Sleep Is For The Weak

About three months ago I started a new job where I was issued a MacBook computer. At that time I wasn’t sure I liked the machine. It did most of what I wanted it to, but had a number of quirks I found rather annoying. I’ve continued using the MacBook, and have come to appreciate some of the software that’s available for OS X. Applications like TextMate, Cornerstone, and CocoaMySQL are fantastic. I’m sure there are similar applications for Windows, and other Unix Like operating systems (FreeBSD, Linux). However the integration between these applications and the operating system really is very good.

The default Apple Terminal application is also very good. Most terminals are suitable for my needs, however the keyboard shortcuts are great. Copy/Paste “Just Works”, opening new terminal windows are just a Command+n away. All in all a solid terminal, with a lot of features, that works with a minimum of annoyances.

Applications like QuickSilver make using the computer even faster. Ctrl+Space itu Enter launches iTunes. Ctrl+Space file Enter launches filezilla. Ctrl+Space text Enter launces textedit. really a simple function to add, and I’ve been told QuickSilver does a lot more than function as an application launcher, but this feature alone is enough to make me happy.

Considering the slow hard drive installed in the MacBook I’m surprised at how snappy the system is overall at most tasks. If I continue editing video from conferences we attend I am likely to have a 320gb 7200rpm drive installed. In part because 1 hour of video is 12gb, and in part because drive speed does matter while editing videos.

I wouldn’t say the MacBook is a superior computer to a commodity PC with a Unix Like operating system installed, and a fair amount of system customization to fit the users individual needs. But I will say that out of the box, with a minimal amount of configuration Apple has provided a pretty fantastic system.

Thanks to: The_Jorr for the image

I haven’t used a Fedora Linux system since Fedora Core 2.  Back then the yum updater was terrible and I went looking in search of something that sucked a lot less.  On the recommendation of a few folks at the local LUG, I ended up on Ubuntu, and haven’t looked back.  Now that our office has a couple of CentOS 5.2 machines I figured it might be time to give an RPM and YUM based Linux distro another look.

The installation of Fedora 9 wasn’t terribly difficult.  It asked me a few questions about how I wanted the disk arranged, create a non-root user and such.  Typical Linux stuff.  I chose to do a network based install due to a severe lack of spare DVD’s around the office, and a fairly narrow T1 shared by 5 people.  It took a fair amount of time to build the system, and download updates but I expected that.

One thing I’ve noticed about Fedora 9 in comparison to Ubuntu is some of the things I’m used to being able to do very quickly and easily don’t exist.  That’s not really the fault of Fedora, more a fault on your author for getting lazy.  I’ll admit however having a “Restricted Drivers” icon I can press to configure the nVidia Drivers & Broadcom WiFi drivers is pretty slick and a feature of Ubuntu I missed moving to Fedora.  Also Ubuntu has a single package that installs Flash, DVD playback, MP3 playback, and all the other restricted formats not officially supported by free software.  This is another quick and dirty thing I missed moving to Fedora.

It is my opinion that Fedora 9 is somewhat faster than Ubuntu 8.04 was on the same hardware.  I can’t say that for certain but this does seem to be the case.  Both systems are completely stable.  I’ve yet to crash any software on either OS.

I will write a few specific articles on how I configured some of my software later.  All in all I’m unwilling to say Fedora 9 is better than Ubuntu 8.04.  I am however willing to say it’s not exactly worse either.  I’ll continue to use the system for a few more weeks and let it grow on me, then we’ll check back.

It’s time to write a little bit about the handgun I carry for personal defense, the Heckler and Koch P30.  This is a 9mm handgun, with magazines that hold 15 rounds.  It is a DA/SA gun with a decocker, and no manual safety.  Prior to the P30 I owned a Heckler and Koch USP Tactical in .45acp.  This gun was also DA/SA with both a safety and a decocker.  Unfortunately the USP Tactical is just too large to carry concealed, daily.

The P30 is a good size for concealed carry.  It is not so large as to be difficult to conceal or uncomfortable in a good holster.  It is also not so small as to be difficult to control while shooting.  The grip on the handgun fits my hand perfectly, however Heckler and Koch went a step further and made the back strap, right panel, and left panel all independently adjustable with three sizes for each piece.

