Wyze Cam v2 - Update

A couple of updates on my Wyze Cam v2 order...

1. Wyze experienced a manufacturing problem and had to delay lots of shipments. They sent a very nice note with a lot of detail explaining the issue and the actions they were taking. They included a link to easily cancel your order if that's what you wanted to do. If you were willing to wait, they said they would include a 5 foot long USB extension cable. I thought it was a great job of recovering from a problem.

2. An anonymous commentor pointed out that the cameras are sending data to services besides AWS. I was planning on placing this in my garage pointing outside, so I'm not super concerned, but I will be curious to follow Wyze's response and actions to address the concerns.

TYT MD-2017: VA3XPR Review

Check out the VA3XPR review - especially helpful are first two sections (The Good and The Bad) - which concludes:

"The MD-2017 is a great low-cost option for anyone looking for a rugged dual band DMR radio. It is sure to come in very handy for users that live in or travel to areas where there are both VHF and UHF DMR repeaters. At a $159 USD price point for the non-GPS version, users really cannot go wrong with this radio, as it is feature packed, durable, and performs well. While the radio has some usability issues, they are unlikely to adversely impact the functionality of the radio for most users.

Overall, we feel that the MD-2017 is a great value priced dual band DMR radio that is likely to please the most demanding ham radio or light commercial user who needs a dual band DMR radio that can withstand the elements."

Yaesu FT-818: More of the Same

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.

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

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.

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.

Nokia 8110

Nokia had some classic phones. They brought back the 3310 and now they are bringing back the 8110 - famous for its appearance in The Matrix.


Via The Verge

BTECH AMP-25 Series Amplifiers - Miklor Reivew

Miklor reviews the BTECH AMP-25 and concludes:

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)

BTECH AMP-V25D Amplifier (Supports DMR) VHF (136-174MHz)

BTECH AMP-U25D Amplifier (Supports DMR) 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

BTECH AMP-25 Series Amplifiers

Baofeng Tech introduces a new amplifier series:

"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-V25 Amplifier for VHF (136-174MHz)
BTECH AMP-U25 Amplifier for UHF (400-480MHz)

BTECH AMP-V25D Amplifier (Supports DMR) VHF (136-174MHz)

BTECH AMP-U25D Amplifier (Supports DMR) UHF (400-480MHz)

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.)

The Mel Brooks Collection

I've tried to swear off collecting things, but I'm tempted by The Mel Brooks Collection - 9 Blu-ray discs for $30. I don't know all the movies, but there are five that would be worth it without the others.

Disc 1: The Twelve Chairs
Disc 2: Blazing Saddles
Disc 3: Young Frankenstein
Disc 4: Silent Movie
Disc 5: High Anxiety
Disc 6: History of the World - Part 1
Disc 7: To Be or Not to Be
Disc 8: Spaceballs
Disc 9: Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Wyze Cam v2

I've been looking for a camera solution for the house. At $20 (plus shipping), I figure the Wyze Cam is worth a try.


CPU
1.0GHz

Memory
128MB

Resolution
1920 X 1080 (1080p)

Camera
Lens: F2.0 aperture, 2.8mm focal length
Image sensor: 1/2.7" CMOS
Digital zoom: 8x

Field of View
110° lens

Night Vision
4 Infrared LEDs (850nm) with IR cut filter
Illuminates up to 29.6 feet (9m)

Video
H.264 encoding
10 FPS (both HD & SD video modes)

Audio
Built-in speaker and microphone
Class-K power amplifier

Alerts
Push notifications

Cloud Storage
Free rolling 14 days of alert videos stored in the AWS Cloud

Local Storage
Supports 8GB, 16GB and 32GB microSD cards in FAT32 format

Data Usage
1-2MB per minute in SD, or 4-7MB per minute in HD

WiFi
802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz

Connectivity Requirements
Upload speed 1.0 Mbps for SD and 1.5 Mbps for HD

Operating Systems
Supports iOS 8.0 and Android 5.0 or later

Operation Temperature
32℉ – 104℉ / 0°C – 40 °C

Operation Humidity
< 90% at 104℉ / 40°C

Weather Resistance
Indoor use only

Gun Owner Butts

Gun Owner Butts get on my last nerve.
"I'm a Gun Owner Butt!" You sure are, buddy.

— Tamara K. (@TamSlick) February 19, 2018

Goodreads Deal Monitor

Goodreads will monitor your "Want to Read" bookshelf and if it finds a deal on one of your books, it will send you an e-mail to let you know. (Login and look for "Deals" under Account Settings.) You can select which ebook retailers to monitor, so if you only want Kindle books, you can turn off all the others. You can also get deals by author or genre.

Via LifeHacker

NooElec and AmateurRadio.com Giveaway

NooElec and AmateurRadio.com are teaming up to give away 50 prizes including a HackRF One SDR Transceiver Package. The giveaway is open to licensed ham radio operators worldwide and NooElec will pay for the shipping. The deadline to enter is Sunday 25 February 2018 at 20:00 UTC.

Morse Code Tools

I love this RSS newsfeed/Twitter morsereader. I asked for support of international letters a while ago and @dc3dreamer implemented it. Works perfectly for Norwegian æ ø å, as well as Swedish ä ö. #hamr https://t.co/kHCnppttIE

— Sverre Holm, LA3ZA (@LA3ZA) February 18, 2018

Not 18

BB guns shouldn't be counted in this number.

Falcon Heavy

I came across a good video of the Falcon Heavy launch (via Ace of Spades), so I'm posting it so I can find it again easily. (As a reminder, some number of my posts are created b/c I have CRS (Can't Remember Stuff) Syndrome.

The engineers are just showing off around the 30 min mark when the two boosters land.