ICOM 7300
I recently upgraded my Amateur radio license from Technical class to General class. To celebrate, I bought myself an ICOM 7300. The 7300 can connect to a computer via a USB cable. Connecting the computer to the radio is called Rig Control.
I didn’t really have any issues with ICOM 7300 Rig Control on Windows or Mac however I found that my radio wasn’t having any part of being controlled by my Linux Laptop.
Confusion ensued.
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XHDATA D-221 Radio
Recently XHDATA sent me their D-220 radio to review. Every time they send out radios they request honest feedback from me (and others) and as a result of that feedback they shortly thereafter released the XHDATA D-221 radio. The Amazon cost is currently $18.90 with a 10% off campaign.
The most notable difference between the D-220 and D-221 is that the XHDATA D-221 includes NOAA Weather Band.
To me that was huge. Weather radio is so important where I live. I’m way in Eastern NC and hurricanes are a popular sport here. We were devastated during Hurricane Florence a few years ago. And of course we all know about the devastation in Western NC from the recent Hurricane.
While I may have inferred that the D-221 is an upgrade path from the D-220 I’m in no way saying that the D-220 is deficient in any way. It is a great little radio. After they sent me one to review I bought a couple other ones on my own dime.
While XHDATA provided me these radios to review not once have they ever tried to influence my reviews. In fact they ask for solid, constructive feedback. As a tech reviewer of sorts I can promise you that not all companies do that. I own a LOT of XHDATA radios, most of which I have bought with my own money. I’m already a fan.
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Rongta Kids Camera
I retired a few years ago from a career that was paying me 6 digits a year and allowed me to travel the world. I can attribute the skills that led to my career from my exposure to tech toys from my youth. Radio Shack kits, radios, CB radios, cameras, etc. I feel it is vital to expose young children to technical hobbies. Enter the Rongta Kids Camera.
The Rongta Digital Print Camera is not only fun but is sure to inspire your young children to learn photography and computer skills leading to imaginative creation. And hey, it’s fun! Listed price is $49.99 at Amazon with a $20 coupon. John’s Tech Blog’s readers can receive an additional 10% off by using the code 10JohnsTech
The code is good until 20 December 2024. That is darn near half of the original price. And just in time for Christmas!
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Choyong A8W
I recently grabbed a Choyong LC90 and reviewed it here. While I found it to have some quirks, essentially I liked it enough to pick up a Choyong A8W. The radio initially cost $119 but can now be had for right around $45 to $48.
I’m just going to say this straight up. This is not a $119 radio. However, in my opinion it is a $45 radio.
It is also advertised as an FM radio but I personally wouldn’t factor that into its list of features. You CANNOT spin a tuner dial to pick a channel. All you can do is scan the FM band. If it finds a channel it becomes channel 1. The next channel it finds is channel 2. On my scan in my area not one single channel displays the correct frequency. I’d be mega angry if I spent over $100 on a radio that can’t display the right channel. Also while scanning the FM band it found channels that I thought it wouldn’t be able to find and it DID NOT find strong channels that it should have. If it doesn’t grab something you think it should, all you can do is rescan. I don’t know why displaying 89.3 as 89.2 really gets my goat, but it does. This is an Internet radio. Plain and simple.
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In August 2017 I took and passed the Ham Radio License test for Technician Class. As soon as I completed that I decided I’d take a study break before pursuing the General Class license. That study break lasted about 7 years.
I recently purchased the General Class License Manual, 10th Edition. As I began to study I started hitting harder and harder material and just paused. To my surprise the local Amateur Radio Club offered a free 8 week General class (2 hours a week) and administered the exam at the end of the course. The book can cost about $25 to $35 depending on where you get it from and the exam costs $15.
The book has the actual test bank with answers in the back. Additionally, the ARRL website has a practice exam that uses the actual questions found on the final exam.
ARRL Practice Tests
A combination of attending class and taking the practice exams a few times a day allowed me to pretty easily obtain my General Class License. I highly recommend having at least one person in your circle getting and maintaining a ham radio license. After the last hurricane in Western NC and other states we proved that ham radio is still viable and works when nothing else does.
John – KN4FMV
Choyong LC90 MW/FM/SW/Internet Radio
It is pretty clear that I have a radio addiction. I’ve lost track of how many I have. I’ve been eyeballing the Choyong LC90 since it dropped in China early in 2023. To be honest I hadn’t yet purchased it because of the price. The other day though, I saw the Black Friday price which seemed much more palatable to me. So I struck. I’m impressed with the fit and finish of the Choyong LC90 and it is pretty feature rich.
But I have a couple of complaints right out of the gate. These should not be construed as dealbreakers. It is more along the lines of me saying “Really?”
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Algolaser Rotary Chuck
The nice folks at Algolaser recently sent me their Algolaser Rotary Chuck (ARC) ($139 currently) to review. Additionally, there is a hot promotion from Nov 5-13, 2024.
I own a lot of rotary tools which range from home made, 3D printed ones to extremely expensive rotary devices for my CNC and fiber lasers.
I can tell the good ones from the bad ones. So far, I am liking what I see here. When desktop lasers hit the scene in 2019 soon after rotary devices made their appearance. The first rotary devices were, and are still good, but configuring the software settings was crazy. Things have gotten so much better in the rotary world since then.
Algolaser branched off from Ortur and I for one am glad they did. My last couple Ortur lasers had serious quality issues. Algolaser has exceeded my expectations since they stood up their company. I’ll be using this rotary chuck on the Algolaser Alpha MK2 laser.
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SmartWings Motorized Blinds
I love Tech things. Some years ago I jumped on the home automation bandwagon with a new program called Home Assistant. I automated a huge chunk of my old house. At that time I considered getting some smart blinds or curtains. People were pioneering DIY solutions and I just never pulled the trigger. Fast Forward to 2024 and the company SmartWings contacted me and asked me if I was interested in reviewing their smart blinds.
You betcha I was interested. They told me I could build up one set of blinds in any configuration and send them a screenshot and they would send me one. So I did just that. My wife picked out the fabric and style and I picked out the hardware configuration.
My Blind Configuration
XHDATA E-100
One of my favorite radio manufacturers just entered the amateur radio game. Introducing the XHDATA E-100. ($24.98 with a 15% off promotion currently). I was provided a pre-release radio about a month earlier to review and to provide feedback to XHDATA.
The official release date is 22 October 2024.
XHDATA has been making GREAT shortwave radios for ages and I think I own most of them. I’ve never had an issue and I’ve even reviewed a couple of them here on my blog.
So, after testing the radio for a month, I will tell you what I think.
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SIHOO Doro C300
I get to review a lot of cool things here at my Tech Blog. I was ecstatic when the Marketing folks at SIHOO offered to provide me an Ergonomic Chair to review. The model they provided is the SIHOO Doro C300 ($299). To sweeten the pot SIHOO currently has a “Buy One, Get Two” hidden promotion. That is an amazing deal!
Why was I so excited? The timing of receiving this chair was exquisite. After about 50 years of sitting on a wallet my back developed a visible knot in the lower area which sometimes HURTS. For about 2 years now I have been getting deep tissue massages. Lo and behold the knot has seemingly gone away just recently. I have no desire for it to return. An ergonomic chair is EXACTLY what I needed in my office.
I currently have a garden variety black leather office chair with wooden arms. It is a nice chair, certainly attractive, however it kills that spot on my back. So much so that I bought a standing desk.
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