I look at the P30 as an evolution that started with the USP Compact.  Then came the P2000, and finally the P30 which shares a lot more with the P2000 than it’s USP heritage.  The trigger feels unchanged from the USP which is to say it’s not a great trigger, but there are far worse out there.  The gun is typical H&K Reliable.  I’m sure you could drop it in the white river, fish it out two years later, load a fresh magazine and have it go bang.

I’ve trained with the P30 in three Defensive Handgun Courses now.  It is far more accurate than I.  It has never failed to go bang when there was a live round chambered and the trigger has been pressed.  It’s recoil isn’t any worse than any other 9mm handgun I’ve fired.  All in all it meets all the criteria of a good fighting pistol.

In the search for a holster to conceal my H&K P30 I have tried a number of different products.  I had a Hold Fast from Peter’s Custom Holsters, as well as a Hold Out.  The Hold Fast is an all  Kydex Inside the waistband holster with Leather tabs that wrap around your belt to hold it in place.  The Hold Out is an all Kydex On the belt holster.  Both held the pistol firmly in place but were not comfortable for me to wear all day long.  So back to the interwebs to search for something else.

I had read a number of positive reviews of the Comp-Tac MTAC while browsing the Defensive Carry forums.  I decided I’d give one a shot.  The MTAC is a Hybrid Leather & Kydex Holster.  The majority of the holster is leather.  The side of the holster that is away from the body, towards the pants/belt is made of Kydex.  This works out well because the Kydex doesn’t collapse like many all leather IWB holsters do when the pistol is removed, yet you don’t have hard plastic jabbing you in the soft fleshy bits like you would with an all Kydex IWB holster.  The Kydex section of the MTAC can be replaced with bodies for other pistols.  Which allows a single $80 purchase to be extended for use with other handguns down the road at $30 per additional body.  Should I want to carry a Glock 19, all I need to do is purchase the G19 body for my current MTAC, remove/replace four screws and I’m back in business.

I ordered my MTAC with a Kydex Body for the P30 and C-Clips.  These clips hook over the waistband of your pants behind the belt, and then have small hooks that grab the top and bottom edge of the belt.  The Holster has two screws that can be used to adjust the retention on the pistol.  I found them to be just about right from the factory and haven’t made many changes.  You can adjust the possitioning of the hooks on the holster to allow the gun to ride higher or lower on your waist.  I left mine in the middle as it’s a good level for me to get a firm firing grip, a smooth draw, and decient concealment.

I’ve found the Comp-Tac MTAC holster to be so comfortable that most days I forget I’m carrying a gun.  It doesn’t jab me in the side or leg while I’m walking, standing, or sitting down.  During the one day fighting pistol class put on by the Indiana Gun Owners board the MTAC served it’s purpose flawlessly.  Drawing from the holster was exactly what you expect, and re holstering didn’t require a lot of thought.

All in all Comp-Tac knocked one out of the park in my opinion.

The Yaesu VX-7R is the handheld to end all handhelds.  Where else can you get the 6m band, 2m band, 1.25m band, and 70cm band all in one hand sized package.  Add to that the fact the radio is water resistant up to three feet for an operating time of thirty minutes and you’ve got a serious radio for hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or emergency communications.

The VX-7R has two receivers that operate independantly of one another.  This allowed you to monitor two frequencies at the same time, and toggle between them for transmitting at the touch of either the Main or Sub button.  The Receiver in the VX-7R does not desense as easily as the VX-5R did which is a huge improvement.  It is a wide band receiver, working from 1MHz -> 999MHz but is cellular blocked.

There is a quick toggle to the National Weather Service band, with the standard NOAA weather radio frequencies pre-programmed.  This allows you to hit a key combination, and turn the knob at the top of the radio to tune the closest NOAA weather radio station and then toggle back to your previous two frequencies quickly.  Ther is also a high intensity multi-color LED on the front of the radio.  This displays whether you are transmitting on Main, or Sub, receiving on Main, Sub, or Both.  Which is good if the radio is across the room you can tell which receiver is active at a glance.  Also when the radio is put into “Emergency” mode the LED flashes intense white light.  This acts as a beacon.  Highly useful if you are on the side of the road to alert cars coming at you, or if you find yourself wounded somewhere and have called for help to assist rescue workers in locating you.

