Random Wire Review 94: June 14, 2024
Empathy for the ARRL, the latest Ham Dashboard, and I chose the wrong microphone for podcasting
Contents
1. I Have Empathy for the ARRL
2. These Are Some of my Favorite Ham Sites
2.1 Combination sites
2.2 Newsletters and blogs
2.3 Podcasts
3. Customize This Ham Dashboard for Your Shack
4. First Podcasting Mistake: Wrong Microphone
5. Speaking of Microphones
6. Pinged by a Radio Vendor
6.1 XHDATA D608WB Emergency Radio
6.2 XHDATA D808 Portable Radio
6.3 Tecsun Digital PL330
6.4 Which to choose: the D808 or the PL330?
7. Replacement Fan on RPi4 Case
8. Closing Notes
8.1 Portable Digital Node now runs from a power supply
8.2 Killing the standby beep on the FTM-300DR
8.3 When Do I Write This Newsletter?
9. Coming Next Week
Note that affiliate links for some products are available on the Support page. I’m not including the Support page link elsewhere in this newsletter because it just seems a bit much. If you are interested, visit the Support page!
1. I Have Empathy for the ARRL
It’s good to see Field Day swag available on the ARRL website. However, given the lack of confidence (e.g., here, here, and here) due to a reported cyberattack on various ARRL systems (and here), it’s hard to imagine many of us wanting to punch our payment details into the ARRL store page. As an alternative, you might consider purchasing your Field Day items from DX Engineering. (This is not an affiliate link. I am, however, a DX Engineering customer so I have a vested interest in their success!)
If you have a dry sense of humor, you might enjoy this site: https://www.isarrldownagain.lol/
The ARRL’s official updates on the subject of the cyberattack are posted at https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-systems-service-disruption.
I know from reading posts around the interwebs that a significant percentage of amateur radio operators are upset about the Logbook of The World (LoTW) going offline. I use LoTW, too, but I’m not nearly as upset as some folks are.
Those of us with some information technology background seem to be growing more and more appalled as we learn about the archaic systems the ARRL has been depending on for many years. Let me be kind, though, and refer to them not as archaic but as legacy systems.
I happen to have some empathy for the ARRL. This arises from my experience running a statewide nonprofit association where we strive to accomplish as much as we can while spending as little as possible. Such is the nature of nonprofit work: trying to accomplish big outcomes on a shoestring budget. This means some of our IT systems are cobbled together from disparate pieces of software and hardware, and the entire system depends on one or two knowledgeable individuals to keep them running (yes, I am a single point of failure in our system). Some of our bits and pieces are very old (legacy) that were once common but are now uncommon. We know this is not a resilient approach but we just don’t have the funds to outsource much of our infrastructure and support.
I’m guessing the ARRL is in much the same boat. People a few decades ago built systems and since those systems have continued to function, little additional investment was made in the software and hardware. I’m reminded of the plight of an agency in the State of Washington some years ago as they realized their system, which ran on COBOL, was unsupported because all of their COBOL programmers had retired.
I’ve said to others (somewhat tongue in cheek, but with a kernel of truth, too) that information technology moves along in dog years, i.e., for every year we experience as humans, the tech advances seven years. It’s brutally hard to keep up, and it’s ever so easy to fall behind. Once you are behind the curve, it becomes almost impossible to catch up without something drastic happening.
To me, the ARRL’s situation presents a remarkable opportunity for all of us. First, we are all getting a lesson on vulnerability of systems. As we learn more, many of us are certainly looking inward at our own computers, backups, firewalls, and more. I know I’ve turned off some port forwards that I realized I no longer needed. I have some other internet-facing equipment that I could more safely access through a single point of entry over my VPN. Computing is now such a significant part of amateur radio that we can’t afford to be ignorant of security, redundancy, and resiliency. We can’t afford to not keep up.
I think the ARRL has been handed one of the most unique opportunities in its history, and that is: to share with members while they rebuild and upgrade their systems. For those who wistfully recall the days before computers, this information will not be welcome. For the rest of us, we can learn from the ARRL’s experience and regain confidence as we observe how it recovers from this debacle. This is a teachable moment not only for the ARRL but for all of us who depend on internet-connected technology.
I know the accepted wisdom in these situations is to keep information close to the vest because one doesn’t want to hand bad actors more attack vectors. I get it. Nevertheless, the ARRL could have done a little better. Over the past several weeks, real information (not speculation) has been very sparse. (However, this has changed over the past few weeks: https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-systems-service-disruption.)
