Another blog added to the links section
Not sure how I missed this one, lots of good reading material (link: KA7OEI). I also noticed that he – like me – still owns a functional Tandy TRS-80 Model 100. Brings back memories, and a lot of them. I used that one to write articles on planes. While other journalist’s laptops were out of juice after an hour or so, the Tandy kept going. And if id didn’t, a few spare AA cells were all to you needed to work another 10 hours or so.
Searching for Ham Radio Blogs
Today I deleted the last inactive blog from my link section and replaced it with AA6E’s Station Log. I’m still searching for more interesting blogs (= original content, regularly updated) to add. Tips are welcome.
Just for fun:
This is the digital TV transmitter close by which causes a lot of problems with poorly designed 70cm receivers. It transmits on three frequencies, and pumps out 5 + 5 + 10KW. Perfect for testing the front ends of cheap Chinese radios though.
UV-5R Group for Illegal Users
LOL! Found this on the ‘official’ UV-5R group:
GREETINGS ALL!
no more feeding trolls!
alas! here is a NEW group for illegal users and unlicensed UV-5r owners.
anyone who has one and use it illegally…simply refer them to this group here.
2013, Narrowbanding and Ham Radio
Reviewing Chinese radios is one thing, answering tons of questions another. One question stood out: “Does this radio comply with the new narrowbanding requirements as laid out by the FCC?” My first reaction was “How the hell do I know? I’m just a foreigner.” Stupid foreigner or not, now I had to know. It proved to be easier said than done.
At first I tried to tap into the knowledge of fellow ham operators living in the USA. That didn’t work. Nobody seemed to be 100% knowledgeable on the subject, just like me. Opinions and technical requirements varied wildly. Only one technical requirement, the ability of the radio to make 2.5KHz steps, was always mentioned.
FCC
Even when you master the English language, reading official documents isn’t always easy. I dug into the world of the FCC, reading as much as I could find, trying to make sense of it all. At a certain point I thought I got the general idea, but felt reluctant to post something. My conclusions would imply that nothing really changed for Ham Radio operators, nor for the radios they wish to use. It seemed a bit too risky to post.
Instead I wrote to the FCC, summarized what I thought was true, and asked if someone at the FCC could confirm it. The arrival of my e-mail (sent December 18, 2012) was confirmed promptly, and I waited. I’m still waiting.
ARRL
Much better info came from the ARRL. Especially some ready-to-download PDF files cleared up things. If you read this document, go down to the end of page 6, you know everything there is to know:
“It is important to note that the FCC mandate to move to 12.5 kHz channels does not apply to Amateur Radio. However, the mandate has a substantial impact on the manufacturers that supply our transceivers.
There is a certain market incentive for Amateur Radio to adopt 12.5 kHz channels as this would ensure our continued compatibility with commercial equipment manufacturers. A willingness to keep in step with prevailing spectrum usage, whether it is for analog or digital communication, would also cast Amateur Radio in a more favorable light.”
There you go. When you buy a Chinese radio, narrowband is the least of your worries, unless you intend to use it for other purposes. This is clearly stated on the FCC website:
“Narrowbanding is an effort to ensure more efficient use of the VHF and UHF spectrum by requiring all VHF and UHF Public Safety and Industrial/Business land mobile radio (LMR) systems to migrate to at least 12.5 kHz efficiency technology by January 1, 2013.”
That’s all there’s to it. No 2.5KHz steps needed, not even a wide/narrow option. I still believe such options are very useful, but they’re not mandatory.
Anytone’s secret radios
While surfing the Internet in search of other interesting radios, I ran into www.repeateranytone.com. No ham radio repeaters there though, but GSM repeaters. Very cheap ones too – no matter what model you pick, they’re all $0. And there are no hidden fees: when I place an order and check out with a ‘guest’ account, the $0 stays. Now that’s the China we love! This is, of course, the same problem Brick encountered when visiting the Baofeng shop.
The top banner does show ham radios though, but there’s no detailed info to be found on the website. Here are a few:
Take your pick.
Video Recording Radio? Now there’s a thought.
We know this one. I miss one ’8′ in the model number though.
