back in the day.

RT if you remember these! pic.twitter.com/yUpt1e0B5a

— Mark J. Blair (@nf6x) January 1, 2017

The Ref Workout

If you need some variety in your workouts, try the zebra workout.

jacked ref takes NO. DAYS. OFF. #nationalchampionship #Clemson #Alabama pic.twitter.com/kQrpuCExSg

— Michael Swander (@MichaelSwander) January 10, 2017

NES Classic

The NES Classic comes with a nice collection of games. The cord for the controller seems to be too short, but stores still can't keep them on the shelves. I think it might be a good way to introduce my daughter to gaming systems - in contrast to all the tablet and phone games/apps.

And some clever folks have figured out how to add other games.

WLN KD-C1: CHIRP

The WLN KD-C1 is supported by CHIRP.

Good Luck, Morons

A good article on Lazarus Lake and the Barkley Marathons.

There is a great documentary on NetFlix about the race.

Art of Manliness and Strength Running

Two resources I follow hooked up on a podcast.