Podcasts about 4ghz

GB2RS News Sunday the 4th of May 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB's Tonight@8 series continues with HamSCI Learn about radar through an RSGB Convention presentation and a new members' benefit RSGB club insurance and beacon and repeater insurance have been renewed On Monday the 12th of May, Dr Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF and RSGB Propagation Studies Committee member Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL will be delivering a Tonight@8 webinar on “Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation: Space Weather We Can Do Together”. Since the 2017 Solar Eclipse QSO Party, HamSCI has been bringing together amateur radio operators and professional space scientists. They have been developing new and innovative ways to study space weather and its impacts on the ionosphere and radio propagation. In the presentation, Nathaniel will show results from the 2023 and 2024 HamSCI Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science. Gwyn will explain why he enjoys the HamSCI experience, from exchanges with scientists to learning from students while pursuing his studies on HF propagation. They'll also talk about what's next for the organisation and how you can participate. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/webinars In the latest RSGB 2024 Convention video to be released by the Society, Graham Murchie, G4FSG presents “Radar - the eyes of the few”. In the talk Graham gives a brief history of early radar, events leading up to the development of a viable system and the establishment of the world's first operational radar station at Bawdsey. Watch the video by going to youtube.com/@theRSGB  If you're interested in learning more about Bawdsey Radar Museum then check out the new benefit for RSGB members, which offers a 20% discount off the usual entrance price. Go to rsgb.org/partner-museums  to find out more! RSGB club insurance, and beacon and repeater insurance have now been renewed for the year to April 2026. Club insurance certificates can be downloaded via rsgb.org/repeaterinsurance. You will need to log in to obtain your certificate. Beacon and repeater insurance certificates are available for an admin fee of £15 from the RSGB shop.  Please allow a couple of days after renewal for your certificate to be dispatched. The RSGB Contest Club has recently exceeded one million QSOs. These have been made by RSGB members activating historic RSGB callsigns and special event callsigns, either in contests or in radio marathon activations. The QSOS have all been uploaded to Logbook of the World. The most prolific callsign has been G6XX with over 154,000 QSOs, and the most recent has been GB0IARU which was active in April to celebrate 100 years of the International Amateur Radio Union. Find out more about the RSGB Contest club, including how to join, by going to the RSGB website and selecting Contest Club from the ‘on the air' menu. Celebrations for the 70th Anniversary of GB2RS are well underway. To find out how you can get involved with special event stations and awards go to rsgb.org/gb70rs . The RSGB has recently updated the web page to add a selection of newsreader stories, which you can access by clicking ‘GB2RS Newsreader Stories' from the menu on the right-hand side. If you've ever wanted to learn more about the voice behind your weekly GB2RS broadcast, this is your chance. More stories will be added throughout the year. On Saturday the 10th of May, RSGB volunteers will be attending a regional Girlguiding event at Ardingly in West Sussex. Amongst other activities, Girlguiding members will have the opportunity to operate special event callsign GB25MAY via the QO-100 satellite. The volunteers would welcome contacts via QO-100 between 10.30 am and 3.30 pm on the day. Put the date in your diary and make time to encourage these youngsters as they try amateur radio! The German amateur radio society, DARC, is once again hosting the traditional HamCamp for youngsters during the HAM RADIO fair in Friedrichshafen  between the 26th and 29th of June. It is open to participants under 27 years old and includes three nights at HamCamp, three breakfast vouchers and a three-day ticket for the HAM RADIO fair. The package price is €80 and the deadline for registration is the 8th of June. You can find further information via tinyurl.com/hamcamp25 Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Dartmoor Radio Rally is taking place tomorrow, Monday the 5th of May, at the Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6AL. Free parking is available. There will be the usual Bring and Buy as well as trader stands and refreshments. Doors open at 10am and admission is £3. For further details, please call Roger on 07854 088882 or email him via 2e0rph@gmail.com The popular Mills on the Air event is taking place on the weekend of the 10th and 11th of May. There are currently 35 stations taking part, with registrations still being accepted. Find out more by going to tinyurl.com/millsontheair or by visiting the Mills on the Air Facebook page. Now the Special Event news The Ramsbury Amateur Radio DX Group will be active on the 3rd, 4th and 8th of May using special callsign GB1VE to celebrate VE day. The group will be operating on 20m and 40m using CW, SSB and digital modes. The Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society will be commemorating VE Day on Thursday the 8th of May. Members will be controlling a number of nets on varying frequencies between 7 am and 2 pm. They will be using vintage military equipment dating from the WWII period and beyond. The full programme of events can be found via vmars.org/news Worthing Radio Events Group are planning to operate GB8OFP for the anniversary of VE Day on the 8th of May. Operation will take place on the seafront at the Ferring Pillbox, Patterson's Walk, West Sussex. Members will be active between 10 am and 2 pm on the 40m and 20m bands using SSB. The East Midlands Electronics and Radio Group will be on the air between the 8th and 11th of May to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Using the callsign GB1BK, the group will operate from the former RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire. Members expect to be operational on at least 40m, 20m and 2m, using SSB and possibly some FT8 and SSTV. Guernsey Amateur Radio Society will be operating special event radio station GU80LIB between the 9th and the 11th of May in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Guernsey at the end of World War Two. See QRZ.com for more information. Special event station GB0SAR will be operating between the 3rd and the 30th of May to support SOS Radio Week. The station will mostly be working using FT4 on the 20m band but you might also catch it on the other HF bands using phone. For more information, visit QRZ.com  Now the DX news A team of radio amateurs is active as TX9A from Tubuai in the Austral Islands, IOTA reference OC-152, until Wednesday the 7th of May. The group will operate on the HF bands. QSL is available via DK8ZZ. For all direct requests, use Clublog OQRS. Further information is available via austral2025.com Yuris, YL2GM is active as ZS8W from Prince Edward and Marion Island, IOTA reference AF-021, until Friday the 16th of May. Yuris will be on Marion island as a radio engineer and member of the SANAP station communication equipment maintenance team, and he hopes to find good periods of time to be operational.  Now the contest news The ARI International DX Contest started on Saturday the 3rd of May and ends at 1159UTC today, Sunday the 4th of May. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also send their province. The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest also started on Saturday the 3rd of May and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 4th of May. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The 10GHz Trophy runs today, Sunday the 4th of May, from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The May 144MHz Contest also runs today, Sunday the 4th of May, from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1100 to 1500 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Today, Sunday the 4th of May, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs today, Sunday the 4th of May, from 1000 to 1400 UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square. On Tuesday, the 6th of May, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 6th of May, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 7th of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 7th of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday, the 8th of May, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 1st of May 2025 After the previous week's geomagnetic disturbances, as described in last week's GB2RS, the last seven days have been relatively quiet. The Kp index has mostly been in the ones and twos, however the rise to a Kp value of four on Thursday the 1st of May could herald a return to unsettled conditions. The solar flux index peaked at 170 on the 24th of April, before declining to 148 at the end of the month. HF conditions have been acceptable rather than outstanding and many stations struggled to work DX at times during International Marconi Day on the 26th of April. Nevertheless, there is DX about including ZS8W Marion Island, TX9A Austral Islands and HD8G Galapagos Islands. A look at the Proppy propagation prediction tool will help you work out the best times for making a contact with each station and on each band. You can find it by going to rsgb.org/propagation-tools Looking ahead, a large sunspot has rotated into view. Now designated 4079, this region has returned and was previously sunspot region 4055. It has already emitted an M-class solar flare, and we may expect greater activity as it becomes more Earth-centric over the next week. NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will climb again in the coming week, perhaps rising to between 160 and 165. Geomagnetic disturbances are also due to rise, with the Kp index forecast to reach five on the 5th and 6th of May. If this becomes a reality, expect lowered MUFs and poorer HF paths, especially over the poles as the Kp index rises. And finally, this week traditionally marks the start of the Sporadic-E season so keep an eye on 10m and 12m for short- and medium-range openings to Europe. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of high-pressure Tropo weather weakened a little as last week ended and we'll see the return of unsettled conditions with showery rain, perhaps even the odd thunderstorm. This is unlikely to lead to a total removal of high pressure and Tropo will still be worth looking for, especially over the western side of the UK. Some models place a new high just west of Britain during the coming week. This means that the rain prospects are not great, although probably just enough for a hint of rain scatter in any isolated heavier showers. The HF bands sounded a bit ‘watery' at times last week, which is a classic sign of potential aurora to explore on the higher bands. Look out for aurora in the coming week if the Kp index climbs above five. Meteor scatter is worth thinking about and, after last week's Lyrids, we now have the Eta Aquariids shower peaking in the early hours of the 6th of May. Remember that Sporadic-E ionisation is largely composed of long-lived meteor ions, so be on watch for Es openings. From now onwards through to mid-September, Sporadic-E will dominate the lower VHF bands, so check the clusters for signs of activity. Remember that Es starts on 10m and moves HF as an opening develops, even reaching 2m in the peak summer. Unlike Tropo, Es events are often fleeting, so the best you can do is monitor conditions as the Es intensifies and be ready when it reaches the band you want. Don't forget to check the daily Es blogs on www.propquest.co.uk which discuss the potential links between location of jet streams and Es formation. EME path losses are increasing, but apogee is still a week away. Moon declination passed maximum last Thursday so Moon windows are shortening along with reducing peak elevation. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

From the plains of Nebraska to highways across America, GoLight is revolutionizing how towing professionals illuminate their most challenging recovery scenarios. Southeast Sales Manager Caleb Morgan shares the fascinating origin story of GoLight, which began when founder Gary Gohl—tired of holding spotlights out his window while checking cattle—created a remote-controlled lighting solution that now serves towing operators worldwide.GoLight's signature pan-and-tilt remote-controlled spotlights offer unparalleled versatility with 370-degree rotation and 135-degree tilt capabilities, all manageable from up to 100 feet away. Their proprietary LED technology produces a remarkable 544,000 candela of brightness, transforming night operations into daylight-clear visibility. The GT series provides the workhorse reliability that built the company's reputation, while the advanced Striker ST series adds Bluetooth-like 2.4GHz technology for controlling multiple lights simultaneously with minimal interference.What truly distinguishes GoLight is their commitment to standing behind their products. With warranties ranging from three years on the GT series to an industry-leading ten years on their fixed GXL performance lights, they demonstrate exceptional confidence in their durability. When support is needed, customers speak directly with regional managers like Caleb who intimately understand both the products and industry needs.The future looks even brighter with GoLight's upcoming innovations. A new hybrid beam pattern will soon combine spot and flood functions for better work area coverage, while an integrated low-light camera system will stream directly to smartphones—allowing recovery operators to document scenes while keeping their hands free for critical work.Whether you operate wheel lifts, quick-picks, or heavy-duty rotators, GoLight offers mounting solutions from permanent installations to magnetic options that protect your investment when not in use. Experience these exceptional lighting solutions firsthand at the Florida Tow Show or visit golight.com to discover how proper illumination isn't just about seeing better—it's about working safer and more efficiently when every second counts.

