11
Silent Keys / The NEAR-Fest IN MEMORIAM Buttons
« Last post by W1RC on March 05, 2023, 06:16:29 AM »Here is the collection.
New England Amateur Radio Festival
News:
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Recent Posts
12
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / Brentilda
« Last post by W1RC on March 04, 2023, 05:12:09 PM »Then the next year it was Brentilda! Finally Baby Tina!
These photos are courtesy of Brents wife Colleen. Thanks for the memories.
These photos are courtesy of Brents wife Colleen. Thanks for the memories.
13
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / Brentina
« Last post by W1RC on March 04, 2023, 05:10:17 PM »Here is the original Brentina from Twoofs Halloween party sometimes back in the mid 1990s.
14
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / Re: Brent Brentina Desautel, W1IA, SK
« Last post by n1iwv on March 03, 2023, 06:12:27 PM »I am beyond sad hearing of Brent's passing. RIP/OM.
15
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / Re: Brent Brentina Desautel, W1IA, SK
« Last post by W1RC on March 03, 2023, 11:07:28 AM »More pix??..
16
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / Brent Brentina Desautel, W1IA, SK
« Last post by W1RC on February 28, 2023, 09:47:24 PM » On Tuesday, February 28th 2023, Brent Desautel, W1IA, of Derry NH, QSYd to a higher band. He had been suffering from ALS, aka Lou Gehrigs disease, for almost a year. Brent is at peace now; his pain is over. He departed this mortal coil at 3:15PM peacefully and without distress surrounded by his loving XYL, Colleen, WB1ELA, daughter Mary and a few of his closest radio friends with him to see him off at Parkland Hospital in Derry NH.
Brent, W1IA, held the title of Hero of Deerfield along with Jim, N1HTS and Jim W1KQ. The three heroes earned this title, along with lifetime passes, in May 2007 for their tireless and selfless work at NEAR-Fest I. At that first event the Deerfield Fair folks were unable to provide trash removal service which consisted of moving the garbage from the containers located around the grounds to the dumpster. This became our responsibility. Brentina, Jim and Jim stepped forward and volunteered to perform this essential task which they did flawlessly. They gave up their hamfest so the rest of us could enjoy ours.
I can tell you that had they not done this task so well we would probably not have been invited to return to Deerfield in October and later by which time we were able to arrange for this essential task to be done by fairgrounds staff. To put it another way without their sacrifice there would not be a NEAR-Fest.
I will always remember Brentina as he was in this picture, seventeen years ago, having the time of his life, driving his John Deere tractor/cart, along with Jim and Jim, hauling trash to the dumpster and making sure we would be welcome back again in the future.
The next NEAR-Fest will be dedicated to his memory. May he rest in peace.
Thank you Brent, Jim and Jim.
73,
MisterMike, W1RC
Oh, yoo hoo!!!!!
Brent, W1IA, held the title of Hero of Deerfield along with Jim, N1HTS and Jim W1KQ. The three heroes earned this title, along with lifetime passes, in May 2007 for their tireless and selfless work at NEAR-Fest I. At that first event the Deerfield Fair folks were unable to provide trash removal service which consisted of moving the garbage from the containers located around the grounds to the dumpster. This became our responsibility. Brentina, Jim and Jim stepped forward and volunteered to perform this essential task which they did flawlessly. They gave up their hamfest so the rest of us could enjoy ours.
I can tell you that had they not done this task so well we would probably not have been invited to return to Deerfield in October and later by which time we were able to arrange for this essential task to be done by fairgrounds staff. To put it another way without their sacrifice there would not be a NEAR-Fest.
I will always remember Brentina as he was in this picture, seventeen years ago, having the time of his life, driving his John Deere tractor/cart, along with Jim and Jim, hauling trash to the dumpster and making sure we would be welcome back again in the future.
The next NEAR-Fest will be dedicated to his memory. May he rest in peace.
Thank you Brent, Jim and Jim.
73,
MisterMike, W1RC
Oh, yoo hoo!!!!!
17
Technical Stuff / Updating the GRE PSR-700 and PSR-800 (Radio Shack PRO-107 and PRO-668)
« Last post by W1RC on February 26, 2023, 04:19:33 AM »The GRE PSR-700 and its digital brother the PSR-800 are possibly the best handheld scanners ever made. Unfortunately GRE America is no longer in business. However Whistlergroup.com continues to support these radios and updates the library database every week.
Radio Shack marketed these two scanners as the PRO-107 and the PRO-662. They are essentially the same as their GRE counterparts.
