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30 October 2016
28 October 2016
First 16 Channel PMR446 Appears Online
After some EU countries adopted the new 16 channel PMR446 standard recently the first new radio has appeared online on the Mass Electronik website.
Priced at €98.00 (£88) it certainly isn't the cheapest PMR radio out there but prices will certainly fall as other 16 channel radios become available over time.
Of course this is still 500mw output with integrated antenna but now with 16 channels instead of just 8.
Link : CLICK HERE
Further informaton can be found on the PMR446 page of this blog.
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| transmission power |
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| Frequency range |
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| Features & Functions |
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| Headset / microphone connection |
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| Dimensions (mm), WxHxD |
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RSGB Statement (Nightmare Neighbour)
The RSGB have issued the following statement in relation to last nights Channel 5(UK) programme "Nightmare Neighbour Next Door' which featured a dispute between a HAM Radio operator and several elderly neighbours...
"We work hard to build relationships with the media and often provide facts and help when programmes and articles featuring amateur radio are being prepared.
Unfortunately, the RSGB was not invited to be part of Channel 5’s “Nightmare Neighbour Next Door” programme or to verify any facts. We have, of course, contacted Channel 5 about our concerns and have highlighted the positive aspects of amateur radio. We have also offered our expertise and input for future programmes where amateur radio is mentioned.
Our volunteers spend a lot of time helping radio amateurs with planning applications. It is by putting forward facts during those processes that we can help to dispel myths about amateur radio and any impact on the public or environment.
One of the best ways to counteract the public’s lack of understanding about amateur radio is to offer positive stories to the media. We are always looking for stories to share and will be very happy to help radio amateurs approach their local media too – please contact comms@rsgb.org.uk
If we receive a response from Channel 5 we will share it with our Members"
The TV programme can be watched by UK viewers online HERE
27 October 2016
Apollo II Lands At Dave's Door!
Great news from Dave, M0OGY, who once again has managed to get his hands on a new radio. This time it's the Anytone Apollo II.
Now we just have to wait for his review......!
26 October 2016
NEW: Baofeng DMR-82UV Tier 2 DMR Radio
According to Passion Radio it would appear that Baofeng are about to release a dual band Tier 2 DMR handheld radio.
Hot on the heels of the DM-5R (Tier 1, upgradeable to Tier 2) this radio is expected to be very popular with a price tag expected to be 'well below 100 Euros'.
| Frequencies - VH-UHF Dual band | UHF 400-520MHz VHF 136-174MHz |
| Number of Channels | 128 |
Number of zones
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50
|
| channel spacing | 12.5KHz / 25KHz |
| Operating Current | DC 7.4V (± 20%) |
| Battery capacity | 1800 mAh (Li-ion) |
| Autonomy (5/5/90) | Digital 20 hours - 14 hours Analog |
| Frequency stability | ± 1.5ppm |
| Operating temperature | - 20 ℃ / + 60 ℃ |
| Impedance of the antenna | 50Ω |
| Transmitter | |
| RF power | 5W / 4W / 1W |
| FM modulation | 12.5 kHz: 8K50F3E
25 kHz: 16KΦF3E;
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| 4FSK modulation (DMR) | 12.5kHz (only data): 7K60FXD
12.5kHz (data and voice): 7K60FXE
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modulation Limiting
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@ 12.5kHz +/- 2.5kHz
+/- 5 kHz @ 25kHz
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Conducted Emission
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DBm≤1GHz -36 / -30 dBm≥1GHz
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Adjacent Channel Power
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≤ -60dB
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| Noise FM | -40dB |
| Audio distortion | 3% |
Audio response
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+ 1 / -3 dB
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Digital Voice coding
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AMBE + 2 ™
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| Receiver | |
Digital Sensitivity
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5% BER: 0.25 uV
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| Analog Sensitivity | 0.25 uV (12dB SINAD) |
| intermodulation | ≧ 60dB |
| Adjacent channel selectivity | ≧ 60dB |
| Spurious Response Rejection | ≧ 60dB |
| Noise FM | -40dB |
Audio response
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+ 1 / -3 dB
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| Loudspeaker audio power | 1W |
| Audio distortion | 3% |
Conducted Spurious Emission
|
-57dBm
|
Link to Google Translated Webpage: CLICK HERE
24 October 2016
Spooky Backscatter Signals
Video:YouTube/M0DAD
Just in time for halloween, some spooky sounding backscatter on 20m!
President Lincoln II vs CRT Superstar SS-7900 Power Peak & Tune
Video:YouTube/Klaus R.
Up to 100w out of a President Lincoln 2 and 90w out of a CRT SS-7900/Anytone AT5555N.....
23 October 2016
Galashiels Radio Rally Today....
Just a reminder that Galashiels Radio Rally takes place today so why not take the trip up to 'Bonnie Scotland' and see if there are any bargains to be had.......
Location:
St John Street
Galashiels
Scottish Borders
TD1 3JX
Doors open at 11.15am (Disabled access from 11.00am)
Video from last years event:
22 October 2016
CRT 2000 UK Prices
With the CRT 2000 expected in the shops in the next few days, retailers have put a price to this long awaited radio.
