Bad news/Good news: I blew the engine in the Mazdaspeed 3 and the shop wanted $12000 to rebuild the engine. I checked other options, but nothing was going to be less than $8K. More than the car was worth. So, the good news is I got a new truck. A 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 to be exact. I decided this was a good time to upgrade the mobile unit and had been eyeballing the FTM-400XDR … Continue reading
I wonder if I can fix this battery? The short answer is: No. I have had the Yaesu FNB-102Li extended battery since I bought my VX-8R.. so a while. However, it died less than a year into owning it. The ‘normal’ or slim version has held up just fine. At Hamcom this year, I purchased a replacement from Batteries America for around $45. It beats the heck out of the $80+ for the Yaesu version which didn’t … Continue reading
I’m kind of on a tear with Yaesu hate lately. OK, maybe not full on triggered, but I am tilted. They make some really nice, high-quality products, but I am sick of their proprietary nature. This is true with many of their connectors, be it power, signal, mic, phones, etc. I have had a G450a antenna rotator for a couple of years. I finally upgraded to a heavier control cable (302) because I am running almost … Continue reading
Dear god, Yaesu parts department is insane. I went to HamCom this weekend. It was fine.. but seemed much smaller than when it was in Plano previously. My goals were: Talk to the FlexRadio folks about updating since my 6300 was back at version 1.2.?? (current is 1.7.x). I want to get their take on the best approach since VAC/CAT etc has changed a LOT, and I use the connection to Ham Radio Deluxe a … Continue reading
