Framework 12

A few months ago I tested a laptop with an ARM-based Snapdragon CPU, an experience that left me frustrated as heck. First off, it was a very good laptop (an HP Omnibook), and offered everything I was looking for - snappy performance, excellent battery life, a great keyboard. It was a really good all-around laptop. But, compatibility quickly became an issue. ARM processors are not built on the conventional Intel x86 architecture, the architecture that has dominated the Windows PC industry for decades. The Snapdragon processor is built on a RISC (reduced instruction set) architecture designed specifically to optimize speed and low power consumption. An ideal combination for laptops. Apple's incredibly successful M-series processors (M1 - M5) used in its MacBooks and iPads are also a type of RISC processor.

Since the Snapdragon is not an x86 architecture, it achieves x86 compatibility a few ways. The ARM compatible version of Windows 11 will do an on-the-fly conversion of x86 instructions to ARM instructions, many large software developers (like Microsoft) have released ARM-native versions of their applications, and there are hardware emulators built into the newest versions of Snapdragon processors to handle the translation. Any way you look at it, running a native Windows application on a Snapdragon-based computer is a fancy parlor trick, but it's a parlor trick that works... mostly.

What I quickly found out is that Icom has not developed ARM-compatible versions of their COM port drivers, and based on internet chatter doesn't intend to. This means that you can't connect with and control any current production Icom radio using a computer running a Snapdragon processor. I can drive my Elecraft, Kenwood and Yaesu radios using this laptop, but not my Icoms. And I'm an Icom guy. Grrrrr....

Back to an Intel x86 computer, and the star of this post.

I've got a stack of aging Windows laptops. Some can't be upgraded to Windows 11, others work just fine but have dying batteries. I figured it was time for an x86 refresh, but I didn't see anything in the general laptop lineups from Dell, HP, etc. that would cause me to spend my money. My want list was pretty simple, except for that last bullet item:

• Small form factor - 12" - 13" screen
• Intel x86 compatible processor
• Above average battery life (whatever that means)
• Touchscreen
• Backlit keyboard
• Minimum 16 GB of system memory
• Minimum 512 GB of storage
• Rugged construction
• Easy to open for repairs and upgrades, particularly for battery replacements

I refuse to purchase any laptop that I can't easily open for upgrades and repairs. After spending 18 years at the World's Busiest Airport managing generations of laptops and field data collection devices, and seeing most of them die before their time due to battery issues, I'm not going to buy anything I can't easily fix myself. Note the emphasis on easily. There are plenty of repair shops that, for a few hundred bucks, will crack open your dead Surface Pro or MacBook to do a battery replacement, but the disassembly process is akin to open heart surgery, and just as risky.

Several years ago, while watching a post on the popular Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel, I heard about a new startup that was going to manufacture laptops that were fully repairable and upgradeable. In fact, they were being designed so that, with a single screwdriver, the owner could easily and safely open the laptop and replace the storage, the battery, the keyboard, the display, and even the motherboard. The idea was that you would buy the 'frame' of the laptop - the shell - and fill it with the components you wanted. Hence the name of the company - Framework. Framework's first product was a 13" laptop. The reviews and comments were very interesting, almost polar opposite in many respects. Half of the  reviewers said it was an interesting product, but the specs were middle-of-the-road (they were), it was more expensive than it should be given the specs (it was), and for the average laptop buyer probably wasn't worth the investment (I'd agree). The other half gushed over it. saying that the design philosophy was revolutionary (it was), that the laptop delivered on it's promise of complete repairability (it did), and that Framework would eventually come along with easy to install upgrades that improved system performance (they did). The Framework 13 quickly struck a chord with a large user community that, like me, was fed up dealing with expensive laptops that could not be economically repaired. The Framework 13 took off, and became such a strong seller that Framework often reported availability issues. 

