XLT Painless Programming Cable for Baofeng, Kenwood, and Wouxun

$20 for a genuine FTDI chip is probably a bargain for most considering the amount of time some have invested in trying to get a knock-off to work with their radio. Heck, if everyone had one of these, the number of posts to the various Yahoo Groups would drop exponentially.

And a related post on reddit: Does anybody know why modern radios still use serial connectors for their data cables instead of USB?

TYT TH-9000D: At 446Shop

I was looking at some of the stuff Nate sent me and I just happened to notice that the 446Shop has a listing for the TYT TH-9000D. Pictures at the link.

HiGrade HG-109

Nate has been looking around for the latest radios and come up with some good stuff. So, thanks to Nate! I'll start with this one - the HiGrade HG-109 which is described as:

"Handheld Walkie Talkie big screen MP3 MP4 two way radio with Camera,Video Recorder,Box Speaker 2840,FM radio,Clock,Calculator function"

Other specs are below, but check out the screen.

Nate points out some of the interesting features like MP3/MP4 player, built in digital camera + video recording capability. He also notes that one of the pictures shows a calendar with a January 2012 - so either that is a test date or this thing has been in development for awhile. I'm also confused by the listed frequency range (400 - 470 MHz) that doesn't match the "Dual Receive Yes (VV/UV/UU)" line.

Frequency Range	400-470MHz
Color	Black
Antenna type	SMA-F(Female)
Antenna Impedance	50 ohm
Output power	5W
Battery type	Li-ion battery
Battery capacity	2350mAh
Rated voltage	DC 7.4V
Charging temperature range	5°C to + 40°C
Earpiece / MIC type	2 Pin KENWOOD Type
Camera	Yes
Channel Storage	Yes	200
Video recorder	Yes	1.3MEGA
Speaker	Yes	BOX Speaker 2840
Load Settings From File	Yes
Save Settings To File	Yes
Display mode	Yes	FREQ&CH/Frequency/Channel mode
SQL	Yes	OFF-9 Level
CTCSS	Yes	QT:50/DQT:166
High/Low TX power selectable	Yes
Wide/Narrow Band	Yes
VOX	Yes	OFF-9 Level
Scan mode	Yes	TO/CO/SE
Scan	Yes
TOT: Time-out Timer	Yes
Dual RX	Yes	VV/UV/UU
BCL: Busy Channel lockout	Yes
Step	Yes	5K/10K/6.25K/12.5K/25K
REV: Reverse Frequency	Yes
Time and Date	Yes
Select Language	Yes	English/Chinese
Auto power on/off	Yes
Power management	Yes	Display battery capacity remains
Restore setting	Yes
Wallpaper setting	Yes
Contrast setting	Yes
Backlight setting	Yes
Keyboard light	Yes
Torch	Yes
Privacy protection	Yes
Auto keyboard lock	Yes
Lock screen by end-key	Yes
Power-on password	Yes
Alarm &calendar remind	Yes	Ringtone/Vibrate/Silent/Ring and vibrate
Key tone	Yes
Battery low alert	Yes
Power on/off tone	Yes
Recorder	Yes
Audio player	Yes
Video player	Yes
FM radio	Yes
File management	Yes
Alarm	Yes
Calculator	Yes
World clock	Yes

Package Includes

• 1 x Professional and Multimedia Interphone
• 1 x Antenna
• 1 x Li-ion battery pack
• 1 x LI-ion charger
• 1 x Belt clip
• 1 x User's manual

Ten-Tec Patriot: Open-source SSB/CW/Digital Transceiver

This has been out for a bit, but I wanted to get it on my list of radios to watch... the Ten-Tec Patriot 507. I don't see it listed on the Ten-Tec site yet. There is a Yahoo Group for the Patriot 507.

Most of the information is from the QRPer here. It differs from the Rebel 506 in that it will do SSB and digital modes. The Patriot will work 20 and 40 meters.

TYT TH-9000D: Mono-band Mobile

Radio-Mart.net reports the TH-9000 is being replaced by the TH-9000D. It will come in three flavors (2M, 220, and 440) and cost around $150.

From the TYT site:

■  Frequency Range: VHF:136-174MHz / 245-245.9875MHz (220-260MHz) / UHF: 400-480MHz
■  Output Power: VHF: 10W/25W/60W / UHF: 45W/25W/10W
■  8 group's of scrambler
■  1750Hz Tone
■  CTCSS/DCS setting & scanning
■  0-9 SQL grade setting
■  Frequency/Channel scanning
■  High/Mid/Low power selectable
■  Voice compander
■  Repeater offset shift
■  Keypad lock function
■  Contact book
■  Battery voltage display
■  DTMF/2 tone/5 tone
■  ANI ID
■  Remote kill/ stun/ activate/ revive
■  Emergenvy alarm
■  Wide/Narrow band setting
■  TX inhibit
■  Busy Channel Lock-Out
■  Channel name editing
■  Reverse frequency
■  Talk around
■  Scrambler(Optional)
■  Voice prompt
■  Time-out Timer
■  Auto Power off
■  VFO step setting:5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25/50kHz

Shoes II

In case there is any doubt, I really like these shoes. Time to toss the two pair that are the most worn out. After looking at all of them, I think I can get a few more miles out of the oldest pair because I changed how I run and the wear pattern is different. The third pair has about 500 miles on them including the 26.2 from the marathon.

Leixen VV-898: Available on AliExpress

You can now order the Leixen VV-898 dual-band 10W mobile from AliExpress for $159.00.

Main Feature:

1.        Dual band: TX:136-174MHz/400-470MHz

                              RX:136-174MHz/400-470MHz/200-260MHz/87.5-108MHz

2.        Dual Reception/Dual Display

3.       APRO: Voice Companding and Scrambler

4.       Multi silent mode (QT/QTADT/QTXDT)       214 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.       RX Inhibit/ RXTX Inhibit/Revive(Stun/Kill/Revive)

9.       Monitor, SMQ,MOLO

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.   Emergency Alarm

25.   RPT Offset(Single/RPT+/RPT-)

26.   Reverse frequency function/ Talk Around/1750Hz burst tone

27.   Lease Function(can program lease time of the radio at a exact time)

28.    Input frequency by using Keypad

29.   Four key programmable

30.    Wireless changing frequency

31.    Timepiece

32.   PC software disable frequency input

33.    Passwords for menu functions Set

34.    PTT Times per Minutes Set

35.    All/Function reset

36.    13.8V DC Power Supply

37.    Size: 120*85*40mm

Ripe for Abuse

So using this idea, setup a rule for a "friend" in their Outlook when they are away from their desk. Have it trigger on some common e-mail they get frequently. Hilarity and a fist fight ensue.

Hello Computer

To quote Mr. Scott's encounter with an old computer, "Keyboard. How quaint."


Via Alphecca

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Win One

Win one here.