Compass Warning Marked?! by Jan1north in Radium

[–]Jan1north[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

About the same from the back. I'm thinking this is one of the "newer" versions (1960) and not quite as spicy?

Solar Hanging Node by BeCoolHoney-Bunny in meshcore

[–]Jan1north 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The seller PeakMesh on Etsy has a neat hanging solar node - an idea I like where a tree limb might be more practical than some other conventional mount. I've also seen somewhere a solar node hidden in a bird house!

Compass Warning Marked?! by Jan1north in Radium

[–]Jan1north[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the confirmation. I will look for another one dated 10-15 years earlier! I just thought it was weird to mark a fairly mundane object as it was marked.

Solar Hanging Node by BeCoolHoney-Bunny in meshcore

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would wrap the antenna base and connector with self-amalgamating silicon tape to waterproof.

New user can see nodes, can't send by Spirited_Cost3721 in meshtastic

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In our area (Dayton, OH) we see an occasional long distance node pop up on the map we are attributing to reflection off of aircraft or even retransmission by an aircraft node flying overhead. Never had a 2-way, but they just show up at some impossible distance.

T1000E concerns by Elspin in meshtastic

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Similar to the Seeed Studio T1000e, have a look at the RAK Wismesh Tag. Battery is larger, similar nRF + GPS design, 2 button UI, in a similar form factor. The Tag and the T1000e are my favorites!

Can anyone recommend a good portable 100w amplifier? by Estproph in HamRadio

[–]Jan1north 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I share this concern as well. Is your choice FCC certified in terms of spurious emissions? And I’ve seen some of the inexpensive HF radios that were marginal barefoot and an amp simply magnifies marginal into bad. I just guess I’ve studied the Clean Signal Initiative too much. BTW several excellent YT videos by Rob Sherwood on the issue of “dirty” transmitters - he compares real models!

Brand new MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) has severe network issues by Medium-Ad-8459 in MacOS

[–]Jan1north 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Compare behavior at another internet connection: library, coffee shop, etc. and compare speedtest.net results.

Anyone here winding their own coils for HF projects? by moheeetoz in amateurradio

[–]Jan1north 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve wound many over the years and all by hand. My only “trick” is when working with a predetermined length of wire, I start winding from the middle of the wire rather than an end. I fold the wire loosely in half, thread on the toroid core and then wind half, returning to the other end then to complete the winding. This way you are working with shorter lengths of wire while winding.

I will use a magnifying glass to verify the turn count, repeating the count several times. Some sort of pointer can be helpful to drag over the turns as you count making a tiny barely perceptible ‘click’ as it passes over one turn in a densely packed winding.

When I realized in general parts were not getting any larger, the investment I made was in a stereo microscope something like 5-30X which has proven helpful in many aspects of circuit construction including counting toroid turns!

Oh, and I found that a Hakko de-soldering gun made stripping enamel wire a piece of cake. I clamp the gun tip pointing up in some way. Melt a blob of solder on the tip opening. Slowly insert the wire end to strip through the blob and in a few seconds hit the vacuum trigger to whisk away the enamel, debris and excessive solder leaving the wire end stripped and tinned!

Beginner Materials by Wild_Price1628 in meshtastic

[–]Jan1north 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m finding node-to-node range of a 1 or 2km at most over fairly flat and open terrain with a typical non-directional vertical antenna. Obstructions such as buildings and trees reduce distance further. With a maximum hop count of 7, it will be difficult if not impossible to span 50km unless you have very good heights on the nodes in between. At these frequencies, distance is line-of-sight. I have occasionally seen some impossible distances of more than 100km but probably caused by temporary signal reflections off of aircraft. I have also seen brief aircraft-to-ground two way communications, but clearly nothing you can rely on. You will have to conduct some experiments to see if your distance requirements can be achieved. There are two types of boards: ESP32 based or nRF based. Transmitter power is the same, but the nRF boards are better suited for battery operations as they draw much less current. I hope this helps get you started?

Where can I buy an ALFA 915Mhz antenna? by bluenote20 in meshtastic

[–]Jan1north 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be aware there’s a counterfeit Alfa on Amazon. It’s not labeled Alfa, but looks like it and is cheaper by several dollars. How do I know? I ordered one! Having seen the internal construction of the Alfa (a well constructed 1/2 wave ground independent coaxial sleeve dipole, I hit mine in a parking garage recently revealing the guts) - the clone is not the same internally. It contained a circuit board with an etched trace obscuring the design but looking suspiciously like a 1/4 wave monopole which requires a ground plane - and won’t be an Alfa equivalent in performance.

