"Basically, IT magnifies power"

I like this quote from Bruce:

"Basically, IT magnifies power"

He is using it to discuss the activities of the Syrian government to deal with dissidents, but I think it applies to more mundane situations - like running a business.

Not a Bad Day

This is how my day started on Wednesday.

I'm not really sure how it happened other than to say I wasn't paying attention. The quote to replace the three panels is almost $500. I still say it wasn't a bad day.

• My best friend's mom has pancreatic cancer.
• A good high school friend has a new born that is in the NICU because of problems with underdeveloped organs.
• My pastor's father died this week.
• A co-worker's son died this week.
• The father of another good high school friend had a heart attack and almost died.
• A co-worker's daughter, who has run several marathons, is being told she needs back surgery related to her childhood scoliosis - and that she will never run again.

Perspective. I'm getting a lot more of it right now than I care to. If you pray, you might consider saying one for these folks.

Curiosity – What’s Inside The Cube

"Curiosity – What’s Inside The Cube" is an app for the iPhone. Don't. Download. It. I read about it in Wired. It is mindless and a huge waste time. Gotta go. I've got little cubs to click.

Ten Weird Chinese Mobile Phones

Some strange phones, but one on page three, the Concox GK3537, reminds me of the Runbo X5. It does 400-470 MHz.

ianfogg42 Ten weird Chinese mobile phones theregister.co.uk/2012/11/28/ten… —> end of day funThu, Nov 29 20:18:25 from Tweetbot for iOS retweeted by tim

---

Name: Ian Fogg

Location: London, UK

Web: http://www.ianfogg.com

Bio: Analysis of mobile, smartphones, tablets & connected experiences. Head of Mobile at IHS Screen Digest. Formerly: Forrester, Jupiter. Dad. Learning photography.

Following: 854 Followers: 1676 Updates: 6561

---

Emergency Power

Some interesting emergency power options from Portable Universal Power for the ham on the go. I need a yellow or red ReVolt to match my radios. Check on the pictures on that page of the ReVolt in the Molle pouch and charging the iPad.

Via SaysUncle

Too Much of A Good Thing

Running too fast or too much may be bad for you if you are too old. Go figure.

Baojie BJ-UV55: Mini-Review

A little bit lost in the Anytone and Wouxun mobile drama is the Baojie BJ-UV55. Nate had done a write-up about it in July. Dale commented on the post that he has one and really likes it so far:

"I recently purchased a Baojie BJ-UV55 and have been using it in my car. So far I must say I am really impressed. I was initially concerned with the lack of an internal speaker, and the use of a speaker mic so I had an external speaker ready. After trying this little radio out I put the external speaker away as the audio quality of the speaker mic, was far superior to the external. I used the cable and software method of programming the radio and found it to be quite easy compared to most of the radios I have programmed. I have also had the opportunity to program and use a BJ-271 (VHF) and have found it to be a great radio too. It is only recently that I have strayed from american and Japanese radios to try out some of these very reasonably priced radios from China. So far, I am starting to think these are the radios for me. Brand names are not important to me, and I think the value for the dollar is definitely here with these Chinese radios. I will update later once I have worked the BJ-UV55 more. 

Dale
Canada"

I hope we get to see more about this radio. You can order one from the 409Shop for $223 (USD). If you are in the US, order from Kight Radio for a few dollars less ($214.95. USD).

Puxing PX-888K: Follow-Up

Hans previewed the Puxing PX-888K and I linked to his post. I even made fun of the fact that you could get a free shirt or jacket if you bought them in bulk. Some how I missed his follow-up of the actual review - Review Puxing PX-888K Part I - First Impressions. (No Part II yet, but he did mention the PX-888K in August when talking about the MYT-Q2.) Here are some key parts from his review:

Good build quality, nice features (like CTSS, DCS, DTMF, 1750 Hz burst tone, ANI), easy programming and "pleasant" receive audio, but "TX audio is still muffled, and the lack of highs makes your transmission hard to listen to."

The lone review by KD8DVR on eHam.net gives the PX-888K a thumbs up. He seems happier with the transmit audio - just comments it is a little "bassy." He's also posted a more detailed review on epinions.com. He specifically mentions that he has no trouble with the muffled audio that is common to Puxing. He does wish the battery life was better.

As with most Chinese radios, everyone is unhappy with the scanning speed.

The PX-888K has Part 90 acceptance - FCC ID: AUJPXDZ888K001. If you go to the FCC site, and search for AUJ in the Grantee Code  field, you can see the documents submitted for approval including pictures, manuals, etc.

Surprise - there is a Yahoo Group for the PX-888K! Only 77 members and 131 posts as of right now.

Current price is $80.00 with speaker mic at 409Shop. Or $89.95 at Kight Radio if you want a US dealer.

One update, there is still no CHIRP support, but it is on the list.

Here is the usual unboxing video courtesy of the 409Shop.

Sex Sells! Sex Sells Ham Radios?

It's not just Baofeng... it is all the Chinese radio manufacturers.

Baofeng BF-666: Cheap, Fixes

Hans had taken a quick look at the BF-666S (aka the BF-777S aka the BF-888S) and found them to be decent, cheap ($23.50 USD) radios. He sold a couple of them to a fellow ham - after giving him fair warning of the short-comings. As no good dead goes unpunished, this transaction ultimately turned into a bit of detective work and a project to fix the distorted audio. Along with that modification, he also suggests checking the frequency accuracy if you have have access to the appropriate tools.