Framework continued to develop new products, and recently introduced both 12" and a 16" models. It's the 12" model that caught my eye. It's a 2-in-1 design, with a touchscreen that can be folded back to create a tablet. This is touted as Framework's 'education' model - ruggedly built with a plastic encased metal chassis built to MIL-STD-810 standards. It's not waterproof, or even water resistant, but it can take a few knocks. It can be had with Intel i3 or i5 Lunar Lake series CPUs, a variety of system memory and storage options, and Framework's unique interchangeable connector modules (for USB, HDMI, audio, Wi-Fi, etc). Like with the Framework 13, reviews of the 12 ranged from it being little more than a toy that offered poor performance for the price, to the greatest thing since sliced bread. During my research I kept coming back to a few level headed reviewers that said the Framework 12 wasn't perfect, but within a well defined use case, it's actually a very good option. It just so happened that the 'well defined use case' closely matched my requirements (bulleted above), with one major omission - the back-lit keyboard.

Buying the Framework 12 was a leap of faith, but a carefully considered one. It gets good reviews from people I trust, has a strong user community, and the company operates with a remarkably open philosophy and actively listens to its customer base. I figured if it failed to live up to my expectations it would be an easy sell on the Framework used market (one person-to-person used sales stream is actually hosted by Framework itself, on their website). 

I've had it for a few weeks now, testing it out and running it mainly for digital mode operations, JS8CALL and Winlink. My impressions so far:

• Since it's using an Intel CPU, no compatibility issues with Icom's COM port drivers
• Build quality is actually very good. The chassis doesn't flex any more than other, far more expensive laptops I've owned (i.e., MacBooks)
• The keyboard is a sore spot. The typing experience is very good, but the fact that it's not backlit is aggravating. In fact, within the user community the lack of a backlit keyboard is one of the biggest complaints. But here's something interesting - apparently there is an unused power pin on the keyboard connector that could be used to power back lighting. Speculation is that Framework may develop a backlit keyboard, and it would be a simple matter of popping out the old and dropping in the new. Try that with your Dell or HP laptop.
• The screen resolution, color balance and touch responsiveness is very good. Far better than many reviewers would have you believe
• The modular port design (USB, HDMI, Wi-Fi, etc.) is brilliant. You can have up to four external ports on the Framework 12, but because they are all swappable modules, you can move ports around. One of the neat features is the ability to place USB-C charge ports on both sides of the laptop, a common complaint on even high end models from other manufacturers. And if a module breaks - say a USB-C module fails - we're not looking at a motherboard-level repair. Just buy another USB-C module from Framework (for a whopping $11), plug it in, and keep chugging along
• Battery life. Well, not bad, but not great. The i5 Lunar Lake CPU is well regarded for its low power draw, so I think the issue is the battery doesn't have enough capacity. Now, the laptop will run for almost 6 hours, but I was hoping for something closer to 8. The battery is easily replaced, so perhaps Framework will make a higher capacity battery available?
• Overall performance. I'm not gaming, running SolidWorks or retouching photos with Photoshop. My computing needs are fairly pedestrian. Ham radio apps, office apps, web browsing, basic stuff. So far, the Framework 12 is more than adequate. In fact, it's downright snappy. No complaints there.
• Repairability is best in class. See what the iFixit folks have to say:

On to the single biggest complaint about the entire Framework lineup - the price/performance ratio. I'll be honest - for the specs they offer, Framework is at the high end of the price range when compared to Dell or HP offerings. But there are good reasons for this. First, volume. Framework is a niche manufacturer. For every laptop they sell, Dell and HP sell thousands. Framework can't take advantage of the economies of scale that Dell and HP enjoy. Next, bloatware. Framework sells computers. HP, Dell and even Apple sell gateway drugs, hardware devices loaded with bloatware specifically designed to squeeze money out of you at every turn by selling entertainment, gaming and cloud services. You are paying for the delivery platform, then paying for the content the delivery platform delivers. Manufacturers can shave their hardware margins knowing they'll make it up in on-line sales platforms, and they'll also broker your personal data for extra cash. This is why an HP or Dell laptop will always cost hundreds less than a similarly spec'd Framework. There's just no way around the cost differential - Framework's will always cost more. If you are interested in one of their laptops, you'll just have to accept that. 

To sum things up, I really like this little laptop. With a few exceptions, it's meets all of my requirements and the repairability aspect provides me a lot of peace of mind. I'll pop back in the future with any updates, good or bad, but expect to see this laptop showing up a lot in pictures of my field operations.

W8BYH out

It's Alive!

Like Frankenstein (or maybe Lazarus?), a bit of ham radio software I thought was dead seems to have arisen.

