KIDS These Days (Un-numbered non-episode)

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This isn't an 'Epsisode' - at least it doesn't have a number. It's Gary's pitch to get ideas for attracting young people to replace us old farts who are aging out (dying) of the service. Blame the anonymous $500 contributor to the DCC video KICKSTARTER who wanted us to promote 'giving a kid a book' to spur their interest. 

The YouTube comments (and Facebook Group comments) are remarkably high quality on this topic.

HRN 272: A GeoSync Ham Satellite for the Americas (from the DCC)

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We've been hearing about a Geosynchronous satellite for the Western Hemisphere for a while now, but not many details. In this episode from the DCC, project leader Bob McGwire N4HY fills in a lot of blanks. There's no launch date yet, and maybe not quite enough info to start building your ground station (a 'Five & Dime' setup - 5 GHz up, 10 GHz down), but you can start thinking about it.

HRN 271: Welcome to the DCC

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This... well, the second half of it, is TAPR President Steve Bible N7HPR's welcome to the hams assembled in St. Petersburg FL for the 2016 DCC. The first half is Gary talking about the video production. So nothing critical here - just an orientation to give you an idea of what the DCC is like if you attend in person.

HRN 270: Emcomm Extra #1 - Hurricane Matthew Edition

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Gary welcomes David Goldenberg W0DHG to the HamRadioNow hosting crew. David will be a regular co-host for the Emcomm Extra episodes, planned for about once a month (keep in mind that this is a HamRadioNow  plan, and what could possibly go wrong? Anyway, we want to do regular Emcomm shows). And Ham Media gadfly Marty Sullaway KC1CWF just happened to be hanging around Gary's Facebook feed and got dragged in for the ride... not as the 'youth' representative, just as a pretty smart ham. Gary admits that he tried to get some ARRL/ARES leaders from the Southeast coast sections, but all were busy preparing for an actual hurricane.

HRN 269: Bull in a China Shop

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We don't do unboxings and reviews, but this time we did both. Gary wanted to learn more about the 'cheap Chinese radios' everybody loves, so he picked up a BaoFeng UV-5x3 tri-band HT (144-220-440), which he unboxed, programmed and compared to the Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band HT. The Kenwood beat the BaoFeng by a mile in everything but price. For about $80, he found the BaoFeng 'good enough'.

HRN 268: Even MORE On the Road (to the 2016 DCC)

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Gary's on the road (again), through the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida to the ARRL/TAPR DCC. D-STAR, DMR, Special Event Stations, DX, Public Service... all somehow squeezed into a mere two hours and change.

HRN 267: DMR Unboxed

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Marking a little more time while tending The Bear, Gary repurposes a Facebook Live unboxing of a TYT MD-380 DMR handheld (with a little BTech UV 5x3 on the side)

HRN 266: KICKSTARTER Countdown

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We use the countdown to the successful conclusion of the DCC video KICKSTARTER to test a Facebook Live broadcast. 

Episode 265: Holding Pattern

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A little filler between episodes. But heck, at 20 minutes, it's longer than some other podcast's regular shows, so I changed my mind and gave it a number. Also, a look at Ham Radio in the TV show Limitless.

Episode 263: Learn More about DV4

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In the previous episode, Gary says that he hasn't learned much about the proposed DV4mobile. This episode takes care of that!

Episode 262: Digital Modes Now and Future (from the Hamvention®)

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Bruce Perens K6BP and Chris Testa KD2BMH review the progress and setbacks along their path to the Katena VHF+ DV radio in this forum from the 2016 Dayton Hamvention.

Episode 261: Stranger Hams

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We review a new Netflix show called Stranger Things that has just a touch of ham radio in it (and a little more CB), plus some more media that's been out there for a while.

Episode 260: KICKSTARTER for Video at the 2016 DCC

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This is our pitch for a KICKSTARTER to fund producing video of the 2016 ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference. The goal is $5000. Here's the link to the KICKSTARTER

(NO AUDIO FILE FOR THIS EPISODE)

Episode 259: PokéHAM GOta (or... Parity, Amended)

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PokéHAM GOta? Just some click-bait misdirection. This is another episode about the Parity Act, as it was recently approved by the House Energy & Commerce Committee in an amended form. It now heads to the full House. Gary reviews what has to happen next, and compares the original bill to the amended version that passed this committee

Episode 258: 5 Watt Field Day (or.. Field of Beams)

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Gary takes a shortened visit to a top-ranked QRP operation (W4EZ, #3 overall in 2015) and a more laid-back (but still energetic) group just down the road.

Episode 257: 2016 D-STAR Forum at Dayton

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It's been a few years since HamRadioNow has covered a D-STAR forum at the Hamvention®. Gary used to be quite the D-STAR pro, but he's behind the curve today and wanted to catch up. That didn't stop him from adding 30 minutes of commentary at the end of the program.

HRN 256: SDR Forum at the 2016 Hamvention®

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Scotty Cowling WA2DFI from HPSDR and TAPR; Jared Boone AF7SO from ShareBrained Technology and Great Scott Gadgets (HackRF); and Steve Hicks N5AC from FlexRadio Systems team up to make this engaging presentation from their points on the SDR 'spectrum.' As you'll see, the room was SRO (crowded and hot). 

HRN 255: APRS Forum at the 2016 Hamvention®

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Bob Bruninga WB4APR invented APRS. He's had plenty of help, but it's still his show. While most of us use it to show where we are on a map, there are so many more aspects to it that Bob can't fit them all into a single forum. So this is kind of a 'greatest hits,' including my personal favorite: APRS isn't a vehicle tracking system!

At the beginning of the forum, Bob asks the audience if anyone "made a Voice Alert contact on the way here?"  I hadn't really gotten the camera rolling, so I missed the first few words. And I've got a huge cold, so I don't feel like sitting in front of the camera or mic for an introduction, so BAM, the episode begins!

Bob has three guests, and you'll find them at the times listed below (audio or video):

26:30 Don Arnold W6GPS introduces the new Kenwood D-STAR HT, along with some of the Japanese Kenwood design team, and AVMap updates.

36:30 is a quick shot with Byon Garrabrant N6BG with a couple of new products from Byonics.

42:50 Bryan Hoyer K7UDR from NW Digital Radio reviews their stuff (and the UDXR still isn't out, but the web site says "Q2..."}

HRN 254: TAPR Forum at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention

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Here's all two hours of the forum, and a handy timing guide to find the speaker you want to hear:

1:10        Steve Bible N7HPR Intro/Welcome/DCC Announcement
15:00     Kai Siwiak KE4PT, QEX Editor
18:45     SatNOGS: Corey Shields KB9JHU
42:00    HamWAN: Bryan Fields W9CR
1:14:00  SDR Disrupt: Chris Testa KD2BMH
1:34:50  HackRF Update: Mike Ossmann AD0NR

All of the TAPR video from HamRadioNow since 2011 is available on this YouTube Playlist. The 2007/2008 video is being added to this Playlist.