  GB2RS News Sunday, the 6th of April 2025   The news headlines: Last chance to submit your question ahead of Saturday's RSGB AGM Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI has been appointed as RSGB Maker Champion Reduced exam slots over Easter weekend The RSGB 2025 AGM is taking place at 10 am next Saturday, the 12th of April. The Society is encouraging RSGB members to take the time to vote for the two resolutions that need your approval. During the AGM, Board members will be answering your questions. Whether your question is about the RSGB, the Board, any of the RSGB services or even the future of amateur radio, your contribution to the discussion is important. Priority is given to questions submitted live by Zoom or by the Society's web form, so get in touch now rather than waiting for the live chat option on the day. The Zoom question deadline is 9 am on Monday, the 7th of April, and the deadline for submitting a written question is when voting ends at 0900 on Thursday, the 10th of April. Following the formal business of the AGM, the RSGB is delighted that RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM will be sharing his review of 2024. There will also be announcements of trophies and awards, the construction competition results, as well as a presentation about the Society's strategy, which will be led by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX. There will be contributions from Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML; Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB; and Bob Beebe, GU4YOX who at that point will be the new RSGB President. Make sure you don't miss out by putting the date in your diary now. Go to rsgb.org/agm  to find further information. The RSGB is pleased to announce that Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI has been appointed as the RSGB Maker Champion. In his role, Tom will assist the RSGB to take amateur radio to new audiences in the hackspace and makerspace communities. Tom will also investigate opportunities to encourage crossover in both directions, offering new areas of experimentation to more traditional license holders. If you have any ideas you'd like to discuss with Tom or would like to congratulate him on his appointment, please email him via maker.champion@rsgb.org.uk A reminder that the RSGB remote invigilation team will be taking a break over the Easter weekend. You will be able to book to take an exam on Friday, the 18th and Saturday, the 19th of April; however, no exam slots will be available on Sunday, the 20th or Monda,y the 21st of April. Exam bookings will resume as normal after that. The next webinar in the RSGB's Tonight@8 series will be live tomorrow, Monday the 7th of April. Nick Wood, M0NTV will show you how to use a regular glue stick housing in a rather novel way to form the basis of a variable tuning inductor in a homemade 40m receiver. Nick has a lifelong fascination with radio and electronics, and an insatiable curiosity to discover how things work. His passion is for designing and building his own radio equipment, particularly SSB transceivers, and he has just completed his sixth. Visit rsgb.org/webinars  to find out more. Join the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat. The GB3WR VHF Repeater, located on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, was switched back on at 12:30 pm on the 16th of March 2025. The Group is delighted to report that it is working as well as before. It covers a wide area of the South West, and the Bristol Channel area. Amateur stations are regularly heard from the south of the Midlands, South Wales and as far south as Swanage and Basingstoke to the east. The Mendip Repeater Group would like to express its thanks for the generosity of all who have made it possible to put GB3WR back on the air. Find out more via gb3wr.uk One of the GB2RS newsreaders is retiring from reading the news ahead of his upcoming 101st birthday this Saturday, the 12th of April. Peter Valentine, G0NQZ from Eastbourne, remains an active radio amateur and operates daily, as well as taking part in regular nets such as ISWL and RAOTA. The Society would like to thank Peter for his dedication to GB2RS and wishes him a very happy 101st birthday! Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club QRP Convention is taking place on Saturday, the 12th of April at Digby Hall in Sherborne. Doors open at 9.30 am. The convention will include traders, bring and buy, club stalls and a café. For more information, please visit the club's website via yeovil-arc.com The Holsworthy ARC Spring Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday, the 13th of April at the Holsworthy Livestock Market, New Market Road, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7FA. There will be traders and a bring-and-buy. Catering will be available. Doors open to traders from 8 am and to the public from 10 am. Entry costs £3 per person. The venue has disabled access. Also taking place on Sunday, the 13th of April, is the Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Exhibition, or NARSA for short. It is also known as the Blackpool Rally. The event will take place at Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. For further details, please go to narsa.org.uk  or contact Dave, M0OBW, on 07720 656542, or via email using dwilson@btinternet.com Now the Special Event news The Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society, also known as RAFARS, has started its popular Airfields On The Air event. RAF Stations are active this weekend as well as on the 12th and 13th of April. More information can be found via rafars.org/rafaota The Polish Amateur Radio Union is celebrating 95 years since its founding, as well as the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. To mark the occasion, ten special event stations will be active between the 11th and the 25th of April. Full details of the event, as well as available awards, can be found via Hamaward.cloud Now the DX news The Toshiba Fuchu Amateur Radio Club, JA1YVT, is celebrating its 60th anniversary and, as part of the celebration, team members are staging a DXpedition to the Ogasawara Islands. They will be QRV as JA1YVT/JD1 until Thursday, the 10th of April. The operating schedule, frequencies and QSL information are available via QRZ.com DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10th to the 27th of April. Full details via QRZ.com Now the contest news The FT4 International Activity Day started at 12:00 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 12:00 UTC today, Sunday, the 6th of April. Using FT4 on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. The SP DX Contest started at 1500 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 1500 UTC today, Sunday, the 6th of April. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code. Today, Sunday the 6th of April, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, Sunday the 6th of April, the Worked All Britain Data Contest runs from 1000UTC to 1400UTC and from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8, FT4, JS8, RTTY and PSK on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number, and your Worked All Britain square. Club and multi-operator stations can only score points in one of the two operating periods. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 17th of April. The full rules are available on the Worked All Britain website. On Monday, the 7th of April, the IRTS 70cm Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 13:30 UTC. Using FM and SSB on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their country. Also on Monday, the 7th of April, the IRTS 2m Counties Contest runs from 1330 to 1500 UTC. Using FM and SSB on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their country. On Monday, the 7th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 8th of April, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 8th of April, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 9th of April, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 9th of April, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday, the 10th of April, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 3rd of April 2025 We had a week of mixed solar conditions, but it ended with an SFI of 182 and a Kp of 3.67 on Thursday, the 3rd of April.   The geomagnetic field declined to quieter levels following a prolonged period of active, Kp4 conditions earlier on Wednesday due to solar wind enhancements. This impacted propagation, with the critical frequency struggling to get much above 7 MHz on Wednesday. Compare this with the following day, when the critical frequency hit 10.4MHz by 0830 UTC. Nevertheless, there was DX to be worked on Wednesday with FT8 allowing signals from Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China, and Surinam to get into the UK on 21MHz. The solar proton flux was also high on Tuesday, the 1st of April, affecting signals passing through the polar regions, but this had declined by Thursday and was heading back to normal levels. This was due to a large CME observed off the east limb of the Sun on Frida,y the 28th of March. If it had been Earth-directed, we may have seen a massive aurora. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will stay in the 175-185 region. A Kp of six was forecast for yesterday, Saturday the 5th of April, followed by a further period of unsettled geomagnetic conditions due to an enhanced solar wind. If this is the case, we may not get more settled conditions until the 14th to the 16th of April. Nevertheless, this remains a good time for North-South HF paths, such as the UK to South Africa, and UK to South America. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The old forecasting maxim that the ‘longer a high lasts, the longer it will last' is built upon the presence of blocked upper air weather patterns. When the jet stream gets so distorted into a high-amplitude north/south wave, its lateral movement, from west to east, becomes very slow. On the upper air charts, this takes the shape of the Greek letter omega, and this is the current set-up. It means that the weather associated with it also lasts a long time. In this case, it's the high pressure and its spell of fine weather that is likely to last for the whole of the coming week. The position of the high will change, though, starting over the North Sea and ending over the UK and the nearby Atlantic. This means that Tropo will be the mode of choice for the coming period, which includes the 70cm UK Activity Contest on Tuesday and the 6m UK Activity Contest on Thursday. Rain scatter is unlikely during this extended period of dry weather. The meteor scatter options are still mainly driven by random meteors for the coming period into next week, but the next important shower, the Lyrids, peaks on the 22nd of April. The auroral alerts continue to come through, raising interest. As usual, the clue will be fluttery-sounding signals on the bands, particularly noticeable on CW, but they can also be pronounced on speech transmissions. Monitor the Kp index for values above Kp5. There have been a few trans-equatorial openings to Southern Africa on 50MHz digital modes for the fortunate few who live in the extreme south and southwest of the UK, but it did extend up to Cambridgeshire and Suffolk briefly on some days last week. The long drought of Sporadic-E will soon be over, but we're still in the realms of very isolated events for 10m and 6m, which will be short-lasting. The jet stream, which can be a good clue as to potential locations, suggests looking to Scandinavia, the Baltic and northern Europe. EME path losses are falling again, but Moon declination has been at its highest this weekend, so we have long Moon windows. 144MHz sky noise is low throughout the coming week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

This week's EYE ON NPI is an EYE ON A PI - it's the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/r/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-compute-module-5), the latest update to the easily embeddable mini modules that make industrial developers happy by giving them all the power of a Pi 5 in a ready-to-go pluggable solution. The Raspberry Pi computer launched with the goal of bringing low cost computing to the education market (https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2011/05/a_15_computer_to_inspire_young.html) and through the Pi Foundation (https://www.raspberrypi.org/) they still have that charitable goal (https://static.raspberrypi.org/files/about/RaspberryPiFoundationStrategy2025.pdf) while also spinning off the manufacturing/sales company into the Trading Company which went public this year (https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/what-would-an-ipo-mean-for-the-raspberry-pi-foundation/). The first few Raspberry Pi computers were 'all in one' style (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1344), with power, GPIO, Video and Audio output, USB, Ethernet, and Micro SD card storage (https://raspi.tv/2018/new-raspberry-pi-family-photo-including-pi3a-plus-zero-wh). Eventually enough folks asked for an enclosure-friendly version that would allow an "I/O" board to be designed with the ports in a different arrangement - the big-sized-Pis have them arrayed over 3 sides. To solve this conundrum, and to satisfy the growing industrial/commercial market, the Pi engineers designed the Compute Module 1 which is still available (https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/compute-module-1/). This clever SODIMM packaged board has all the GPIO and peripheral pins on a plug-in connector so you can slot it into an existing design securely and easily - SODIMM sockets (https://www.digikey.com/short/rz9cdjrn) come both vertical and horizontal. This was later updated to the CM3 and CM3+ (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/raspberry-pi/SC0149/9866293) which was on par with the Pi 3 instead of the Pi 1, with significantly higher computational power. However, perhaps because they wanted a more compact module, or to support high-frequency signals better, the next generation of Compute Module 4's (https://www.digikey.com/short/wffzdn0b) came in a flat rectangular shape with dual 100-pin Hirose contacts. (https://www.digikey.com/short/5m8djf0t) Another nice thing that happened with the CM4 is it became available in dozens of configurations: 1/2/4/8 GB RAM, SD or 8/16/32GB MMC, and with or without WiFi/BLE/BT. This allowed commercial users to go with the 'lowest cost option' needed to fulfill their requirements - whereas the Pi 4 comes in only 3 or 4 RAM options (https://www.digikey.com/short/4pn5vw24). The ready-to-go software - no kernel compiling or OpenWRT configuration required! Long-term hardware support and low prices pushed the CM4 into more and more designs. Which brings us to the NPI of the week, the Compute Module 5 (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/r/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-compute-module-5)! The CM5 is a big upgrade, with quad A76s at 2.4GHz for a 2x computing upgrade, increased RAM options of up to 16G, increased MMC option of 64GB, USB 3.0 ports, PCIe and RP1 hardware interfacing with PIO support (https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/piolib-a-userspace-library-for-pio-control/). If you have an existing CM4 design, you can easily upgrade or update to the new hotness. If you're new to integrating Raspberry pi, then while you may think of the Pi as a hobby/school computer, that isn't necessarily true anymore with 72% of Pi computers sold going into commercial/industrial use (https://investors.raspberrypi.com/ipo/documents/1). That means you can be confident that you'll get consistent pricing and availability for a long time so that you can work on designing the rest of your product for the CM series to plug into. And like the CM4, the CM5 is available in a variety of configurations and prices, from $45 to $135. Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5's are currently only available for pre-order (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/r/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-compute-module-5) , with estimated ship times in Q1 of 2025 to DigiKey - and the moment DigiKey gets some in stock, they'll ship your pre-order instantly so you can get integrating with the Pi ecosystem the very next day. Don't wait till release day because they'll sell out instantly! Instead, when you pre-order from DigiKey, your order goes into a queue and you'll get first-come-first-served prioritization. See more on DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/short/47t12drj

「ASUS、ワイヤレスゲーミングヘッドセッド「ROG DELTA II」。2.4GHz接続で最大110時間再生可能」　ASUS JAPANは、ゲーミングブランドRepublic Of Gamersより、2.5GHz接続で最大110時間の再生に対応するヘッドセット「ROG DELTA II」を、10月4日に発売する。価格はオープンだが、税込38,700円前後の実売が想定される。

Precio: https://amzn.to/4e0YJSA El **Presentation Clicker USB Rechargeable** es un control remoto inalámbrico para presentaciones, diseñado en forma de anillo para mayor comodidad. Utiliza tecnología RF de 2.4GHz, permitiendo un control sin interrupciones de presentaciones en PowerPoint desde una distancia considerable. Es recargable vía USB, compatible con Mac, laptops y PC, y facilita funciones básicas como avanzar, retroceder, y pausar diapositivas, proporcionando un control sencillo y eficiente durante presentaciones. Ideal para profesionales que buscan movilidad y eficacia en sus presentaciones.

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-leo Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-mikah Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-leo Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

Apple & Meta will likely face charges for failing to comply with EU rules. Can you play Apple Spatial audio files outside of Apple Music? How can you start learning how to program and develop an application? Plus, Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, and Chris Marquardt goes over the past month's photo assignment of Minimalist! Apple WWDC24, Apple Intelligence, and RCS coming to iPhone. Apple, Meta set to face EU charges under landmark tech rules, sources say. Matthew calls in, asking if upgrading his network from 2.4GHz to 5GHz is worth it. Chris wants to know how to play his Apple Spatial audio files in other applications outside of Apple Music. Rod Pyle talks about the Boeing Starliner launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, and China's Chang'e 6 mission. Kevin likes having everything on his Mac open up in one Finder window with multiple tabs. How can Kevin keep Finder from opening links he clicks on in iMessage on his Mac to opening in the same Finder window where he has his multiple tabs? Henry emails Leo and Mikah, wondering where he can go to start programming an app he has an idea for. After upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma, Steve gets a notification that "Steve's iPhone microphone is not available." He wants to know why he's constantly getting this notification and how to stop it? Randy writes that they have a music collection on Apple Music, but he wants to save those files on his iPhone in the Apple Music app without constantly paying for a subscription. Is there a way for Randy to do this? Chris Marquardt goes over the Minimalist photo assignment and assigns the next assignment! Patrick calls in with a problem about why, when he's sending text messages on his iPhone through iMessage, the messages go from the Apple standard blue bubbles to green bubbles randomly at times. Patrick also wonders why his Apple Watch is receiving notifications inconsistently from apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Rod Pyle and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2029 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-mikah Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit eufy.com

