Re: any active EFJ users left?
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 7:37 pm
Hey Jim. On the finding older computers that still have 9 pin D connectors for "real" RS232 I made it known I needed such a computer and if I had not screamed NO MORE PLEASE!!! Would be forced to sleep on top of piles of free old laptops. Surprising how something that when it was new was just the "best" can now be considered junk. On that note speaking to a friend about a program he was writing instead of a small routine that did a calculation he wrote a program to generate every possible answer to every possible set of the input variables and indexed into the answer. So instead of the program running around and around to churn slowly out one answer his worked in a couple cycles like instantly! I was pondering the size of the table of answers wondering how that could be do able and he suggested I see how much memory was in the oldest one of these laptops I was given for free. Amazing that new versions of Windows can use up all this power and obsolete computers making it a must we buy new and faster ones. Pretty sickening how many times we buy new faster equipment that does just about what the previous ones did with the older version of Windows. You would think that with the amount of practice they have they could spend some time making it better and faster SIGH.
I found a really sharp version of Linux (Puppy Linux) that is designed to make old computers valuable again and am truly impressed how fast it is and how well it covered drivers for everything I've tried it on without having to dig around looking for something then having to turn the computer on and off a few times etc. It just "knows" and does this without any fuss. And! You can run a copy of Windows XP (And Image) in Linux Virtual box and software life the EFJ stuff runs fine as far as I can tell. You just can't ever let an XP machine connect to the internet ever! Some goons have some way to trash your system when its seen on the web.
Anyway I found one of those laptops similar to the Panasonic Trough book (But this is Motorola) I put radio programming software on it and it can boot into Puppy Linux as well (Dual Boot with a program called LICK) Its a retired radio from a Police Squad care and I think its pretty neat. Oh and has connectors for the WiFi so you can use a better antenna. Those etched in antennas seem like crap to me but? I dunno. Wondering if anyone has pondered doing a stacked type antenna for 5 or 2.3 Ghz?
I might have this wrong but talked so more about the Motorola radios coming into CAP and was told they were not to be issued out as they came with gang chargers? So no one can have one in his / her hands long enough to get very familiar with. And as I thought based on a quick look I don't think the ground point to point range is very good with the small rubber duck antenna. I think this assumption that everything is going to be connected into a trunking system is not what CAP wants.
Oh and in response to the original question am still buying, refubishing EFJ radios and now the Thales/Racal25 (PRC6894) mostly for CAP but other 1st responder types.
I found a really sharp version of Linux (Puppy Linux) that is designed to make old computers valuable again and am truly impressed how fast it is and how well it covered drivers for everything I've tried it on without having to dig around looking for something then having to turn the computer on and off a few times etc. It just "knows" and does this without any fuss. And! You can run a copy of Windows XP (And Image) in Linux Virtual box and software life the EFJ stuff runs fine as far as I can tell. You just can't ever let an XP machine connect to the internet ever! Some goons have some way to trash your system when its seen on the web.
Anyway I found one of those laptops similar to the Panasonic Trough book (But this is Motorola) I put radio programming software on it and it can boot into Puppy Linux as well (Dual Boot with a program called LICK) Its a retired radio from a Police Squad care and I think its pretty neat. Oh and has connectors for the WiFi so you can use a better antenna. Those etched in antennas seem like crap to me but? I dunno. Wondering if anyone has pondered doing a stacked type antenna for 5 or 2.3 Ghz?
I might have this wrong but talked so more about the Motorola radios coming into CAP and was told they were not to be issued out as they came with gang chargers? So no one can have one in his / her hands long enough to get very familiar with. And as I thought based on a quick look I don't think the ground point to point range is very good with the small rubber duck antenna. I think this assumption that everything is going to be connected into a trunking system is not what CAP wants.
Oh and in response to the original question am still buying, refubishing EFJ radios and now the Thales/Racal25 (PRC6894) mostly for CAP but other 1st responder types.