tep182

Mencken said something about "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy"...

It all went downhill when the phone company stopped charging .25 cents / minute for long distance phone calls... nationwide "local" calls. The monster approaching in Stranger Things is the Information Age threatening to destroy Edenic ignorance. Mesh radio protocols like Bluetooth Low Energy / Internet of Things will increase surveillance of everything. Dune's OCB: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.

I'm growing to really like the Anytone 779 in my vehicle. Not all of its functionality is immediately clear. Programming it to scan MURS, 2-meter ham, 70cm, FRS/GMRS, interstitials, marine, and WX bands is all kinds of awesome. If one channel is annoying, you can temporarily remove it from the scan sequence. With dual VFO, you can stay on an active frequency while you scan on the other. Setting up offsets, tones, etc. without the programming software isn't immediately obvious.

For sure. No one should ever need to get their hands dirty. That is why we have iPhone factories. I woke up hungry one day. The available food exceeded the Recommended Daily Allowances so I threw it in the trash, drove 5 mph below the speed limit to the local eatery for cartel-sponsored avocado toast. The deep pockets behind "breakthough energy" probably aren't going to deliver up wireless transmission of electricity... but nuking the spectrum to reduce carbon footprint would be worth it if the Television egregore declared it to be.

Let's celebrate the crazy geniuses like Tesla and tinkerers who make their own... and the blissful ignorance of Barney Fife.

Nope. America is exceptional. If you had a friend named "Mike" that was wealthy and powerful, everyone would know who you meant when you said "Mike"... even if there were other, failed versions of "Mike".

The Myth of Radio Spectrum Interference <<Just came across a fascinating article on Salon about a technologist who claims that there is no such thing as "interference" in the radio spectrum. He argues that interference is a symptom of inadequate equipment, not a fact of nature, and that with improved transceivers we could open the spectrum up to high-quality broadcasts by anyone. Reference is made to the GNU Radio Project. Neat stuff." >> https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/03/03/12/1320211/the-myth-of-radio-spectrum-interference https://www.salon.com/2003/03/12/spectrum/ Want fewer car accidents? Remove traffic signals and road signs << “When you treat people like idiots, they’ll behave like idiots.” That was the philosophy of Hans Monderman, the Dutch traffic engineer who became famous not for what he added to road design and urban planning, but for what he removed: curbs, traffic signals, signs. He believed drivers become more alert and cautious when there’s more uncertainty on the road. >> https://bigthink.com/the-present/want-less-car-accidents-get-rid-of-traffic-signals-road-signs/

Thanks. Most people generally want to follow rules that are reasonable and rational. For example, "this product may cause cancer in California". A warning sticker is cheaper than playing the certification pirates' shakedown game. Other certifications may not be a scams to protect big business from competition or generate revenue. People might be more inclined to be good neighbors if they were told about "spurious emissions" instead of "part 95e". Perhaps there is a YouTube channel that demonstrates how Baofeng is ruining the bands... and not just speculation about potential harm. Other hobbies also cultivate elite fanatics that despise cheap functional versions. Also some hams seem so afraid of an Eternal September... they nearly killed their hobby. Maybe Baofeng is the next America Online floppy. There are more E. coli outbreaks caused by USDA-certified facilities than Amish farms.

Make strong eye contact. Emphasize your height, size, etc. if you have it... good confident posture, no slouching. Most people, even nosey people, are conflict avoidant. Don't break eye contact. Stare at them silently like they are breaching the bounds of polite behavior. Practice your LOD, "look of disapproval". ಠ_ಠ If they persist in bothering you... Say gently and respectfully, "I'm sorry, sir. You must be confused." This works more often than you would believe. Not a recommended tactic when dealing with law enforcement.

There were many Amazon reviews complaining about the SWR; that could be caused by other factors including loose connections, bad wiring, lack of ground plane (fiberglass roof instead of metal). There are some set screws in the base that might allow a bit of fine adjustment. If necessary, transmit power can be reduced... but maximizing reach within the legal constraints feels like a challenge. ...that is where using a nanoVNA to measure optimum antenna length might be handy. My nanoVNA hasn't arrived yet either. If all else fails, I'll annoy some electricians. Checking the ULS frequently. Took the in-person testing option. Found out afterward this group sends everything snail mail. The online exam process, required use of multiple cameras and a sketchy app called "Zoom" ...which may be vulnerable to Chinese Communist Party biometric data-collection... would probably still choose to do it the slow way.

The digital modes like FT8 and JS8call have me interested... QRP DX around the world for the price of a modified soundcard / transceiver. There is so much censorship online, that radio seems like a good way to bypass fake narrative frameworks.

Ok, I've learned a little... and still ignorant about a lot. If you have MacOs... spending the $100 on Parallels (Windows 10 emulator) was worth it to me... because a lot of programming software for old radios tends to be Windows-based. I played around with programming a BearCat scanner from RadioReference. ...and I was able to get the Anytone 779 UV software to run without much trouble. (If the COM port isn't detected, plugging/unplugging seems to work). It might be the external antenna (+6 dB 5/8 wave / MXTA26) mounted on top via an NMO roof mount... but it picks up a lot more than just the BearCat inside the vehicle. The way the Anytone scans and pauses on signals is preferable to the way the BearCat is initially setup. I recently took and passed the Tech/General exams... but it may take another 3-4 weeks to get government papers because the VE sent the results to the ARRL via postal mail. So, I'm still learning and having lots of fun with GMRS. Messed up the input frequency for the local repeater (up 5!). Still need to try it out. A mobile / car-based unit is great for hearing things... at least in this area. There seems to be some local traffic on the 2-meter ham band... much narrower slice of humanity there. Need to learn about interpreting a nano-VNA. Still figuring out if the +6dB 5/8 wave antenna is any good at transmitting or if it can be tuned. It would be nice to start building antennas. A few electronics classes at a community college might help to really swim in these waters.

International waters and Flags of Convenience... cruise ship gambling! alcohol during Prohibition! no controlling legal authority! https://wikiless.org/wiki/Flag_of_convenience?lang=en

Perhaps GMRS should be open to frequency hopping and voice scrambling if it is only intended for private communications. I'm getting my ham ticket -- but that is not a solution for everyone. CW, FT-8, and JS8call seem to hold a lot of promise for weak signal propagation. There seems to be a generational gap with the older ham crowd and younger people. They tend to have different communication styles and expectations. The recent court ruling, West Virginia vs. the EPA, seems to call into question administrative "law" and the Chevron deference. Rules and customs are necessary for good order. Slavish devotion to administrivia might not be necessary.