Uniden HP 2 Scanner review

 I've now had this scanner for many months and I'm very pleased with the setup and capabilities of it. So far, I've only used this unit as a standalone and not with the Sentinel software which during initial setup it wants to install. You can bypass this by just continuing thru the menu to complete installation. I eventually will need to update the database so the software will be needed to do so.

 This scanner is very automatic finding channels and groups to scan in the surrounding area. You can increase or decrease the area included but I would recommend at first using the default. I tried increasing the area included and it was too much scan time needed and the unit gave a warning about this exact problem. The default settings seemed to work the best although some manual manipulation of new frequencies can be done if desired. 

 I have this scanner on most times I'm in the ham shack and a charge will last 6-8 hours and it will beep to indicate to plug it in for recharging. I've also tried the included antenna and also an external antenna I have mounted on an outside building. Surprisingly I preferred the inside antenna because having a greater range also picked up more marginal signals and some interference. 

 This scanner works very well for My needs, along with several ham radios I use. I also have an older scanner for some specialized frequencies that I don't always want part of a scanning group.

happy listening--Tim

MacBook Pro battery replacement

 

I am still using hand me down MacBook Pro PCs from 2010. I've replaced the internal batteries once before and it needed a replacement again. Luckily, I found the original seller on the internet where I purchased from before and the price was still very cheap. It included the necessary tools for replacement, and I watched an IFixit video for a detailed explanation. The last battery lasted for about 5 years so I think My MacBook will be beyond end of life by then!

CQ WW RTTY & SSB contests 2023

 I forgot to post for the RTTY contest so I thought I would include it here. Both contests were fun, and conditions seemed to be similar. The number of QSO's and points were close although the SSB part I managed to contact 33 zones , ten more than the RTTY part.

 The 10m band was again the money band for Me and that's where I spent the majority of My time.

I didn't spend much time after sundown in either contest but did try 40m early morning and had some success. The 20m band as always was difficult competing with the big gun stations and 15m when open was just okay. 

 Next contest for Me is probably November sweepstakes-- till then.

 73--Tim