Information and specifications:
PSR-700/PRO-107 https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/PSR-700
PSR-800/PRO-668 https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/PSR-800
GRE Manuals
http://www.greamerica.com/
Radio Shack manuals
https://rigreference.com/storage/manuals/radioshack-realistic/Manual-RadioShack_PRO-107.pdf--5eb71f22ee0361.19345781.pdf
http://new.marksscanners.com/manuals/Pro%20668.pdf
http://new.marksscanners.com/#qr
http://new.marksscanners.com/107/107.shtml
http://new.marksscanners.com/P800/P800.shtml
iSCAN software (v1.07)
https://www.mediafire.com/file/4x29xbf4dhz3myq/iSCAN.zip/file
Latest Library database file (updated weekly)
https://whistlergroup.com/pages/ws1080-ws1088-downloads get library_dbfilesxxx.zip.
You will have to manually copy it to the db folder on the SD card. WS1080/1089
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Whistler_Official_Upgrade_(WOU)
It has the bootleg firmware on it to listen to DMR. It uses the whistler programming tool to program. It is up to date with latest frequencies. If you try to update with the whistler program you will brick it and it will have to be send to whistler. Also if you try to set he clock to computer time in the program tool it will also disable dmr. So know this while buying.
Radio Shack marketed these two scanners as the PRO-107 and the PRO-662. They are essentially the same as their GRE counterparts.
Information and specifications:
PSR-700/PRO-107 https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/PSR-700
PSR-800/PRO-668 https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/PSR-800
GRE Manuals
http://www.greamerica.com/
Radio Shack manuals
https://rigreference.com/storage/manuals/radioshack-realistic/Manual-RadioShack_PRO-107.pdf--5eb71f22ee0361.19345781.pdf
http://new.marksscanners.com/manuals/Pro%20668.pdf
http://new.marksscanners.com/#qr
http://new.marksscanners.com/107/107.shtml
http://new.marksscanners.com/P800/P800.shtml
iSCAN software (v1.07)
https://www.mediafire.com/file/4x29xbf4dhz3myq/iSCAN.zip/file
Latest Library database file (updated weekly)
https://whistlergroup.com/pages/ws1080-ws1088-downloads get library_dbfilesxxx.zip.
You will have to manually copy it to the db folder on the SD card. WS1080/1089
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Whistler_Official_Upgrade_(WOU)
It has the bootleg firmware on it to listen to DMR. It uses the whistler programming tool to program. It is up to date with latest frequencies. If you try to update with the whistler program you will brick it and it will have to be send to whistler. Also if you try to set he clock to computer time in the program tool it will also disable dmr. So know this while buying.
18
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / 5 Quebec French Swear Words That Are Super Strange For People From France
« Last post by W1RC on February 22, 2023, 01:48:19 AM » I wondered why Quebec French swear words all have a religious connotation, so I looked into it. Apparently, the church was too powerful in 19th-century Quebec, controlling the population and therefore causing lots of frustration. Quebecers started turning religious terms into profanities, as a linguistic way to raise their middle finger.
Today, perhaps unsurprisingly, Quebec is by many measures the least religious province in Canada.
Here are five local Quebec curse words that are super weird for expats from France, until one day you have difficulty waking up for work and "tabarnak" is the first word that comes to mind.
Tabarnak
This equivalent to "f*ck" in Canadian French has to be my favourite swear word in this list, and perhaps the worst sacre of all. It comes from "tabernacle," a box where the host and blood of Christ are stored so where they put the sacred bread and wine basically.
Criss
Meaning "Christ," here's another interjection that you can use instead of saying "sh*t" or as a verb. For example, "s'en crisser" means '"to not give a damn." I hear this one at least once a week. Sorry, Jesus.
Esti
Used as a demeaning noun or adjective, this term derives from the holy host, which is the sacred bread Christians eat during mass. You can use ostie, estie, estiand evenstie, whatever floats your boat.
Calisse
This word comes from "chalice," the shiny goblet used in Christian ceremonies for holy wine. Can you believe nowadays the term means DAMN?
Ciboire
This one still sounds very weird to my ears. I don't hear it as much as "tabarnak," though they mean the same thing. The word comes from the "ciborium," the container for the Eucharist. You can also call someone by that name but you'll probably make a new enemy.
Today, perhaps unsurprisingly, Quebec is by many measures the least religious province in Canada.
Here are five local Quebec curse words that are super weird for expats from France, until one day you have difficulty waking up for work and "tabarnak" is the first word that comes to mind.
Tabarnak
This equivalent to "f*ck" in Canadian French has to be my favourite swear word in this list, and perhaps the worst sacre of all. It comes from "tabernacle," a box where the host and blood of Christ are stored so where they put the sacred bread and wine basically.
Criss
Meaning "Christ," here's another interjection that you can use instead of saying "sh*t" or as a verb. For example, "s'en crisser" means '"to not give a damn." I hear this one at least once a week. Sorry, Jesus.
