And the hits just keep on coming...

Now the desktop has died. Won't boot past the BIOS screen. I hope it is just the CMOS battery. I'll pick up one today and find out easily enough.

The latch on the laptop is worse, so I accidentally shut it off three times yesterday. Time for some duct tape. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Ha!

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Time to Play

Thanks to the team at BuyTwoWayRadios for loaning me a Wouxun KG-UV8D. More soon...

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Unboxing

BuyTwoWayRadios.com has the KG-UV8D and does an unboxing video for our consumption.

Runbo X5: Notes

Anger comments on the Runbo X5 Android phone with UHF:

"Have good and BAD news...Phone works, but there is a software problem with the Walkie Talkie mode.
1: If you go and set it as per page 7 of the manual;
• Select Australia say channel 25 Frequency 477.0250
• You can PPT (transmit (TX) no problems)
• However you cannot receive?????????????
2: If you select one of the 6 programmable options and manually set the Frequency for e.g.
• TX 477.0250 and RX 477.0250 ( Channel 25 frequency)
• It all works as one would expect….
• You can transmit and receive from others using hand and fixed Walkie Talkie‘s and it works well.
You also have to pre-program the 2 emergency channels – otherwise it is useless if you need for urgent / medical reasons.
So if you only ever use a limited set up to 4 channels and you pre-program the phone; then you’re OK… But if someone wants you to go to another channel, then you have to manually delete and re program…
If there is a FIX for this I would love to know what it is...."

Judgmental Maps - Knoxville

Wow. An amazingly judgmental map of my home town, Knoxville. I'm tagging this with "Ham Radio" since they reference the hobby on the map.

You have to know the town, but some of the labels are hysterical.

Burgers and ducks.
Used books.
Gold ball on a stick.

FireChat

One of the commonly discussed benefits of ham radio is that it works without the support of someone else's infrastructure. FireChat promises "off-the-grid" communications using your Android or iOS mobile phone. In a tweet, they say:

"It works using Bluetooth and P2P Wifi (iOS) / WiFi Direct (Android). On Android, it uses Open Garden's mesh tech software."

The range is listed as about 30 feet, so don't throw out all your ham equipment for a SHTF situation. I'm surprised it isn't better with WiFi - even marginally. The most common complaint about the current version is the lack of filters/the ability to setup private chat areas. And you can't chat between iOS and Android devices.

Also, FireChat has been mentioned by Rush Limbaugh, so it must be good.

It's a neat idea, but with such limited range I don't think it offers much for me.

iPhone/iPad Battery Life

A good article about the iOS battery life and how to resolve drain problems.

Via @Pogue

Lisheng UT858: Mobile

Hans has posted about a new mobile... the Lisheng (Yshon) UT858. It is a 50W mono-band available in 4 flavors (136-174, 350-390, 400-470, or 450-520 MHz). It can be yours for $150 USD.

Leixen VV-898: Dual Band Mobile

Leixen will soon be releaseing the VV-898 dual-band mobile. Picture and specs below.

Main Feature :
1. Dual band: 136-174MHz/400-470MHz/245MHz(Receive only)
2. Dual Reception/Dual Display
3. Voice Companding and Scrambler
4. Multi silent mode (QT/QTADT/QTXDT) 107 groups DCS/58 groups CTCSS
5. DTMF encoding and DTMF decoding
6. PTT ID（Voice broadcast PTT ID）
7. All calls, group calls and selective calls
8. Monitor, RX Inhibit, RXTX Inhibit and Emergency Alarm
9. FM Radio（87.5MHz-108MHz）
10. Scan/Scan add
11. Channel name edit available
12. 199 memory channels
13. High/Low power(10W/4W)
14. APO(Auto Power Off)
15. TOT(Time-out timer)
16. Font Set(Big/Small)
17. VOX(Level adjustable)
18. Busy channel lockout
19. Keyboard lock (Auto/Manual)
20. Multi scan mode (TO/CO)
21. Channel steps (2.5K/5K/6.25K/10K/12.5K/25K)
22. Wide/Narrow band selection (25KHz/12.5KHz)
23. TX Stop
24. Talk Around
25. Beat frequency
26. Reverse frequency function
27. 1750Hz burst tone
28. Four key programmable
29. Lease Function(can program lease time of the radio at a exact time)
30. Input frequency by using Keypad
31. Wireless changing frequency
32. Timepiece
33. PC software disable frequency input
34. Passwords for menu functions Set
35. PTT Times per Minutes Set
36. All/Function reset
37. 13.8V DC Power Supply
38. Size: 120*85*40mm

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Demo Units

BuyTwoWayRadio reports that the Wouxun KG-UV8D demo units have landed. A few notes...

- confirmed 999 memory channels
- has a real color LCD
- includes a flashlight
- SMA female antenna connector
- bonus stopwatch function
- two multi-function keys on the side