What have I become?!

[abmurrow@hachyderm.io]

@neil @jamesb Wait I never realized you could just be a read-only HAM radio person! This changes things.

[dianora@ottawa.place]

@neil A repeater?

[twohundredmotels@mastodon.social]

@neil my toy

[goingdownwithsundial@mastodon.social]

@neil and now I've got an ear worm! But it's a decent song so I don't mind.

Hurt by Johnny Cash (or if you prefer it, the NIN cover)

[msh@coales.co]

@neil an old man.

You have become an OLD MAN.

#DadJoke

[hananc@tooot.im]

@neil do you follow Ringway Manchester on YouTube?

[sheddi@mstdn.party]

@neil a Bao-fan?

[mbirth@social.mbirth.uk]

@wurzelmann @neil I’d say a ham radio hoarder…

[wurzelmann@mastodon.wurzelmann.at]

@mbirth @neil same thing, I just used the cool slang term for it.

[mbirth@social.mbirth.uk]

@wurzelmann @neil Like a true addict - speaking in coded language to hide the shame.

[mmiasma@mastodon.sdf.org]

@neil

A Ham radio operator?

[professor_stevens@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@neil

I have a couple of Baofeng UV-5Rs. I was anxious about them not being certified in the US, but when my oh-so-perfect Yaesu VX-5Rs button labels rubbed off after a few years, and Yaesu told me they don't stock replacement parts for "old equipment," I decided to go rogue.

My Baofengs are about ten years old now. And the labels are still there.

[teapot_ben@glammr.us]

@neil *groan* took me a second, but I did groan out loud when I got it

[ams@infosec.exchange]

@neil That's how we get ya.

[deciago@mstdn.social]

@neil "Man I am so hungry, that ham looks delicious. OH! I get it."

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

CHIRP is rather impressive, as a straightforward means of programming a Baofeng UV-5R (despite the warnings):

Just a moment...

(chirpmyradio.com)

Using it to add the PMR446 channels, via a .csv file (https://github.com/tolvanea/PMR446-channels-for-CHIRP/tree/main), took a few seconds.