The connector was the key
When I was younger, technical secrets were sometimes hidden “in the fine print”. Much like contracts and such. Now, you have to read through virtual reams of material, on websites. No difference, really.
I have some VHF/UHF radios that can be given extended powers through programming. In particular, my handhelds. I have an old one, so old I can’t get batteries easily, or send those odd codes required to wake up a repeater. I have a modern one, with all the bells and whistles (a tribander, no less). And since the end of the summer, I have a radio that is so low down the technical lists that the government might declare it illegal at any time. It can talk to folks in other radio services!
The secret is that all of these radio are actually dedicated computers that can transmit. This afternoon, I wondered if the newest one would respond to a program called CHIRP. My first tries had failed; I wanted to blame my cheap cable (which bears the same label as the cheap radio). I mean, maybe things can be fixed with some judicious online orders. But, before that, I wanted to see if I could find the response to the riddle.
I reloaded my driver files (the root of too many problems in the world), and then I spotted some sage advice on a website: Push the connector in as far as you can, and turn up the volume. These radios get their data load from a combined analog/digital stream. Modulated noise. And there you go! My newest radio responded, and programming is just a few minutes away… once I choose the frequencies that interest me, of course.
Disclaimer: the radio will be used, mainly, for sat-comms; my good radio is the carry-along of choice.
