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The Tytera TYT MD-390, the successor of the popular Tytera TYT MD-380 DMR HT, has arrived. Jason Johnston, KC5HWB, unboxes the upgraded DMR HT in the latest episode of his show, Ham Radio 2.0: LIVE! From The Hamshack.

“I think I’m the first one to have them listed online, but that won’t last long,” says Johnston.

Like the MD380, the TYT MD390 is 400-470MHz, features 1000 channels, and is DMR Tier 1 and 2 compatible. New to the MD390 is an IP67 dust/water ingress protection rating (immersion up to 1m).

The radio is currently available in the Grapevine Amateur Radio online store for $179.99. Johnston says MD390 is priced similarly to the MD380 when it first came out. “I expect it will probably drop in three to six months,” he says.

In the video, Johnston does a thorough job reviewing the features of the radio. He compares the MD-380 vs. the MD-390 and talks about how he’s been using the radio around the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the past few days since the first units arrived.

Johnston says the radio feels heavier and much more sturdy than the MD-380 it replaces. He also praises its strong audio. “It sounds just as good as the MD-380, maybe even a little bit better,” he says.

If you’ve followed his show, you’ve noticed that he has really stepped up his game in terms of video production. Great job, Jason!

While the astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station conduct experiments nearly 250 miles above earth, John Brier, KG4AKV, is on a mission of his own closer to home. The Raleigh, North Carolina ham hopes to fulfill a personal goal: have a voice QSO with a member of the ISS crew.

Brier hasn’t always been active since becoming licensed at age 15, but his interest was renewed two years ago after listening to a school radio contact through the ARISS program. Later, he successfully received a satellite image from the space station and began making contacts through SO-50, an easy-to-work voice satellite. He developed a keen interest in satellite communications, especially with the ISS.

“I listen to them talking to schools almost every month and I really like receiving the slow-scan TV images they send out a few times a year,” he says.

Brier has an active YouTube channel where he features videos of his satellite work. He also started a blog about communicating with the ISS, including hints for receiving slow-scan TV signals from space.

Even if he isn’t ultimately successful in making a two-way contact, he won’t be too disappointed. “I enjoy just receiving them, too,” Brier says.

It’s a call-in talk show about ham radio!Ham Talk LIVE! Episode 3
w/ Gary Pearce, KN4AQ
Ham Radio Now

Thursday, 3 March 2016
9:00 PM Eastern Time (02:00 UTC)

Listen to this episode LIVE (and to all previous episodes) in the player below:

Dave Savidge, AF5DN, lives in a neighborhood governed by a highly-restrictive homeowners’ association (HOA). Many of these neighborhoods have strict “no antenna” policies purportedly to protect the aesthetics of the community.

The Texan ham needed to hit a repeater some distance away, so he built a stealth J-pole antenna disguised as a flowering vine. The design allows him to hide the 2-meter antenna in plain sight on his front balcony — while also providing a nice decorative touch!

The base of the J-pole sits in a split-PVC holder, embedded in a poured concrete base. This provides weight and stability in the bottom of the flower pot. The J-pole is held in the PVC holder by a hose clamp. There is a hole cut in the bottom of the pot to feed through the coax leading to a low-profile weather-proof MFJ window antenna feedthrough.

The flowers were sourced from his local Michaels craft store. The other components are readily available at Home Depot and Lowes. There are many great J-pole plans available free online, including this 2m/440 dual-band “Copper Cactus” from N7QVC.

Amateur Radio Weekly, a curated ham radio newsletter, celebrated its one hundredth issue on Saturday, February 27.

Cale Mooth, K4HCK, got the idea for the newsletter back in 2014. The Nashville ham had seen e-mail newsletters from Cooper Press like JavaScript Weekly and wanted to create something similar for the amateur radio community.

“Nothing like that seemed to exist in the ham world,” Mooth says. “Hams are great builders and engineers, but I think we leave a lot to be desired in the marketing effort. Ham Radio is a hobby, so we’re also limited in the amount of time we spend with it. The idea for a quick, weekly summary of what’s happening in ham radio was the main driver.”

When Mooth began publishing his weekly newsletter, he never dreamed it would become so successful.

“The first two issues or so were sent to my email address and that was about it,” he says. “To see the readership grow and to receive feedback from not only the local ham community but from all around the world has been amazing.”

“I think what really makes the newsletter appealing is the curated nature of the stories,” Mooth says. “It’s not a randomized, unmonitored feed. I’m constantly looking for interesting, and most importantly, material that might be useful to another ham.”

Mooth says he’s not completely sure what’s next for Amateur Radio Weekly, but he has some ideas.

“Specialized versions of the newsletter is interesting to me,” he says. “Separate issues dedicated entirely to emcomm, contesting, etc. Something with more of an editorial aspect to it would be a lot of fun. Now I just need to figure out how to add more hours to the day!”

Despite being busy with his job in product management at a software company, he’s still having a great time. When it comes to online content, he loves to find diamonds in the rough.

“My favorite thing is running across a random ham that has posted a great review or how-to article on their blog,” he says. “It’s often more personal and compelling than what you might find from a professional publication.”

Mooth sees Amateur Radio Weekly as his contribution toward making sure hams get the useful and relevant information they need, no matter which facet of ham radio they enjoy.

“Ultimately, it’s all about lifting up the ham community and promoting the hobby,” he says.

Rob Wagner, VK3BVW, gives an interesting and visually appealing tour of the antennas at his home in Mount Evelyn, Victoria, a small town in southeast Australia near the beautiful city of Melbourne.

His backyard features mostly wire antennas — 3 are double bazookas (or coaxial dipoles) — and includes a Par SWL End-Fedz antenna.

In addition to creating well-done ham radio videos, VK3BVW writes a blog called the Mount Evelyn DX Report.

Tower climber Kevin Schmidt is captured by Prairie Aerial’s multi-rotor drone ascending the 1,500-foot KDLT TV tower in Salem, South Dakota.

Although the tower wasn’t in active use at the time the video was made, the lightbulb atop it still needed to be changed. It gives you new appreciation for the work these men and women do maintaining these amazing structures.

The video below, which recently surpassed six million views on YouTube, was recently chosen to be featured in the New York City Drone Film Festival being held next month.