Larry (W2LJ) offers some thoughts on the FT-818 and its incremental change from the FT-817.
My father-in-law loaned me his FT-817 when I first got started. I loved that it was a do anything radio. It's probably why I ended up a VX-3R and the IC-7000. I am a little surprised it was such a small set of changes.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Tech
#ARRL #HamRadio ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Technician Licensees - ARRL has asked the FCC to expand HF privileges for Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges... https://t.co/u3DWyAYxN8— ARRL (@arrl) February 28, 2018
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Alexa in my Car: Roav VIVA
Now I can get Alexa in my car... the Roav VIVA is an Alexa-enabled device that plugs into the 12 volt accesssory socket in your car. It has two USB charging ports. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth to get internet access to enable Alexa.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Creating More Work
I enjoy my smart home things and keep adding to the list. I'm not sure they save me time, but I love the convenience of them - especially the voice control for muting the TV while my hands are wet from washing dishes or telling the HVAC unit to turn the air on while I'm in the middle of working out.
The only downside is I keep coming up with new problems to solve - some of which didn't exist prior to buying all these smart devices. For example, I don't have a good place for my Eufy Genie (Amazon Echo Dot clone) in my bathroom. I don't have a spot to put it and we don't have enough plugs to power it.
The solution... $40 to get this outlet shelf and an outlet with USB ports.
The only downside is I keep coming up with new problems to solve - some of which didn't exist prior to buying all these smart devices. For example, I don't have a good place for my Eufy Genie (Amazon Echo Dot clone) in my bathroom. I don't have a spot to put it and we don't have enough plugs to power it.
The solution... $40 to get this outlet shelf and an outlet with USB ports.
Nokia 8110
Monday, February 26, 2018
BTECH AMP-25 Series Amplifiers - Miklor Reivew
Miklor reviews the BTECH AMP-25 and concludes:
BTECH AMP-U25 Amplifier for UHF (400-480MHz)
I was glad to see someone finally develop what is a full featured mobile amplifier capable of DMR as well as all other modes that is small enough to mount in the car, boat, and on top of your computer. This amplifier is Part 90 certified and definitely worth considering.BTECH AMP-V25 Amplifier for VHF (136-174MHz)
BTECH AMP-U25 Amplifier for UHF (400-480MHz)
Super Mario Bros. Level 4-2 - Deep Dive
This is fascinating. I knew people did speed runs, but I cannot believe the depths to which they've gone.
This documentary on Super Mario level 4-2 and speedrunners is mesmerizing and then it reaches a higher level of existence once the name of the guy who solves everything is revealed https://t.co/ifNiVrVQMz— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 24, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
BTECH AMP-25 Series Amplifiers
"The AMP-25 series do more than just amplify a signal, they also purify your signal as it passes through! We are also thrilled to present a whole new way to connect with amplifiers, allowing you to use a handheld mic and built-in speaker - just as if it were a mobile or base radio (but at a significantly lower cost)."
Prices range from $88 to $105 based on the model.
BTECH AMP-U25 Amplifier for UHF (400-480MHz)
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Compromised Passwords
Troy's updated his site, Pwned Passwords. Read the details here to see if you want to trust it with testing your password.
I couldn't easily find it, but I thought I had shared his other service: Have I Been Pwned? You provide your e-mail address and it will let you know if it is found in any of several data breach databases dumps. You can also get alerts if your e-mail address shows up in a future breach.
Home Network - Part 2
So that change didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped... turns out the latest firmware for the ASUS RT-AC3200 has a 2.4 GHz bug. It took me a long time to figure out that was the problem.
I noticed the issue on some of my IoT devices and my wife's hand-me-down laptop. I assumed it was a problem with the devices. Basically, I kept getting a bad password error. I ended up trying a lot of different things - laptop driver update, deleting all the network settings, resetting the IoT devices to their default config, changing the SSID, etc.
It wasn't until I realized I was having the problem on my laptop and my iPhone 8 that I started thinking the router was the issue. Originally I had those devices configured to use 5 GHz only, so they never experienced the problem. After a short search, I found this thread: 2.4GHz band issues with RT-AC3200 firmware 3.0.0.4.382_50010. Bingo! That was exactly my problem. I rolled back to an older firmware version and everything has been working like a champ.
On a happier note, I returned my Comcast cable modem, since I had purchased the NETGEAR CM500-1AZNAS. I walked in the retail store, they scanned the label on the modem, and printed a receipt. It took less than 30 seconds. Perfect!
For an upcoming post, I may list all the devices I have connected and note which ones were easy to migrate to the new SSID. (Spoiler Alert - the inexpensive Smart Plugs I bought have some horribly written instructions.)
I noticed the issue on some of my IoT devices and my wife's hand-me-down laptop. I assumed it was a problem with the devices. Basically, I kept getting a bad password error. I ended up trying a lot of different things - laptop driver update, deleting all the network settings, resetting the IoT devices to their default config, changing the SSID, etc.
It wasn't until I realized I was having the problem on my laptop and my iPhone 8 that I started thinking the router was the issue. Originally I had those devices configured to use 5 GHz only, so they never experienced the problem. After a short search, I found this thread: 2.4GHz band issues with RT-AC3200 firmware 3.0.0.4.382_50010. Bingo! That was exactly my problem. I rolled back to an older firmware version and everything has been working like a champ.
On a happier note, I returned my Comcast cable modem, since I had purchased the NETGEAR CM500-1AZNAS. I walked in the retail store, they scanned the label on the modem, and printed a receipt. It took less than 30 seconds. Perfect!
For an upcoming post, I may list all the devices I have connected and note which ones were easy to migrate to the new SSID. (Spoiler Alert - the inexpensive Smart Plugs I bought have some horribly written instructions.)
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