JS8CALL

I've written a lot about JS8CALL over the years, and was an early adopter when the developer, Jordan Sherer, KN4CRD, first released it back in 2019. It's weak signal keyboard-to-keyboard chat properties were unmatched at the time, and I always thought the program had a lot of potential in the EMCOMM world. Jordan took JS8CALL through several development cycles, all the way up to version 2.1 or 2.2, then development stalled. My guess, and it's only a guess, is that life simply got in the way. Jordan's a young guy and family, work and other interests likely pulled him away from ham radio and JS8CALL development. JS8CALL remained good software, but there was no forward movement. No new features, no bug fixes. It was going stale.

From the beginning, Jordan published JS8CALL as open source, and the code and packages were always available on Github. I think he understood that the time would come when another developer or team would have to carry JS8CALL forward. Starting in 2025, a small development team began work on an improved version of JS8CALL, which led to some 'Improved' releases starting in late 2025. In February 2026 the newest Improved version was released, version 2.5.2.  

It looks like Joe Counsil, K0OG, is herding the development cats on the Improved versions, and it's interesting to read the developer discussions on the Github threads. The team, particularly Joe, have a clear-eyed vision of what JS8CALL's role is, what is good at, what it's not good at, and likely never will be good at. This is a refreshing perspective. The developers understand there are better formal messaging applications available (Winlink, VarAC and even Fldigi), so their goal is to make JS8CALL a very robust weak signal chat tool, not a do-everything application. 

Here's a screen capture of part of a discussion thread regarding building an automatic missing message frame request tool into the application. I think Joe and Chris, AC9KH's comments are refreshing in their honesty about JS8CALL functionality:

Joe, K0OG, notes: 'This was discussed at the beginning of JS8Call, and I think the conclusion was (and I still agree with this) that there are better tools already available to do this, and JS8Call is not intended to be the best tool for formal messaging. This is partly due to upper-case-only text. In my opinion, JS8Call is good for coordination, informal chat, and very-light messaging duties, strong points being the mesh network and weak-signal capability. For more-reliable messaging, at the time I recommended the Fldigi-based toolset. I would still recommend that (there are some excellent weak-signal modems with FEC, and ARQ can be used with some of the tools), but also now Vara-based tools are good. I suggest that as a strategy, this is not something we need to do with JS8Call.' (my emphasis)

While JS8CALL was sitting dormant I dropped my support for the platform as a standard emergency communications tool. The weak signal chat and coordination mission was still there, but if JS8CALL was approaching orphanware status, I really couldn't recommend it. Now that development has ramped back up and a serious development community is plugging away at improvements and bug fixes, I think it's time to give JS8CALL another try.

W8BYH out

The IC-705 In Fixed Station Mode

For me, the Icom IC-705 radio has been a very frustrating radio. One one hand, as a transceiver it's typical Icom. That means it's great. Icom builds excellent radios, and their user interface is the result of almost two decades of tweaking. It is perhaps the best in the industry. It's also, by a long stretch, the easiest radio to run on digital modes next to the IC-7300, which says a lot. The internal design is an engineering marvel, particularly considering how cool the little radio runs, even  under constant digital mode operations (by comparison, the new Yaesu FTX-1 gets hot enough to light cigarettes off of).

On the other hand it's typical Icom in some not-so-good ways. An awkward case design, poor RF shielding, limited on-board battery capacity, a over-sized tuner that seems an after-thought, outdated connector technology (MicroUSB vs USB-C), a single combined HF & UHF/VHF antenna connector, overpriced accessories, and the need to buy expensive software (Icom's RS-BA1 package) just to get the radio to run properly on digital modes.

Honestly, the easiest way to get over most of these shortcomings is to buy an IC-7300 and take it to the field. The IC-7300 is a better field radio than the stock IC-705. There, I said it.

This leads to what will be a contentious observation. The IC-705 can be a better shack radio than the IC-7300. Not out of the box, of course. It takes some work (and expense), but it is possible to piece together a radio system, with the IC-705 at the center, that meets or beats the IC-7300 in fixed base operations. 

