My last post was about my new Icom RC-28 external VFO that I purchased for my 65th birthday. At the time I had not connected it to the radio as I was busy with some home renovations. Once I could sit down and give the new RC-28 a spin I connected it to the front USB port on my Icom 7610 radio. I was very pleased to see that it worked without any issues....so I thought. When I powered down the radio that was when things went south. The Icom 7610 was stuck in power-down mode. I tried to tap the power button and then hold the power button but this did not shut the radio down. I had to turn off the power supply to the radio to finally power-down the radio.

I thought maybe it was a one-off and I powered the radio on again without issue and then attempted to turn it off. Once again the radio was stuck in power-down mode, so I turned the power supply off. Just to make sure it was not a radio issue that happened to show itself at the same time as I plugged in the RC-28 I removed the RC-28 from the Icom USB port. Without the RC-28 connected the radio powered up and powered down without issue, I was hoping there was not an issue with the new RC-28. There is an Icom 7610 group on Groups.IO that I am a member of so I searched there regarding this power-down issue. One suggestion was to make sure my RC-28 has the latest software update. Up to that point, I did not know you could update its software. I downloaded from Icom the latest RC-28 software and connected my RC-28 to my PC USB port and ran the software. I was told I was running the latest software. Next was to make sure the Icom 7610 rig was updated with the latest software. Now this I know for sure is not the case, version 1.42 is mainly a pre-distortion update. Also known as DPD used for SSB and not CW and being I am 100% CW I felt it was a download that was not needed. Now having said that on Icom's update page, it did indicate there were a few minor fixes. In my opinion, my radio was working and I did not see any need for any minor fixes...well until now. 

I downloaded and loaded the latest Icom firmware and it made no difference the radio was still not turning off. Another suggestion from the group was to remove the LAN cable from the rear of the radio. Now for me to remove anything from the rear of the radio is a big undertaking. But it did get me thinking about removing cables so I tried removing the key and headphones from the radio but with the same results failing to shut down. I was thinking for the time being I may have to unplug the RC-28 before turning off the radio as when I did this the Icom 7610 shut down without issue.
As I was plugging my Key back into the front of the radio I noticed a very small device plugged into the other USB port on the radio. It was a Logitech Unifying receiver for my mouse, this allowed me to click on the waterfall of the Icom 7610. I used a wireless mouse as it presented less clutter on the desktop but truth be told I rarely used it. I removed this device and ran a start/shut down again with the radio and low and behold all was fine. 

Problem solved and I must admit I was relieved to have finally found what the issue was. I posted my results on the Icom 7610 Groups.io site. I was informed that on such and such a page in the manual it does say the USB ports do not support wireless receivers. I had no issue with the wireless mouse but once the RC-28 was introduced so was an issue.

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and the episode's feature is ARRL EE Committee Adventures.

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• ISS FM Repeater, APRS Digipeater Could Be Sunset in Two Years
• ISS Astronauts Reject Call for Early Retirement of the ISS
• VOA, Other International News Services, Marked for Cuts
• Questions Loom After Cuts at United States Weather Agency
• FCC Seeks Public Suggestions On Possible Deregulation
• Work at Repeater Site Costs Ham His County Job In Washington State
• RSGB web app
• Special Event Stations to Celebrate 200 Years of British Train Travel
• “Radio Connects” is 2025 ARRL Field Day Theme
• Mills on the air (MOTA) 2025

Spin the Random Topic Wheel (Segment 1)

• Best Desktop Environment or Window Manager

This Weekend in Hedonism (Segment 2)

• Cheryl’s Recipe Corner

• Easy Focaccia

• Description

• Focaccia is one of those breads that is so delicious, simple and forgiving.  And, if you are feeling artistic, you can use it as a canvas for edible artwork, using green onions, garlic, carrots, red onion, roasted peppers or even edible flowers to make a picture on the top of your dough.

