Baofeng or Pofung

The BaofengTech guys make sense of the introduction of the Pofung brand:

"It was simple exploitation of the trademark system. Way back in 2012; right after the US introduction of BaoFeng radios; an individual realized that the ‘BaoFeng’ name had not received a US trademark. The individual applied for the trademark and in January of 2014; was granted the trademark."

As Paul Harvey would say, "And now you know the rest of the story."

Going downhill and gaining speed

The end of civilization will be captured in a selfie. https://t.co/XtORAa7VDr

— LNVF (@LoneNutVolFan) October 1, 2015

And he's referring to...

Hey girls, if you hadn't noticed, there's a game going on https://t.co/7pxeSDYafH

— The Sports Quotient (@SportsQuotient) October 1, 2015

Two Wrongs

Black Lives Matter protesters to block finish line at the Twin Cities Marathon.

I don't think this will help bring support to their cause. Attention, yes. Support, no. I'd be most upset if this happened to me.

Yanton Radios

Another brand to check out... Yanton.

Walt Disney World Repeaters

I didn't realize the Walt Disney World (WD4WDW) repeaters existed. Some responses to the original question about them on reddit below.

jonny290:

"I hear they used to be populated with a bunch of prince charmings, but then a couple of dumbos got goofy with it and now all the regulars went back to SSB transmitters and AM receivers 

p.s. if you do go you'll notice the best coverage over in the water parks -the little mermaid section is renowned for its aerial"

_Bitwise_

"Hm, no idea but it's interesting to note that that call is registered as Disney Emergency Amateur Radio Service. 

I don't reckon that actually restricts use of the repeaters to emergencies only."

Disney Emergency Amateur Radio Service = Disney EARS! Ha!

The club website is here.

Wired's Ghost Gun

I Made an Untraceable AR-15 ‘Ghost Gun’ in My Office—And It Was Easy:

"I looked down at the fully built rifle and something in my brain shifted. I realized that the abstracted parts I’d been fiddling with had turned into an object capable of killing someone. My lower receiver had transformed from a “gun” in a legal sense to a “gun” in a very practical sense."

Abstracted parts... an object capable of killing someone... that could be said of many things. I'm not sure why guns seem to have some magical power that makes them so different from other tools - from hammers to cars - that can be used to hurt or kill someone.

Blackbox Base Station Unboxing

From the guys at BuyTwoWayRadios... the Blackbox Base station that I've posted about a couple of times.

Baojie BJ-218: Manufacturer's Web Site

A link to the manufacturer's page for the Baojie BJ-218. There is a download section, but it only contains a brochure and a spec sheet at the moment - no software. And nothing on their download pages either.

The 409Shop does have a download link [.rar], but I like to see if the manufacturer has something different.

Weather Alert Radio System

This seems like a crazy deal... an Eton ZoneGuard+ Weather Alert Radio System with Wireless Alert Modules for $10. It's weather alert radio plus modules you can place throughout your house, so you can be notified anywhere.

Cheap Amazon Prime

You've probably seen this elsewhere, but if you want (need?) Amazon Prime, you can get it for $67 today only.