So why can the 705 perform better than the 7300? Two things: wi-fi and Bluetooth. These two features, not found in the first generation IC-7300, can make shack operations much more effective. The built-in wi-fi capability allows you to take your radio control interface remote, to the next room or the next continent. Bluetooth is much more 'local' due to it's limited range, but the radio's Bluetooth capability means it can connect to a variety of Bluetooth devices like headphones, microphones, speakers and other devices.

(Let me pause and mention an elephant in the room - the new IC-7300MK2 which is hitting the store shelves as I write this. This new Icom has built-in network capability, but not wi-fi. You still need to hard-wire it (via CAT6 cable) to a router or other node, which can be wireless. So the IC-7300 gets us further down the road in terms of connectivity, but it's not natively wi-fi capable.) 

OK, so what's needed to get the IC-705 up to snuff as a fixed station radio? Here's my list:

• An amplifier with an integrated tuner. I'm using a HobbyPCB Hardrock 50 amp with a built-in tuner and a Bluetooth IC-705 interface (another good use for Bluetooth). The interface automates band switching and antenna tuning from the IC-705. A very slick and effective integration.
• Duplexer. The 705 is both HF & UHF/VHF, but only has one antenna connector. Antenna switching is a real pain, and reflects one of the 705's design shortcomings. An antenna duplexer can fix this, so you can move from HF to VHF seamlessly without worrying about antennas and SWR. A duplexer is a bit clunky to drag to the field, but works fine in the fixed station mode.
• Bluetooth headset & microphone. A feature that can free you up to move around the shack, or at least relieve you of the tyranny of the corded microphone. I use Icom's own VS3 Bluetooth mic & earbuds. It works quite well and allows me to roam in Bluetooth range and still engage in conversations. It works well with a wide range of Icom (and Kenwood!) Bluetooth enabled radios.
• Software. The worst thing about Icom's RS-BA1 software is that you MUST have it to run digital modes, because of the 705's RF shielding problems. That said, the software is useful in this fixed station mode because of the radio control it provides over wi-fi. It also does an excellent job of out-boarding the band scope functionality. When connected via wi-fi I can carry my laptop to anywhere that I'm in range of the wi-fi node (my home wi-fi or my phone hotspot).
• Remote tuning knob. Nobody's made a good remote tuning knob for desktop rigs since Ten-Tec left the market. Their Model 302 remote knobs with keypad were exceptional. I used one with my Jupiter and it fundamentally changed how you operate the radio. One of the best features was that the remote plugged into the radio and controlled it directly. I know hams who bought Ten-Tec radios specifically to get that remote knob functionality, it was that good. Today, with the exception of Elecraft and their K-Pod, no other manufacturer offers a direct connect remote knob for their radios. Icom, however, comes close. Their RC-28 remote tuning knob doesn't connect directly to the radio, but interfaces with it via the RS-BA1 rig control application via USB. In typical Icom fashion, it very well built, over priced, and offers only limited functionality. But the functionality it does offer is well executed in the RS-BA1 software interface. I have my RC-28 configured to do frequency steps up/down with button clicks, initiate a tuning sequence, change pre-amp settings, and can be used as a PTT switch when using a Heil headset. 

When wired up, this combo makes a very good fixed station setup. Everything works quite well, plus there's the added bonus of having VHF & UHF available, and DSTAR (important in Georgia for state-wide emergency coverage).

Hams get grumpy when a radio doesn't offer all the features they want. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. But I also come from a communications environment - the US Army - where most radios were modular. You had the transceiver as a single low power unit, but then you were issued a separate battery module, power supply, amplifier, digital interface, antenna matching unit, vehicle mount, and more. Nothing was 'all-in-one', and this is a sound approach for ham radio. The IC-705 is a very good hub around which you can build an effective fixed station setup. But in the field, trying to operate at more than 10 watts... like I said, you're better off with an IC-7300.

W8BYH out

A New Computer and Oh, What a Mess

In my last post I discussed a bit about my search for a new computer. At the time, I was keeping an eye on the pricing moves for two computer models, the Microsoft Surface 13" laptop and the ASUS ProArt 13. Both get good reviews and feature the new SnapdragonX ARM-based CPU

Well, I got tired of waiting and watching. I took the recommendation of an on-line reviewer that I trust and I bought an HP Omnibook 14. WalMart was offering it at a good price, several hundred dollars below both the Microsoft and ASUS units. Like the Microsoft and ASUS computers, it uses the SnapdragonX CPU.