In computing terms, whether to support the ARRL or not seems like a binary choice: members can either help them grow and improve, or we turn away, accelerating their demise. I lean toward building on the strong history of the ARRL and supporting a ground-up rebuild, one that doesn’t depend on single points of failure.
In a more tongue-in-cheek vein, let us all hope that they don’t rebuild like this XKCD Circuit Diagram. That style of infrastructure build-out might be how the ARRL arrived at this moment!
2. These Are Some of my Favorite Ham Sites
Below are some of my favorite amateur radio websites and podcasts. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. I’d love to expand my reading and listening so if you have recommendations, please do share!
In no particular order…
2.1 Combination sites (forum, news, classifieds)
2.2 Newsletters and blogs
Zero Retries by Steve Stroh N8GNJ (a Random Wire favorite!)
Ria’s Ham Shack by Ria Jairam N2RJ
KB6NU’s Ham Radio Blog by Daniel Romanchik KB6NU
The SWLing Post by Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL
QRPer.com by Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL
With Varying Frequency - Amateur Radio Ponderings by Steve K9ZW
2.3 Podcasts
Ham Radio Workbench (a Random Wire favorite!)
3. Customize This Ham Dashboard For Your Shack
If you’ve wanted an informative, attractive dashboard in your ham station, you may want to check out the VA3HDL system.
To get the code, jump to https://github.com/VA3HDL/hamdashboard/ and click the green button labeled <> Code and then select Download ZIP. But before you do that, take a look at the explainer video put together by KMR4ACK.
I used the KM4ACK instructions to make some changes in the code (took about 20 minutes while I was simultaneously on a video call), resulting in my dashboard:
The last time I look at the VA3HDL dashboard some months ago, customizing it was not nearly as easy as it is now. Thank you to Ben AB7I for reminding me of this software.
4. First Podcasting Mistake: Wrong Microphone
File this under: I should have known better.
I bought the wrong microphone for podcasting and video conferencing. It is a lovely Blue Yeti Nano. This wonderful device picks up every sound around me and that’s the problem. It would work very well for picking up nature sounds but for my purposes, I don’t want every little sound captured: a toilet being flushed, a crinkle of paper, a dog barking, a car being revved. That level of realism is not really what we expect to hear in most podcasts or during video conferences. We expect to hear clean audio, scrubbed of extraneous, distracting sounds.
The Nano is a condenser mic. I had forgotten that condenser microphones tend to pick up a lot of sound…a LOT of sound. As soon as I plugged it in and started listening on headphones through the monitoring port, I knew what I had done. Oops.
I immediately flipped this script by purchasing an Audio-Technica AT2005USB Cardiod Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone. Not a condenser microphone. A dynamic microphone. I like the idea of having the flexibility of using USB or XLR connections. If you’re curious, Podlad.com presents a nice discussion of differences between these types of microphones. I am finding the dynamic mic works much better for recording and video conferences. (However, truth be told, video conferencing software has become quite adept at filtering out background sound. While using the Nano this week for Zoom calls, nobody said a thing about background sounds. That might be a workaround if you have a condenser mic: use conferencing software to record your audio.)
I know I’ll make mistakes as I get started with podcasting. I did not expect that I would choose the wrong kind of microphone right out of the gate. Despite feeling like I made a silly error, I’ll keep both mics because each has strengths that work well in particular situations.
Next up, I’ll be looking at portable audio recorders and USB audio boards, as well as podcast hosting services. I’ve not done exhaustive research on podcasts hosts. I do rather like the features of SquadCast. The price point isn’t out of reach, at least at the Creator level.
This is an interesting (to me) journey. I’ll gladly take recommendations! Please do send them along if you have advice.
UPDATE: I also bought an off-brand dynamic mic that actually has a slightly darker sound to it. I tested the MAONO USB Dynamic Microphone, Podcast Recording Microphone with Gain Knob on my desk with a “dead cat” fur windscreen over the cardiod element. The MAONO mic is relatively compact, it is not expensive, and the sound characteristics are very nice, especially for my tends-to-be-light voice. After a few days of use, I went back to using the Nano. I need to test various scenarios with the Nano a bit more before recommending it, but I sense that I’ll land there in a few weeks.
UPDATE #2: Something simpler for Zoom and Teams meetings might be the TONOR USB Conference Microphone for Laptop. Again, not expensive. This is described as a supercardiod dynamic mic. Like all of my dynamic mics, distance from the microphone is important. The Nano is a bit less sensitive to distance because it is a more sensitive microphone. This is significant in video conferences where seeing your face is an important part of communicating. With a dynamic mic a few inches from my face, I’m partly hidden. This is one reason I’m leaning toward the Nano as a great all-around choice. (Other factors are: build quality and the ability to select between a cardiod pattern and omnidirectional pattern.)
