More than a year, multiple cancellation of "scheduled" Win 10 upgrades (which I had never scheduled in the first place, needless to say), countless scary popups and announcements later, I am now being terrorized with a yellow triangle warning and a countdown.
Hopefully it will all go away after July 29, 2016 or whatever is the cutoff date for their "free product".
As to why I chose not to upgrade to Win 10, the reasons are many - one computer is a laptop and I strongly believe it's never a good idea to install a new OS on a laptop, both computers had Win 8 bundled with them which I assume includes some recovery tools and options which might not work after Win 10 is installed.
Also, having sold me and everybody a complete product - Win 8, Microsoft must now honor its obligations under it, including support and updates up to the year 2022 I believe.
Too bad it's impractical for me at this point to sue them over a year long disruption and intimidation.
Еще раз отклонил. Уже целый год долбит этим вин 10.
HoroLex: Win 10 не пройдет!: Достал Microsoft со своим Win 10 и кампанией запугивания. Уже два раза отменил назначенное мне Microsoft-ом обновление, на которое,...
From my carspotting in Moscow blog, here is a photo report from an air defense vehicle show I saw in April (2016) at Space Pavilion, VDNKh, Moscow, quoting below.
Here are some vehicles of a different kind seen at an air defense installation in April 2016 where I also photogrpahed this Shilka system and this Buk 9A310.
Now I am going to dump in this post the rest of the pictures I took at the show.
This is for all lovers of radio and especially international shortwave broadcasting.
From my radio archives comes this recording which I digitized yesterday - a VoA January 3, 2003 broadcast with the program Talk to America featuring Kim Elliott's 2003 New Year Communications World edition with international listeners calling in and discussing with the host various issues pertaining to shortwave and other communications topics.
There is also some January 2003 (pre-Iraq war) news too at 23:35.
It was recorded in January 2003 on a cassette tape using a radio / tape recorder whilst tuning in on 810 kHz in Moscow.
llya's Radio Shack: VOA January 2003: From my radio archives is this recording which I digitized today - a VoA January 3, 2003 broadcast with the program Talk to America featuri...
Here is a huge nest made by hornets. Probably one of the largest ever.
Not only did I see and photograph it but I also practically owned it as it was in my garden shower.
Hornets were large and very visible as they flew around however they gave us no problems until that one time when I went up to check on the nest and banged the attic door -- immediately got attacked and bitten by two sentinels -- very painful.
We let them be(e) and in fall of that year they were all gone - either died off or packed up and moved. Used the abandoned nest for starting the stove.
HoroLex: Гнездо шершней: Самое большое гнездо шершней, которое я когда-либо видел... и более того -- даже владел им, ибо оно было у меня на даче пару лет назад в са...
This blog is for the most part about watches and clocks but not exclusively so as I am into other fine things as well, such as radios, and here is a VEF 214 radio set, another one of my many radios.
It's been in the family since 1988 and still works (video in Russian).
Coverage: LW, MW, SW x 3, and UKW (UHF) aka Russian FM (TV). It qualifies as a world radio for reason of having over 2 SW bands, I think.
The tuning dial which is marked in meters (wave length).
Here is another one of my many radios -- my 2001 Grundig Yacht Boy 500 (Italia).
By 2001 I mean that I bought it in 2001. The radio itself could be a couple years older than that, maybe 1999, even though I bought it new.
The Grundig YB500 model was introduced in 1993.
As usual this write-up will contain lots of pictures (over 50 in fact).
You can click on them to make them viewable in a Blogger gallery or something.
Starting with the original box which is quite a work of art, I think.
It also gives a basic description of the set which is an FM Stereo / LW / MW / SW PLL Synthesized Receiver utilizing Dual Conversion and with a Radio-Data-System (for FM). RDS is rare to be found in small portable radios.
Box opened.
The list below expands on the above description: the set also allows for
8 digit alphanumeric (?) station names, has a 40 station memory, a
ROM-table memory (with international SW broadcasters, of which later in
this write-up), a dual alarm clock and a power booster (6 watts).
An instructions manual. It looks that like YB500 had a different name mentioning Italia or maybe there was an Italia-themed version of this set?
and the Yacht Boy 500 Italia, (Part number 9.15056-6151/order number G.RC 2051IB) with restricted LW & SW coverage because of Italian legislation. The Italian set covers LW, 150-302 kHz, and SW, 3950-26100 kHz.
Paper complement below: two large manuals in many languages, a brief manual in German and English and a Short Wave Reception brochure for those wishing to brush up on their basic understanding of shortwave.
I could have properly registered this set with Grundig when I bought it but I didn't at the time but wish I had.
On the other hand, maybe it doesn't matter seeing as the original Grundig is no more.
The "Squeaky Wheel" as it sounds today... which is not much like a squeaky wheel anymore.
Recorded on May 30, 2016 on 3828 kHz.
Very noisy and crackly and can be heard actually only on USB.
Visual quality is not too good either because recorded at night in virtually no lighting.
Location: 100 km north of Moscow (maybe or maybe not).
Equipment: using my 2001 Grundig YB 500 receiver, PLL
synthesized, LSB, USB, ROM - will do an entry on it with pictures soon;
no external antenna.
Note:Ability to listen on an USB is very handy in this case and in LSB some. Without the USB function you would have heard nothing much on this frequency.
llya's Radio Shack: The "Squeaky Wheel": The "Squeaky Wheel" as it sounds today. Recorded on May 30, 2016 on 3828 kHz. Very noisy and crackly and can be heard actuall...
Some Moscow food trucks shared from my other blogs.
Went there last year so when I heard of a food truck festival this year and at the same location not far from home, we went there also last Sunday 24.04.2016.
More food trucks. As you will see, many are MB-based trucks, also some Fords and some Danish style sausage wagons.
I have had it since 2006 and it is not just a collection piece -- far
from it -- it is the one that is used the most for my occasional amateur
radio activities like a bit of DXing - trying to hear some shortwave
radio stations maybe getting QSLs from them.
So far almost all that I have recorded on my dedicated radio blog was received using
this very radio set.
And it winters by itself at my country villa in
minus 20 or 30 Centigrade temperatures too. But now it is basking in the sun.
It has a nice soft real leather cover on magnetic fasteners which doubles up as something of a stand.
This review will be short on words (just my general impressions, nothing too technical) but long on pictures.
For some reason I like these time zones schematics. Many of my other radios also have them. See, for example, my header picture on this blog page. But in this case it's on the back so you rarely see it, especially since it is covered by the leather fold.
And a frequency range table.
One of the complaints is that it doesn't include an AC/DC unit which you have to buy separately (as it has no mains power) as I did.
SSB On/Off is there.
Another thing that it doesn't have is a signal strength meter. But everything else seems to be there.
Reception using its telescoping antenna is pretty good. You can find proof of it on this very blog.
I haven't used an external SW antenna yet (even though a reel antenna is included) but am planning to use it this summer.
Other than that, everything is pretty good and ergonomic, easy to use and operate and also durable.