Why Snapdragon? I'm after the advertised improved battery life the CPU offers, plus I've never played around with a computer that runs that processor. Since the Snapdragon processors use the ARM architecture and not an x86 one, I knew there were likely to be some compatibility issues with certain apps, but I figured I'd give it a go. What can I say, I like living on the edge.

My intent was to create a stripped down Windows laptop for use in the field. Something running a lean version of Windows 11. Only the absolutely essential Windows services, and no local or cloud-based Copilot spyware. As much as I like the idea of a Linux computer (I'm currently experimenting with a Mint-based laptop and desktop), I still need Windows in the field for one critical ham radio app - Winlink. 

Unfortunately, it seems Microsoft has other plans for my new laptop. It shipped with Windows 11 Home edition (as most do these days). Win11 Home no longer allows the creation of local accounts - you MUST connect to the Microsoft Borg via the internet and use a Microsoft account to activate the operating system. Until you do that, the new computer you paid good money for won't work. You will be assimilated. 

I'm not being dramatic here. Microsoft openly and somewhat crassly admits that their intent is to turn the computer you paid for into little more than an AI-driven dumb terminal that is hard-wired to Microsoft's Azure-based sales, services and gaming ecosystems, and snoops on everything you do.

So my OmniBook arrives, I go through the Microsoft setup process, reboot and... Good God, the bloatware! Why the hell does an operating system keep trying to stuff useless ads and announcements in my face? It's pervasive - it's EVERYWHERE. And it's not just Microsoft. HP has loaded their own layers of bloatware onto the computer that overlaps with Windows. Bottom line - as delivered, Windows 11 isn't an operating system, it's crapware.

Within 30 minutes of firing up this new laptop for the first time, I was thinking seriously about putting Linux Mint on it. Windows 11 is that bad.

The good news is that help is available. I ranted about my frustrations on Facebook, and a good friend contacted me to let me know about a couple of apps that de-bloat windows. The one I tried is called Revision (revi.cc). Revision acts as a configuration manager. When you run it, Revision goes in and makes configuration and registry changes to Windows 11 that switch off the bloatware and spyware settings. As far as I can tell, Revision doesn't delete anything (unless you direct it to), it merely turns off those bits in Windows that allow all the bloat. Revision will also shut down Copilot and Microsoft365. This breaks the cursed hard link to OneDrive and Copilot in the cloud.

Revision accomplishes a lot, but it can't do everything. Since it only touches the Windows settings I still needed to manually delete all the HP crapware. Then there was the annoying default directory settings for things like documents and photos that kept pointing to OneDrive, even though I shut down the OneDrive application. Revision doesn't correct this, but the fix is easy - go to the local folder properties window, click the Location tab and reset the target location so it doesn't point to OneDrive (or click Restore Default).The fact that you have to do this yourself, and Microsoft doesn't make it easy to find instructions on the process, reinforces my feeling that Microsoft doesn't give a crap about the individual license holder. 

The effort, however, was well worth it. Revision did a great job of shutting down the bloatware, breaking the OneDrive and Copilot dependencies, and stripping Windows down to it's basic role as an operating system. I highly recommend it.

And yet I know that Windows, in all its bloated glory, is bubbling just beneath the floorboards, waiting for any opportunity to pop back up. Windows is always just one update away from a version that will trigger a procedure that blocks Revision and other third party Windows configuration apps. How do I know this? Well, a few days ago I did a Windows update on the laptop, and to my surprise, the Microsoft Store app was back, flooding my Start and Search menu windows with annoying ads for garbage I have zero interest in. This is an app that I deleted when I ran the Revision software. Somehow, some way, the Windows update snuck the app back in. Microsoft isn't going to give up, and they hold all the cards when it comes to Windows configuration options. I have no doubt that once the number of Windows installs that have Revision (or a similar tool) applied crosses some unstated threshold, Microsoft will decide enough is enough, and it will punish the peasants by blocking these configuration apps. Bastards.

