Bad Dog

Country Song

So, some good news in that my consulting gig has turned into some significant hours. I worked an actual full 40+ hours last week. I'll get another 40 this week and it may continue into July.

On the other hand, this week-end has been a bit like a country song... a flat tire, the US Men's National team giving away two points yesterday, and I got attacked by a dog while running on the greenway this morning.

I'm waiting on the flat to be fixed and I've got my leg cleaned up. If the team can tie or beat Germany, then things will be back on track.

Xiegu X108: More from Import Communications

Ed at Import Communications shares:

There will be two versions: X108 Standard and X108 Deluxe.
Standard will have no noise blanker and 1 ppm TCXO module.
Deluxe will have noise blanker, 0.5 ppm TCXO module and those plastic handles front and rear.

These extra items are available as options that can be added to the Standard version.

Gadgets and Gimics

For the most part, I'm not spending money on anything but the essentials, so I won't pony up for these, but I thought they were cool.

First, the Rocketfish™ - 3' Lighted Lightning Charge/Sync Cable. The cable is illuminated along its length. The lights show the flow of the charge - fast as it does the rapid charge, slowing as the charge nears 100%, and turning off when the charge is complete.




I also keep thinking about getting a Raspberry Pi, but since I'm not a Linux guy, I might need this Linux Cheat Sheet Shirt.

Via LifeHacker

Xiegu X108: Import Communications

Ed at Import Communications has some more information about the X108.

First, he will be the North American distributor for any of the new Xiegu radios - including the X108. The factory says that the X108 is still in a testing period and there is no definite release date. They will release 30-50 units for testing, but in the Chinese market only. Pricing is not established yet, but Ed hopes to hear something from them soon. They will continue to make the X1M-Pro as the X108 will be at a significantly higher price point - perhaps as much as two or three times higher than the X1M-Pro.

$20 in Quarters for $26.99

Washboard - where they will ship you $20 in quarters for only $26.99. It sounds like an SNL skit.

Game of Thrones vs. The Princess Bride

Game of Thrones vs. The Princess Bride

Xiegu X108: Clarifications

First, a clarification from me... I should have put more detail on the post about the X108. My usual readers know that I don't actually sell radios here. I just copied the Google translation of the forum post about the X108. At the moment, I've not even been able to find a place to purchase the X108.

Second, a clarification from Bill, VK7MX, who went through the translated mess and tried to figure out what everything actually meant.

Wouxun KG-UV8D: HRO Version

HRO is advertising a version 3 of the KG-UV8D, but according to Wouxun this is not really an upgrade. HRO mentions black buttons (instead of green) and I think this may create some fake drama around the various versions.

(Based on recent traffic on the Yahoo Groups, I expect someone to ask if swapping one color of buttons for another will allow them to transmit/receive on 11 meters.)

Xiegu X108: Video