Wouxun KG-UV920R: Price

Matt posted about an update from Ed. To quote a great philosopher... "Ruh roh, Shaggy!" So supply may not be as big of a problem as I thought given the information I highlighted in red below.

....June 30, 2012   Update......

Wouxun has released a limited number of the mobile radio to dealers.
These samples are not FCC Certified yet and do not have
the required 2.5 kHz tuning step required for 2013 regulations.
BUT THE RADIO DOES NOW EXIST.

The samples are
TX: 136-174 & 400-480 MHz
RX: 136-174 & 350-480 MHz
I DO NOT KNOW what the final productions models will cover

If no major problems are found with these samples,
hopefully full production will begin in July.

The costs of these samples are higher than I expected but
hopefully the costs will come down when the radio goes into full production.

Update @7:10 June 30, 2012... Ed also had this to say:

"All I know for sure is what's in my post. The production radios will certainly have the 2.5 step. Your guess is as good as mine as to upgrading. Despite numerous requests, China still continues to use one-shot chips, so I wouldn't get my hopes up."

So don't look for anything else at the moment.

Win a Knife

I really like my Ontario RAT 1. Win one at Gear Hog!

"It's free to enter! Enter today and you could have a chance to win this great Ontario Knife Company RAT Folder Black Partial Serration Folding Knife from Frontlinetacticalgear.com!

The RAT folder features a 3.5 in. AUS 8 steel, partially serrated blade with a black satin finish, dual thumb studs and a black, nylon 6 handle that includes a liner lock and a lanyard hole. The RAT folder has an overall length of 8.5 in."

It is the bottom knife in this picture below. The Kershaw is a little snazzier, but the Ontario feels like a real working man's knife. The RAT 1 was my EDC until I switched to a SOG Mini Aegis

From Brick O'Lore

Grip

Speaking of exercise, I've gotten a set of grip trainers before - thinking it would be easy to mindlessly use them during the day. It never worked out that way. If I ever go shooting again, it might be helpful... maybe I can find my cheap set to see if I can stick with it before buying something a little higher end.

I Work Out

Squats, running, and lighter weights... sounds like a plan.

Made in the USA?

The new Google Nexus Q is designed and manufactured in the USA. Is that a big deal?

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Supply and Demand

Based on this post, the KG-UV920R may be coming out in July, but it sounds like long odds for getting one. I'm on the waiting list for one, but some of the recent Baofeng experiences with buggy initial versions has me gun shy. I don't recall any significant problems with the early Wouxuns, but I wasn't on the bleeding edge with them. And, of course, there is always the hope of something even better on the horizon - TH-9800.

KGUVD1P vs TH-UVF1 vs UV5R

John asks which radio he should get. Hans replies:

"Best of the pack: Wouxun KGUVD1P. No real flaws to report. The KGUVD1P is verystrict when it comes to battery voltage though. It will switch off immediately,there's no escape. Switching to low power won't help. Buy a spare battery!

Runner up: Quansheng TG-UV2. Flaws: no DTMF. Not the prettiest design ever (a

matter of taste, of course). Strengths: capable of RX/TX on 350-390MHz. Batterylife is unbelievable.

The stock antennas of these two HT's are as good as they get, no need for areplacement.

The Baofeng UV-5R is interesting because of its price - you can buy two UV-5R'sfor the price of one Wouxun. If you can live with its quirks, you have a heck ofa deal."

Hans also replies on another thread:

"The cheap UV-3R can't be used here on 70cm. Total RX collapse. The UV-5R does alot better and is usable. The Quansheng TG-UV2 does even better, and the champion of Chinese HT's is the Wouxun KG-UVD1P. I hardly notice the influence of a 5+5+10 KiloWatt digital TV transmitter on that one, which is located only half a mile away from my QTH.

Even the best Chinese HT is no match for my Yaesu VX-177 mono band though. Thatone doesn't give a d*** about these signals. And it should, as I can buy fourUV-5R's for the price of one VX-177."

If you don't already follow Hans at his blog, I highly recommend it.

It is a Tax

Even before the decision yesterday on Obamacare, where did people think the money was coming from? That's right... Obama's magical stash.

Chief Justice Roberts Is A Genius link via Uncle

Go Anywhere Snake Antenna

The Snake Antenna:

"It is not a 'miracle antenna', though some people might say it’s a miracle that it works at all. Some operators swear by it; other operators swear at it! But it does work, albeit via an ATU, and with the availability of propagation."

Need Air Support?

JTRS update: Radio systems move closer to deployment, while GMR gets cut

There is an app for that:

"In the future, the SDR system will continue to evolve along these lines and eventually adapt attributes and features of popular commercial devices such as tablets or iPads, where functionality and capability will be in the form of applications added through the software, he continues. Different applications will be uploaded, run on the SDR for specific missions and different needs using waveforms with different performance characteristics based on mission requirements, Miller adds."

Or you can pull a Dick Tracy:

"'We have an Android-based device that integrates with the Rifleman Radio and is worn on wrist that pulls up and displays maps,' Miller says."

Thanks to anonymous for the comment on my post about the JTRS that sent me to the above article.