 W8BYH out

'Tiz A Week Before Christmas and All Through the House, Not a Creature is Stirring, 'Cuz I'm Clicking the Mouse

I'm sort of obliquely back in the laptop market, looking for a new laptop to use in the field with my radios. I'm a geek, and I spend a good bit of time on websites and YouTube channels that review hardware. It's a hobby. This means that I have a list of curated sites and search criteria that I turned to when I kicked off the laptop search. 

The requirements are simple - a laptop that can be used outdoors (more rugged than a standard laptop, but not necessarily 'toughbook' standard), has a daylight readable screen, a back-lit keyboard, good battery life (a real 8 hour minimum), a good selection of ports (USB-B, USB-C, HDMI), a good CPU and enough system RAM and storage to get the job done. It also needs to be reasonably priced (not cheaply priced, but reasonably priced) and run Windows 11. Sorry, Apple need not apply. Many would say my requirements fit a 'business-class' standard, and I would agree.

The problem I'm finding is that may reviewers, even the good ones, don't want to spend much time reviewing business -class laptops because they are commodity items and, even worse, are just so boring. B.O.R.I.N.G. These are the laptops bought by the hundreds or thousands by Big IT to hand out to their workforce like Moon Pies at a Southern Baptist bible camp. Generally they are good computers, but they are... BORING.

Today's laptop reviewers seem to want to focus only on gaming, AI, immersive graphics and sound, fast wi-fi protocols, gobs of CPU cores, pen compatibility and Cinebench scores. Computers with mid-range specs, or laptops the emphasize other attributes like rugged construction or screen readability in direct sunlight get passed over. I don't need (or want) bleeding edge performance (and commensurate pricing), I want...

• an outdoor readable screen, 13" - 14"
• great battery life
• rugged construction
• a good selection of ports
• backlit keyboard

Since it's Christmas season, there are dozens and dozens (but certainly not hundreds, as YouTube would have you believe) of laptops on sale right now, but something's gone wacky with the pricing. I'll spot a really good price on an interesting laptop, and I'll bookmark it to go search for a competitor. But when I come back the pricing I saw just a few hours before (not days or weeks, but hours) has changed, and rolled back up to a higher price level. This has happened with Microsoft Surface laptops and Surface Pro tablets, and a whole range of ASUS and HP laptops on several major on-line retailers like Amazon and BestBuy. I know there are pricing algorithms working in the background to dynamically push and pull pricing based on number of search hits, available stock, competitor's offers for similar units, etc., but this is friggin' ridiculous.

Twenty-four hours ago this same laptop, on the same vendor's website, was $750

Hey computer retailers, guess what this results in? It results in me not buying ANYTHING you have on offer. You've screwed yourself. Congrats.

Next up, I think we'll talk about operating systems.

W8BYH out

A Surprisingly Good Little Four-Banger

Recently, I found I needed a simple 'four-banger' calculator with an easy to read display. Something that can easily and quickly do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, with maybe a few storage registers, square root and exponents. Nothing too complex, just a simple scientific calculator.

I checked my pile of old HP calculators, and nothing fit the bill (plus most of my old HPs have achieved collector status, and I don't want to use them as daily drivers). Checking HPs website, nothing is on offer that's reasonably priced. There's the HP Prime, which is way too complex for what I need, and a commemorative edition of the classic HP-15C, which is way too expensive for my tastes. A very good calculator, but just too pricey. I want something cheap - in the $10 - $20 range, so if I lose it or beat it up I can replace it and not feel bad. HP does offer the 300s+ Scientific Calculator model for $100, but that's too much for what looks suspiciously like a re-badged Casio.

Alas, it looked like I'd need to go to the Dark Side, and consider a non-RPN (reverse polish notation) calculator. There's plenty of them available, probably over 50 models from various manufacturers. Amazon has page after page of them. A few weeks back I took the plunge and ordered a Casio fx-300es calculator. It's inexpensive, just ten bucks on Amazon, and billed as a 'standard' scientific calculator. It's anything but 'standard'. The darned thing is so frustratingly complex that after just 10 minutes of poking the keys I put it aside. I'm sure it's a crackerjack calculator - it gets great reviews - but if I can't figure out how to use a calculator for a simple equation, say 25 x 60, within two minutes of opening the package the problem isn't me, it's the calculator.

