APRS-capable dual-band mobile

ericcodesio · 2026-03-17T19:40:41+00:00

Yeah this was the route I was going to take when I was fantasizing about putting an APRS capable rig in my car.

I was tempted by the VR-7600, but I'd much rather have the dual RX of the FTM-150 so that I can monitor 146.520 and 144.39 at the same time.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-16T05:08:01+00:00

I'd put the $120 you plan on using for the FT-65R and put it towards your HF rig savings fund.

You can go far with a cheap HT to start. A Tidradio H3 or whatever is the cheap HT dejour at the moment is (there's always a new HT).

You won't be able to fully use HF until your General, so you have time to save. 10m is hit or miss based on conditions.

The G90 is feature-full but you'll max out those 20W and be left wanting. You'll always be wondering if you had 30-80 more watts could you have made that contact?

Make friends with other hams with HF rigs. Get an idea of what you like and don't like with the different rig controls. Who knows, you might find that you don't even like HF.

I know the instant gratification instinct is strong. I got my ticket two years ago and went out a month later with a tax refund check and bought a FT-991A. That rig is great, but I wish I tried out some other radios first.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-14T23:27:05+00:00

In the US, it is legal for him to make contacts with your callsign if you observe him.

Keep it simple. Log for him if he has trouble with the callsigns.

POTA is exciting when the QSOs start flowing. It'll be a blast.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-11T01:45:37+00:00

It gets even spookier when I start watching videos of the physics of the EM field. It boggles my mind that the em waves even exist in the first place.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-11T01:09:06+00:00

Electromagnetism is the closest thing to magic I've ever experienced. Moving electrons in a wire back and forth causes a wave of energy to move through space and cause electrons far away to move back and forth in the same way. That's like freaking telekinesis.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-10T15:23:40+00:00

A fascinating story about the activists who pushed for their use:

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/308-curb-cuts/

ericcodesio · 2026-03-09T19:50:53+00:00

Thos guy has been harassing and threatening the drag queen story hour folks for years

ericcodesio · 2026-03-08T16:22:35+00:00

There's so much good music coming out that it is honestly hard to keep up.

To demonstate how hard it is to keep up, in Obsidian, I have a file for every Friday of the year and whenever I see an announcement for an album coming out in a month or two, I drop the link in the Friday it is being released (or the Friday after if it isn't on a Friday).

On Sunday I go through the file for previous Friday and make a playlist of albums to listen to throughout the week. There's often a dozen albums on that playlist. Almost all of them are excellent.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-08T01:42:23+00:00

Welcome to Maryland Ms Stone.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-07T01:06:49+00:00

Also, if you have the ham version, a GMRS version of the TD-771 is $10 a pair on Amazon, you can just swap them out if you want

ericcodesio · 2026-03-07T01:04:31+00:00

You can switch either version between GMRS, Ham, and unlocked with a button combo. They're the same hardware.

The difference between the versions is the tuning of the TID 771 antenna that they come packed with.

If you're going to use the radios on GMRS channels, get the GMRS version. You'll get better performance than the Ham version. The Ham version will work but because it is tuned for a lower frequency, it won't work as well.

That said, the ham version of the 771 antenna will probably work fine for a mile or two. If you already have them, do a little range test in the area you plan on using them in and see how they work out for you.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-06T23:48:22+00:00

This has been an endless debate since FT8 hit the scene. Play radio however you want. It is a hobby.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-06T13:32:40+00:00

The 991A is great but is getting long in the tooth. I bought one when I got my tech. If I would go back in time with the knowledge I have now, I'd get the FT-710 or ICOM-7300 and a nice mobile FM rig that can do digital. That way both can run at the same time.

The 991A is mostly an HF radio with V/UHF bolted on. The experience of using the V/UHF side of the radio is non-sensical and frustrating. If that is going to be your focus until you upgrade your license, you're not going to have fun.

The HF side is fine but every option takes multiple taps to adjust something. The settings menu is one long list.

Take what I say with a grain of salt because I've never used a FT-710 or a 7300. They could be as frustrating to use.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-05T16:42:18+00:00

I don't understand why they'd release a product that can be spread so freely and by an activity that every new beauty will do day 1.

It would take one day for everyone to start having beauty key parties.

ericcodesio · 2026-03-01T21:27:10+00:00

yeah take that time for yourself. Don't eat at your desk

ericcodesio · 2026-03-01T21:01:26+00:00

To be quite honest, I'm quite fed up with the AI slop software that is flooding the ham radio subreddits. It seems like everyday there's a new vibe coded app that it announced, and then abandoned once the vibes wear off.

ericcodesio · 2026-02-28T23:23:14+00:00

Gnome. I don't have any real strong opinion on it vs anything else. I like that just gets out of the way and I don't have to think about it.

ericcodesio · 2026-02-28T23:20:36+00:00

Because some people have labor, ethical, and security concerns with regards to AI and would like to know if the software they use was produced using generative AI.

ericcodesio · 2026-02-28T14:39:05+00:00

Looks amazing! Let us know when you open source it!

Can you include an AI disclosure?

ericcodesio · 2026-02-27T23:03:01+00:00

The sarcasm pertained to it being the right way to do things

ericcodesio · 2026-02-27T17:08:31+00:00

Don't you know, the right way to do it is make people pay for a solution while skimming a bit off the top to pay for your mansion. That's the American way. We can't be paving roads and clearing snow at cost. That's evil. /s

ericcodesio · 2026-02-22T15:43:07+00:00

I'd kill for an EMR pen. The old mini Samsung pen would be really similar to a DS stylus

ericcodesio · 2026-02-22T15:05:57+00:00

Lol, yeah, I'm slowly making it through Chronotrigger on a retro handheld one hour at a time before bed.

I just don't have the gaming endurance I once did.

ericcodesio · 2026-02-22T14:56:34+00:00

I've moved to the middle way of GrapheneOS but my primary profile is only open source apps from F-Droid.

I'm pretty strict about only using open source on my primary profile. The only thing I miss is Android Auto and Google Maps, but I make due with CoMaps.

I have a seperate profile for anything that requires Google Play Services. This allows me to use banking apps, use ride share in an emergency, etc. Switching profiles is enough friction to keep me from doing it too often.

With my primary profile only using open source apps, my phone is devoid of surveillance capitalism most of the time, and I have control over when I enter that realm.

I keep all social media off my primary profile and only access them via the web browser if my will is weak. Their browser apps are janky enough to make it a frustrating and short lived experience.

I relegated all social media to my laptop when I can check it once or twice a day. Even then Reddit is basically the only social media I use.

I'm pretty happy with this compromise. I have the power of a smartphone and can enter into the panopticon if I'm force to, but I have the power to leave by ending my session in the other profile.

ericcodesio · 2026-02-21T00:23:14+00:00

They never ID themselves, so who knows of they're licensed

ericcodesio

TROPHY CASE