If you have advice as I start to build out my podcasting suite of tools, please do let me know. I am running Windows 11 Pro machines with Audacity for editing sound files. I have not been a Mac user for about 15 years so I am no longer knowledgeable on that family of platforms.
5. Speaking of Microphones…
Recently, I reached out to a worldwide vendor of microphones and other amateur radio gear. Their products are used in broadcasting and they sell desk mics for amateur radio. (No, I am not talking about Heil Sound.)
I gave them the brand and model of my radio (Yaesu FTM-300DR) and asked which of their desk microphones would work with my device. The answer both surprised and disappointed me:
Our mics won't operate with Yaesu VHF radios - you need an electret element mic. Ours are dynamic.
Uh, the microphone that comes with the FTM-300DR is a dynamic mic. I replied to tech support with this information and that seemed to end our conversation. Well, scratch that vendor off my list.
I may try an XLR microphone (cue the already-in-my-kit Audio-Technica AT2005USB mic with XLR) and some adapter cables from Heil to make my own dynamic desk mic for the FTM-300DR. I haven’t found a plug-and-play desk mic for this radio. I would like to use a desk mic for my Portable Digital Node on my home desk.
6. Pinged by a Radio Vendor
A few weeks ago, I received a request to review a radio in the Random Wire review. I’m sure it was going to be one of those “we’ll send you a radio for free if you’ll review it in the Random Wire” kind of things. I did not take them up on their offer but I did take a peek at their line of radios. There are a couple that look interesting.
6.1 XHDATA D608WB Emergency Radio
Their emergency radio has some features I like. This unit is designed to keep on hand if there is a weather emergency, for example. I like that the battery is a replaceable 18650 battery. Nothing proprietary with that choice!
There is a small solar panel built into the top and a hand crank on the back. There is a flashlight. Nothing unusual there. But the solar panel can be angled upward, and underneath is an LED panel for area lighting. That could be very handy.
It’s got Bluetooth, memories, an SOS alarm, alarm clock, NOAA weather alerts, MP3 player, and more. For me, the only thing it is missing is the ability to listen to air band transmissions. In a disaster, listening in on air traffic could be informative.
The price point at $35 (after clipping a coupon) is very attractive. While I’m usually not attracted to these inexpensive emergency radios, this one doesn’t look too bad for the price.
6.2 XHDATA D808 Portable Radio
Unlike the yellow-colored D608WB emergency radio, the D808 looks more like a retail AM/FM/SW radio you might see on a store shelf. Note that the product number does not include WB, meaning this radio does not include NOAA weather alerts.
But what it does have is the ability to tune upper side band and lower side band signals. For amateur radio operators, that opens up more listening opportunities than a less expensive AM/FM/SW radio and single side band. Like the D608WB, it uses an 18650 battery for portable power.
At about $100, this unit is a bit more expensive. The clincher for me? It includes air band coverage. This looks like a nice, solid radio to put in the corner of my desk at work.
For both radios, some online reviewers have suggested that the 18650 battery included is not a protected battery. One reviewer said he bought name-brand 18650s that were protected and they fit in the battery compartment.
6.3 Tecsun Digital PL330 AM/FM/LW/SW Worldband Radio with Single Side Band Receiver
While Tecsun did not reach out to me, a great alternative to the XHDATA D808 is the Tecsun PL330. I have some Tecsun radios. Not only are they well built, they also perform well. The PL330 is about $20 cheaper than the D808 making this quite a good value. SWLing.com has a solid review of the Tecsun PL330 that also mentions the D808 in several places. That seems particularly apropos here since I mention both the D808 and the PL330.
6.4 Which to choose: the D808 or the PL330?
I don’t have a recommendation for you. If you want to have airband, then you might pick the D808. If you want Tecsun quality, you might pick the PL330. While I really like Tecsun products, I’ve ordered the D808 because of (a) airband coverage, (b) ability to tune single side band, and (c) the battery is an 18650 cell. This will be a throw-in-my-luggage receiver for enjoyment during hotel stays. For $8.30 more, I’m adding the AN-80 Shortwave Reel Antenna FM SW External Antenna Whip Antenna to Improve Signal Reception Suitable for FM SW Radio to my order. Note that the D808 also has a 3.5mm jack for an external antenna, so a small active loop antenna might be something to consider in the future. (A loop with a 3.5mm plug would also fit my ATS-25MAX radio.)
LATE UPDATE: Waiting for me when I got home from my latest trip late last night was the D808 radio. I unpacked it and powered it up to a classical FM station located in the Portland area. The sound was good for the small size of the radio. It is about the size of my hand and feels rather solid. I’ll have more about the XHDATA D808 next week, but on first examination, I’m pleased.