Back to Amazon. After a bit more shopping I decided to take another $10 chance on a model that's been on the market, in one form or another, for almost 50 years (!), the Texas Instruments TI-30. I've had a natural dis-inclination for TI calculators for decades. They were HP's major competitor, and I much preferred HP's RPN operating system. Plus, EVERY early TI calculator I owned or used exhibited quality issues. In the late 70's, TI made a conscious corporate decision to go cheap on their calculators. The TI algebraic operating system was solid, the calculators themselves were not. Keys would stop working, LED displays would start dropping character segments. battery packs would crap out at the worst time, like during an exam (ask me how I know). 

I owned at least two early-ish TI calculators, an SR-51 and a TI-59. I bought the SR-51 while I was in college. I couldn't afford even the cheapest HP calculator, so I had to settle for the SR-51. The TI-59 was my father's (he much preferred the TI algebraic operating system), and he gave it to me when he retired. The SR-51 is long gone, but I still hold onto the TI-59 for nostalgia reasons.

Anyway, back to the modern iteration of the TI-30, the TI-30Xa. I figured I'd swallow my pride and give TI another chance. Hey, it's only a ten buck gamble, so if the calculator is a complete fail I'll give it to my grandkids to play with.

To my surprise, and reluctant delight, this is a great little calculator! The keypad is well laid out and the selection of functions is remarkably complete, to include DMS < - > DD conversions. It has three storage registers (I rarely use more than two), the display is a multi-segment LCD and readability is great (by comparison, only my HP-11C comes close in terms of contrast & clarity), the build quality is quite good, and the keys have an almost (blasphemy alert!) HP-like 'snap' to them.

Comparing displays. The TI-30Xa is the hands down winner.

Drawbacks? Just one that stands out. The printing of the 2nd key labels can be a bit hard to read, but that's about it. 

I'll go out on a limb and say this is the best general purpose scientific calculator on the market today. The $10 price tag is just icing on the cake. Why does it work so well? Simple - it doesn't try to be more than it needs to be. The display is clear and crisps because it doesn't have to display complex equations or symbols. The keypad is well laid out. All critical functions are 'first key' operations. The feature set is limited compared to more advanced calculators like the HP- 11C, but I'm not going to be doing matrix functions or advanced statistics on this little TI. Again, it doesn't try to be more than it needs to be.

Sadly, for HP fanboys like me, this is a calculator that HP should be making. HPs last foray into the general purpose scientific calculator was the HP-35s (above). It was a very good calculator but HP stopped production on it about 3 years ago. There is still a strong demand for a simple and inexpensive scientific calculator that uses RPN. C'mon HP, you can still do it if you try!

Until then, it's the TI-30Xa. I've never said this publicly before, but here goes - great job, TI!

W8BYH out

What's Got My Attention - Late 2025 Edition

It's late November and we're past the hyperventilating wonder of the 2025 releases of new radios like Yaesu's FTX-1, or yet another Xeigu (this time the 6200). I'm looking around at the pile of press releases, new product announcements and feature enhancements that might interest me, and there's only three that have held my attention through much of the year - two radios and a firmware upgrade. 

The two radios are updates to existing products, but build on the success of the current platforms (which were already very good), and offer truly new and useful capabilities.

The first is an update to the classic, and ubiquitous, Icom IC-7300. The IC-7300Mk2 will be released in a few months, and I understand evaluation models are already in the hands of testers. The 7300Mk2 builds on the success of the original 7300, which is still for sale and is a great buy at current prices. The Mk2 adds reduced power draw on receive, reduced phase noise, an external RX antenna port, an ethernet port, USB-C, built in software server support (basically the server piece of Icom's RS-BA1 rig control software), HDMI video and audio output, and a few firmware gimmicks like CW decode. 

Back of the Mk2 model, showing the new connectors

As long as Icom doesn't screw with the original IC-7300 features that I really admire - the excellent but little understood 'Emergency Mode', and a native quiet scan function that makes the 7300 the default choice for folks looking to run ALE - the Mk2 looks like a great, and truly useful, upgrade to the original IC-7300. A great radio made greater.

