ARRL’s YouTube channel, ARRLHQ, has launched a series of amateur radio Technician-class license courses. This series of videos features Dave Casler, KE0OG, QST’s “Ask Dave” columnist, who leads viewers through The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual. These videos supplement the manual and provide an overview of the sections you’ll be studying, along with a few videos on how things work. Share this excellent resource with those who are preparing to take their Technician exam, and visit the ARRLHQ YouTube channel for more great amateur radio videos.
Providing amateur radio service to the Northeastern Wisconsin community since 1939.
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Check Twice Before You Buy.
I am taking a little editorial freedom here.
An example of what the title of this article is about.. A transceiver failed prior to a radio exercise. Thinking there might be time to just send it in for repair, got a Return Authorization number and sent it in. Now in need of a replacement prior to the exercise, looked thru the listing of dual band vhf-uhf with dual receive. Found a couple- looking at the prices. First mistake! Jumped on the phone and ordered
Super service! Ordered on Wednesday, arrived on Saturday. Wired it in place and began to program it. The book was not very friendly where the set up menu is concerned. Kept going from pages in the teens to pages in the 30's . Got the two main repeaters programmed in.. had to set them up in Split mode. OK, but could not raise the repeaters. The PL looked good (that took the longest) yet no go. After two solid hours of head scratching and button pressing.. reading the manual.. then finding out I could not do any of the digital modes... not what I thought I bought . Second Mistake.. should have read more of the specifications.
Packed it back in the box. One thing that radio has taught me.. is to keep the boxes that the unit came in for just such times.
Called the supplier about trading the unit back. It was within the days allowed for return and trade in.. after all it was only out of the box for three hours. They said sure thing. I had been looking through the catalog a lot better the second time and found the radio I should have purchased the first time if I wasn't so frugal (cheap) . they said to send it in ... they will examine it and let me know what the difference would be.
I received an email with the return authorization number. It also indicated that seeing I was returning the radio, the free delivery i got will not count and that cost was going to be deducted from the trade price.
You saw where I had sent the unit back... so I am paying for shipping to me and to send it back... The email went on to say that it is not unusual to have to pay at least 15% restocking charge.
So here we go... these figures are representative of the actual.
Radio one...... with free shipping $280 Restocking fee $42 Shipping both ways $38 Total radio one paid out $360
Radio Two ~$450 (the radio I should have bought the first time) My price After Trade in $260 This may not sound bad but considering the first cost.. ++ $360 the end result is paying $620 . As I said in the beginning... CHECK TWICE BEFORE YOU BUY...
(side note.. - my significant other does not read this page) 😃
Scanner Modification
Thanks to Scott, KB9AMM, for this bit of information. I hope it is interesting to you as it was for me...
"I ran across a very interesting article that tells how to modify a scanner
to pick-up and decode the digital transmissions of D-STAR, NXDN4800,
NXDN9600, DMR/MotoTRBO, P25 Phase 1, X2-TDMA, and ProVoice.
Mod is simple, and software is free. It was published in the latest West
Mountain Radio newsletter. https://www.westmountainradio.com/pdf/Quarter-3-2021.pdf
Thought it might be a good article to pass along to you for the membership!"
It is a good article.. anyone else finds something of interest in the lines of
Radio, pass it here and it might show up on the site...
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