FUDCon Blacksburg is approaching. There will be a number of amateur radio operators there, so I thought I'd try to coordinate some simplex frequencies we can all use at the event. I'll be on the following:
223.500 MHz - the 1.25m band national calling frequency
927.500 MHz - a 33cm band simplex frequency
146.520 MHz - the 2m band national calling frequency
The only 220 repeater I could find in the area is currently offline. I could not find any 900 MHz repeaters in Virginia. I've been told 146.985 in Roanoke is a reasonable 2m repeater to use, though it gets crowded. If anyone has any suggestions, please comment.
In the extremely unlikely event that someone else shows up with 220 or 900 gear, I'll have those two bands linked at the event. That way users of those bands will get a double dose of silence.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Sunday, December 18, 2011
New Alinco Dual Band HT Available
I have been waiting for this since it was announced at the Dayton Hamvention this year. Alinco has released the DJ-G29T dual band handheld. The price is $349.95 and both Universal Radio and Ham Radio Outlet are accepting preorders. Universal Radio says it should be available for shipping by December 27.
What is the significance of this radio? It is the first commercially produced radio specifically for amateur radio operators that covers the 900 Mhz band. Huh wha? Amateur radio operators have operating privileges on a wide range of bands in the radio spectrum. Not all bands have ready-to-use equipment that you can purchase. For example, if you want to operate on the 10 GHz band, you'll be building a transverter and antenna. If you want to get on the 144 MHz band, you can buy any number of handheld or mobile radios from many companies. 900 MHz is gaining popularity, but until this Alinco radio came out, we had to purchase used commercial gear and modify it for use on the amateur radio bands. Not always easy and not always possible with the gear you bought.
Most users on 900 MHz have commercial Motorola or Kenwood gear. At least the ones I have talked to. I have Motorola and love it. It's a pain to program, but that's not something I do often to care about. With the Alinco radio, I will have a radio I can program directly, something that is common in the amateur radio world.
To make the radio more appealing, Alinco added support for the 220 MHz band. 220 has seen more users than 900 and there are an assortment of club repeaters around the country. Still not as popular as 144 MHz or 440 MHz, 220 is at least a band that will give the radio user more likelihood of finding a nearby repeater.
The radio also supports crossband repeat, which could prove interesting in some use cases.
I have grown interested in the uncommon VHF and UHF bands in amateur radio and Alinco came out with a dual band radio that covers two seldom used bands right now. I love it. Interested in VHF and UHF but tired of 144 MHz and 440 MHz, try out some new bands with this radio. Also, consider buying it to encourage more manufacturers to cover bands other than 144 and 440.
What is the significance of this radio? It is the first commercially produced radio specifically for amateur radio operators that covers the 900 Mhz band. Huh wha? Amateur radio operators have operating privileges on a wide range of bands in the radio spectrum. Not all bands have ready-to-use equipment that you can purchase. For example, if you want to operate on the 10 GHz band, you'll be building a transverter and antenna. If you want to get on the 144 MHz band, you can buy any number of handheld or mobile radios from many companies. 900 MHz is gaining popularity, but until this Alinco radio came out, we had to purchase used commercial gear and modify it for use on the amateur radio bands. Not always easy and not always possible with the gear you bought.
Most users on 900 MHz have commercial Motorola or Kenwood gear. At least the ones I have talked to. I have Motorola and love it. It's a pain to program, but that's not something I do often to care about. With the Alinco radio, I will have a radio I can program directly, something that is common in the amateur radio world.
To make the radio more appealing, Alinco added support for the 220 MHz band. 220 has seen more users than 900 and there are an assortment of club repeaters around the country. Still not as popular as 144 MHz or 440 MHz, 220 is at least a band that will give the radio user more likelihood of finding a nearby repeater.
The radio also supports crossband repeat, which could prove interesting in some use cases.
I have grown interested in the uncommon VHF and UHF bands in amateur radio and Alinco came out with a dual band radio that covers two seldom used bands right now. I love it. Interested in VHF and UHF but tired of 144 MHz and 440 MHz, try out some new bands with this radio. Also, consider buying it to encourage more manufacturers to cover bands other than 144 and 440.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
European Work Vacation
It's been about a week, but Karen and I are back from 15 days in Europe. I was there for a week of work in Brno, Czech Republic. We split the rest of the time between Vienna and Innsbruck in Austria. It was a really fun trip, wish we could have stayed longer but after 15 days we were ready to get back home. I've posted photos over here, more to follow. There are no Brno photos yet because I was working while in Brno, Karen got to see sights. Still going through photos to upload.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Visit to Atlanta
I was recently in metro Atlanta for several days. My sister was getting married and I helped out with different things. It was great to see everyone.
Karen and I were exhausted by Sunday. She left earlier than I because we bought tickets at different times. I had time to burn, so I met up with Logan in Atlanta and we got some food and hung out for a while. I wanted to go to El Torero, the restaurant we started going to every Friday night at Georgia Tech. We started doing that in 1997 and there is a group continuing to go these days. It has been years since I'd been.
Unfortunately, El Torero is closed on Sundays. Something I forgot. They Chick-Fil-A'ed us, so to speak. Fortunately there are plenty of similar Mexican restaurants around Atlanta, so we found the next nearest one that was open and went. Los Toros in Decatur.
Out of pure coincidence, our waiter at Los Toros was Luis from El Torero. Luis had been our regular waiter starting in 1997 and then after many years he left and we got a new regular waiter. Luis immediately recognized us and asked what was up. He told us he'd moved away from Atlanta and then came back and El Torero didn't have openings so he found one at Los Toros. Here's a picture of me and Luis:
Upon seeing Luis, I immediately fell back in to my usual order from the old days: sweet tea and a combination #4. Luis' response, "always the number 4, eh?" Damn right.
Logan found the situation entirely hilarious and noted that I seem to be a magnet for odd coincidences. Maybe so, but it sure is entertaining.
Logan also shuttled me to the nearest convenient parallel dimension...err, Apple Store...to buy an iPad 2. Yes, I have an iPad 2 now. It's fun on planes, what can I say?
Karen and I were exhausted by Sunday. She left earlier than I because we bought tickets at different times. I had time to burn, so I met up with Logan in Atlanta and we got some food and hung out for a while. I wanted to go to El Torero, the restaurant we started going to every Friday night at Georgia Tech. We started doing that in 1997 and there is a group continuing to go these days. It has been years since I'd been.
Unfortunately, El Torero is closed on Sundays. Something I forgot. They Chick-Fil-A'ed us, so to speak. Fortunately there are plenty of similar Mexican restaurants around Atlanta, so we found the next nearest one that was open and went. Los Toros in Decatur.
Out of pure coincidence, our waiter at Los Toros was Luis from El Torero. Luis had been our regular waiter starting in 1997 and then after many years he left and we got a new regular waiter. Luis immediately recognized us and asked what was up. He told us he'd moved away from Atlanta and then came back and El Torero didn't have openings so he found one at Los Toros. Here's a picture of me and Luis:
Upon seeing Luis, I immediately fell back in to my usual order from the old days: sweet tea and a combination #4. Luis' response, "always the number 4, eh?" Damn right.
Logan found the situation entirely hilarious and noted that I seem to be a magnet for odd coincidences. Maybe so, but it sure is entertaining.
Logan also shuttled me to the nearest convenient parallel dimension...err, Apple Store...to buy an iPad 2. Yes, I have an iPad 2 now. It's fun on planes, what can I say?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Want Wireless Broadband Service At Home?
Broadband, 3G, 4G, WiMax....too many terms and acronyms. What do they mean and what's actually available in my area?
In the ever-expanding wireless Internet industry, 3G quickly became outdated, and 4G service is now the best available option. For some, this is frustrating, because as soon as they purchased coverage with a 3G network, something better came out. However, it is a simple reality that wireless Internet connectivity is how most of us will connect to the Internet in the future, as more and more areas, and more and more devices, become covered. That said, many people wonder which company to sign with when upgrading to 4G; people want to be careful to choose a company that they can rely upon and grow with in the future of wireless Internet expansion.
There are two leading competitors in the United States 4G industry: Verizon’s LTE service, and a similar service called WiMax offered by companies like Clear Wireless and Sprint. While both services bring you the fastest available wireless Internet over a broad range of areas, there are a few differences between them when it comes to coverage packages and pricing options. When you compare Clear Internet WiMax 4G and Verizon LTE 4G, here are a few of the key differences that you may want to focus on:
In the ever-expanding wireless Internet industry, 3G quickly became outdated, and 4G service is now the best available option. For some, this is frustrating, because as soon as they purchased coverage with a 3G network, something better came out. However, it is a simple reality that wireless Internet connectivity is how most of us will connect to the Internet in the future, as more and more areas, and more and more devices, become covered. That said, many people wonder which company to sign with when upgrading to 4G; people want to be careful to choose a company that they can rely upon and grow with in the future of wireless Internet expansion.
