AmateurRadio.com

Is this the Chinese mobile radio at a good price point ($275) people have been waiting for? The specs list a detachable head, cross-band repeat, 50/40 watts, 758 memories, AM aircraft receive, wide-band FM receive, and 2013 FCC compliant. Ed’s site even mentions that it’s Part 90 certified.

Here is the text of Ed’s e-mail:

After the dismal performance and high price of Wouxun’s dual band mobile radio, I’m excited to share information about the AnyTone AT-588UV. I have been testing this radio for a couple of weeks and I’m impressed. I think this will be the Chinese dual bander that takes the market.

It’s computer programmable and the control head separates from the radio via a CAT5 cable. This radio is easy to manually operate because there are no sub-menus and there are matching controls for the left and right sides. Either side can be set for VHF or UHF or both the same. It has dual receive (two signals at once) and when transmitting, you can set the off side to be muted if desired. Unlike the Wouxun, with the AnyTone, you can scan one side while monitoring the other side. It only takes a couple button pushes to set up cross band repeat. And unlike the other brand, this cross band repeat actually works! It has AM Aircraft receive plus 220-260 MHz receive (sorry NO 220 transmit).

The company has given me this timeline for availability. They plan to produce a small run at the end of September and hopefully full production by the end of October. I suggested they make a larger test run because I’ve found nothing major that needs improving. I’ve made a few suggestions for firmware changes which they quickly approved. This company is interested in producing a good product. When the AT-588UV is available to purchase, I will send an announcement to this mailing list.

The owners manual is not yet available but I have a list of the various functions. I will post this information and the programming software on my web site as soon as I can. This will take you to that location.

Best Regards,
Ed Griffin

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So, what do you think?  Will you be in for one of these?

Which would you choose, this radio or a Yaesu FT-7900R ($350) or Icom IC-208H ($345)?

Matt Thomas, W1MST, is the managing editor of AmateurRadio.com. Contact him at [email protected].

Recently I downloaded the latest version of Lazarus, the rapid application development tool that uses Free Pascal. It’s a clone of Delphi but open source and cross platform. I’ve used it for hobby program development for the last few years, when I was no longer able to get free copies of Delphi. But now I actually prefer Lazarus to Delphi. It’s like how Delphi used to be.

The Lazarus IDE

In Lazarus I have been making a few changes to my logging program for Elecraft transceivers, KComm. Programming again marks another milestone in my return to normality, though in all honesty the time it takes and the number of stupid mistakes I make show that my brain still isn’t firing on all cylinders.

Why write my own logging program when there are so many good alternatives available? For one thing it is the same motivation that makes people build their own gear. For another, it allows me to use a program that works the way I want. If I want a certain feature then I get on and implement it. By limiting its use to the Elecraft community I avoid the troubles encountered by, say, the developers of Ham Radio Deluxe: the problem of dealing with thousands of users. There are probably only a handful of users of KComm, but that’s all right because I’m mainly developing it for my own use.

KComm can speak Russian

An example of what writing my own software allows me to do can be seen in the screenshot above. KComm supports user choice of character set for digital modes. So that if someone sends me a message in Russian (for instance) I can see what they sent (and copy and paste it into Google Translate, since I don’t speak Russian.)

This should not be taken as a sign that I will start writing new programs again. I’m just making a few changes to programs I use myself. I have downloaded the source code to the last released version of JT65-HF (which happens to have been developed in Lazarus too.) Perhaps one day I’ll see if I can make a few tweaks to that!

Julian Moss, G4ILO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, England. Contact him at [email protected].

Finally everything fell in place… my shack is running on solar power only. An idea/project I have been pursuing for years but the circumstances were never perfect… until this July. Last fall, a hailstorm took care of the roof and I had to replace it. In July I was able to secure a large chunk of money from our City which is offering a (very) limited number of rebates for Photovoltaic (PV) installations. Together with the federal tax credits it will put the ROI within my life expectancy. Good enough for me.

The complete system is a grid tied, 5.5 kW system – 22 panels organized in two arrays (one south and one west facing). Each panel has a microinverter to optimize production and to add some ‘intelligence’ to the system. Monitoring and trouble shooting is a breeze. I can literally see when a bird poops on a panel and degrades my production 🙂

Since my shack consists only of a Yaesu FT-817, I am using the excess energy in the rest of the house. It should produce over 100% of our typical electricity usage per year if everything goes according to plan – I guess time will tell.

Here a short clip of the installation:

Please add your questions and comments through Youtube.

 

 

Matt Schnizer, KØMOS, is a special contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at k0mos at schnizer.com.

W2LJ

Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Just a quick reminder of TechDay 2012 coming up this Saturday. This event is designed to help the new Technician Licensee get started in amateur radio. However, everyone is welcome!

Come join us on Saturday, September 15th, 2012 (9:00 AM to 2:00 PM) at the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Administration Complex at 166 Second St. in beautiful Monument, CO for a half day workshop aimed primarily at the new Technician Licensees to help them get started in ham radio. While you’re here you’ll learn what it takes to be a ham radio operator, brush up on your DXing skills, test  your own ham radio equipment, check out some sweet mobile radio installations, and ask an Elmer “What’s so cool about 10 meters?”

Bring your questions, bring your radio and join us for TechDay!

More information is available here.

Note that TechDay is being held at the Tri-Lakes Fire Admin Complex in downtown Monument and not at one of the fire stations.

73, Bob K0NR

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Well Dr Watson, its wobbly metal.

Enough of the Tom Foolery and down to the serious business of an issue that must be fairly common. Drilling larger diameter holes in flexible metal sheet generally found on hobby cases. Just in case you were wondering though Tom Fool (aka Tom Skelton) is apparently a ghost of a Jester at our local castle, Muncaster so here’s hoping he’s had plenty of opportunity to wander round the house and grounds with odd shaped holes in his thin sheet metal parts.

A lot of trouble I have with when its time to put a project in a case is that the 16mm hole needed for an SO239 for example causes me no end of trouble. I have tried a number of different ways to make the holes without giving a figure of 8 or elongated hole. Step drills tend to give slightly better results that piloting and increasing the bit size. I have found that the latter can easily end up with a poor hole if any vibration is imparted into the case.

So what’s the answer, well, I just don’t know. Punching would seem to be a better solution as would routing the holes but in the case of pre folded sheet I’m sure this isn’t too practical. I’m wondering if people have had better results with other ways of making these holes.

Alex Hill, G7KSE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, UK. Contact him at [email protected].

It was not addressed to me....this time!!!

This evening I was on the radio and 9K2MU from Kuwait was BOOMING IN...never had that happen before. It was 20m at 14.025.008 CW around 23:05 UTC. I was reading on the spots that he was "as deaf as a doornail" Well when he was booming into my QTH he was answering lots of calls and the pileup

Just not meant to be today.

was fairly large to boot. Maybe there are those out there who think if they are not heard then the DX station
is just simply deaf.  Just as fast as he came in.... he was gone and just replaced with static at 23:15!! Did I make the contact....NO.... but I gave it may best effort and  it was not my time. This is what I love about ham radio it's the surprises that help sharpen your skills but at the same you understand that you have so much more to learn.......it just never becomes boring!!!
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].