The SharkRF OpenSpot is a neat amateur radio tool, that begs for interesting use case tests. With a background in disaster relief, I wanted to develop a portable system for DMR, that could be easily transported and use multiple Internet connections with a minimal amount of administrative action. To be a success the system must be easily portable, use off the shelf parts (Amazon shelves count). The first model, OpenSpotLite v1, is shown below. OpenSpotLite v1 Required Components Qty Description Link 1 SharkRF OpenSpot https://www.sharkrf.com/products/openspot/ 1 Mikrotik MapLite https://mikrotik.com/product/RBmAPL-2nD 2 Short USB Micro cables Parts bin 1 Long USB Micro Cable Parts bin 1 Short Cat5e Patch Cable < 1ft Parts bin 1 Pelican 1060 Case http://amzn.to/2CluTWK 1 USB Portable[…]
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OpenSpotLite Project
On the Road Again
Work on what seems to be my standard operation profile got a bit of a twist this time. Got a chance to work with some DMR Radios and the First Coast DMR Code plug. Using a Motorola XPR7550, a TYT MD380, and a new one- the Tera 7400. Using the programming software from Motorola and Tytera, I was able to start the build of a First Coast DMR code plug for the 7400. At this point I have the Jax Beach section, where I’m testing from, completed. I will post it here for others to review. Further Sections to be posted shortly. First Coast with JxB only
Read moreCloudy with a chance of pain
The Register reported on August 32017 that Cisco created quite a mess for their Meraki Enterprise customers. It seems most of what is lost were IVR responses for voice mail, and associated content. Stuff happens, but when a cloud provider has an “oopsie” the fallout is huge. Reading the later reports that came out that pretty much verified that restoring a backup of the lost configuration data was not an easy task. Cloudy with a chance of pain marks the day. Cloud services have the potential for amazing opportunities, however; they are not a method to eliminate failures. As users, it falls on us to understand the potential for outages, and the risks this creates for our operations.
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