Thomas Does Radio or Something

In working closer to be committed to actually hacking up a UV-K5, I acquired one, saved its memory config and EEPROM raw read, and popped it open: Simply flipped open on my desk

With the extremely strong solar storm, we went out to a darker park here in Madison. Specifically Picnic Point of the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve. So many photos to dig through, but here's the choice pick. Meteor trail in Aurora Borealis over Madison, WI There were probably more colors earlier in the evening, but clouds and storms obscured the sky. At the later hours, flickers of color were visible all the way to the southwestern sky and directly overhead.

Being contemporaneous for a new achievement and experience: 6m auroral propagation with a QSO at 5W! With the G5 storm observed before 0Z, I built myself a more durable 6m full-wave loop and set out to experience some new amateur radio. Heading out to a local hilltop with a plan! Initial deployment of the 6m loop on my fiberglass pole for a tuning check and preparation for operating

As previously discussed, the BK4819 simplex FM transceiver chip with specified coverage of 18-660 and 840 to 1300 MHz covers a lot of Region 2 amateur radio bands with generally accepted FM operation: 10 m, 6 m, 2 m, 1.25 m, 70 cm, 33 cm, and 23 cm. The most popular models of amateur-oriented HTs using the chip generally only cover the popular VHF/UHF split with 2m and 70cm (and wide enough filters to support nearby business/public safety bands). How this is implemented varies in cost, complexity, and potential for effective modification. Of course, it's not really a modification if it's an actual product, but more on that further in.