Esti
Used as a demeaning noun or adjective, this term derives from the holy host, which is the sacred bread Christians eat during mass. You can use ostie, estie, estiand evenstie, whatever floats your boat.
Calisse
This word comes from "chalice," the shiny goblet used in Christian ceremonies for holy wine. Can you believe nowadays the term means DAMN?
Ciboire
This one still sounds very weird to my ears. I don't hear it as much as "tabarnak," though they mean the same thing. The word comes from the "ciborium," the container for the Eucharist. You can also call someone by that name but you'll probably make a new enemy.
19
Technical Stuff / Re: How to Convert a MOTOROLA XPR6580 for Amateur Use
« Last post by W1RC on February 19, 2023, 02:41:56 AM »That radio has trunking firmware in it.
If you have a friendly Moto dealer around there, it can be flashed back
to conventional mode. Have them look for the below download, if they
don't already have it:-
Device Conversion Packages 3600 Baud Trunking to MOTOTRBO Digital
Firmware (18 Dec 2013 HTML Document 4KB)
These firmware packages will Convert an 800|900MHz Smartnet Privacy Plus
Analog Trunking R01.10.22 radio to MOTOTRBO Digital Conventional
firmware R01.12.02 for (defaulting to Analog only features).
That will allow the 902 TX.
I have that firmware but perhaps it need the "package" I used CPS to flash
the firmware but CPS doesn't seem to recognize the firmware is there to
be flashed. Any ideas?
If you have a friendly Moto dealer around there, it can be flashed back
to conventional mode. Have them look for the below download, if they
don't already have it:-
Device Conversion Packages 3600 Baud Trunking to MOTOTRBO Digital
Firmware (18 Dec 2013 HTML Document 4KB)
These firmware packages will Convert an 800|900MHz Smartnet Privacy Plus
Analog Trunking R01.10.22 radio to MOTOTRBO Digital Conventional
firmware R01.12.02 for (defaulting to Analog only features).
That will allow the 902 TX.
I have that firmware but perhaps it need the "package" I used CPS to flash
the firmware but CPS doesn't seem to recognize the firmware is there to
be flashed. Any ideas?
20
NEAR-Fest XXXIII - April 28 & 29, 2023 / A Neat Story from Tom Perera, W1TP
« Last post by W1RC on February 12, 2023, 10:17:20 AM » AWA Member Tom Perera, W1TP, writes:
"When I was a kid in 1953 with my new Novice license in hand I went down to Harrison Radio in Radio Row in New York City.
I bought a new Collins 75A2 receiver.
Living in center-city NYC, a local AM broadcast station signal swamped and overloaded the receiver and made it very insensitive on most frequencies.
I wrote the Collins company for help and got a personal letter from Mr. Collins in which he apologized for my problems with my Collins receiver.
He said that he had made me a tunable L-C circuit and mounted it in a box with appropriate connectors so that I could use it in the antenna line to my receiver. He explained how to tune it so that it would notch out the interfering broadcast signal. It worked perfectly and I was able to hear even very weak signals after installing it.
It is amazing how personal even a big company like that was back in the 1950s.
When I went back to Harrison Radio to buy a matching Collins 32V2 transmitter the salesman told me that he could not sell it to me.
He said a ham had to BUILD his first transmitter and sold me an Eldico transmitter kit instead of the Collins.
That was the best advice I ever got and it started me on my way to enjoy ham radio for the past 70 years.
Can you imagine a salesman passing up a big Collins sale like that to teach a kid a lesson ?
73, Tom Perera - W1TP"
"When I was a kid in 1953 with my new Novice license in hand I went down to Harrison Radio in Radio Row in New York City.
I bought a new Collins 75A2 receiver.
Living in center-city NYC, a local AM broadcast station signal swamped and overloaded the receiver and made it very insensitive on most frequencies.
I wrote the Collins company for help and got a personal letter from Mr. Collins in which he apologized for my problems with my Collins receiver.
He said that he had made me a tunable L-C circuit and mounted it in a box with appropriate connectors so that I could use it in the antenna line to my receiver. He explained how to tune it so that it would notch out the interfering broadcast signal. It worked perfectly and I was able to hear even very weak signals after installing it.
It is amazing how personal even a big company like that was back in the 1950s.
When I went back to Harrison Radio to buy a matching Collins 32V2 transmitter the salesman told me that he could not sell it to me.
He said a ham had to BUILD his first transmitter and sold me an Eldico transmitter kit instead of the Collins.
That was the best advice I ever got and it started me on my way to enjoy ham radio for the past 70 years.
Can you imagine a salesman passing up a big Collins sale like that to teach a kid a lesson ?
73, Tom Perera - W1TP"