Re: [Techno-Chat]: The Best Windows 10 System Repair Tool For Your PC

[Gordon Smith]

I can definitely recommend the MacPaw products for both MacOs and Windows. They 
far outstrip the versions of CCleaner Professional or Network which I’ve seen.


On 24 Dec 2019, at 07:16, Dane Trethowan  wrote:

Yes you can try before you by and that goes for both versions.


> On 24 Dec 2019, at 6:11 pm, Roger Firman  > wrote:
> 
> Hello,
>  
> Si this a product you can try before you buy or do you need to make the 
> purchase first?
>  
> Regards,
>  
> Roger Firman.




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[Techno-Chat]: Icom IC-R30 Professional Wide-Band Radio Communications Receiver

[Gordon Smith]

Good evening everybody.

You may remember Dane writing on list about this device some time ago. I had 
been doing some research into similar devices for some time on and off, so it 
tweaked my interest. That, of course, is the precise reason that this E-Mail 
list exists and whilst I’m on, please feel free to spread the word amongst your 
friends that this group exists. Always nice to have a good circulation and 
helps to stimulate conversation.

Anyway, to the point. Just before Christmas, I decided to take the plunge, and 
I bought one of those radio receivers. I have not been disappointed in what my 
money bought for me. My only slight gripe, and it really is a slight one, is 
that I never discovered until today that there is a version of that receiver 
which also has a 3G LTE modem, so that you can use it with wireless broadband. 
But then again, it may not be accessible anyway, so perhaps it isn’t really an 
issue at all.

I managed to locate some adapters which have allowed me to hook up my existing 
VHF/UHF Colinear antenna to the device. Since doing so on Friday, the 
performance of the device has greatly impressed me.

It comes with a 27-inch metallic telescopic whip antenna which, depending on 
your location, may or may not be adequate. In mine, it is not adequate, I’m 
sorry to say. But the external antenna made the receiver sound like a totally 
different device. Thus, I have a few comments to make here and now, but will do 
so in extensio in our Blog, in due course.

Those of you who have been amateur radio enthusiasts for some years may 
remember the old 1980s lineup of Kenwood handheld transceivers. Actually, I 
stil have one in a cupboard here, but haven’t tried using it in years. Guess I 
must do so. Anyway, to the point. This receiver is the absolute business when 
it comes to versatility. It handles just about every mode of emission known to 
mankind, including, but not limited to, FM, (Wide and narrow), AM, (wide and 
narrow), Lower Sideband, Upper Sideband, CW, CW Reverse, (I’l explain what that 
is in a moment), as well as just about every digital mode of communications in 
use across amateur and commercial communications networks. I’m being very 
specific about using the words “Communications Networks”, because I don’t want 
to give anybody the impression that it handles systems like DAB or DAB+, as 
used by many broadcasters across the world.

Undoubtedly, if one could obtain the right codec, and compile it into a 
compatible firmware update, one could probably enable those modes too, as the 
device is an SDR device.

The device has mobile apps available for it in the Google Play Store and the 
Apple iOS/iPadOS App Store. However, as yet, despite the fact that I do have a 
working Bluetooth pairing between my iPhone and the IC-R30, for whatever reason 
the app refuses to connect to it.

For those with vision, the device has a high resolution 2.8-Inch display, and 
I’m told that the menus are very clearly visible. With practice, I dare say 
that the menu structure will become navigable for a blind person once you spend 
a lifetime going through the Advanced (Power) user’s guide. I’m in the process 
of transcribing both the basic and advanced manuals into Braille actually. 
Anyway, that’s beside the point for the moment.

I have absolutely no complaints regarding the audio that the device kicks out. 
Given its very low profile speaker, it’s actually extremely easy on the ear. 
With a decent antenna system, resonant at or around the frequency range you 
wish to listen too, the device is also remarkably sensitive – by far 
out-performing other receivers and scanners (the two ar very different in 
nature), which I’ve been fortunate enough to try over the last couple of years. 
As I said, it’s a market I’ve been looking at for a couple of years now and I’m 
happy that I’ve finally found a device which fits my needs, in almost every 
respect. Actually, in some respects, it easily surpasses my expectations, so 
that too came as a pleasant surprise.

The receiver is marketed as a “Wide Band” receiver – and that is exactly what 
it is. Indeed, it has absolutely no gaps anywhere between 100 KHz and 3.999 
GHZ, with only digital mobile phone reception being beyond its capabilities, as 
you’d expect, of course.

In general, there is not quite the same sensitivity at the lower end of the 
spectrum But, again,  I do not currently have an antenna which is resonant on 
HF and lower, so perhaps that isn’t too surprising.

What is surprising is that this device is capable of not only dual-band 
simultaneous reception, but it also sports 2000 memory channels, programmable 
into groups so that you can easily sequence your memories in whatever order you 
wish, and just attach the specific memories to specific groups.

Battery charge cycle is quite impressive. The manufacturers state that you can 
get around 8.5 hours of life per charge. But my tests have only produced around 
6 hours per charge. That 

[Techno-Chat]: Station Playlist Creator

[Gordon Smith]

Good evening everybody.

Somebody on list wrote to me a while ago asking me whether I would be able to 
let them have a backdated version of SPL and Studio if I came across them. I’m 
sorry, I can’t remember who it was, but presumably if they’re still on list 
they will know and can get back to me if appropriate.

I happened to be going through an old archive a couple of days ago, looking for 
something entirely different when, what do you know … I discovered the exact 
version of SPL, (v5.20)that I’d been looking for.

If that person would still be interested, let me know and I’ll give you a link 
to the files.

Regards

Gordon.



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