GB2RS News Sunday the 2nd of June 2024  The news headlines: Nominations for IARU President and Vice President have been ratified The next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar is coming up RSGB National Radio Centre to operate D-Day anniversary special event stations   IARU member societies have ratified the nomination of Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA and Thomas Wrede, DF2OO as IARU President and Vice President, respectively, for a five-year term which began on the 9th of May 2024. On starting his 4th term as President, Tim Ellam thanked member societies for their support, congratulated Thomas Wrede on his election as Vice President, and also offered a special and heartfelt thank you to Ole Garpestad, LA2RR who retired as IARU Vice President. You can read more on this story via the IARU website at tinyurl.com/IARU2024 The RSGB Tonight@8 webinar this Monday, the 3rd of June, examines how amateur radio can be accessible and enjoyable even if you have sight, hearing or mobility difficulties. Three radio amateurs will explain how they have adapted their equipment, written software or used extra support from the RSGB or other radio amateurs, to enable them to enjoy all that amateur radio has to offer. There will also be input from Sight Matters, an Isle of Man charity helping to assist over 700 visually impaired members. The charity has recently discovered how much amateur radio can offer people with visual impairments and it has formed the Sight Matters Amateur Radio Club. This aims to encourage new people into the hobby and to help assist existing licence holders back onto the air. Whether this webinar is relevant to you, a friend or colleague, or you're in a club that is wondering how to support all radio amateurs to enjoy the hobby, make a note of the date and be inspired! You can watch and ask questions live on the RSGB special BATC channel or YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB The RSGB's National Radio Centre will be operating a special event callsign GB2DAY to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during World War Two. The station will be active between the 6th  and 9th of June. In addition, volunteers will be hosting the special demonstration station GB1SOE on Saturday the 15th of June. Don't forget that RSGB members can gain free entry to Bletchley Park and the RSGB's National Radio Centre by downloading a voucher from the RSGB website: rsgb.org/bpvoucher The RSGB Board recently spent an afternoon visiting RSGB Headquarters, meeting staff and gaining a more detailed understanding of the work of this professional team. Later that day, the Board received training from members of the senior team about their specialist areas. During the Board meeting the following day, the Board decided to continue with its chosen four strategic priorities until the 2025 AGM. These priorities are the growth of amateur radio; membership of the RSGB; spectrum and licensing; and ensuring the continued financial stability of the Society. To make further progress with the outcomes of the recent growth workshop, the Board allocated a member of its team to champion each of the seven workstreams. Each workstream champion will now create a volunteer team, prioritise work tasks, set measurable objectives, define what success looks like, list deliverables and establish reporting mechanisms and frequency. More details will be shared about these over the coming months. Do you have some spare time to support fellow radio amateurs? Are you passionate about the future of amateur radio? Do you like a challenge? The RSGB currently has volunteer vacancies for Regional Representatives in Region 7 South Wales, and Region 12 England East and East Anglia. Could you fill one of those roles? To learn more about being a Regional Representative see the RSGB website or contact the Regional Team Forum Chair, Keith Bird, G4JED via rr10@rsgb.org.uk Next week is the 40th anniversary of Volunteers' Week in the UK. As always, the RSGB will be taking part in this national event and thanking its volunteers for the great work they do for the Society and amateur radio generally. The Society will be sharing stories about some of its volunteers on its social media channels and then you'll be able to read more details on the RSGB website later in the week at rsgb.org/your-stories The May 2024 edition of RadCom Basics is now available. RadCom Basics is aimed at new amateurs and those who wish to refresh their skills and knowledge. Among others, this edition contains articles to help you learn about checking and testing components, how to keep your transmissions clean and how to build and tune an end-fed half-wave antenna for the 40 to 10m bands. Read more via rsgb.org/radcom-basics And now for details of rallies and events Spalding and District Amateur Radio Society's Annual Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 2nd of June. This year sees the event taking place at a new venue: Spalding Rugby and Football Club, Centenary Park, Drain Bank North, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6AF. The event features a free on-site car park, inside and outside traders, an RSGB bookstall and an outside boot area. General admission is £3 per person. For more information visit sdars.org.uk/spaldingrally The Junction 28 Radio Rally is coming up on Sunday the 9th of June at Alfreton Sports Centre, DE55 7BD, one mile from M1 Junction 28. The doors will be open from 10.15 am and admission will be £4. For more information visit snadarc.com or contact j28rally@snadarc.com The Worked All Britain Awards Group will be holding its 2024 AGM from 12 pm at the Junction 28 Rally. Those unable to attend in person but wishing to join online via Zoom should email the Group's secretary at m1aib@worked-all-britain.org.uk The Mendips Rally is set to take place on Sunday the 9th of June. The Rally will be held at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney, BS39 6UA. The doors will be open from 9 am to 1 pm and admission will be £2. Access for traders will be available from 7.30 am. Inside tables cost £8 and field pitches are £5 each. Free car parking and hot and cold refreshments will be available on-site. For more information contact Luke at 07870 168 197 or email mendipsrally@hotmail.com Now the Special Event News Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society will be active as GB0WVR during Market Harborough Carnival on Saturday the 8th of June. The team of operators is planning to use SSB, FT8 and some CW on the 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands. There may also be activity on the 40m band, depending on the working conditions. Listen out for the callsign which will be active from 10 am until late in the evening. For more information see QRZ.com Throughout June, Stockport Radio Society will be active with the callsign GB0COL to mark the 80th anniversary of Colossus, the world's first fully electronic computer. Bands and modes to be used include FM on the 2m band, SSTV and VHF digital voice. SSB, CW and RTTY will be used on the HF bands. Operators are also planning to be active via the QO-100 satellite. For more information visit g8srs.co.uk/gb0col Next weekend, Torbay Amateur Radio Society will be active with a special event callsign GB80DCS to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The station will be working from Slapton Sands in Devon from the afternoon of Friday the 7th of June until approximately 1200UTC on Sunday the 9th of June. A team of operators plans to use phone and CW on the HF and VHF bands. More information is available via QRZ.com  Now the DX news Roland, F8EN is active as TR8CR from Gabon until at least the end of June. He will operate CW only and will celebrate his 96th birthday while there. QSL via F6AJA directly or via the Bureau. Roland can usually be found on the 30 to 10m bands using CW. Tosy, JA6VZB is active as JD1BQW from Chichijima, AS-031, in Japan, until the 5th of June. He plans to concentrate on the 12 and 6m bands using FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, Club Log's OQRS, or the Bureau. Now the contest news National Field Day started at 1500UTC on Saturday the 1st of June and ends at 1500UTC today, the 2nd of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Contest started at 1300UTC on Saturday the 1st and ends at 1300UTC today, Sunday the 2nd of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and membership number. Today, the 2nd of June, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0900 to 1500UTC. Using all modes on 1.3, 2.3 and 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The ARRL International Digital Contest started at 1800UTC on Saturday the 1st and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 2nd of June. Using any digital mode, excluding RTTY, on the 160 to 6m bands, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Tuesday the 4th, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 4th, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 5th, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday the 5th, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The IARU ATV Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 1800 UTC on Sunday the 9th of June. Using TV on 432MHz and up frequencies, the exchange is a serial number, four-digit code and locator. More details on the rules for this contest are available at tinyurl.com/IARUATV On Sunday the 9th, the 2nd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Sunday the 9th of June, the Practical Wireless 2m QRP Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using AM, FM, SSB, CW and a maximum of 5W on the 2m band, the exchange is signal, serial number and locator.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 30th of May 2024 Last week was characterised by relatively quiet geomagnetic conditions and a fairly high solar flux. But is that all about to change? Active region 3664 has returned. It is now named 3697 and has already emitted an X1.4-class solar flare. You may recall that it was AR 3664 that caused the aurora that was visible all over the UK around the 10th and 11th of May. As Solarham.com says, “The chances for an Earth-directed eruption will increase with each passing day as the active sunspot region turns into a better geoeffective position.” Scientists now believe that the coronal mass ejection associated with the long-duration X1.4-class flare on Wednesday the 29th may pass close enough to Earth to generate moderate G2 geomagnetic storming beginning on the 31st of May – just in time for this weekend's National Field Day! Otherwise, HF propagation has generally been good with decent F2-layer openings up to 21 and even 24MHz at times. The 17 and 15m bands look to provide the best DX, with paths to the east in the morning, and to the west during late afternoon and early evening. The 10m band is subject to Sporadic-E openings, with F2-layer openings mainly restricted to paths to South Africa and South America. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be in the 165 to 200 range, with quiet geomagnetic conditions. However, that is perhaps a little optimistic as active region 3697, or perhaps 3691, could easily throw a spanner in the works, with a flare and associated CME potentially sending the Kp index skywards. So, as always, keep an eye on the current state of the Sun at solarham.com, and work the bands while they are open! And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The close of the current week offers a temporary return of high pressure for this weekend. This should be good for some Tropo conditions for western parts of the UK. The weather turns a bit more unsettled going through the coming week, especially over northern Britain, but also occasionally in the south. Rain at this time of the year can often be heavy and thundery with good prospects for GHz bands rain scatter, but this may have to wait for the end of next week when a low moves north from France towards the southern UK. The early part of June is a time of several minor meteor showers. These should offer scope for meteor scatter operators as well as provide some fuel for Sporadic-E propagation which rocket measurements show consists of long-lived meteor ions. Sporadic-E propagation is often associated with the position of jet streams in the upper troposphere due to the turbulence that these fast-flowing currents of air generate. In the coming week, the jet stream pattern becomes much weaker, although still with a few options. Daily blogs are available at Propquest.co.uk  for those who are interested. Don't ignore the prospects for multi-hop transatlantic paths to the United States and particularly the Caribbean, which are usually well supported in the early part of the season before the upper winds over the Caribbean change over to high-summer slacker flow.  Equally, multi-hop Sporadic-E paths to the Far East are worth checking in the early morning following the effects of the now displaced northerly meandering jet stream flow across northern Russia. Moon declination went positive again on Saturday the 1st of June, so the coming week will see lengthening Moon windows. EME path loss is falling, reaching a minimum at perigee today, Sunday the 2nd of June. 144MHz sky noise is low apart from Thursday when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

This week's EYE ON NPI is more like an "EYE ON Ladyada's Desk" because while the ESP32-C6 has not yet been featured by DigiKey on their New Products Page (https://digikey.com/new) we're starting to spend a little time checking out this new Espressif chip - the ESP32-C6 series - and the ready-to-use modules available from DigiKey, such as the ESP32-C6 WROOM (https://www.digikey.com/short/8vj302rf). We use the Espressif family of chips (https://www.digikey.com/en/supplier-centers/espressif-systems) in tons of our designs: they're inexpensive, powerful, have excellent low-power sleep modes, and all come with fast and secure WiFi functionality, so they make for excellent IoT devices. Starting with the ESP32 in 2016, a follow-up to their 'accidental microcontroller' the ESP8266, Espressif has focused on Tensilica-based microcontrollers with built in WiFi and/or Bluetooth radio. By combining the silicon for radio and processor, they've been able to come in at disruptively-low pricing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_innovation) - with chips ranging from $1-$3 and modules from $2-$6. Over the years they've branched out to include improved BLE, native USB, and many other peripherals like CAN and TFTs. They've also dabbled in RISC-V, adding a co-processor to the ESP-Sx series and finally going 'full RISC-V' in the ESP-Cx series. Now, with the C6, they're adding a new protocol to the mix: in addition to updating to WiFi 6 and BLE 5, the C6 also can talk 2.4GHz 802.15.4 which means it can communicate with Zigbee devices (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zigbee) including Thread and... Matter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matter_(standard)) an open-source connectivity standard for smart home and Internet of Things devices from the Connectivity Standards Alliance (https://csa-iot.org/) formally the ZigBee Alliance. Matter is, hopefully, not just the latest, but the last attempt at creating a unified standard for home/business/industrial IoT and automation. It is a higher level protocol that runs on top of WiFi, BLE, or Thread - Thread being a replacement for Zigbee that also runs on 802.15.4 radios. That means that if you want to create a Matter device, you can use any of the three transports (https://learn.adafruit.com/alltheiot-transports) supported by the ESP32-C6: WiFi is medium range, medium cost, high power, medium complexity and high data rate: once you set up the access point, and as long as it's plugged into the wall, it tends to work very well. BLE is lower range, low cost, low power and medium complexity since you still need to pair to another device. Thread/ZigBee is medium range, low power, low cost, and high complexity since you need a gateway to use. As of this post/video, the Matter API for Espressif chips is only available through the ESP IDF SDK (https://github.com/espressif/esp-matter), and not in Arduino yet, although there is an open issue being worked on (https://github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/issues/7432). However, if you aren't up for using the ESP-IDF for programming, you can check out ZeroCode (https://zerocode.espressif.com/) Espressif in-browser code generation, compilation and uploading system. At this time only '2-chip' setups are available for code generation, the 'bare' ESP32-C6 support is coming soon, but we tried out the IoT ExpressLink configs (https://www.espressif.com/en/solutions/device-connectivity/esp-aws-iot-expresslink) which have UART commands for setting up and tearing down the Matter device. After filtering for ExpressLink, we selected the C6 Mini module we have on our Feather prototype. A schematic is generated to show how the module will need to be wired for the UART access. Then you can program it directly in the browser. The unique Matter identifier is turned into a QR code: you can scan this with your mobile phone to add the device to your home's Matter-hub. Finally - check out the AT command reference (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/pdfs/iot-expresslink/latest/gettingstartedguide/expresslink-gsg.pdf) for how to start the Matter subsystem and send/receive data. As Thread/Matter gets adopted as the next-gen IoT transport protocol, the Espressif ESP32-C6 (https://www.digikey.com/short/8vj302rf) is positioned to be the perfect module for fast integration and low cost. With pre-certified and encased modules, plus a ready-to-go SDK, you can spin up a prototype product in just a couple days. We recommend starting with the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N8 module to start, with tons of flash memory, you can always downgrade if you end up only needing 4MB of Flash. There's also an affordable ESP32-C6-DevKitC (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/espressif-systems/ESP32-C6-DEVKITC-1-N8/17728861) that has all the basics on already for instant bring-up. Order from DigiKey today to get your ESP32-C6's by tomorrow afternoon so you can be ready for the future of IoT with WiFi, BLE 5 and Thread/Matter support baked in.