• Ingredients

• 2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling/coating the pan as well as the focaccia

• 1 cup warm water (75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit)

• 1-3 sprigs of rosemary leaves

• Flaky sea salt, to taste

• Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, flour, and olive oil until a shaggy dough forms. Add the salt and mix until the dough comes together. It will be sticky. Coat the top of the dough with a thin layer of olive oil and cover with a tea towel. Place dough in a warm place and let rise for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the dough has risen, turn it out into a well-oiled enameled cast-iron braiser or baking pan. Gently stretch the dough to the edges of what you are baking it in. Be gentle and patient at this step. It may take a few tries to get the dough to that shape. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm place to let rise in the pan for another 30 minutes. Once dough is ready, coat your hands in olive oil and gently dimple the top of the dough to create small wells with your fingers. Drizzle generously with more olive oil, rosemary, and flaky sea salt. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and carefully from the pan. Slice, serve, and enjoy! Notes: When making focaccia, you can add various toppings like fresh herbs (especially rosemary, thyme, oregano), coarse sea salt, olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic, grated parmesan cheese, caramelized onions, peppers, and even a drizzle of balsamic glaze for extra flavor; remember to incorporate olive oil throughout the dough and on top before baking for that classic focaccia texture.  Key points about focaccia toppings: Herbs: Rosemary is a classic choice, but you can also add thyme, oregano, sage, or basil depending on your preference. Vegetables: Cherry tomatoes, sliced peppers, and red onion add freshness and color. Cheese: Grated parmesan cheese

• Cheryl’s Mixed Drink Corner

• Dogwood Punch

• Description

• The Dogwood is the Missouri state tree, and I anxiously await their blooming every spring.  This cocktail just says “spring” and is simple to make!

• Ingredients

• 1 bottle sparkling rosé

• 3 cups strawberry lemonade

• 1/4 cup grenadine

• 1 sliced lemon

• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries

• Mint sprigs for garnish

• Directions

• Mix rosé, strawberry lemonade, grenadine, lemons and strawberries together. Serve over ice and garnish with mint.

• Russ’s Drink Corner

• Jack Daniel’s Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee Whiskey

• Description

• Jack Daniel’s Bonded is created from specially selected barrels for this final blend. The search was on throughout the warehouses for whiskeys with boldness and depth of color. The result is Jack Daniel’s Bonded which emerged as the distillery’s 2022 Whisky of the Year. Like all bonded whiskeys, Jack Daniel’s Bonded was produced in one distilling season, aged for a minimum of 4 years, and bottled at 50% alcohol by volume. It’s one with depth of character, offering a host of flavors that marry well. Jack Daniel’s Bonded isn’t entirely new, however, as it has been available in the global travel retail market for the past several years but is now available on store shelves everywhere.

• Details

• Mashbill: 80% corn, 12% malted barley, 8% rye

• Region: Lynchburg, Tennesssee

• Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

• Color: Dark mahogany

• Nose: Caramel, cherry, oak, dried herbs, banana

• Taste: Brown sugar, honey, peanuts, cooked dark fruit, dark chocolate, barrel spice

• Finish: Warm baking spice, caramel, smoke

• Price: $30 (750ml)

• Rating: 82

• Bill’s Whatever Corner

• Willett Straight Rye Whiskey

• Family Estate Bottled Small Batch Rye

• Aged in Hand Selected White Oak for Four Years Bottled at Cask Strength

• 109.6 Proof (54.8%)

Segment 3 (Announcements & Feedback)

• Please Help Support the Show

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Segment 4 (New Subscribers, New Supporters & Live Participants)

• Mastodon

• Francisco de la Pena

• Discord

• ProgrammerDave

• Elira_Marine

• Live Chat

• Woody, KC1VOP

• Tony, K4XSS

• Jared, W7AQB

• Jon, K1BTZ

• Tim, KD0UUU

Hello and welcome to the 574th installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this short topics episode, the hosts discuss the upcoming YOTA summer camp in France, the new Signals Museum in Alabama, 100 years of IARU, the latest edition of WINE, a terminal app for Android and much more. Thanks for listening and have a great week.

73 de The LHS Crew

AmateurLogic.TV Episode 203 is now available for download.

Meshtastic, an open source, off-grid, decentralized, mesh network built to run on affordable, low-power devices. An update on the latest scanner technology. More…

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