There are two leading competitors in the United States 4G industry: Verizon’s LTE service, and a similar service called WiMax offered by companies like Clear Wireless and Sprint. While both services bring you the fastest available wireless Internet over a broad range of areas, there are a few differences between them when it comes to coverage packages and pricing options. When you compare Clear Internet WiMax 4G and Verizon LTE 4G, here are a few of the key differences that you may want to focus on:
- Typically, Verizon’s LTE service is slightly more expensive; however, this is in part because with LTE service you can purchase a package based essentially on how much use you will need out of your wireless connection. The different packages all have different monthly prices. By contrast, Clear’s WiMax service generally has a simple base package price that is generally slightly cheaper than most Verizon LTE packages.
- Many people feel the need to use a 3G/4G combination of services, which enables your devices to switch automatically between the two wireless networks depending on availability. Verizon LTE service includes this feature automatically, in most cases. However, with Clear WiMax you will need to pay a small extra fee in order to receive this type of combination package, which can greatly improve the convenience of your Internet experiences.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
On Google+
I'm on Google+ now and have been since June 29. I got rid of my Facebook account a while ago and I still have a Twitter account. I'm thinking about getting rid of my Twitter account. Google+ is interesting. It's not really revolutionary, just the same social networking site stuff done slightly better. I like it so far.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Remember This? Part 1 - Logitech Scanman
I enjoy technology history, but the web has far too many sites with the top ten worst computer gadgets ever made. Those lists almost always include things like the Apple Lisa and the Iomega Zip drive, which leads me to believe that it's really just the same article written over and over again. I feel there are plenty of other ridiculous gadgets in technology history that we should take time to remember. Also, I liked the Zip drive.
Back in the early 1990s scanners were expensive, required special connection hardware, required very expensive software, and required a large footprint on your desk. Most people couldn't justify the cost for the occasional desire to scan something in as an image. However, Logitech accepted the challenge and gave people an option so long as you were willing to accept half a scanner with no drive motor. The Logitech Scanman.
The Scanman came in a variety of models while it was produced, first in black and white and eventually learning how to see in color. The device was still basically the same. Roughly 6 inches across and requiring YOU to drag it backwards across whatever you wanted to scan both (a) in a straight line and (b) at a constant speed. Most people could never meet those requirements, but it didn't stop Logitech from selling tons of these things.
Companies like Kensington and Fellowes added contraptions to their accessory lineups (you know, the companies that made floppy diskette cases, computer locks, and similar items) that would allow you to drag the device in a straight line, at least helping you solve 50% of the problems you encountered.
I was given a Scanman at one point in 1993, a used black and white model. I eagerly plugged it in to my faux 486 system and struggled for a week to make it do anything. The best I got was a squiggly image of a flattened M&Ms package. Yeah, waste of time.
Hitting YouTube shows some people trying new things with the Scanman. Like using it on robots to follow a line in the ground. Yeah, I suppose that's interesting, until it reaches the limit of its six foot power cord. Still, amusing videos to watch.
Back in the early 1990s scanners were expensive, required special connection hardware, required very expensive software, and required a large footprint on your desk. Most people couldn't justify the cost for the occasional desire to scan something in as an image. However, Logitech accepted the challenge and gave people an option so long as you were willing to accept half a scanner with no drive motor. The Logitech Scanman.
The Scanman came in a variety of models while it was produced, first in black and white and eventually learning how to see in color. The device was still basically the same. Roughly 6 inches across and requiring YOU to drag it backwards across whatever you wanted to scan both (a) in a straight line and (b) at a constant speed. Most people could never meet those requirements, but it didn't stop Logitech from selling tons of these things.
Companies like Kensington and Fellowes added contraptions to their accessory lineups (you know, the companies that made floppy diskette cases, computer locks, and similar items) that would allow you to drag the device in a straight line, at least helping you solve 50% of the problems you encountered.
I was given a Scanman at one point in 1993, a used black and white model. I eagerly plugged it in to my faux 486 system and struggled for a week to make it do anything. The best I got was a squiggly image of a flattened M&Ms package. Yeah, waste of time.
Hitting YouTube shows some people trying new things with the Scanman. Like using it on robots to follow a line in the ground. Yeah, I suppose that's interesting, until it reaches the limit of its six foot power cord. Still, amusing videos to watch.
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