GB2RS News Sunday the 26th of May 2024   The news headlines: The RSGB's Exams and Syllabus Review Group is seeking volunteers RSGB representatives had a successful time at Dayton Hamvention The RSGB Discovery scheme has just been relaunched in a new format The Exams and Syllabus Review Group – or ESRG as it is often known – is looking for new members to move the group forward. Its current task is to approve a new Direct to Full syllabus and to write and approve new questions for the new exams in September due to licence changes. The group meets online every Tuesday between 3 pm and 4.30 pm, with members of the Exam Standards Committee, but meeting times can be changed to accommodate everyone. ESRG volunteers need to be Full licence holders, members of the RSGB and be able to give a few hours a week. This is your chance to shape the future as we move to Syllabus 2.0 in 2025. To volunteer or find out more, contact the ESRG Chair Andrew Lenton via esrg.chair@rsgb.org.uk Members of the RSGB Team, including RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas M1ACB and the RSGB President, John McCullagh GI4BWM had a successful time at the Dayton Hamvention last weekend. The event was a brilliant opportunity to engage with radio amateurs from around the world and resulted in 132 people joining or rejoining the RSGB. There were also several podcasters, YouTubers and local news outlets in attendance. This included WHIO, which is a local US news channel, who interviewed RSGB President, John McCullagh GI4BWM. This was shared on local TV news, radio, as well as online. Josh from Ham Radio Crash Course also did a live stream to his 346,000 YouTube subscribers, which included a chat with RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas M1ACB and the RSGB President. You can find links to view these clips on the RSGB notices section of the RSGB website. The RSGB Discovery scheme has just been relaunched in a new format. Now called the Discovery Logbook, there are fewer requirements, an easy-to-follow programme and exciting links with external organisations such as Parks on the Air and Worked All Britain. There are also some great RSGB Awards to work towards if you'd like to include those in your programme of activities. The RSGB hopes that these links will enable radio amateurs to discover new ways of enjoying their hobby with the guidance and support of experts in those fields. There are three difficulty levels and the first of these, called Explorer, has just been launched. To see the programme activities, find out how to get involved or talk to the Society about linking your organisation with the Discovery Logbook, go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/discovery British Science Week is an annual event run by the British Science Association celebrating science, technology, engineering and maths. The event, which is taking place between the 7th and 16th of March 2025, will have the theme ‘change and adapt', which lends itself perfectly to amateur radio in the 21st century. As part of its commitment to encourage new radio amateurs into the hobby, the RSGB will again be providing resources and activities to inspire people of all ages to get involved. The RSGB is now collecting ideas for activities for primary and secondary schools, or for use with the wider community. The 2025 theme offers a huge range of opportunities for creativity and discovery. Ideas could cover any area of the hobby, from construction to propagation, from making QSOs under supervision, to space and satellites. Whatever the idea, the Society would love to hear from you. Please send ideas to the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator Ian Neal, M0KEO at bsw@rsgb.org.uk. To find out more about previous activities you can visit rsgb.org/bsw and britishscienceweek.org The popular Electromagnetic Field event, also known as ‘EMF Camp', is taking place between the 30th of May and the 2nd of June. The event is a non-profit camping festival for those with an inquisitive mind. Over 3,000 like-minded people, including scientists, engineers and radio amateurs, are expected to attend the event in Eastnor, Herefordshire. For more information visit emfcamp.org Guisborough and District Amateur Radio Club is organising a mini DXpedition to Scotland, on the Isle of Lewis from the 22nd to the 29th of September. The team has a couple of spaces left and welcomes amateurs from other clubs who would like to take part. For more information email m.dutton@virginmedia.com And now for details of rallies and events Durham and District Amateur Radio Rally takes place on Sunday the 26th of May at Bowburn Community Centre, Bowburn, County Durham, DH6 5AT. The doors are open from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm with disabled visitors gaining access at 10 am. The entrance fee will be £2. There will be a bring-and-buy sale, trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering and a licensed bar will be available on-site. For more information contact Michael, G7TWX, on 07826 924 192, or email dadars@gmx.com Spalding and District Amateur Radio Society's Annual Rally will take place on Sunday the 2nd of June. This year sees the event taking place at a new venue: Spalding Rugby and Football Club, Centenary Park, Drain Bank North, Spalding, Lincs, PE12 6AF. The event will feature a free on-site car park, inside and outside traders, an RSGB bookstall and an outside boot area. General admission is £3 per person. For more information visit sdars.org.uk/spaldingrally The Junction 28 Radio Rally is coming up on Sunday the 9th of June at Alfreton Sports Centre, DE55 7BD, one mile from M1 Junction 28. The doors will be open from 10.15 am and admission will be £4. For more information visit snadarc.com or contact j28rally@snadarc.com The Worked All Britain Awards Group will be holding its 2024 AGM from 12 pm at the Junction 28 Rally. Those unable to attend in person but wishing to join online via Zoom should email the Group's secretary at m1aib@worked-all-britain.org.uk Now the Special Event News Hull and District Amateur Radio Society is running a special event station GBH0UL from the 31st of May to the 2nd of June. The station is active to mark 100 years of amateur radio in Hull and to celebrate the 95th birthday of Honorary Club member Bernard Atkinson, G0SWO. Listen out for operators on the HF and VHF bands using SSB, FT4 and FT8. Special event stations CS2GPDX, CR2GPDX and CR3GPDX are active until the 31st of May to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Portuguese DX Group. The stations will operate on all HF bands using SSB, CW, FT8, FT4 and RTTY. QSL via Logbook of the World only. For details of certificates and trophies that are available, see QRZ.com Now the DX news Martin, MW0BRO is active as ZC4GW from Dhekelia in Cyprus (British Sovereign Base Area) until tomorrow, the 27th of May. He is operating CW only on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via MW0BRO. QSOs will be uploaded to Club-Log and Logbook of the World. Rolf, DO4RKR is active as 8Q7KR from the Maldives, AS-013, until the 31st of May. He is working with 30W and operating SSB only on the 10m band. QSL via Rolf's home call, directly or via the Bureau. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 25th and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 26th of May. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today, the 26th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 28th of May, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 30th of May, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. National Field Day starts at 1500UTC on Saturday the 1st of June and ends at 1500UTC on Sunday the 2nd of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Contest starts at 1300UTC on Saturday the 1st of June and ends at 1300UTC on Sunday the 2nd of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and membership number. The ARRL International Digital Contest runs from 1800UTC on Saturday the 1st of June until 2359UTC on Sunday the 2nd of June. Using any digital mode, excluding RTTY, on the 160 to 6m bands, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Sunday the 2nd of June, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0900 to 1500 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3, 2.3 and 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Wednesday the 22nd of May 2024 After the extremely unsettled HF conditions on the 10th and 11th of May, it was gratifying to see things returning to normal last week. The Kp index has returned to being in the range of 1 to 4 and, with a solar flux index still in the 190s, we have seen some good propagation around the world. But make no mistake – it probably won't last! Active region 3664, the source of so much mayhem a couple of weeks ago, will soon return from its trip around the Sun. It has probably been the source of a major flare while on the Sun's far side and there is a good chance we may get a repeat performance of last month. Meanwhile, make hay while the Sun shines! NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will increase above 200 next week, but unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for tomorrow, the 27th of May, and at the end of the month and into early June. Daytime critical frequencies have been between 8 and 9.3MHz, making 40m a good band for inter-G QSOs. These have also meant that the maximum usable frequency over a 3,000km path has often exceeded 24 to 27MHz, making 12m a viable band for DX. Note that this is a little patchy, so if you don't hear anything on 24MHz just wait a while or check later. Nighttime critical frequencies are usually around 6 to 7MHz, meaning 20m is generally open all night with occasional openings on 17m. We are now well into the Sporadic-E season so there should be lots of short-skip into Europe on the 12 and 10m bands to play with. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The end of the current week, in the lead-up to the bank holiday weekend, shows a low and its thundery rain moving north and leaving behind a slack area of pressure with a weak trend towards building a ridge over the country. The bulk of next week is showing up with a slack westerly pattern and weak fronts brushing past. From midweek, and towards next weekend, the frontal systems will be more active with longer periods of heavier rain possible. The end result for most VHF and up operators is that there may be some occasional Tropo events, especially overnight during the slacker period with the weak ridge over the country by the start of the weekend. A more likely option will again be rain scatter which will produce better scattering from the larger raindrops now the summer season is upon us, and thundery developments are more common. Check the many online weather radars for your tracking beam headings. Meteor scatter will also be worth considering since we are approaching the period when many lesser showers appear to pep up the background meteor count. This will be useful for meteor scatter operators and serve the Sporadic-E folk well. The solar activity continues to deliver random events which take the Kp index to high values. Remember that a Kp index greater than 5 indicates the chance of aurora propagation. The primary mode at this time of the year is Sporadic-E. The late May and early June period is often regarded as a peak time for monitoring your favourite VHF beacons. As many will know, the 10m band is a useful starting point for identifying the beginning of an opening, and then you should check the higher bands in turn as the event strengthens. This is often indicated by the skip distance shortening on the 10m band. The other basic operating tip is to use the daily blog on the Propquest.co.uk website for commentary on the effectiveness of the various upper air patterns such as jet streams, which can influence the location where Sporadic-E propagation occurs. There are no major meteor showers this week so, in between the Sporadic-E, look around dawn for the best random meteor prospects. Saturday the 22nd sees the lowest Moon declination of the month so next week will see some lengthening Moon windows. EME path loss is falling, but we are still over a week from perigee, its closest point to Earth. 144MHz sky noise starts the week high, as it reached over 2500 Kelvin on Saturday the 25th. It is low for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 5th of May 2024   The news headlines: RSGB insurance update RSGB Legacy Committee Chair appointed SOS Radio Week is under way   RSGB club insurance, and beacon and repeater insurance, have now been renewed for the year to April 2025. Club insurance certificates can be downloaded from the RSGB website. You will need to log in to obtain your certificate. Beacon and repeater insurance certificates are available for an admin fee of £15 from the RSGB shop. Please allow a couple of days after renewal for your certificate to be dispatched. The RSGB Board is pleased to announce it has approved the appointment of Richard Horton, G4AOJ to the role of Legacy Committee Chair. The RSGB Legacy Fund, thanks to the generosity of donors, has significant financial resources available to encourage and develop amateur radio. The Legacy Committee, which is a sub-Committee of the RSGB Board, considers proposals for grants that can be awarded to projects from the RSGB Legacy Fund. The criteria and application form are available on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/legacy  If you have an interesting idea and would like to submit it for funding, you can contact the new Legacy Chair via legacy.chair@rsgb.org.uk SOS Radio Week is underway. It is an annual event that takes place throughout the month of May to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch Stations around the British Isles. Between them, members of these organisations save many lives who are in danger along and around the thousands of miles of coastline and further out to sea. This year is the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI, and SOS Radio Week is being co-branded SOS Radio Week 200 for those operators who are supporting the RNLI during the event. Participants can operate from home, a public location, or a lifeboat or Coastwatch station, with the appropriate authorisation from the station manager. A commemorative certificate is available to all official stations that record their contacts on the website together with awards for the top individual and club, or group, stations on each band from 160m to 70cm. To read more about the event visit sosradioweek.org.uk The next in the series of the popular 145 Alive events, to promote the use of 145MHz FM, is coming up on Saturday the 11th of May, from 1pm to 3pm. The event and the supporting Facebook Group was started by Tim, G5TM and from the start of 2024 has been organised by Mark, M0XIC and John, M0XJA. The last successful event took place in January this year, when over 30 nets operated simultaneously across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern and Southern Ireland. Over 900 QSOs took place, with many amateurs operating portable, mobile or from their club or home QTH. If you would like to take part, and find out more about the event and 145 Alive in general, then join the 145 Alive Facebook Group. Next weekend, the 11th and 12th, lots of amateur radio stations will be taking to the air as part of Mills on the Air Weekend 2024. The event takes place across the UK every May with more than 300 windmills and watermills usually taking part. For more information, to register, and to view a list of registered stations, visit ddars.net/mills.html Advance notice now that International Museums Weekend will be taking place on the third and fourth weekends in June. This year, those weekends are the 15th and 16th, and the 22nd and 23rd of June. Special event stations will be operating from a wide variety of museums from many different countries. To read more about the event, and to register to take part, visit tinyurl.com/IMW2024 And now for details of rallies and events Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 40th Annual Radio Rally is taking place today, the 5th of May. The venue is Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. The event features food and drink, bring and buy, RSGB books, the QSL Bureau, and the usual variety of traders. The doors open at 11 am. Traders are asked to arrive around 9 am. Admission, which includes a ticket for the prize draw, will cost £5 or five Euro. Contact Alan at argault91@gmail.com to arrange a table. Thorpe Camp Hamfest is also taking place today, the 5th of May at Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire, LN4 4PL. The doors open at 9am for buyers and the entrance fee is £5 per person. The event will finish at 1pm. The RetrotechUK event will be held on Sunday the 12th of May. The venue will be Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL. The doors open at 10.30 am with an entry fee of £10. A fee of £25 applies for early-doors entry at 9 am. This is an annual event organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society. There will be almost 200 dealer stalls, clubs and private sellers. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the wide range of retro equipment. For more information email info@retrotechuk.com and visit retrotechuk.com Dunstable Downs Radio Club would like to remind everyone that its annual boot sale has been postponed until the 30th of June. This is due to the site being used by BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival. Updates will be posted to Dunstable Downs Radio Club's Facebook page and reminder emails will be sent out closer to the time. To add yourself to the list, visit ddrcbootsale.org  and sign up for email reminders. Now the Special Event News Special callsign 9H6HE is in use by the Malta Amateur Radio League to celebrate the swearing-in of Malta's 11th President. Look for activity until the 31st of May on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via Logbook of the World. Paper QSL cards are not available. The RSGB National Radio Centre will be operating a special event callsign GB2DAY to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during the Second World War. The station will be active between the 6th and 9th of June. In addition, volunteers will be hosting the special demonstration station GB1SOE on Saturday the 15th of June. Don't forget that RSGB Members can get free entry to Bletchley Park and the RSGB's National Radio Centre by downloading a voucher from the RSGB website at rsgb.org/bpvoucher Now the DX news Bo, OZ1DJJ is active as OX3LX from Greenland until the 9th of May. In his spare time, he operates FT8, RTTY and CW. The station was spotted recently on the 10 and 12m bands using FT8. QSL via OZ0J. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and Club Log. Tom, NL7RR is active on Wake Island, OC-053, until the 15th of May. Look for KH9/NL7RR to be QRV daily at about 0700UTC on or around 14.200MHz. QSL via Logbook of the World, or direct to Tom's home call. QSOs will also be uploaded to Club Log. Now the contest news Today, the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, today, the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre-wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 5th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square. The ARI International DX Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 1159UTC today, Sunday the 5th of May. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also send their province. The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 5th of May. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Today, the 5th, the 10GHz Trophy runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using All modes on 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 7th, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 7th, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 8th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 8th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 9th, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 12th, the 70MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using CW on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 2nd of May 2024 What a strange week we had. With the solar flux index in the 167 range, falling to 130, conditions should have been reasonable. But the Kp index hit 4, and even 5.33, on the evening of Friday the 26th of April, which meant propagation on Saturday the 27th was truly dire. Stations taking part in International Marconi Day on the 27th found the 40m band only open to long skip in the morning. This was due to the critical frequency being below 5MHz. The predicted MUF over a 3,000km path fluctuated between 15MHz and 19MHz for the whole day, which meant only 14MHz was open reliably. As a result, QSOs were hard to come by and many stations reported that it was slow going with virtually no signals from outside of Europe. So what happened? Well, it was a combination of factors. The increased Kp index, due to a fast solar wind, took its toll. And we are now moving to a summer ionosphere, where chemical changes make it harder to ionise. This will mean we should see MUFs dropping as the season progresses, at least during the day. Nighttime MUFs will be higher than in winter. So it may be that the glory days of 28MHz F2-layer propagation are on hold until Autumn, with only short-skip Sporadic-E on the 10m band to keep us entertained. F2-layer propagation is still available on the higher HF bands, but it may be patchy. International Marconi Day station GB0CMS in Caister, Norfolk, reported that its 20m signals were picked up by a reverse beacon network skimmer in Utah, despite not working anyone outside of Europe. Meanwhile, on the morning of the 2nd, Laurie, G3UML was quite surprised to work YJ0CA on Vanuatu on the 15m band using SSB. He also worked 3D2CCC on Conway Reef on the 20m band using CW, and JD1BMH in Japan on the 15m band, also using CW. Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the 125 range, rising to 175 as the week progresses. Geomagnetic conditions are dependent on coronal mass ejections. We have had eight M-class solar flares in the past three days, and a Kp index of 5 on Thursday the 2nd, which doesn't bode well for next week. So, keep an eye on solarham.com for current conditions and look for the best HF propagation if the Kp index is low for a day or two. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather pattern remains very unsettled for the whole period with areas of low pressure edging north across the UK from the continent. There will be a risk of thundery weather at times with locally heavy rainfall, which will be good for rain scatter on the Gigahertz bands. Tropo looks to be hard to find as we end the current week dominated by low-pressure systems, but there are signs of high pressure returning after mid-week, but only temporarily. This could produce some Tropo paths, especially across surrounding waters such as the Irish Sea, English Channel and North Sea. The nominal summer season of Sporadic-E propagation is upon us and, from May to early September, daily blogs will be provided on the Propquest.co.uk website highlighting the possible Sporadic-E links to the position of the jet streams shown on the upper air charts. It's well worthwhile getting into the habit of regularly checking the DX clusters and activity maps, since the early season is usually characterised by a complex jet stream pattern with multiple potential locations for Sporadic-E propagation.  Timewise, it eventually settles into a more traditional behaviour with activity often in two phases, one in the morning and the second in late afternoon, early evening. As you listen to this report, the Eta Aquariids meteor shower should be peaking. Unfortunately, the best viewing for the shower, which is part of the debris from Halley's comet, will be in the southern hemisphere. Nevertheless, this is expected to be one of the best showers this century. For those viewing the shower, a waning Moon means that light levels should be low, making for ideal visual sighting. For EME, the Moon will be waning all week with the new Moon around the 8th of May. The Moon will be rising in the sky throughout the week, with zero declination on the 5th of May and peaking at its highest in the sky on Saturday the 11th of May. The lowest additional path loss occurs today and tomorrow, the 5th and 6th, but high Sun noise, with the Moon close to the Sun at new Moon, occurs shortly afterwards. Later in the week, as the Sun 'leaves' the Moon behind, noise levels, at least on the higher bands will fall to around normal. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 28th of April 2024   The news headlines: New mock papers for amateur radio licence exams have been published A revised amateur radio examination syllabus has been released The RSGB has released the video review of 2023 by its President John McCullagh, GI4BWM The RSGB Exam Syllabus Review Group has published a new set of mock papers covering each of the amateur radio licence exams, from Foundation through to Direct to Full. These papers are in addition to those already available. They are each marked as ‘mock exam paper 3' and you can find them on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/mock-exams  The new amateur radio licence has now been in effect for a few weeks. Changes to the licence conditions have made it necessary to revise the examination syllabus. The RSGB is pleased to release version 1.6 of the syllabus which includes these revisions. Compared to version 1.5 in current use, the only section that has seen major changes is Section 1 – “Licensing and station identification”. In Section 7 – “Operating practices and procedures” – there were some minor changes, for example regarding suffixes. Exams will start using version 1.6 of the syllabus on the 1st of September 2024. The Society has released the video review of 2023 by RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM. Filmed at the Ofcom Spectrum Management Centre near Baldock in Hertfordshire, the video covers a wide range of very positive activities, events and achievements. The President also talks about the RSGB's strategic priorities, gaining publicity in the mainstream media, and the important work done by the Society on behalf of all radio amateurs to protect the spectrum. One example is the WRC Conference, where the RSGB Microwave Manager Barry Lewis, G4SJH, led the IARU team responsible for defending amateur use of the 23cm band. You can watch the video on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB At the April Regional Forum meeting, Regional Representative 10, Keith Bird, G4JED was elected as Chair, and Regional Representative 3, Martyn Bell, M0TEB was elected as Secretary. They will both volunteer in these roles until the 2025 AGM. You can find contact details for both Keith and Martyn on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/regions The next in the series of the popular 145 Alive events, to promote the use of 145MHz FM, is scheduled to take place on the 11th of May 2024, from 1 pm to 3 pm. The event and the supporting Facebook Group was started by Tim, G5TM and from the start of 2024 has been organised by Mark, M0XIC and John, M0XJA. The last successful event took place in January this year, when over 30 nets operated simultaneously across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern and Southern Ireland. Over 900 QSOs took place, with many amateurs operating portable, mobile or from their club or home QTH. If you would like to take part and find out more about the event and 145 Alive in general, then join the 145 Alive Facebook Group. If you would like to run a net on the 11th of May, contact Mark, M0XIC or John, M0XJA via the Facebook Group. Mills on the Air Weekend 2024 is coming up on Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th of May. The event takes place across the UK every May with more than 300 windmills and watermills usually taking part. For more information, to register, and to view a list of registered stations, visit ddars.net/mills.html The RAF Air Cadets are pleased to announce that they are running the ever-popular Blue Ham Radio Communications Exercise in June on the 60m band. The exercise will take place between the 17th and 21st of June. Subject to your licence conditions, the Blue Ham team hopes that you can put some time aside to join in with the cadets and staff who will be ready to take your calls. The Blue Ham Team will issue you with a participation certificate if you contact 20 or more special MRE callsigns over the period of the exercise. For more information visit alphacharlie.org.uk  Please note that only Full licensees may operate on the 60m band. South Bristol Amateur Radio Club is running a free online Foundation licence course in May. Anyone who is interested in taking part can find out more by emailing training@sbarc.co.uk When emailing, please include your name, postal address and date of birth. Please also indicate which weekday evenings and times you are available. The weekday evening that the course will take place will be decided by majority preference. MFJ Enterprises has announced in a letter to its customers that it will be ceasing its on-site production at its premises in Starkville, Mississippi on the 17th of May 2024. The news also applies to the sister companies Ameritron, Hygain, Cushcraft and others. MFJ Enterprises has been in business for 52 years and will continue to sell its existing stock after the 17th of May. It will also continue to offer a repair service for out-of-warranty and in-warranty units for the foreseeable future. And now for details of rallies and events The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 40th Annual Radio Rally is due to take place on Sunday the 5th of May. The venue will be Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. The event will feature food and drink, bring and buy, RSGB books, the QSL Bureau, and the usual variety of traders. The doors open at 11 am. Traders are asked to arrive around 9 am. Admission, which includes a ticket for the prize draw, will cost £5 or five Euro. Contact Alan at argault91@gmail.com to arrange a table. Thorpe Camp Hamfest will also take place on Sunday the 5th of May at Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire, LN4 4PL. Traders are asked to arrive no earlier than 7 am. The doors open at 9 am for buyers and the entrance fee is £5 per person. The Retrotech UK event will be held on Sunday the 12th of May. The venue will be Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL. The doors open at 10.30 am with an entry fee of £10. A fee of £25 applies for early-doors entry at 9 am. This is an annual event organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society. There will be almost 200 dealer stalls, clubs and private sellers. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the wide range of retro equipment. For more information email info@retrotechuk.com and visit retrotechuk.com Now the Special Event News Special callsign SZ0WARD is in use by the Radio Amateur Association of Greece in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day until the 30th of April. Look for activity on all bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via the Bureau and Logbook of the World. See sv2rck.gr/SZ0WARD for details of an available award. Also in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day, the special callsign TC3WRD is active until the 30th of April. QSL via Logbook of the World. For details of a certificate that is available, see tadx.org/awards The station was spotted recently on the 40m band using FT8. Today is the last chance to work special event station GB6WW which is active from Glasgow, Scotland to commemorate the end of the Second World War. If you have made QSOs with GB6WW on three or more bands, you are eligible to apply for an award. To apply for the award, send an email to gb6ww@ft8.me with the details of your contacts. Please include your callsign, dates of QSOs, and the bands on which they occurred. There is no application fee. Once your QSOs have been verified, the PDF award file will be emailed to you. Now the DX news Jeff, K5WE and Craig, W5CCP are active as TX7W from Raivavae, OC-114,  in the Austral Islands until the 30th of April. They are operating using mainly CW and FT8, with some SSB, RTTY and FT4, on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS is preferred but is also available via Logbook of the World, or directly to K5WE. Depending upon a reliable internet connection, logs will be uploaded to Club Log daily, and Club Log's Livestream will be enabled. See k5we.com/tx7w for more information and updates. Listen out for a group of 13 Camb-Hams which is active from the Isle of Mull, EU-008, as GS3PYE until the 3rd of May. The team is QRV on the 80 to 10m bands as well as via the QO-100 satellite. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. You can read a report of the team's previous visit to the island in 2015 at tinyurl.com/Mull2015 Now the contest news The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th and ends at 1200UTC today, the 28th of April. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Ireland's stations also send their district code. The SP DX RTTY Contest started at 1200UTC on the 27th and ends at 1200UTC today the 28th of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code. The MGM Contest started at 1400UTC on the 27th of April and ends at 1400UTC today the 28th of April. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character locator. Today, the 28th, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75-baud RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial number. On Monday the 29th, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Wednesday the 1st of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 1st of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Saturday the 4th, the 432MHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to 2000 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 5th of May. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Six Metre Group's Summer Marathon starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 4th of May and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 4th of August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. The ARI International DX Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 4th of May and ends at 1159UTC on Sunday the 5th of May. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also send their province. On Sunday the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Sunday the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre Wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 5th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 25th of April 2024 We had another week with plenty of sunspots, and HF conditions were quite good in the second half. Earlier, the Kp index reached 3 and 4, which didn't help maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs for short. For example, on Sunday the 21st, the Kp index rose to 4 and the MUF over a 3,000km path remained stubbornly below 21MHz until later in the morning. This could have been due to a coronal hole on the Sun's equator, which added to the solar wind. By Wednesday, conditions were nearly back to normal, with a Kp index below 2 and an MUF of more than 24MHz. By Thursday the improvement had continued, giving us an MUF of more than 28MHz by 0900UTC. There have been many reports of 10m band DX being worked, including Sebastien, FK4AX and Pat, FK8HA in New Caledonia in the Pacific on SSB. Sebastien has just got his licence and is keen to work DX from the UK. This shows that it is worth keeping an eye on the CW and SSB portions of the 10m band, which can often throw up surprises. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will decline to around 160. The Kp index is predicted to be around 2 to 3, but that may be wishful thinking. With 16 active regions visible on the Sun's surface on Thursday, anything could happen. Only minor C- and M-class flares have occurred recently but, as we always say, it wouldn't take much for those to turn into X-class events. So, make the most of quiet geomagnetic conditions when we have them as, by the time you read or hear this, we could once again have very unsettled conditions indeed. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The cold, unsettled weather will ease its grip over the last few days of this week, ending the 28th of April, but only because the whole area of low pressure is moving across the country this weekend. Low pressure remains close by for much of the following week and only a hesitant return of high pressure west of Ireland will improve things for western Britain at the end of the week. The result is a chance of Tropo for western Britain next week, but it will probably be of limited quality since it is likely to form in cold, dry air across any temperature inversion.  The remaining option in such weather patterns is primarily rain scatter for those on the GHz bands. The many online weather radar displays can be used to highlight the areas of heaviest rain. We are past the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower, but the Eta-Aquarids, with a Zenithal Hourly Rate of 50, peaks next Sunday the 5th around 2100UTC. Until then, rely upon random activity which tends to be better around dawn. The Sun has been more active again recently, so monitor the clusters and Kp index for signs of geomagnetic activity and the chance of an aurora if the Kp index exceeds 5. Sporadic-E tends to produce a few early examples in May ahead of its June peak. Check the DX clusters during the late afternoon or early evening as openings can be very brief early in the season. Start on the 10m band and, if short skip within Europe is present, move up to the 6m band. Digital modes are more sensitive so check FT8 reports to give clues as to where the chances are greatest. For EME operators, the Moon is at minimum declination today, Sunday the 28th, meaning we'll have short Moon windows to start the coming week. Path losses are falling but perigee, when the Moon is at its closest point, is still over a week away. 144MHz sky noise is high this weekend, ending the 28th of April, but falls too low by the end of the coming week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

