Magpul Magazines

I got a few magazines to go with my lowers - and at a reasonable $12.50 each instead of $100 for a used one.

Playing with Instagram

Funny how filters that reduce the clarity of a picture make it seem better. First, a Christmas gift from a friend. His family used to own the grocery store in Norris, but now it is a meat and craft beer market. Next are some familiar Chinese radios and one Japanese interloper.

Wouxun KG-UVD1P: Display Problem

So I had been using the KG-UVD1P as my mobile rig (video here). Over time, the heat in the car must have taken its toll on the radio as the display does not work. I'm not the only one who has had this problem. Sorry for the poor iPhone video, but there isn't much to show, so I think it will suffice.

 

First World Problem Solver

Funny... you got first world problems? We got answers.

COM Port Display

Not a bad idea for those with chronic problems, but I've never had much difficulty looking up what COM port is being used. Ed has an app that can help.

LA3ZA This solves a common problem for hams - want one! "USB to serial with COM port LCD display" dangerousprototypes.com/2012/12/26/usb…Wed, Dec 26 13:25:46 from TweetDeck

Worth Its Weight in Gold

Unfortunately, the average human brain only weighs about 3 pounds, so you may have a hard time stuffing it all in.

GriffinLamar 6 pounds of radio knowledge. :) #ham #radio #book #ARRL instagr.am/p/Tus7nqBMPX/Thu, Dec 27 01:24:56 from Instagram

Rare and Random

One review of the data suggests that 2012 was a really bad year and not (in statistical terms) a trend.

Mass shootings are rare and random. Does that make it better or worse? I don't know. It does suggest to me that focusing on the prevention of mass shootings might not be the best approach. As a society, we should look at using our resources to reduce overall violence.

Legos vs. AR-15 vs. Weed

Twitter has been hot with a) people tweeting about getting new AR-15 rifles for Christmas and b) those who are less than pleased with the gift of a gun.

In those posts, someone points out how horrible it is that more people got an AR than got Legos. But then again, more people got weed than rifles.

Zechariah 9:9-10 (New Living Translation)

Zion’s Coming King

⁹ Rejoice, O people of Zion!^[a]
    Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
    He is righteous and victorious,^[b]
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
    riding on a donkey’s colt.
¹⁰ I will remove the battle chariots from Israel^[c]
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
    and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
    and from the Euphrates River^[d] to the ends of the earth.^[e]

Footnotes:

1. Zechariah 9:9 Hebrew O daughter of Zion!
2. Zechariah 9:9 Hebrew and is being vindicated.
3. Zechariah 9:10 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel; also in 9:13.
4. Zechariah 9:10 Hebrew the river.
5. Zechariah 9:10 Or the end of the land.

Baofeng BF-F9

Nate noticed that the 409Shop has a Baofeng BF-F9 for sale. Nothing in the specs jumped out at me, but it was a quick look. I don't see it listed on the Baofeng site.

BAOFENG BF-F9 136-174/400-480Mhz RADIO

BAOFENG BF-F9 The transceiver is a micro-miniature multiband
FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage,
providing local-area two-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability

VHF/ UHF DUAL-BAND TWO WAY RADIO

• Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-480MHz
• Dual-Band Display, Dual Freq. Display, Dual-Standby
• Output Power: 4 /1Watts
• 128 Channels
  50 CTCSS and 104 CDCSS
• Built-in VOX Function
• 1750Hz Brust Tone
• FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
• LED Flashlight
• Large LCD Display
• High/Low RF Power Switchable
• 25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
• Emergency Alert
• Low Battery Alert
• Battery Saver
• Time-out Timer
• Keypad Lock
• Monitor Channel
• Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz
• ROGER SET

BAOFENG BF-F9 Compare Products

■ Dual band, dual display, dual standby ■ A/B band independent operation ■ 128 groups channels storage ■ Shortcut menu operation mode ■ VFO & Memory channels scan ■ Emergency Alarm ■ Tri-color background light selectable ■ 0~9 grades VOX selectable ■ PTT & ANI ID ■ FM radio ■ Voice companding ■ 50 CTCSS/104 DCS ■ ■ PC programmable ■ Wide/Narrow Band(25kHz/12.5kHz) ■ Transmitter time-out timer(TOT) ■ High/Low TX power selectable ■ Busy channel lock-out(BCLO) ■ ■ ■ ■ 　 Specifications: Item number BF-F9 General Frequency Range 65-108MHz(FM Receive only) 136-174MHZ and 400-480HZ (TX/RX) Channel No. 128 Frequency Stability ±2.5ppm Antenna High gain DualBand antenna Antenna Impedance 50Ω Operating Voltage DC 7.4V Mode of operation Simple or semi-duplex Dimension（W x H x D） 100 x 52 x 32 mm Weight 250g（including battery, antenna） Transmitter Output power 4W / 1W (Max 5W) Modulation Mode 16kΦF3E / 11kΦF3E Maximum deviation ＜5kHz(Wide) / ＜2.5kHz(Narrow) Spurious Radiation ＜7μW Adjacent Ch. power ≤-65dB(Wide) / ≤-60dB(Narrow) Pre-emphasis characteristics 6dB Current ≤1.6A(5W) CTCSS/DCS deviation 0.5±0.1kHz(Wide) / 0.3±0.1kHz(Narrow) Intermediation sensitivity 8-12mv Intermediation distortion ＜10% 　 Earpiece / mic type : Kenwood Plug type Antenna : SMA -Female