7. Replacement Fan on RPi 4 Case
The Easycargo Cooler Kit worked great when I replaced the noisy fan in my Canakit Raspberry Pi. The lid of the case has a space where a 30mm x 30mm fan fits and is held in place by slightly springy plastic clips. The Easycargo fan was a perfect fit and it is running much quieter than the original fan. The household is happy once again.
You may observe in the photo above one of the less desirable features of this case: it is glossy so it shows fingerprints and smudges very well. I have it stuck out of sight on a shelf so that aspect doesn’t matter to me. It has plenty of openings to help keep the RPi board cool with the assistance of the fan.
8. Closing Notes
8.1 Portable Digital Node now runs from a power supply
I picked up an off-brand bench power supply that has been powered on 24/7 for the past couple of weeks. I didn’t really need it because after three days of the FTM-300DR running as a Portable Digital Node around the clock while attached to the big battery, the input voltage sensed by the radio did not vary. It stayed at 13.4 VDC the entire time. However, the battery really isn’t a great long-term solution so I purchased a power supply to use day to day, with the battery still available as a backup if the power supply lets out the magic smoke. With the addition of fused wiring, Power Pole connectors, and a T-connector, the radio is powered up and working fine.
As a maybe-it-is-interesting aside, my daughter was reading over my should while I typed this. I had originally typed 24x7 and she was mildly offended by it because it looked like math. She believed it should be 24/7. We found a Reddit thread on this very topic! For clarity, I am switching to 24/7 as that seems much less confusing.
8.2 Killing the standby beep on the FTM-300DR
We added a dog to our household a year-and-a-half ago. Mary is part Corgi, part Dachshund. Can you believe that mix is called a Dorgi? I laugh every time I hear that descriptor. Mary has characteristics of both but she leans toward Corgi.
She is now four-and-a-half years old. What does this have to do with radio? Well, whenever one of my radios beeps, her head and tail drop and she silently disappears. Her body language screams: “I’m escaping something painful or dangerous.” I’ve been having trouble understanding this but at a recent conservation district meeting, a light bulb went off in my mind. The district was talking about virtual fencing for cows. In simplest terms, a geo-fenced perimeter is established and cows with collars get an audible tone, then a vibration, and finally a shock as they approach and reach the perimeter.
It was the description of the collar generating a tone that triggered the connection in my head. One of the district board members is a vet who I talked with after the district meeting. When I described how Mary reacts to my radio beeps, she said: she’s been collared.
Now I’m trying to figure out how to reverse that training. Mary doesn’t bark even though the two breeds in her mix are often quite vocal. She must have been a barky pup and the previous owner used a shock collar to change that behavior.
I did find a way to eliminate the beep on the FTM-300DR at the end of every digital transmission. A few minutes of searching revealed there is a menu setting on the FTM-300DR for something called a standby beep. Turning that off killed the beep following digital transmissions.
I turned off standby beeps in my Yaesu FT3D handie talkie, too, so that when I’m using the HT with my Fusion-only hotspot, the radio won’t beep. M0FXB has a short YouTube on how to turn off the standby beep on a Yaesu FT5D radio. The process is very similar for the FTM-300DR and for the FT3D.
Hopefully Mary will find it a little easier to be around me when I’m playing with radios now that the beeps are gone.
8.3 When do I write this newsletter?
I have found that if I leave content creation to the last minute, I feel stressed. Writing this newsletter then feels like a burden. A few months ago, I changed when I start a new issue by starting on it a few weeks before I publish the current issue. That means I am writing issue #94 before I’ve published issue #93.
That change, by itself, has changed the equation for me. Writing is once again something I look forward to because I don’t feel a clock ticking away toward a deadline.
The downside is that the last few months of Random Wire newsletters have become more like journals. I capture ideas during the days (and nights) when they surface, and sometimes I probably have not been taking enough time to organize my thoughts better in the newsletter (at least that’s how it feels to me when I review an issue a few weeks after it publishes).
9. Coming Next Week
Here are some of the topics planned for next week’s newsletter (Random Wire Review #95):
Meshtastic node with rotary encoder
How to manually update your Hamshack Hotline number on a Cisco SPA525G phone
AllStarLInk while mobiling
I’m also working on a list of WIRES-X nets but I think that won’t be ready until the June 28, 2024 issue (Random Wire Review #96).
Tom - kudos on another "All Zero Retries Interesting" issue of TRW! I liked all of it, particularly your thoughts on microphones for podcasting.