- In-depth exploration of Apple HomePod & Google Home.- Critical analysis of Siri's utility in HomePod for smart home aspects.- Sociological perspective on sequential changes in tech, relationships, and gender.- References and insights from experts and content creators championing male rights.- Aging and societal roles through the lens of 'The Kaminsky Method' & 'Amazon Fallout'.- Discussion on network setup necessities: Xfinity 2.4GHz, TP-Link high-end, and Dream Machine.- Detailed review & comparison of Dream Machine router vis-à-vis other routers & Apple devices.- Examination of traffic analysis, remote access security, inter-VLAN traffic regulation, and HomeBridge for enabling non-HomeKit devices with HomeKit.- Evaluation of local device connectivity hurdles and Philips Hue's sign-up approach.- Introduction to Suno.com: An AI-powered music platform poised to disrupt the music industry.- Explication on AI music tools' capability to orchestrate human-like compositions across genres.- Exploration of AI's creative masterpieces, example: Swift Program Panic.- Speculation on AI potentially curtailing music evolution and emergence of 'prompt engineer' as a future role.- Glimpse into futurescape of programming being AI-powered APIs.- Evaluation of several AI music platforms, best rating accorded to Suno.com.- Closing thoughts on business prospects in reselling combinations of existing APIs.- Advocacy for local & benign IoT and network systems.[Join the Conversation on Discord](https://discord.gg/T38WpgkHGQ)

The ESP32-C6 (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5672) is Espressif's first Wi-Fi 6 SoC integrating 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 (LE) and the 802.15.4 protocol. It brings the goodness you know from the low-cost C3 series (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5337) and improves it with Zigbee/802.15.4 at 2.4Ghz. That means it could make for great Matter (https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/) development hardware! We took our Feather ESP32-S2 (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5000) and swapped out the 'S2 for a C6. Plus some re-routing and here's what we've got: a C6 Feather with lots of GPIO, lipoly charging and monitoring with the MAX17048, (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5580) NeoPixel, I2C Stemma QT port, and a second low-quiescent LDO for disabling the I2C and NeoPixel when we want ultra-low power usage. We also tossed a BME280 (https://www.adafruit.com/product/2652) on there, so you could use it immediately as a low power temp/hum/pressure sensor. Now it's time to do the bringup - we like to blink LEDs, toggle pins, and also check that NeoPixels glow up. Good news: so far everything works! We're going to keep at it and see if we can maybe get a simple Matter demo going before we book the PCBs #adafruit #feather #esp32c6 #featherboard #wifi6 #bluetooth5 #zigbee #matteriot #lowpower #iotdevelopment #tempmonitoring #pcbdesign Visit the Adafruit shop online - http://www.adafruit.com ----------------------------------------- LIVE CHAT IS HERE! http://adafru.it/discord Subscribe to Adafruit on YouTube: http://adafru.it/subscribe New tutorials on the Adafruit Learning System: http://learn.adafruit.com/ -----------------------------------------

