NEW Alinco DJ-MD5 DMR Handheld

The latest addition to the ever growing crop of dual band DMR radios... 

Alinco DJ-MD5T VHF/UHF 5W DMR Dual Mode Tier I/II HT

Features:

• DMR Tier I and Tier II
• 1.77 inch TFT colour LCD
• VFO/MR Switch
• Output Power Selection (5W / 2.5W / 1W / 0.2W)
• 4000 channel memory
• SMS (Digital Mode)
• Communication recording (Digital mode)
• Individual / Group / All Call (Digital mode)
• CTCSS / DCS / DTMF / 2Tone / 5Tone encode and decode (Analogue mode)
• Selectable battery-save
• 1700mAh Li-ion battery

Specifications:

• Frequency Range: 136-174MHz / 400-480MHz
• Channel Capacity: 4000ch
• Channel Spacing: 25KHz (analogue) / 12.5KHz (digital/analogue)
• Operating Voltage: DC 7.4V
• Frequency Stability: +-2.5ppm
• Weight: 256G (with battery pack and antenna)
• Power Output: 5W / 2.5W / 1W / 0.2W
• Modulation (Digital): 7K60FXD / 7K60FXE
• Modulation (Analog): 16K0F3E / 11K0F3E

(As always.... Click Images To Enlarge)

Price: TBA (But seen on a US site for $169)

Release Date: Summer 2018 (!)

French CB Radio Event 17th -19th August

Listen out on channel 27 (Mid Band) - 27.275 for a national CB event taking place in France this weekend. 

Google Translation from French to English: 

Hey. Friday 17 Saturday 18 21 pm Sunday 19 August 2018 10 pm National Channel 27.

Good qso. ;)

The great national qso of channel 27 (27,275 Mhz) of Friday night, Saturday night & Sunday morning is at the initiative of the various regions to promote local qsos. In FM, am or USB & lsb depending on who's remoteness with a possible qsy depending on the modulation that could be there. All of us, therefore, are making calls on this channel. In am, Blu or fm and this from 21 pm (for Fridays and Saturdays). And from 10 am to about 12 pm (for Sunday morning) ;)

For more info: http://la-planete-cibi-fr.forumactif.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/716653571698482/

I'm not sure about about having all modes on one calling frequency as this will no doubt cause a lot of interference but it's still worth a try I guess.....

10m Band - UK to USA on 10 watts

Video:YouTube/AMATEUR & 11M RADIO TIM

Congratulations to Tim who shows that even at this low point in the solar cycle it is possible to make QRP contacts across the pond.... 

FCC Says NO to FM CB Radio and Increases Power Output on FRS

The FCC has published an update to it's Part 95 rules which mainly concern personal radio services such as the Family Radio Service (FRS), the US equivalent to the EU's PMR446, and the main headline is that FM (Frequency Modulation) will NOT be coming to the CB Radio service in the US.

(Click to enlarge)

Ailunce HD1 Firmware Update (August 2018)

Ailunce HD1 Software v1.98 and Firmware V1.53

1. Radio screen can display below 4 modes.

Display VFO-A | VFO-B

Display VFO-A | CH-B

Display CH-A | VFO-B

Display CH-A | CH-B

2. Add Mic Gain setting on the radio.

3. Add Mic gain internal value and internal protection

4. Add Talk permit tone, Channel free tone, Repeater connect tone, repeater fails tone.

5. Add permit tone select on-off for analogue and digital

6. Repeater tone is free from beep restrictions.

7. Set the GPS report contacts on the radio.

8. Show TS1 or TS2 on the radio main screen.

9. Add “No RX Info when operating Menu”, Radio can check if you are in the menu to judge display the RX info or not.

10. Add functions for Side key setting

Zone Plus

Zone Minus

DMR Slot

Promiscuous

Manual Dial

Ch-Mode.

11.Improve the squelch function

12. Address when setting the CTCSS, after the first time receives, there will no audio when a signal is coming, unless you press PTT again.

13. An issued problem when a Channel Alias in only imported if it’s numbers. If it is text then the imported field is just blank.

14. The new software and firmware are more stable with a connection to the computer.

Software/Firmware can be downloaded from http://www.retevis.com/hd1-resources/

Baofeng UV-5R Radios Illegal? The Real Story

Video:YouTube/KB9VBR Antennas

With the FCC in the US recently causing a bit of a stir by effectively banning the Baofeng UV-5R from sale, Micheal Martens of KB9VBR Antennas takes a closer look as to what this means for the radio and those operators who use the radio in the US....

Satcom Scan 40F CB Radio

A 'blast from the past' with a look at my Satcom Scan 40F CB Radio, bought way back in 1987 for the sum of £165, seen here receiving some skip today.

Boasting 40 channels on the mid-band, FM ONLY!

It's actually a really nice radio with features that were way ahead of it's time... SQUELCH FIX, SCAN, SEL-CALL, MIC COMPRESSOR etc. 

I spent many a happy hour chatting on this one I can tell you.

Baofeng BANNED?

Documents which have appeared on the FCC website appear to suggest that sales of the popular budget handheld radio, the Baofeng UV-5R may be BANNED in the US.... at least in relation to one supplier.....

(Click Images To Enlarge)

Apparently the FCC have taken the view that the radios do not conform to the relevant rules and  regulations due to the fact that they can transmit on 'restricted frequencies'.

The radios will apparently not be allowed for sale by the company in question until they have been modified to comply with the relevant rules.

In the world of CB radio it is known that the FCC takes a firm stance when it comes to the sale and marketing of radios which can transmit out of the allowed bands. It is unclear as to how this will affect other suppliers at this time as the ruling appears to be as much about the way the radios are marketed as the actual operation of the radios themselves.

Might be a good time to stock up on these little radios if you haven't got some already!

Link to full document: CLICK HERE

President Lincoln 2+ Tune Up

Video:YouTube/Smokin Joe's Electronics Pure Power RF Labs

Chippenham Radio Rally 29/07/2018

Video:YouTube/rigsearch

A short video from today's Chippenham Radio Rally....