VHF UHF Amateur Radio - Dual Band - Programming and Ramblings

http://ab3bo.com/dual-band/

Amateur Radio programming can be a chore. I see on reviews many complain about how hard it is to program the radio. Others mention how easy it is.

When I get a new radio, I first play with the radio without reading the manual. Knob-ology is what I call it.

When I was in my first Electronics lab class at South High School in Willoughby, Ohio, the first thing us students were presented with, were oscilloscopes. We had about an hour to turn them on, experiment, view the screen and turn the knobs (knob-ology). We had no idea what we were doing but we were getting some elementary experience with the controls and having fun at the same time.

With the new radio, hooking it up to an antenna, coat hanger, piece of wire, existing antenna and a power supply should not take long. Mic connection should be fairly straight forward.

Getting to receive and finding a first repeater of simplex station should not take long.

Learning to program may take longer and require the manual. I still resist and try to learn without picking up the manual. I have found learning by trial and error usually sticks harder and becomes second nature!

No need for fear with these things. They were engineered by humans!  Humans should be able to learn to use them!

There is a point where I must resort to the manual. Questions while playing will need answering and if knob-ology does not provide answers what else is one to do.

I know others resort to forums, reviews, etc. But I use the manual first. I know some manuals suck! But still its worth a try. If the manual is gross (and some are), then forums, and guides written on the web may be the next best thing. Videos can help too.

With the manual, I try and get my questions answered first.

Next I start reading documentation on the individual controls, functions, second functions etc. It is worth while to try each function and control. I also check out the purpose of each connector along with the pinouts. Sure the antenna and speaker jack are simple but the data ports can be more interesting! Especially if one plans on interfacing.

So far with HT's and VHF/UHF Mobile Rigs, I have not made use of the interface cable and programming software to program the radio. Knob-ology and the manual have solved my needs!

Yes it takes time to learn the rig. But if you think about it, it probably took even longer to earn the cash to pay for the rig in the first place!

What about your experiences?

http://ab3bo.com/shure/

Shure

We have been doing some research on Earbuds. We're looking into the In-Earbuds. Some call them Ear Canal Headphones.or Ear Canal Buds. There are other names to call them. Check us out at ab3bo.com/shure-2014-12-10/ for some information on what we have found so far.

We like the Shure brand. They have been around a long time and the name stands for Quality!

We plan to keep researching these devices! There are many models, and levels!

Best Kayak

- Best Kayak

for us, has turned out to be a Hurricane Santee Sport 126. See our story at http://ab3bo.com/santee-kayaks-lake-williams-jacobus-pennsylvania/.
The Hurricane Santee family of Kayak are great Recreational Kayaks!
http://ab3bo.com/best-kayak/
 

Kayaking - Lake Marburg - Codorus State Park

OUR FIRST KAYAK RUN ON LAKE MARBURG

Check out the rest of our post on our first outing  here http://ab3bo.com/kayak-lake-marburg-codorus-state-park/

We were out on Santee 126 Sport Kayaks!

New Kayak

We recently purchased two new Kayaks. They are Hurricane Santee Sport 126 models. These are recreational Kayaks. Check out the rest of our story at http://ab3bo.com/kayak-kyak/

Kayak - Prettyboy Reservoir

I was strolling through the Prettyboy Reservoir area and noticed this gentleman pull up in a pickup with a Kayak extruding out the back of the truck.

Being new to Kayaking, we greeted each other. I asked if I could watch. No problem! I should have gotten his name!

As he launched the, Kayak I wished him well! He said it beat working!

He has been kayaking for a few months. He photographs wildlife around the reservoir. Note the camera and camera mount on the Kayak.

His Kayak is a sit in Kayak and looks like a Perception Sport.

By the way, In order to haul his Kayak, I notice he was using an Extend-A-Truck 944

I am getting anxious to get out there and Kayak! I need to get the carriers mounted on my Trailblazer. Check out my Journey Into Kayaking for more information See you next time!

The Images included above were taken on September 17, 2014 in the 14:50 EDT time frame.

NCR Trail - On the Rail

NCR Trail - Heritage Rail Trail Park 

While on a walk on March 29, 2012, the camera captured a bit of wildlife at the one mile marker in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. There is plenty of wildlife, hikers, horseback riders, runners, and bicyclers that can be seen while walking the trail. There are even bird watchers! This squirrel was using a piece of rail which was manufactured in Steelton, Pennsylvania. Mother nature created the food the Squirrel is carrying. Here are more words and images on various aspects of the NCR - Trail and other outdoor activities.. This rail was manufactured in Steelton, Pennsylvania. Check out our other posts related to the NCR Trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania.