I am really impressed with the Kenwood TH-D72A. It features the SiRFstar III high-performance GPS receiver and is compatible with APRS® data communications.

General Features
• Built-in high-performance GPS receiver
• APRS® firmware equipped as standard
• USB (Mini-B) port (USB PC Programming cable included)
• Kenwood MCP-4A PC Programming Software
• Kenwood Sky Command System II
• Compatible with ARRL “Travel Plus” for Repeaters
• Simple node access with EchoLink® memory
• DX Cluster Tune (Packet Cluster)
• Built-in 1200/9600 bps TNC compliant with AX.25 protocol
• Long operating hours (high-capacity battery included)
• 1000 Memory Channels
• Stand-alone digipeater

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Most people are fascinated by the weather although many of us, including yours truly, spend very little time outdoors. My interest in the weather gives me the opportunity to buy weather gadgets such as weather stations, weather radios, and weather apps for my phone. Among the newest weather gadgets are weather stations that use the internet or pager technology to receive weather information from sources like the National Weather Service and AccuWeather. Other weather stations receive information from nearby sensors which can be placed outdoors. Weather radios are handy for listening to local weather broadcasts. There are also tons of weather apps for most types of smartphones.

Here is a list of Weather Gadget Manufacturers:
Bushnell, Columbia Weather Systems, Davis Instruments, Kestrel Meters, LaCrosse Technology, Maximum Weather Instruments, Oregon Scientific, Peet Bros., Professional Measurement, RainWise, R.M.Young, Taylor Precision, Texas Weather Instruments, and WeatherHawk.

Here is a list of Weather Gadget Retailers:
BUY.com, Weather Instrument Store, Weather Radio Store, Weather Shack, Weather Station Store, The Weather Store, and Wind & Weather.

Geeks Love Flashlights.
Why? Because flashlights are gadgets and geeks love gadgets. Q.E.D.
(Q.E.D. = Quod Est Demonstratum = “Thus it is demonstrated.”)
My ninth-grade Latin teacher would have been so proud of me for my use of Latin these many, many, many years later.

Here is a test to see if you are a true geek. Do you own two or more flashlights that cost more than ten bucks each? If you do, you are truly a geek. I have no idea how much I have spent on flashlights, but trust me it is mucho dinero. I threw that last bit in for my twelfth-grade Spanish teacher.

I always carry a flashlight in my shirt pocket along with a screwdriver, a blue-ink pen, a red-ink pen, and a pen with a built-in lighted magnifier. The flashlight I now carry is a Fenix LD05 which I bought from BrightGuy.com, my favorite flashlight retailer. In the past, I have carried other types such as the Streamlight Stylus and the Streamlight Stylus Pro.

There is a great forum for discussing flashlights and related topics called Candlepower Forums.

Here is a list of Flashlight Manufacturers:
Brinkmann, Coleman, Dorcy, Duracell, Energizer, Garrity, Inova, Insight, Lumilite, Maglite, Pelican, Photon, Princeton Tec, Rayovac, Streamlight, SureFire, and Tektite.

Here is a list of Flashlight Retailers:
Action Lights, Botach Tactical, Bright Guy, Chief Supply, Flashlights.com, HID Country, Light Hound, Safety Central, Tactical Flashlight Shop, and U. S. Cavalry.

Calling Dick Tracy! Calling Dick Tracy! I can still remember reading all of those Dick Tracy comic books when I was a kid. There he was talking on his wristwatch videophone. It was so cool. I always wanted one of those things.

Fast-forward to the present. Modern technology has made Dick Tracy’s gadget into reality …well, sort of. I do not know of any wristwatch videophones, but there are several wristwatch cellphones on the market, such as the Aoke AK08 and the SWAP Rebel.

Throw in an FM radio and I’ll pry a few bucks from my wallet for one of those…in silver.

Wristwatch cellphones are currently available from several retailers including
Big Box Store (in China), Buy.com and Gadget Town

Every gadget person likes to shop for cool gadgets. Even if they don’t end up buying anything, they still like to look. I have assembled a list of gadget stores that I thought you might like. Enjoy!

I recently came across this really cool ultraminiature microSD/microSDHC USB card reader, the ELAGO Nano II. This thing is TINY! It is barely larger than a standard USB connector. The neat thing about this reader is that the card slides INSIDE the USB connector itself. You can actually leave it plugged into your laptop’s USB connector while the laptop is in its case. Sweet! When I first saw this device, my jaw dropped and my eyes glazed over. Before I realized what was happening, I had ordered one …well, make that two.

As a licensed amateur (ham) radio operator, I am always interested in the latest ham radio gadgets. When I saw this little handheld transceiver, I was instantly impressed with all of the features that Yaesu had managed to squeeze into such a tiny package. Its features include a built-in GPS, APRS capability (B band only) with Smart Beaconing™, CTCSS/DCS encoding and decoding, weather receiver with weather alert, high-resolution spectrum analyzer, and general coverage receive capabilities (108-999 MHz less cellular).

The VX-8GR dual-bander covers 2 meters and 440 MHz and receive coverage is 108-999 MHz (less cellular frequencies). Strong performance specifications are combined with intuitive operation. This unit has a built-in GPS unit right out of the box! It is not Bluetooth capable. It is, however, capable of CTCSS/DCS encoding and decoding.

The VX-8GR is supplied with the FNB-101LI 7.4V 1100 mAh Lithium ion battery, NC-86B charger, belt clip and SMA antenna. 2.4 x 3.7 x 1.1 inches (without knobs or antenna).

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