Author Archives: John Hagensieker

Rongta Portable Printer F81 Review

Rongta Portable Printer F81

In the late 1990’s I was working for the government and teaching aircraft maintenance classes to Active Duty Navy and Marines. I taught the class all over the world and printing class rosters and certificates was troublesome. You couldn’t just hook any computer up to the Navy network which meant printing needed to usually occur in the hotel. Hotel offices weren’t much better. And then I found a portable printer that would fit in my suitcase. Fast forward to 2025 and now I have really found a printer that will fit in any backpack or purse. Enter the Rongta Portable Printer F81 (currently $132.99 with a 30% off coupon at Amazon. In addition you can stack an additional 30% off by using the code DXF3Q6ND. That brings the price down to $63.03. That really makes this a no-brainer.

The Rongta F81 is a thermal printer which means it never needs ink. But it does need thermal paper.
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SDRPlay nRSP-ST Software Defined Radio Review

In November 2024 SDRPlay released their newest Software Defined Radio (SDR), the SDRPlay nRSP-ST. ($499) The key feature of this SDR is that it connects to your network either through Ethernet or WiFi. Provided the correct ports are opened on your router, you can then listen to your SDR from anywhere. I won’t open any network ports but I do have my network accessible via VPN.

Why would you want a networkable SDR you might ask? Probably the most obvious reason would be to access local radio or local communications while you are away from home. Maybe your local AM radio station carries the ball games you want to listen to. Maybe you just want to hear the local news. You can do a heck of a lot more than that but that is a good start.

The downside to this is the cost. $500 is nothing to sneeze at. And what if I told you that you could do the same thing with an RTL-SDR that costs $35? It is way cheaper but it involves some computer savvy and configuration.

This brings us to another key feature of the SDRPlay nRSP-ST. It is a plug and play solution.

Let me show a couple of examples of using an RTL-SDR across a network.
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Munbyn Bluetooth Thermal Printer RW402B Review

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Munbyn Bluetooth Thermal Printer RW402B Review

Munbyn RW402B

These days more and more people are drop shipping or selling items they create at home. It doesn’t take long before you realize that you need a dedicated 4″ x 6″ label printer for postage. Not only does it look more professional it is also cheaper to ship from home. Enter the Munbyn RW402B Thermal Label Printer ($109.99). My readers can get an additional 10% off by using the code 10johntech from 10 Jan to 10 Feb 2025.

Additionally, from Jan 13 to 19 there will be an additional 39% off on Amazon. The code can be used in addition to the discounted price. Sounds like a pretty great deal to me.
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Munbyn Label Printer FM226 Review

Munbyn Label Printer FM226

I absolutely love label printers. There is literally no better way to get organized. I have reviewed quite a few label makers in my time. Before buying a label maker you need to take an assessment of what you wish to label. There is a huge divide between labelling pantry items and warehouse items. Today we’re going to take a look at the Munbyn Label Printer FM226. ($69.99) The FM226 is a 2″, BlueTooth printer that is small, and lightweight and stylish. And apparently “FM” stands for Fun Maker.

Before I dig into the review I just want to get this out of the way. When I printed my first label I was kind of stunned at how crisp, and dark the thermal printing was. Generally, most label makers are “good enough”, but the legibility here is incredible.
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DIGIPI Ham Software ILI9486 Screen Configuration

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DIGIPI Ham Software ILI9486 Screen Configuration

Digipi Ham Software with ILI9846 Screen

I recently bought an ICOM 7300 and have been playing with all the digitals modes on Windows, Mac, and Linux and various hunks of software. I’m a Raspberry Pi geek and found a distribution called DIGIPI by KM6LYW. The download is behind a paywall and you can get it for as little as $1. Anyway, DIGIPI can also be used with server screens and the one I bought is the ILI9486.

That was pretty great and it works once you select it during the Initialization phase. I found a file to 3D print a case and lo and behold my display was upside down.

NOTE: This blog only deals with flipping the screen on the ILI9486 screen. It is assumed that you have DIGIPI running and ran into the same issue I did!
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ICOM 7300 Rig Control Under Linux

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ICOM 7300 Rig Control Under Linux

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 Review

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XHDATA D-221 Radio Review

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 Digital Print Camera – Best Tech Gift for Christmas

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Rongta Kids Digital Print Camera Ages 3-10

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 Internet Radio

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Choyong A8W Internet Radio

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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Ham Radio License – General Class

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