Ham Radio Now

As I remembered this show, I didn't think it was a good candidate for an audio Blast from the Past. Two Emcomm Vehicles? Wouldn't that have a lot of important video?

Well, the way my Roku shows YouTube is 'interesting'. It's always trying to suggest things it thinks I'd like, including a lot of older HamRadioNow episodes (are we old enough to say 'Vintage'?). It popped up this one, and I pushed PLAY.

What I didn't remember was that the show starts with Jeff AC4ZO and me bantering in the studio for about a half hour (so.. a radio show). Then we went to a pair of interviews shot on location at the 2013 Orlando HamCation and the 2013 Dayton Hamvention, featuring two very awesome Emcomm vehicles. And here there is a lot of show and tell, so the video is important, but not critical. You'll get a lot from the guys talking to us. Some of you can see a picture of the two trucks in the thumbnail for this episode, depending on how your podcast app works.

But then there was something I totally forgot: Jeff and I bantering early Sunday at the Hamvention, recording an 'intro' for a tour video we never shot because we got too busy with more interviews. And our special guest for this little bull session was ARRL President Kay Craigie N3KN. Yes, we did a full interview with Kay just after that, and it's an Archive Episode (HRN 80) a few weeks ago, but this is even more... well, more Kay and me, along with Jeff. Very relaxed and casual. And about the only thing you'll miss from the video is the antique and unusual pump handle sideswiper key that Jeff bought in the flea market. You can see him oggling it in Episode 78 at 28:48. The link should take you to 28:48, but if it doesn't, well, go to 28:48. The bantering was pretty good, so I stuck it on the end of this show.

So I'm going to give this surprise Archive episode a Radio Rating of A-.

Back in school, didn't you hate getting an A minus? I mean really... that shoulda been an A.   - Gary KN4AQ

Ride with KN4AQ as he leaves his Cary NC home and heads toward St. Petersburg FL and the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference. Gary talks about a recent BikeMS event he participated in, getting to know DMR (but not very well), works some digital (D-STAR and DMR), some special event stations, and some DX. And he starts heading home a little prematurely. 

The video version has some scenery (not the best - no mountains) and a few web sites and pictures tossed in, and some radio manipulation. One of the folks at the DCC said he listens to most HamRadioNow shows, but likes to watch the On The Road episodes. Still, you'll get a lot out of the audio, so we'll give this a Radio Grade of B. Maybe B+.

One more Archive episode to cap off the Libsyn monthly allotment.

I talked to (now former, then current) ARRL President Kay Craigie N3KN at the 2013 Dayton Hamvention. We started a few minutes before the fest opened on Sunday morning, and ended probably with the rest of the League booth staff wondering what happened to Kay, who had been AWOL for over an hour.

You'll benefit, though, from this in depth conversation, mostly about her background, but also about a little "current events" that still resonate now.

Totally talking heads, so a Radio Rating of A+.

End of the month, and some storage space to use up before it goes poof, so we'll dip into the archive.

I interviewed Erin King AK4JG at the Huntsville Hamfest in 2012, shortly after she was presented as the Newsline Young Ham of the Year. She was about to begin her freshman (freshwoman?) year at MIT.

This is mostly talking heads, though I did toss in a little video of one of her balloon launches. MIT students are known to 'hack' the tube that their acceptance letter comes in, and Erin added a camera and APRS to hers and sent it to the edge of space. So it gets a Radio Rate of A.

I know that since then she's interned at Google on Project Loon (their plan to float Internet-delivering balloons around the globe), but otherwise I haven't kept up. I really need to check in and see how she's doing. 

An unboxing on audio? Compelling, I'm sure.

Well, I'm still tied up with cat maintenance (and thanks for your many kind comments - the Bear is probably in 'hospice' care now, but his quality of life is good enough and the vet says there's still some chance of recovery, so we're putting in the effort).

But I have had some time to play with a couple new radios - a BTech (BaoFeng) UV-5x3 tri-band HT, and a TYT MD-380 DMR HT. And I've figured out how to point the HamRadioNow TV studio to Facebook Live (and the audio audience makes a few polite golf claps - but if you do Facebook, look for the HamRadioNow show page, and Facebook Public Group). 

I did an 'unboxing' of both radios on Facebook Live. They lost the first one, and I didn't record it. This one is sticking around. And I'm only putting it out here because I haven't had the chance to make many programs, and at least this is something.

So, an unboxing on radio? Maybe I ramble enough to make it worth listening to, but I'll give it a C-. Tell me if you like it more than I think.

The HamRadioNow KICKSTARTER for making video of the ARRL/TAPR DCC successfully ended Sunday night (August 21). Gary had just gotten the studio connected to Facebook LIVE, and used the countdown to the KICKSTARTER closing as an excuse for a live broadcast. 

There's lots on-screen to see, but the audio only isn't too bad, so it gets a Radio Grade of  B.

A little filler between episodes. But heck, at 20 minutes, it's longer than some other podcast's regular shows, so I changed my mind and gave it a number. Also, a look at Ham Radio in the TV show Limitless.

You think we're talking about the Hamvention® move, right? 

Nope. We recorded this program the day before the move was announced, but a technical glitch kept us from uploading it then. We'll do a show on Xenia... er, Dayton... soon. This one is about all that Digital Voice stuff we've been talking about.

Yeah, kinda got the rug pulled out from under it. Oh, well, that's show biz.

Here Jeff AC4ZO, Cyndi KD4ACW and Gary banter about stuff that's changed, and how that worked out.

We'd give this an Audio Rating of A excpept for one thing. Gary messed up with Wirecast and got a rogue microphone turned on for one shot. That irritation drops the show one letter to B, and we hope that'll make an impression so he never makes that mistake again.

I had about 20 MB of space available in this month's Libsyn upload limit, and didn't want it to go to waste. So here's one from the vault, originally produced on June 5, 2013. I think the official title is Who the Heck Would Want to Operate Digital Voice, Anyway?... or something like that. 

In this episode Mel Whitten K0PFX introduces me to Bruce Perens K6BP, and we talk about Digital Voice. I've gone on to have Bruce on the show many times, either as a guest or doing a forum at the DCC, Dayton or Orlando. I've learned a lot from him, and of course he's a very entertaining speaker. Not everyone agrees with him (or he wouldn't be nearly so entertaining).

By the way, this is Part One of Two. Most of what Bruce had to say is here in Part One, and I don't have the bits for Part Two, but you can find the video on YouTube.

Return with us now to those thrilling days of YesterYear.... - Gary KN4AQ

Wireless Holding's DV4mobile promises to be a groundbreaking advance in Amateur Radio VHF/UHF digital voice. A single radio that will do all the common DV modes (D-STAR, DMR, P25, C4FM (Fusion) on 144, 222 and 440 MHz. But that's just the start. Company founder Uri Altvater AG0X/DH6SAB talks about this radio in depth, and gets to details that you haven't seen in any other articles or interviews. I guess that's called an exclusive. For example, the release date, and the price range. (hint: it's not going to be cheap)

This is mostly a talking-head show, so audio listeners will miss very little except Gary blinking with his new contact lenses. So this gets a Radio Rating of A.

Note that we got a little technical problem with the audio about half way though, and every 20 seconds on the nose, there's a short dropout. So it's not you, it's us. Don't go tearing apart your phone.

And you'll hear Gary promote the KICKSTARTER that's coming along nicely, but has a ways to go before it reaches the $5000 goal, in case you've been thinking about helping out.