N5NTG | 
06 21st, 2009| 
Some of you might have missed the posting I made as part of the Plano HamCom report (part 2 of 2) that covered a new invention, the XBee-Pro ZB ZigBee, that allows you to use your computer to remotely reprogram your ham radio in your car, without either removing the radio from your car, or taking your computer out of your house to the car.
A pair of these 500mw transmitters, combined with the appropriate data cable to connect to your specific radio, allows you to run the standard software on your computer, thru a virtual serial port (created by the two transmitters) remotely up to 2-3 blocks away.
Many hams mount their radios securely inside their car / truck / SUV / whatever, and it’s a pain to remove the radio, bring it into the house, connect it to the desktop computer, reprogram it, and then reinstall the radio only to find out you programmed the wrong PL tone or offset, or forgot a frequency.
One transmitter connects to your radio with the appropriate data cable, the other connects to your computer (desktop PC or laptop) via a USB cable. The two tranmitters are covered under the 802.15 categoryin the 2.4ghz band, have 500mw of power, and during testing, were able to connect up to 3 blocks away. Shorter distances applied when the radio was mounted in the trunk.
Cost for the unit was about $110 / pair at the Plano HamCom. Al Fields KE6LGE of San Antonio bought a pair, so perhaps we can get him to demo this product at an area club meeting some time in the future.