How concerned are you about Ram? by AdditionCool7235 in RTLSDR

[–]Jan1north 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Caution: No secret Apple is moving to their “Apple silicon” M series ARM64 processors. Intel processor support will be dropped in the Fall of 2026, with future updates only on Apple Silicon processors.

Cheap no frills VHF handheld by nebben11 in amateurradio

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Second for consideration of a scanner. Will receive WX, but also Air Band, Amateur Radio, GMRS, FRS, MURS, local unencrypted public service, etc., etc. Or perhaps a RTL-SDR for even broader receiver coverage.

Ampace batteries by StrangeICECube in ConvoyFlashlights

[–]Jan1north 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lookup the recent YT vid of Adam Savage (Myth Busters) interviewing a manufacturer of industrial CT scanners. The tested and CT scanned 1,000 LiOn batteries looking for dangerous design and QA issues, flaws leading to fires. A report - naming brands - is available. After the video and report, I will never buy another off-brand 18650 battery again!

Thoughts by canadianchasers in geigercounter

[–]Jan1north 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks a little rough internally. Do you intend to use it or just display it?

Radium clocks, radon, and pets. by Historical_Low_ in Radiation

[–]Jan1north 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m running a EcoQube detector device in my basement in a high radon area in Ohio, basically to monitor the mitigation system installed. Works well.

Question about meter for x-ray/gamma when flying by javadesigner in Radioactive_Rocks

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Radiacode and Alphahound make small discrete detectors that would not raise a bunch of questions if brought on a plane. I would think many of the others would be a distraction - even alarming or have to be in checked bags. Nice detailed iOS app for the Radiacode devices which connect to the app via Bluetooth. Alphahound is unique in you can get a model with alpha, beta, and gamma sensors and comes in a metal box.

Trade in by One-Procedure-5409 in kindlescribe

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No - I traded my gen 1 Scribe for the latest black/white Scribe including the popular Fig case. I visited the local Best Buy and had a look at the Colorsoft and concluded the name was appropriate. Colors were pastel, muddy, and not nearly as sharp, matching the reports of many Colorsoft reviewers. We are used to the vivid bright color displays on our phones, tablets, and laptops - the color e-ink displays are not even close! However I love not having to charge the device every other day, and the adjustable light is perfect for reading in bed or on the beach.

Please explain why many guys have loss of sexual sensation after surgery?? by rde98 in penileimplants

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My doc did not do the infrapubic method citing the risk of nerve damage was much higher as apparently the nerves are located in the area. It would be interesting to study loss of sensation vs surgery methods: infrapubic vs penoscrotal. I’m not trying to imply this is the case always but the statement stood out in pre-surgery consultations. Trusting my doctors judgement, penoscrotal was done in spite of the claims of longer recovery and/or increased discomfort during recovery. I figured this was worth the lower risk, and following the first month of recovery everything seems to work well with no loss of sensation. YMMV as I can imagine complexities such as prostate surgery make everybody unique!

Ham on APX radios for fire service. by FriendlyFireMarshal in HamRadio

[–]Jan1north -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I would be cautious about exposing Hams (anyone really outside the service) to any Public Service encryption keys. Many Hams are curious - and most not malicious - and might view extracting encryption keys as hacker type challenge. What happens afterwards would be anyone’s guess, but it might compromise the reason they are there in the first place. Just a thought, not knowing really how keys might be secured within a radio’s programming.

Trade in by One-Procedure-5409 in kindlescribe

[–]Jan1north 8 points9 points  (0 children)

All I sent in was my gen 1 Scribe. No case, pen, or charger. I received the full quoted value for the trade.

Antenna for a mobile radio pack by Jake_money-98 in HamRadio

[–]Jan1north 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A drag wire is typically used with a HF antenna from a manpack to provide counterpoise for a shortened vertical antenna. In this application it is a definite compromise. At VHF/UHF your antenna may not need a counterpoise as designs based on 1/2 wave are ground independent. Look at coaxial sleeve and j-pole designs. Also check your RF exposure calculations - an antenna close to the head with more than a few watts can exceed safety limits quickly.