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: hid.link/atg cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsors: hid.link/atg cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-leo Sponsors: hid.link/atg cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsors: hid.link/atg cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsors: hid.link/atg cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-mikah Sponsors: hid.link/atgdemo cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-leo Sponsors: hid.link/atg cachefly.com/twit

Apple has a "spooky fast" event coming up on October 30th. Remember to join Leo & Mikah for their coverage of the event @ 5pm Pacific! What are some ways to stop video ads from automatically playing while using cellular data? And are there tutors for learning a program such as Roblox?  X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies. HackerOne paid ethical hackers over $300 million in bug bounties. Tens of millions now work in the $250 billion 'Creator Economy". Apple sends out gift boxes with AirPods Max and 'Sweet and Spooky' snacks to promote Mac event. Should I have a dedicated 2.4GHz router for my smart devices? Why does a company need complete access to my Google Calendar for me to access their calendar? How can I stop video ads from playing while using cellular data? Can I transcribe voicemails to text? Is there a way to force the iPhone 15 to shoot at 24MP? How can I control the kind of information companies have on me? Why is my Samsung monitor turning off and on constantly? Since Windows ended the free Windows 7 / 8 upgrade to 10, could they end the Windows 10 to 11 upgrade soon? Are there services out there to teach someone how to use Roblox? Is there an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will work under extreme cold temperatures? How can I download specific podcast episodes from a series at once? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/1998 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-mikah Sponsors: hid.link/atgdemo cachefly.com/twit

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest version of one of the world's most popular computers. It was just announced on Thursday and will be released on October 23rd. The new model comes in two versions, a 4GB and an 8GB model, priced at $60 and $80 respectively. Compared to the previous Raspberry Pi 4 models, these prices are only $5 more.Raspberry Pi 5 is faster and improvedOne of the main improvements of the Raspberry Pi 5 is its faster processing power. It features a new Broadcom system on a chip (SOC) with a quad-core CPU running at 2.4GHz and a quad-core GPU. The previous model had a CPU running at 1.8GHz and a GPU with lower clock speed. The new SOC allows for overclocking up to 3GHz, providing even better performance.The GPU of the Raspberry Pi 5 is a video core seven GPU with a stock speed of 800MHz, compared to 500MHz on the previous model. Although overclocking the GPU did not result in significant graphics improvements, the overall performance of the device is noticeably faster for various tasks.Another notable improvement is the inclusion of the RP1 chip, designed by Raspberry Pi, which controls the IO for the USB3 ports, USB2 ports, and Ethernet port. This allows for higher throughput, resulting in faster read and write speeds for USB devices. The Ethernet port remains a gigabit port, providing similar speeds to the previous model. The Wi-Fi card, however, has a faster interconnect to the CPU, resulting in double or more than double the speed of the Raspberry Pi 4 under good conditions.The Raspberry Pi 5 does not come with a fan, but it is recommended to use one to prevent overheating. Without a fan, the device can reach temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius, which is the throttle point. The official fan, specifically designed for this layout, is available for around $6. It can be easily mounted on the device using the dedicated mounting holes and four-pin header.Overall, the Raspberry Pi 5 offers significant improvements in processing power, graphics performance, and IO throughput compared to its predecessor. It is a highly anticipated computing device that provides faster and improved capabilities for various applications.New Raspberry Pi features power buttonOne of the standout features of the new Raspberry Pi 5 is the addition of a power button, which is a first for the Raspberry Pi line. This power button allows users to easily turn the device on and off without having to unplug it from the power source. However, it is important to note that the power button is not a hard cutoff switch, but rather a soft momentary button that initiates shutdown when pressed.The addition of a power button may not seem like a significant feature, but it offers several benefits. Firstly, it eliminates the need to unplug the device to turn it off, which can be inconvenient and potentially lead to the corruption of the SD card. With the power button, users can safely shut down the Raspberry Pi without the risk of data loss or corruption.Additionally, the power button allows for easier and quicker boot-up times. When the Raspberry Pi is plugged into the power source, it automatically boots up, eliminating the need to manually turn it on. This can be particularly useful in situations where the device needs to be constantly powered on and off, such as in a server setup.Furthermore, the power button is programmable, meaning that users can customize its functionality to suit their needs. Currently, pressing the power button brings up the shutdown menu on the screen. However, it is possible to program it to perform other actions, such as initiating a specific command or launching a particular application. This programmability adds an extra layer of versatility to the Raspberry Pi 5 and allows users to tailor its functionality to their specific requirements.

There's much of the electromagnetic spectrum that we cannot see. Like how LED wristbands are triggered at concerts or how to identify someone at DEF CON in a crowd of cellphones and electrical devices. Eric Escobar of SecureWorks provides some really clear analogies to help anyone visualize the differences between NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi Fi such as how your router and your microwave are both 2.4GHz - the difference is the number of watts behind each signal.

https://www.youtube.com/live/508e6cBZ_Vk?si=U0xPTmppZ3f5QKXD

In the latest Mac Geek Gab episode, Pilot Pete and Dave Hamilton share nifty Quick Tips like how to quickly check your iPhone storage when apps act up, and the trick to tweak Weather app's Location settings for widgets. They tackle listener questions head-on, offering solutions for cleaning up the […]

The Apex Pro TKL Wireless by SteelSeries is a cutting-edge gaming keyboard that combines exceptional performance with wireless freedom. With its sleek and compact tenkeyless design, this keyboard offers a clutter-free gaming experience without compromising on functionality. Featuring SteelSeries' renowned OmniPoint switches, the Apex Pro TKL Wireless provides lightning-fast response times and customizable actuation points, giving gamers unparalleled precision and control. The keyboard's dual connectivity options, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless, ensure seamless and lag-free performance, while the long-lasting battery keeps you gaming for extended periods. The Apex Pro TKL Wireless also boasts a vibrant per-key RGB illumination, allowing you to personalize your setup with stunning lighting effects. With its innovative features and premium build quality, this keyboard is a must-have for avid gamers seeking the ultimate gaming experience.Follow AndroidGuysTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/androidguysTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@androidguysofficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/androidguysYouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@AndroidGuyscomOfficialWebsite: http://www.androidguys.comFollow Scott WebsterTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/swebster77Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottwebsterFollow Luke GaulTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/lukegaulInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukegaulFor questions, concerns, and clarifications, please contact us at podcast@androidguys.com.

We're back for Episode 110! In this episode Cody and Eric catch up on the news +  Battle Of The Systems: Marathon (Mac) vs Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC) We are doing news for the first monthly episode and then "catching up" later in the month.   Episode Guide ---------------- 9:56 - Quick Questions 26:09 - Patreon Song 30:20 - Tea Time With Tim - PU +2 54:46 - News 1:44:07 - Battle Of The Systems: Marathon vs Star Wars: Dark Forces   News -     (Tim) - You Can Now Play A Bunch Of New ZX Spectrum Games Made Entirely By Kids!  The Primary 6 pupils of Bearsden Primary have been working on these games all year. They have designed and animated their characters; coded their games; designed and tested their levels and created a loading screen.  We really hope you enjoy our creations and we'd love to hear your feedback!  The games are available on “Dougie mcg” Itch.io website, he is the teacher that has been running the class at the school.  https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/06/you-can-now-play-a-bunch-of-new-zx-spectrum-games-made-entirely-by-kids  https://dougie9mcg.itch.io/zx-spectrum-games-by-bearsden-primary-2023  (Eric) - Neo Geo USB Wireless (2.4Ghz) controller pre-order - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9BZR395/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_74TPJNGGBP8P69MZEX3P?linkCode=ml1&tag=misteraddons-20&th=1  (Cody) myst on Atari  https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/07/myst-is-getting-an-unofficial-port-for-the-atari-2600  (Tim) - Hamster Corp has announced that Namco's influential arcade racer Pole Position will be heading to the Nintendo Switch & PS4 on July 6th as part of Arcade Archives.  https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/06/namcos-influential-arcade-racer-pole-position-comes-to-nintendo-switch-and-ps4-next-month  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFs1Xc82Q0U  (Eric) Til The Gods Devour Us – Pico-8 micro-strategy game with tower defense and board game-inspired elements - https://www.reddit.com/r/pico8/comments/14mzhzm/til_the_gods_devour_us_a_pico8_microstrategy/  (Cody) https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/07/a-massive-collection-of-lost-gaming-history-is-getting-preserved  (Eric) - Dodonpachi Shirt - https://www.etsy.com/listing/908058958/dodonpachi-unisex-t-shirt-cave-stg-shmup?ref=share_v4_lx  (Cody) https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/07/bitmap-bureaus-final-vendetta-is-coming-to-neo-geo  (Tim) - Big Nintendo Direct June news! - New 2D side scroller Super Mario Bros. Wonder.  Classic Mario side-scrolling gameplay is turned on its head with the addition of Wonder Flowers! These game-changing items trigger spectacular moments you have to see to believe. Witness pipes coming alive, wreak havoc as a giant spiky ball, and see even more unexpected events called Wonder Effects.  https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Super-Mario-Bros-Wonder-2404150.html#Gallery  (Eric) - PC Engine – The Box Art Collection - https://retroarcadia.blog/2023/07/05/book-review-pc-engine-the-box-art-collection/  (Cody) Homebrew Games Summer Showcase Homebrew Games Summer Showcase 2023  (Tim) - Also on the Switch, PS4, PS5, XBox latest of a line of new Sonic games, Sonic Superstars where you adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands in this all-new take on classic 2D Sonic high-speed action platforming. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose and harness all-new Emerald powers to move and attack in dynamic new ways. Due late 2023  https://sonicsuperstars.com/?lang=uk  (Eric) - Amiga 500 Maxi Confirmed? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXWmbEU7lYg  (Cody) So this is about to drop! https://stoneagegamer.com/7800-gamedrive.html  (Tim) For all the Ultimate 1541 and Ultimate 64 owners out there. New firmware has been released by Gideon. Now you can update your devices to v3.10j. Various improvements, too many to list as this is the first update since 3.10a in 2021 according to the release notes so if you have one, you will want to get this installed (I did

► Thanks to Ugreen for sponsoring this video. Check out Ugreen's Prime Day Deals, Up to 40% off: https://amzn.to/3PyQ29o Ugreen Nexode 100W Charger(40%OFF 7/11th-7/12th) https://amzn.to/3PvwYIS #Ugreen #UgreenNexode ► Check out today's hottest tech deals here: https://www.ufd.deals/ https://howl.me/cj6Cqeqbm5S https://howl.me/cj6CryXcMRv https://howl.me/cj6CAIk22zA https://howl.me/cj6CF60G6NC 0:00 - Intro 00:30 - 4090 4GHz: https://bit.ly/448VjZA 02:02 - Sponsor 03:11 - Threads Successful Launch: https://bit.ly/3XE5G56 https://bit.ly/44z3FcN https://bit.ly/46FFlaY https://bit.ly/3POjbxg https://engt.co/3pALvZh 05:29 - New Samsung Foldables: https://engt.co/3DlwnCB 05:39 - UFD Deals: https://www.ufd.deals/ https://howl.me/cj6Cqeqbm5S https://howl.me/cj6CryXcMRv https://howl.me/cj6CAIk22zA https://howl.me/cj6CF60G6NC 07:45 - GPT-4 Here: https://tcrn.ch/44z3j5X 08:34 - 4060 Ti 16GB Launch: https://bit.ly/44xatHR https://bit.ly/3O0CJNM ► Follow me on Twitch - http://www.twitch.tv/ufdisciple ► Join Our Discord: https://discord.gg/GduJmEM ► Support Us on Floatplane: https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ufdtech ► Support Us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/UFDTech ► Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/ufdisciple ► Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ufdtech ► Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/ufd_tech ► Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/UFDTech/ Presenter: Brett Sticklemonster Videographer: Brett Sticklemonster Editor: Catlin Stevenson Thumbnail Designer: Reece Hill

This week's EYE ON NPI is going to Matter a lot to you if you're interested in integrating with the world of IoT devices and sensors that is converting on us, inside the home and out in the world...It's the Silicon Labs MG24 Series of development boards (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/s/silicon-laboratories/mg24-development-kit) - featuring the Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 series of chips (https://www.digikey.com/short/00892bvf), designed for use with Matter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matter_(standard)) an open-source connectivity standard for smart home and Internet of Things devices from the Connectivity Standards Alliance (https://csa-iot.org/) formally the ZigBee Alliance. The EFR32MG24 chips (https://www.digikey.com/short/f8z8rbvn) are fully featured Cortex M33's with tons of peripherals, timers, and of course, a 2.4GHz radio that can be programmed to operate as a ZigBee device. That makes it perfect for use in designing low cost, low power, home automation devices that don't need the power and complexity of WiFi. These transports live on the lower 'levels' of the 7 Layer OSI Model (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model) Each family of home devices comes with their own transport, and often they come up with their own custom application layer as well. This means that you can't use something made for Alexa with HomeKit unless the developer programmed both. It's caused fragmentation and utter frustration when someone buys a smart light bulb or HVAC controller just to find out that its walled off from the rest of their devices. The goal of Matter is to unify the upper layers (https://developers.home.google.com/matter/primer) so that devices can be discovered and controlled by any kind of hub: from a DIY Raspberry Pi to an official device from Apple, Google/Nest, Meta, or other - much like you can use your Windows desktop or Android phone to view a website designed on a Mac, and hosted on Linux. The biggest companies in this space, Amazon, Apple and Google, have already signed on to make sure that their products adhere to Matter's API (https://csa-iot.org/members/). You, the engineer tasked with creating the next new product line for your company, should be interested in whether or not this "Matters" to you. The good news is that joining an ecosystem means you can make a small device that competes in a 'big playground' of sensors, voice agents, automation tools, and gateways. (https://pages.silabs.com/rs/634-SLU-379/images/Matter_Certification_The_Value_it_Brings_to_IoT%20Devices.pdf) But need to play nicely with the others - not scream in kids' ears, errr... overwhelm the share spectrum resource. We also have to let every device have a turn at commands, and not interfere with their behavior. Thus, Matter certification! Silicon Labs has a white paper on Understanding The Path to Certifying Your Matter Devices (https://www.silabs.com/whitepapers/how-to-certify-matter-devices) Moreover you can get started immediately by picking up one or two of Silicon Labs' MG24 development kits (https://www.digikey.com/short/0rc3n5f7) for less than $40 and you can begin immediately with developing on the EFR32MG24 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/base-product/silicon-labs/336/EFR32MG24A010/629647) a well-documented, low-power friendly chip with built in 2.4 GHz radio. Inside is a Cortex M33 running at 78 MHz, with 1.0 to 1.5MB of flash and 128 to 256KB of SRAM (https://www.digikey.com/short/f8z8rbvn) so it's got plenty of room to handle multiple protocol stacks, security layers and any RTOS or Matter layers. SiLabs has been making radio-inclusive chips for many many years, so you know that there will be great support and documentation. We also have the beginnings of a CircuitPython port for this chip (https://circuitpython.org/board/sparkfun_thing_plus_matter_mgm240p/) although at the time of this writing there is not Matter support built in, it would still be very helpful for bringing up a development board and verifying hardware. Want to take Matter into your own hands? DigiKey has you covered here: the XG24-EK2703A Explorer Kit (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/silicon-labs/XG24-EK2703A/17051436) is a great starting point with USB, mikroBus-compatible GPIO headers, debug port, and Qwiic/QT port. (https://www.digikey.com/en/videos/s/silicon-labs/mg24-development-kit-datasheet-preview) For final integration, you can also pick up raw chips such as the Silicon Labs EFR32MG24A010F1536IM48 (https://www.digikey.com/short/07qww54q) or integrated modules (https://www.digikey.com/short/3n4rp9dt) that have passives and antenna wired up for quick usage. All are in stock for immediate shipment - order today and DigiKey will deliver to you Matter on a silver platter by tomorrow afternoon! Follow it up by watching the DigiKey + Silicon Labs webinar on Matter development and certification (https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4241172/CE3FB2F9DB2D54D5A47A124701A93047) to get your product out the door ASAP.

Never lose your assets! Albert Baker and Patrick McGowan of danalto join Ryan Chacon on the IoT For All Podcast to discuss IoT asset tracking with location intelligence. They cover what location intelligence is, the value of location data, dealing with customers asking for impossible solutions, balancing between bespoke customer needs and your business roadmap, integrating with legacy systems, and how companies can keep up with new technology. Albert Baker has a decade of experience working for Tier 1 telecom operators in Ireland and the Netherlands in the design and optimization roles within large Core and Radio teams for 3/4G and scaled M2M networks. He has been deeply involved in IoT device and service innovations since 2015, leading to the co-founding of danalto in 2017. Albert has a special interest in geo-location without GPS. He holds a B.A and M.Phil degrees from Trinity College Dublin. Patrick McGowan has over 25 years of experience in the sensor, BLE, UWB, RFID, drone, and software solutions industry, and has been a leader and innovator in connecting intelligent sensor network technology to the world of increased visibility and tracking across significant industries, including oil, gas mining (OGM), nuclear, construction, power generation, aerospace, and defense. danalto is a B2B SaaS company specializing in Positioning Intelligence, enabling companies across industries to track assets and personnel with precision across both indoor and outdoor environments. This is made possible with Cardinal, danalto's unique, radio-agnostic, front-end platform which is able to ingest data from the best-of-breed positioning technologies including GNSS, BLE, UWB, Wi-Fi, RFID, 5G, and LoRa 2.4GHz to determine accurate device location. The Cardinal platform is dynamic and customizable to fit varying use cases.  Discover more about asset tracking and IoT at https://www.iotforall.com More about danalto: https://www.danalto.com Connect with Albert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bakeralbert/ Connect with Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patmcrfid/  Key Questions and Topics from this Episode: (00:00) Welcome to the IoT For All Podcast (00:48) Introduction to Albert, Patrick, and danalto (03:45) What is location intelligence? (08:02) The value of location data (12:46) Dealing with customers asking for impossible solutions (15:21) Balancing between custom solutions and business roadmap (17:37) Integrating with legacy systems (20:01) How companies can keep up with new technology (24:17) Learn more and follow up  SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL: https://bit.ly/2NlcEwm​ Join Our Newsletter: https://www.iotforall.com/iot-newsletter Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iotforall Check out the IoT For All Media Network: https://www.iotforall.com/podcast-overview

This week's EYE ON NPI is your best buddy for broadband, it's Nordic Semiconductor's NRF7002 Companion IC (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/n/nordic-semi/nrf7002-companion-ic), a wireless add-on chipset designed for the Nordic Semi nRF52 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/rf-transceiver-ics/879?s=N4IgTCBcDaIHIHsBOATAlgYwAQGUCmAtmlgHYBKAYgKwQC6AvkA) and nRF53 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/rf-transceiver-ics/879?s=N4IgTCBcDaIHYHsBOATAlgYwARyQMwFYBmEAXQF8g) ARM+Bluetooth and nRF91 ARM+Cellular (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/rf-transceiver-ics/879?s=N4IgTCBcDaIHIHsBOATAlgYwAQGUCmAtmlgHYBKAYgJwCMIAugL5A) to act as a WiFi peripheral. With the addition of the nRF7 series, Nordic now covers the three most popular wireless transports: Bluetooth LE, LTE Cellular, and WiFi! This is a pretty big deal, because it's their first foray into WiFi technology, so we expect that there will be more integration in the future. The nRF7002 is a standalone chip, which requires only a few passives and an antenna, that performs the low-level interfacing to communicate with WiFi networks. Data is transferred back and forth between the nRF7 and host processor using SPI or QSPI - for higher speeds!. At this time, it seems like the driver is only available via the Nordic SDK and using Zephyr RTOS (https://github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-nrf/tree/main/drivers/wifi/nrf700x) - both of which would be good options because the WiFi stack lives on the host chip which means an SSL implementation which can require significant RAM and Flash. You'll also need to store the chip patch firmware blob and transfer it over SPI on boot - again requiring storage or flash memory. So why use this chip instead of an integrated WiFi core? Well, one thing is you may want to connect to 5GHz networks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels#5_GHz_(802.11a/h/j/n/ac/ax)), which the nRF7002 supports in addition to 2.4GHz, and you may need a processor with specific peripherals or quantity of GPIO or speed, or you're already using the nRF53 or nRF91 chipset - that's when the nRF7002 is going to shine. Nordic is also known for really good and complete SDK's for nicely documented and supported peripherals with excellent low-power numbers. For a fast start, grab the NRF7002-DK eval board (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/nordic-semiconductor-asa/NRF7002-DK/17748188) that you can pick up with has an nRF53, JLink interface, antenna ports, and other accessories for quick bringup of a dual-BLE-WiFi design. It's still pretty early, but we can expect to see tinned modules come out into the market soon, for example Fanstel products are stocked at Digi-Key (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/rf-transceiver-modules-and-modems/872?s=N4IgTCBcDaIGYEMB2BnALgUwDYgLoF8g) and it looks like they're working on a few nRF7002 options (https://www.fanstel.com/nrf7002wifi6module). For software, it's also pretty early since this is a new chip, but there's lots of examples in the nRF SDK (https://github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-nrf/tree/main/drivers/wifi/nrf700x) and also example code on the Nordic developer blog for MQTT connection (https://github.com/AliNordic/mqtt_over_wifi_nrf7002DK) and friend-of-the-fruit Golioth has a quickstart on how to use the nRF7002 to connect to their cloud for pub-sub and RPC currying. (https://forum.golioth.io/t/nordics-brand-new-nrf7002-wi-fi-chip-already-works-with-golioth/166). You can also use Nordic's free apps for provisioning over BLE or Cellular (https://www.nordicsemi.com/products/development%20tools/nrf%20wi-fi%20provisioner) If you want to add the nRF7002 to your design, now's the time to check it out because Digi-Key has lots of the Nordic nRF7002 in stock (https://www.digikey.com/short/48b0317m) right now for immediate shipment! Order today to get full WiFi 6 support into your next core design by tomorrow afternoon, with a powerful front-end chip that supports dual bands and antenna co-existence.

This week's EYE ON NPI won't have you singin' the blues about Bluetooth stack development. It's InPlay IN100 NanoBeacon™ Bluetooth® Low Energy Beacon SoC (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/i/inplay/in100-nanobeacon-soc), an ultra-low cost way to make sensor beacons for data collection, with no coding required! These flash-less chips are packed with peripherals that can be configured with a desktop tool and then burned into OTP EEPROM memory. That makes them both reliable and very inexpensive, so they're great for distributed sensors that may end up getting damaged or lost. They're also great for when you want to get something into production super fast and don't want to spend time learning Bluetooth SDKs or wireless stacks. Bluetooth LE is a low-power 2.4GHz protocol that has some nice 'connection-less' capabilities. Unlike WiFi and cellular, BLE has the ability to act like a 'beacon' (https://learn.adafruit.com/introduction-to-bluetooth-low-energy) where data is blipped out for anyone to listen to. (https://learn.adafruit.com/alltheiot-transports/bluetooth-btle) Note that in beacon mode, there's no wireless reception happening - and because there's no need to listen for packets, the beacon can go into very, very low power usage because it just has to wake up, send the beacon out, and go back to deep sleep. Receiving requires a lot more power because you have to be listening at all times. Beacons are what are used in "lost and found" tags, for asset or people tracking, as well as distributing URLs.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_Low_Energy_beacon) Normally, folks would use a common BLE chipset such as nRF, Dialog, or TI - often these come with a ARM Cortex chip inside that can run a BLE stack. The stack can either be the in-house brand such as the nRF SDK (https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-software/nrf5-sdk) or a third-party like Zephyr (https://docs.zephyrproject.org/3.1.0/connectivity/bluetooth/api/index.html) but either way you have to write some code and burn it into the chip. You also have to learn how to manage the low power modes and debug your code. For many basic beacon projects, such as measuring a digital, analog, or I2C sensor - the IN100 is pretty amazing: all the low power and SDK stuff is done - you just have to configure each board and burn in the settings. The good news is that you can deploy your beacons or sensor nodes super fast, and because the core is designed to only do this one thing, the chips are really really cheap. Like 40 cents per piece cheap! (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/rf-transceiver-ics/879?s=N4IgTCBcDaIJYDsCMAGFIC6BfIA) Your entire BOM for a beacon product could easily be under $1 including the coin battery. They're available in 10-DFN IN100-D1 (https://www.digikey.com/short/3jmnp8r3) and 18-QFN IN100-Q1 (https://www.digikey.com/short/mtp92d50) depending on how many GPIO you need. Since the trade-off for the ultra-simple design and low BOM cost is OTP memory, we recommend getting the IN100 evaluation kit (https://www.digikey.com/short/0q0jwwqq) which comes with a programming dongle and three beacon boards fitted with the QFN version of the IN100. Then download the cross-platform configuration tool (https://inplay-tech.com/nanobeacon-config-tool) and follow the YouTube video tutorials they've filmed to learn how to configure the beacons for different advertising modes. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfQ059KzRg) Don't worry about making mistakes: you can always run from RAM to iterate the design before finally burning it into the OTP! And even if there are errors, the InPlay IN100 NanoBeacon Eval Kits are inexpensive (https://www.digikey.com/short/5z920hrj). Once you're ready to go into production, the individual chips are plentiful and low cost (https://www.digikey.com/short/97773wh3) so you can get into production almost immediately. The InPlay IN100 NanoBeacon Eval Kits (https://www.digikey.com/short/5z920hrj), IN100-D1 (https://www.digikey.com/short/3jmnp8r3) and IN100-Q1 (https://www.digikey.com/short/mtp92d50) are all in stock right now for immediate shipment from Digi-Key - available nowhere else! If you're curious to try this no-code BLE beacon chipset, order today and you can be Bluetooth Beacon'ing by tomorrow afternoon!

Smart watches aren't exactly new because they've been around in one form or another since 2004. Apple's introduction of a smart watch in 2015 gave the market a kick start, but only one fifth of US adults currently own one. Women are more likely to have a smart watch than men are. In Short Circuits: Many crypto-currencies have lost significant value in the past several months, but they still have worth. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation says 244 investors lost nearly $43 million worth of crypto-currency in the past six month. The scam has been traced back to a fraudulent app. • Most Wi-Fi routers can transmit signals in the 2.4GHz range and 5GHz range. Some of the newer devices also can communicate in the 60GHz range. Although channel selection is largely automatic in the higher-frequency bands, it's fully manual in the 2.4GHz range. Selecting the wrong channel can reduce your link speeds and those of your neighbors. Twenty Years Ago (only on the website): I was excited about bargain prices for CompactFlash memory cards that were used by some camera manufacturers, but have virtually disappeared now in favor of memory cards that are physically smaller. Twenty years ago, CF cards were the primary choice and 2002's "bargain" prices are laughable now.