All in all I’d say the VX-7R is one of the Ham Radio purchases I have made that has far exceded my expectations.  It not only does a LOT of things, but it does most of them well.

First off….  I’d like to say that operating the FT-817, FT-857, and FT-897 is almost identical across all three platforms.  All three Radios are 160M –> 10M, 6M, 2M, and 70CM all Mode transceivers.

The FT-817 is QRP (5w max output) and contains internal batteries offering portable use in a package about the size of a soft cover book.  Pretty cool stuff.

The FT-857 is a 100w Mobile rig.  It competes directly with the Icom IC-706 Mk.II G.   Because of it’s price new (around $650) this makes a fantastic first radio.  It’s much more advanced technologically than the Icom IC-718 and a little bit less expensive.  I stand by the thought that this radio is something every new ham should own.  As you determine what you like/dislike in terms of operating you can move into a more specialized piece of equipment with some first hand knowledge about the hobby.  Also you didn’t waste that $650 as you can now put your FT-857 in your car and go HF Mobile.

The FT-897 is the model I’m most familiar with as I own one.  This radio operates IDENTICALLY to the FT-857 with the exception of a single rocker switch on the top.  This switch is used to choose which of two optional internal battery packs is being used.  If no internal batteries are installed the switch obviously does nothing.  Like the FT-857 the FT-897 is a 100w all band/mode Hf transceiver.   The exception to this would be while running on battery power.  While powered on the internal batteries the FT-897 has a max power output of 20w making it 4 times more powerful than the much smaller FT-817, but still not as powerful as it would be on external power (a car battery, powersupply, etc.)  The format of the FT-897 is much larger than either of the other two.  It isn’t as large as a full desktop set radio like the FT-950 or Icom IC-746pro  But it’s not nowhere near as small as the mobile radios like the FT-857, IC-706, or IC-7000.  The place the FT-897 excels is camping, and possibly backpacking.  Field day with my FT-897 in 2007 was a blast!  It’s nice to be able to easily carry the radio to a location,  toss your antenna into a tree or hook up a buddipole and you’re ready to call CQ.

I’d have a hard time suggesting the FT-817 to anyone who’s new to the hobby.  5w is awfully crippling, and the cost of the radio isn’t much better than the FT-857.

I’m sure I’ll add more to this in follow up posts.  PLEASE feel free to post questions about any of the above models.  I have access to an FT-817 and an FT-857 at a moments notice.

Another Dual Band, Cross band repeater.

Like the FT-8800r I reviewed earlier this radio can do all of that and more.  There is an integrated TNC, with GPS decoder module.  This means you can do APRS with nothing more than the Radio, and a GPS.  Really kinda cool stuff.

As for using the TM-D700A.  Being primarily a Yaesu guy, it took some getting used to the menu system.
the display hands down destroys the 8800R.  The controls are actually easier to use, and are all backlit making night time operating MUCH easier.

I only have 2 complaints regarding the D700.
1) It supports V/V. V/U, and U/U  operating (left and right side bands)  The Yaesu, and Icom IC-2720h both support…  V/V, V/U, U/V, and U/U  it likely wouldn’t make any difference, until you’ve gotten used to putting your 440 repeater on the left side, and your 2m repeater on the right.  Nitpicking?  sure.  but still a complaint.
2) The Mic.  It’s a giant slab,  It sounds nice sure,  but common man!  This is the 21st century.

If I could go back and do it all again?  I’d seriously consider owning TWO TM-D700a Radios rather than 1 Kenwood and 1 FT-8800R

This Radio for the money is a fantastic investment.  Especially if you also own a dual band HT.
Being able to crossband from a 440mhz input to a 2M output is something I use with some frequency.  I can set my VX-7R on the .5W setting while sitting at my desk at work and transmit simplex to my car, which then retransmits my signal out to the 2M repeater in town I listen to most frequently.

Controls on this radio are easy to understand.  It is fully featured.  And in my opinion very easy to use.

The only two complaints I have about the Yaesu FT-8800R are the following:
1) The buttons on the control head are not back lit.
2) the vol and sql knobs are nested one on the other. which makes adjustments more difficult while wearing gloves.

I’d certainly buy another.