PJBOX.co.uk have the radio listed at £120 £109.55 (Reduced!) which includes FREE WIDEBAND MOD and UK40 channels programmed into the radio: LINK
Knights Electrocom have the radio listed at £115 and you can order the programming software and lead with the radio for £12.95: LINK
(Has it got SSB????? - No, but you could buy an Anytone 5555 with SSB and 45 watts output for the same price!!!)
21 October 2016
UK Price Rises Begin....
So it begins, prices for radio equipment in the UK have started to rise. Comments have started to appear on Facebook/Twitter about eye-watering increases to Yaesu radio prices on UK websites:
Some examples:
So if you do fancy a new radio it might be a good idea to get it now as I'm sure this will just be the start!
20 October 2016
Upgraded Baofeng DM-5R Communicating With a Motorola Radio
Video:YouTube/Ralph A. Schmid
A video which has surfaced online appearing to show a Baofeng DM-5R communicating with a Motorola Digital Radio.
The Baofeng DM-5R has apparently had a firmware upgrade to allow Tier 2 digital operation.
19 October 2016
Yaesu FT991 Extended Transmit Range
Video:YouTube/Jed Deadlock
A way of enabling TX on the Yaesu FT-991 in the frequency ranges: 1.8-55.999Mhz, 137-163.999Mhz and 420-469.999Mhz
However do be careful as this entails entering the engineering menu.
DO NOT ADJUST ANY SETTINGS IN THIS MENU AS YOU CAN SERIOUSLY MESS UP YOUR RADIO!!!!!
Yaesu Cashback/Deals @ Martin Lynch
Video:YouTube/MLandSShop
If you're a Yaesu man you may be interested in some of the cashback/deals currently on offer at ML&S.
18 October 2016
Waters & Stanton Announce Possible Price Rises!
A warning about future price rises has appeared on the Waters & Stanton website:
"Following on from the the Brexit vote the pound has lost a lot of value against other currencies. As most items we sell are paid for in other currencies we can see many price increases coming on many products. If you are planning on purchasing a large ticket price item soon then now could be a good time to make your purchase at current price.
If you are not in a position to currently purchase this item we suggest you take advantage of Buy Now Pay Later, where you can pay for your new product over the course of 12 month with no interest charges - just a £29 settlement; Or 48 months with 29.8% APR. Alternatively, you are able to pay the whole amount at any point during the 12 months."
Website Link: CLICK HERE
So what do you think?
Is this just scaremongering or do they have point?
Is this just another example of BREXIT being used as an excuse?
Can radio suppliers really justify increasing prices when the UK prices are already some of the highest in the world? (Rip Off Britain)
Superstar 3900EU - Driftin' The Night Away?
So after many weeks of talk about the 'new' Ranger Superstar 3900EU and comments about poor frequency stability, technical reports produced etc, Simon The Wizard (Simonthewizard.com) took the plunge and bought the radio from the guys at Radiozing and this was what he had to say about the frequency stablity of his radio:
"Out of box:
27.415 USB and connected to a external counter it transmitted 27.411.2
20 minutes later as warmed from cold delivery box 27.415 was 27.414.8 till move course a small percent off notched centre then read 0
Today, radio sat in room 24.2c and turned on from cold fresh start 27.415 was 27.413.6
20 minutes later with course a little off centre to the right its on 0
That's the initial try out"
So almost 4000Hz off frequency from cold - Oh dear, that is not good. Don't get me wrong, radios do need to warm up and most radios will 'drift' a little but I have a 35+ year old Cobra 148 which much more stable than this.
Indeed, one of the worst radios I've had recently was the Presdient Jackson 2 Chrome which was 300-400Hz off frequency and that was terrible to use with constant adjustments to the clarifier as the radio warmed up.
It really is a shame as the classic looks and simplicity of this radio appealed to many people but the Superstar 3900EU appears to have lived up to it's poor reputation on this occasion.
17 October 2016
CRT MEGAPRO - New Video!
Video:YouTube/CRT FRANCE
CRT France have posted a new video of the CRT Megapro.
Specifications:
(Click to enlarge)
16 October 2016
Baofeng DM-5R DMR Radio - Out Of The Box Compatibility
Video:YouTube/Ringway Manchester
If, like myself, you are thinking about getting the new Baofeng DM-5R you may wish to watch this video as presently the Baofeng does not appear to be compatible with other DMR radios....!
President Lincoln II+ V4/Lincoln II V3 Ext. VFO
Video:YouTube/Klaus R.
Another demostration of an external VFO for the Lincoln 2+ V4/Lincoln 2 V3 from Klaus.
15 October 2016
Baofeng DM-5R Dual Band PMR 446 DMR Digital Radio
Part 1
Part 2
Videos:YouTube/PMR 446 DMR (French Language)
Baofeng DM-5R DMR Radio - Unboxing & First Impressions
Video:YouTube/Ringway Manchester
A first look at the Baofeng DM-5R - Dual Band Digital Handheld!