This week's EYE ON NPI is ready to take flight, it's Würth Elektronik's FeatherWing Development Boards (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/w/Würth -electronics/featherwing-development-boards) a quadruplet set of red boards that can add Würth Technology and innovation to your favorite Feather mainboards no matter what platform you are using. Adafruit Feather is a complete line of development boards from Adafruit and other developers that can be stacked or used individually. They can be powered by LiPo batteries for on-the-go projects or by micro-USB plugs for stationary use. Feathers are lightweight, portable, and flexible. FeatherWings are stacking boards that add functionality and space for prototyping. Adafruit Feather is a complete ecosystem of products and an excellent starting point for user projects. When we designed the Feather format oh-so-many years ago at Maker Faire 2015 (https://atmelcorporation.wordpress.com/2015/09/30/exclusive-ladyada-shows-off-adafruits-brand-spankin-new-feather-board/), we purposefully made the shape and pinout an open standard (https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-feather) so that other companies could contribute and create their own license-free design, heck they can even use the words Feather and FeatherWing as long as they make it compatible. Digi-Key has been a great partner for us in stocking Feather boards (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/result?s=N4IgTCBcDaIGYFMCGAXAFggTiAugXyA) with hundreds of Feathers, 'Wings, adapters and eval boards. What we think makes Feather so great is that it is not platform-specific. Energia boards are only MSP430 (https://energia.nu/guide/boards/) and Nucleo are only STM32 (https://www.st.com/en/evaluation-tools/stm32-nucleo-boards.html), Arduino shields are more universal but they can be a tad large. We've seen feathers with chips from Atmel, Microchip, ST, Maxim, TI, etc. - which means that Würth 's Wings can be used with whatever platform you prefer. There are four FeatherWings in this collection: Sensor FeatherWing (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/w%C3%BCrth-elektronik/2501000201291/14115778) Temperature (2521020222501), humidity (2525020210001 and 25250202100011), acceleration (2533020201601 and 25330202016011), and absolute pressure sensors (2511020213301 and 25110202133011) All the four sensors are connected over the shared I²C bus Compatible with QWIIC-connect from Sparkfun Easy to expand with WE FeatherWings and hundreds of already existing boards with the Feather and QWIIC form-factor Arduino (C/C++) drivers and code examples available on Github Thyone-I wireless FeatherWing (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/w%C3%BCrth-elektronik/2611059021001/14115775) Thyone-I proprietary 2.4 GHz RF module (2611011021000) Encryption (AES128) Mesh network capable Integrated security/authentication IC Connection to Thyone-I module (2611011021000) or Thyone-I USB stick (2611036021001) Calypso Wi-Fi FeatherWing (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/w%C3%BCrth-elektronik/2610039025001/14115769) Calypso, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (2610011025000) Easy connect to smart devices and servers Handling multiple nodes simultaneously Energy saving mode to support battery powered applications Supports IPv4 and IPv6 Out of the box implementation of several commonly used network applications like SNTP, DHPv4, DHCPv6, mDNS, HTTP(S), and MQTT Direct communication to the cloud MagI³C power FeatherWing (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/w%C3%BCrth-elektronik/2601157101001/14115779) Operating input voltage of 9 V, 12 V, 15 V, 18 V, and 24 V industrial rails Maximum 36 V input voltage Additional USB connector for 5 V input voltage to select by switch Transformation of industrial input voltage to 5 V Transformation of 5 V to 3.3 V All together they allow construction of advanced wireless sensor nodes: a Wing with plenty of environmental sensors, a Wing that can be used to create 2.4GHz mesh networks, a WiFi Wing to send data to the cloud, and a power adapter Wing that will allow powering from industrial power supplies such as 24VDC. Combine these with your favorite microcontroller and you've got a full demo of the latest Würth technologies! There's a demo of combining wifi + sensor + feather to create a wireless sensor node on the Würth Youtube. If you want to jam out your Feather boards with some fancy Würth technology, all four of the Würth Elektronik's FeatherWings (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/w/Würth -electronics/featherwing-development-boards) are in stock for immediate purchase at Digi-Key. We recommend starting with the Würth Sensor FeatherWing (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/w%C3%BCrth-elektronik/2501000201291/14115778) and then checking out the rest of the Würth FeatherWings on the feature page (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/w/wurth-electronics/featherwing-development-boards) as your project needs grow!

Most of us probably don't think about it much, but our cell phones and Wi-Fi connections use something called spectrum to send and receive data. The term “5G” refers to the fifth major version of this standard for transmitting information wirelessly. It's also known as “millimeter wave technology.” The 5GHz spectrum has long been viewed as a way to get around the crowded radiofrequency (RF) spectrum and its associated problems with Wi-Fi. The widespread adoption of wireless local area networks (WLANs) in the 2.4 GHz ISM band means that there are very few available channels in any given location, which can lead to high interference levels, reduced coverage range, and low throughput. The 5GHz spectrum is not as crowded as the 2.4GHz band, making it a better choice for high-throughput, low-interference deployments like indoor video surveillance networks. In general, this band also provides greater immunity from interference from devices like baby monitors or cordless phones that use frequencies in the 2.4GHz band. Ari Fitzgerald LinkedIn Ari Fitzgerald is a Partner with the law firm of Hogan Lovells, where he leads the firm's Communications, Internet, and Media practice. He provides strategic, legal, and policy advice on a wide range of communications and spectrum policy issues to some of the world's largest and most dynamic communications network operators and equipment manufacturers, as well as industry trade associations and investors. Resources Hogan Lovells' Communications, Internet, and Media Practice

This week's EYE ON NPI lifts up its skinny arms like antennas to heaven - it's the Taoglas family of Wide Band Antennas, featuring the Taoglas WARRIORX PA.760.A (https://www.digikey.com/short/td8wnqd2) with a chonky 600MHz-6000MHz range of functionality, for use with almost any kind of IoT wireless protocol. Wide band antennas are needed these days because we've moved from simple cellular devices like 2G/GSM that use at most a 'quad band' of 850/900/1800/1900MHz (which you'll note has two narrow bands that are 2x the frequency) in order to cover the globe, to multi-band and multi-protocol modules. If you have something with LTE which has close to 100 different bands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_frequency_bands) that span from 700 MHz up to 2.6GHz (https://www.sqimway.com/lte_band.php) depending on the LTE Category they cover. Lower categories carry data slower like simple machine IoT signals but farther, higher categories carry faster data like video but cant reach very far. You could also use this sort of antenna for multi-protocol IoT devices. Lets say you have a horse farm in Ireland (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=irish+horse+farm) you want to monitor. You've got 50 horses, roaming your property. You want to know their location so you can locate them, maybe some details like their temperature and recent activity (e.g. an accelerometer). Since you're a ways out from the city, you may want to use a combination of WiFi if they are within a couple miles of the farm, cellular if they're a few miles away but still within LTE Cat 1M range, and LoRaWan if they're a good ways out. (In this particular case we aren't outfitting the horses with satellite connectivity). WiFi is free, LTE is fairly inexpensive but reliable if within range, LoRaWan is lower reliability but can be used in a meshing setup. Each one has a different frequency band: 2.4GHz for WiFi, maybe 1.9GHz for LTE, and 900MHz for LoRa. Let's say you invent such a thing, and now horse lovers around the world are clamoring, nay, DEMANDING you sell them your ingenious invention. With GSM, you can easily deploy worldwide with a single design. But with LTE you'll need to make sure each country you ship to can support the cellular module you've chosen. You may end up swapping similar-package-but-different-frequency-band modules for Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, etc. However, you can stick with that same Taoglas antenna! These antennas are SMT, pick-and-place friendly, so you can use them in plastic enclosures without knobbly external antennas that catch on things. This allows for very slim, compact designs like this Taoglas EDGE module (https://www.taoglas.com/product/ec55-system-on-module/) or waterproof/weatherproof cases. Picking the right antenna will get you better battery life, better range, and faster response times for 'free', so its important to give one with the best gain you can get. Best of all, the full range of different Taoglas antennas, including the Taoglas WARRIORX PA.760.A (https://www.digikey.com/short/td8wnqd2), are available on Digi-Key for immediate shipment. Order today and you can be blasting with a bandwidth wider than a horse's butt by tomorrow afternoon!

This week we take a look at aptX HD Bluetooth: What is it? What devices and headphones support it? We also ask if Lutron Caseta Smart Home Products are the answer to Wifi Issues for homes with a lot of 2.4Ghz wifi devices? We read your emails and look at the week's news as well. News: Denon Expands Hi-Res Speaker Ecosystem With Denon Home Wireless Subwoofer Netflix Testing Shared Account Discount Pricing ‘Daredevil,' 'Jessica Jones,' 'The Punisher' and more are now streaming on Disney Plus Sky Looks Set To Broadcast Live Formula 1 In 4K HDR For The First Time This Weekend aptX HD Bluetooth: What is it? What devices and headphones support it? If there's one thing we've learned over the years it's that plenty of people will happily sacrifice audio quality for convenience. The popularity of music streaming services and wireless headphones are proof of that. Although seldom a match for a well-recorded LP or good pair of wired headphones, they sure are mighty handy. Full article here… Lutron Caseta Smart Home Products - The answer to Wifi Issues? A couple of weeks ago we received an email from Robert Iadevaia extolling the virtues of hub based smart home devices. Specifically Lutron Caseta. Robert pointed out that using a hub connected to the network with an ethernet cable that in turn talks with the wireless devices on a separate proprietary network offloads the demands on the Wifi network, which will increase the reliability of both the Wifi network and the smart home devices.  I did a deeper dive into this after receiving an email from Robert Spivack of DoItForMe.Solutions. Robert and I had a conversation discussing the way Lutron works and after the call I bought a Starter kit that included a Hub, two dimmers, and two pico remote controls for $170 from Amazon. Note - If you plan on installing the Pico remote in place of another switch as part of a three way light control you will need two wall plate brackets that cost $6 each. Hub Features: Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and the Google Assistant  Does not interfere or compete with Wi-Fi connected devices because it transmits on the same frequencies as a garage door opener.  The lower frequency the devices operate on extend the range of devices.  Supports up to 75 Caseta devices Switch Installation: These are the easiest switches I have ever installed! There are only two wires and a ground. The switches do not need the white neutral wire which makes it a great choice for older homes. The other interesting part of the install is that it doesn't matter where you connect the line and load wires on the switch.  You can install these without a volt meter. Just make sure you turn off the power! The three way switch is just as easy. There is no need for the traveler wire so you cap it off. You will, however, need to connect the line and load lines in the remote switch location so that the circuit is completed. But other than that, you install the wall plate bracket and put the remote into it and put the switch cover on and you are done.  Lutron App: The app is pretty basic but gets the job done. If you use Alexa, HomeKit, or Google Home, you will use it to add the devices and nothing else. But you can manage your entire Luton based home with the app if you choose. Adding devices is much faster than using the Home app and the nice thing is when the device is added it automatically shows up in the Home app. This is provided that you added the hub to Homekit. The other automation systems work just as easily.  You have to add and pair the remote as well. However, you can pair remotes with switches without the need of the app. The remote does not show up in the Home app so it can only control Lutron devices. You can control the Lutron devices with other remotes in your automation system if you want. Performance: Lightning fast! 100% reliable! Yes it's only been four days but one of the switches that was replaced needed to be reset about every three days. I like the switches so much I bought three more! And on a side note, they have wall plugs that cost $45 but they are only two prongs. They do dim however. Not a requirement for me.  In my quest to reduce the number of wifi devices I wanted to swap out a few of my current wall plugs but the two prong socket is an issue for me. Fortunately el Gato sells a three prong plug that is bluetooth based that supports Thread for $40. When I was done. I replaced Five wall switches and two wall plugs for about $500. My automation got more responsive and reliable and as a side benefit, my wifi performance for the other devices on my network improved dramatically. If you have a lot of devices in your system and the response is a bit flaky, you should seriously consider trying out Lutron Caseta Smart Home Products!  

This week we take a look at aptX HD Bluetooth: What is it? What devices and headphones support it? We also ask if Lutron Caseta Smart Home Products are the answer to Wifi Issues for homes with a lot of 2.4Ghz wifi devices? We read your emails and look at the week’s news as well.

On this week's show we take a look at twelve things that the Jetsons predicted correctly back in 1962. Ring introduces three new automation devices and Ara gets to the bottom of his Wifi woes. We also read your email and take a look at the week's news stories. 12 Cool Technologies “The Jetsons” Predicted For 2062 That We Have Right Now This article is from 2019  The futuristic family cartoon The Jetsons premiered in 1962. It was set 100 years in the future in the year 2062. We're over half way there now, but surprisingly, many of the technologies they predicted in the cartoon are already a reality, while others are maturing quickly. Full article here… Video calls Robotic vacuums Tablet computers Robotic house help - Not quite Rosie yet but enough to check the box Flying Cars - This is a stretch but there is a flying car out there but nothing like what the Jetsons had.  Smart Watches Drones - apparently there was an episode in which Elroy was flying a drone. Holograms 3D printed food - we're not convinced that this is a thing The “PillCam” - this is actually a thing Jetpacks Flat Screen TVs Amazon's Ring launches 3 new outdoor security gadgets The outside of your Ring-powered smart home might get a little smarter thanks to the company's new outdoor smart plug, motion light and siren. Full Article here… Orbi Wifi Discussion As many of you know we both have had some wifi woes of late. Ara bought a new Linksys Velop ($300 for the router and one satellite) router which worked great for about two months and then it suddenly started acting up. Devices would randomly disconnect and the Internet would stop working regardless of whether the connection was wired or wireless.  This led to the eventual replacement with a new system manufactured by Netgear (The Orbi RBR50 $330 for the router and one satellite) and all was good until it wasn't. However, for the last five days (the longest period of continuous connection) all is good again. We think, for Ara's house anyway, all the gremlins have been removed. The following are the steps taken to get there. A few of these steps only apply to the Netgear Orbi, but many apply to any router and may help you get more out of your wireless system. As Mike stated in his email the Time server was changed. His recommended time server would not work with the Orbi RBR50 so time.nist.gov was used. The “Automatically adjust for daylight savings time” was initially unticked but later reticked with no issues as of yet. This tip is specific to the Orbi or other Netgear routers. Enable Implicit BEAMFORMING - They claim that this Boosts WiFi speed, reliability, & range for all mobile devices Enable MU-MIMO - “MIMO” stands for “Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output”, and it refers to the way bandwidth is broken up by a router and pushed to individual devices. This only comes into play if multiple devices are requesting say a Netflix stream simultaneously. Without it turned on it would delay one stream until the other has sufficiently buffered. Enable Fast Roaming - allows a client device to roam quickly in environments implementing WPA2 Enterprise security, by ensuring that the client device does not need to re-authenticate to the RADIUS server every time it roams from one access point to another. With two access points in the house this could have been an issue as devices continuously bounce back and forth between them. Under the wireless settings the following were ticked: The Netgear Armor Security was turned off - It was automatically activated for a 30 day trial. Ara noticed that it periodically scans the network and checks vulnerabilities of the devices on the network. Ara wondered if this caused some of the wifi automation devices to lose connection.   After a reboot everything seems to work well except Ara's Homekit devices. Then after struggling with rebooting his Philips Hue hubs Ara noticed that it was only the hue lights having an issue. What was puzzling was the fact that the lights themselves were not directly connected to his wifi network. The hubs being hardwired should not be having any issues.  The Hue lights are based on the Zigbee protocol which uses the same frequency spectrum as 2.4GHz wifi. There was an article that said if your Hue lights are “unreachable” change the Zigbee channel.  There is a setting in  the Hue app that allows for his. Once that was done...Bam! Everything was and still is rock solid!  In reality, that may have been the only issue as there are 25 hue lights, sensors, and accessories in Ara's house.