Next, the newly released Lab599 TX-500MP. A few years ago Lab599 teased out that they were taking their successful TX-500 field radio and re-configuring it as a true manpack rig. This new concept incorporates a built in battery pack and antenna tuner. Lab599, like most companies, got hit hard by Covid, and had the extra whammy of being a Russian based company, with Russia-based manufacturing. The Ukrainian dust-up also impacted them, and drove them to move production out of Russia and to the UAE. Through all this, Lab599 was able to keep production running and introduce a few new projects. The announcement of the manpack version generated an incredible amount of interest within the intersecting QRP/POTA/SOTA/EMCOMM communities. 

TX-500MP. Look Ma, no VFO dial!

While many low power HF radios hint at being built for the outdoors, none are ruggedized in a true sense. They are not shock resistant or even remotely water resistant. They are just small and easy to drop in a backpack. Lab599, however, started their product design for the original TX-500 with the premise that it was going to be used outdoors in harsh conditions. This resulted in a radio that was highly water and shock resistant. While the radio (sadly) has never been certified to meet to any industry or MILSPEC water resistance standards, it never-the-less has developed a reputation as a highly water resistant and rugged unit. 

The original TX-500 was (and still is) a successful radio, but it looks as though Lab599 wanted to take the product design further and develop a fully integrated and fully sealed rig. My suspicion is that Lab599 is after government and commercial contract with this radio, customers that want a more fully enclosed and idiot proof rig. The first thing you notice with the TX-500MP is the lack of knobs, and for good reason. Rotating knobs, like a VFO knob, tend to be major points of failure on any radio - they get knocked off or bent, and the encoder seals leak, letting in water or dust. 

Lab599 recently posted pictures of TX-500 radios that had been used by Siberian
reindeer herders, and returned for repair. The radios all worked, but
many were missing their VFO knobs. Do you think any current production
Icom or Yaesu HF radio could withstand this much abuse?

Eliminate rotary dials and replace them with push buttons, and it becomes much easier to fully seal the radio against water and dust intrusion. The TX-500MP isn't a radio for someone trying to hunt POTA stations or work contests. It's a radio designed to support voice or digital operations on pre-determined frequencies or channels. As far as I know, ham radio operators have never had access to a fully water resistant HF radio unless it's a very expensive commercial, marine or military rig. The TX-500MP brings a high level of field ruggedness to the ham radio world at a reasonable price. There's one on my shopping list.

My last item of interest falls into the 'teach an old dog a new trick' category. Elecraft's flagship HF rig, the K4, came with a neat audio tool built into the firmware called called Controlled Envelope Single Sideband, or CESSB. CESSB is a compression technique that increases signal output by up to 4 dB, with no distortion or splatter. In the real world it can almost double the effective received audio. Think of a 100 watt rig sounding like a 200 watt rig, in terms of signal power at the receive end. Last year Elecraft started to hint that, because the K4 and both the KX2 and KX3 share the same digital transmit processing lineage, it might be possible to implement CESSB in the smaller KX QRP radios. In the last few weeks, Wayne Burdick, N6KR, one of Elecraft's founders and the principal designer of the KX2 & KX3 radios, announced that they will be releasing a CESSB firmware upgrade for both the KX rigs. The firmware is still in testing, but Wayne reports they see no critical issues that will keep it from being released. This would have the effect of making a 10 watt KX2 sound like a 20 watt rig at the receive end. 

An extra 10 watts for free? I'll take that!

Elecraft as a company continues to impress. The KX line of radios is over 10 years old. While that's not 'old' for a ham radio (Icom still sells an HF radio that have been in production for over 20 years), most manufacturers end firmware updates and support within just a few years of introduction. Elecraft is the exception. They still tinker with the firmware and push out bug fixes and updates as they appear. That they are about to release a major performance upgrade to two legacy radios, do it for free and fully support the upgrade is remarkable. It's one of the reasons I'm a big Elecraft fan.

When the CESSB update comes out, I'm looking forward to testing and tinkering with it on both my KX2 and KX3. It may well satisfy my 'lust' for a QRP rig that provides more than just 10 watts. I can finally take that Xeigu G90 out of my Radioddity shopping basket.

So of all the ham radio hoopla of 2025 - new HF rigs, new HTs, new mobile rigs, new antennas, etc. - these three releases are the only things that really grabbed and held my attention. Everything else was, honestly, boring or disappointing..

W9BYH out