14 October 2016
YAESU FT 891 Unpacking and First Look - Waters & Stanton Ltd
Video:YouTube/Waters and Stanton
Another look at the new Yaesu FT-891
11 October 2016
President Lincoln II v3 & President Lincoln II+
Video:YouTube/DrAwesome
Two short videos showing the new Lincoln 2+ (V4) radio and comparing it to the V3 radio.
Unboxing and Testing the Baofeng UV-5X3
Video:YouTube/Ham Radio 2.0
Taking a look at the Tri-Band Baofeng UV-5X3 for those of you who are licensed to use the 1.25m band.
Frequency coverage: 130-179.99mhz (VHF), 222-225.99mhz (1.25M), 400-520.99mhz (UHF)
Yaesu 450D On 11m SSB
Video:YouTube/fredintheshed1
The Yaesu 450D is sounding good on 11m for sure.....!
Original Firestik In Stock @ Knights
Information from Doug at Knights Electrocom saying that he has a limited number of Original 7ft Firestik Antenna in stock.
I have a couple of Firestik antenna bought in the late 70's / early 80's and they certainly work well from the mobile station.
10 October 2016
9 October 2016
8 October 2016
NEW: Wouxun KG-D901 & KG-D2000 DMR Handhelds
Two new Wouxun DMR handhelds have been announced:
Firstly the KG-D901
(Click to enlarge)
And the other radio is the KG-D2000
(Click to enlarge)
Price and full deatils are still to be announced.
5 October 2016
OFCOM's New Website
OFCOM have launched their new updated website...
"We’ve spent several months designing the site in close consultation with our visitors.
We carried out several surveys, carried out in-depth interviews with regular visitors to the site and we ran online tests to work out how people want to use it.
Visitors to our old website told us that the search wasn’t up to scratch and that the site was too busy. It was hard to see the wood for the trees, and frustrating trying to get around.
People also told us that they’re coming to Ofcom with a clear task in mind – to take part in a consultation, to find some research, to check their mobile coverage or to make a complaint. We took all this on board, and have made significant changes.
Our aim is to make the site as user-friendly as possible by:
* creating a new look and structure that should make key tasks easier to perform;
* improving the search engine; and
* making big changes to the way our research and consultations are presented"
Yaesu FT 891 In Use!
Video:YouTube/N1CY
What a lovely looking radio the FT-891 is, If only it had 2m/70cm and I would be trading in my FT-857D....!
4 October 2016
Ranger Superstar 3900EU - It's all gone quiet!
There was a lot of talk about the re-launch of the Ranger Superstar in the UK a few weeks back but I'm still waiting to hear from anyone who actually bought the radio.....
What's it like?
Does it have frequency stability problems or is it rock solid as Superstar UK told us?
If YOU have one please let us know what you think.
Blast From The Past - York JCB-863
Video:YouTube/26CT1994
A favourite amongst many in the UK, the York JCB-863
President Lincoln 2+ EXPORT MOD
What we know so far.....
Simon The Wizard gave us a first glimpse of the internals of the radio in EXPORT mode and his photos show an oversized resistor which is located where the white export wire was on the previous versions. This resistor looks like it has been added after production of the radio.
Meanwhile Dave M0OGY shows us a video of his radio in legal HAM MODE (10m+12m) and the resistor is missing from his radio.
Simon then posts a photo of him using the programming software....
...which clearly shows "TEST MODE 24.7150 - 30.1050"
So what do these clues mean?
Well I don't have a Lincoln 2+ so I can't try anything out but I'm sure anyone with the radio could figure it out....
(By the way, you don't actually need the programming software to do the export mod!)
Links:
Simon The Wizard Blog - CLICK HERE
M0OGY YouTube Channel - CLICK HERE
UPDATE: EXPORT MOD IN FULL - CLICK HERE
3 October 2016
Baofeng DM-5R Appears On Amazon.com
Seen on Amazon.com the new Baofeng DM-5R dual band DMR handheld radio.
Price $69.99
LINK
I would love to see one of these 'in the flesh' as it were due to the ongoing rumours that the radio doesn't actually exist. The only 'review' on the Amazon page made me chuckle:
President Lincoln II + Receive Tests on 11 Meters
Video:YouTube/M0OGY
This time Dave shows us the Lincoln 2+ in EXPORT mode listening to stations on 11m.
2 October 2016
President Lincoln II+ On Air Tests
Video:YouTube/M0OGY
Dave takes a look at the new President Lincoln 2+ on 10m... To my ears the Lincoln 2+ still has a raspy sound on SSB. Not awful but not quite right. The first version of this radio had the same sound but it was much, much, worse.
The Lincoln 2 has chequered history and has required several versions:
V1 - The original radio which was plagued with problems including poor SSB receive, dodgy channel change and a mad bouncy s-meter!
V2 - Version 1 owners were offered the chance to send their radios to President to sort out the worst of the problems. When the radio came back it was known as the V2.
V3 - The next production run which incorporated the fixes which were previously provided to V1 owners along with a few more improvements.
V4 - The latest version which is known as the Lincoln 2+
V5 - Coming soon????????
1 October 2016
Again, Again, What's Your Call Again? You're 5 and 9....
This is why I don't like some contest stations!!!
After repeatedly asking to confirm a callsign he still gives a signal report of 5 and 9!!!!