The NotebookLM AI hallucinated a few things that made me chuckle. One was working satellites by connecting your radio to your computer. I didn’t write that. The AI pulled that from some source I neither used nor named.

The other was something about requiring manufacturers to include the ST-Link v2 dongle to “democratize” electronics. Nope, I didn’t say that, either.

Nevertheless, there is some value to be had from this interpretive verbalization of my written content. If nothing else, it can be humorous to listen to the AI voices pronounce technical words incorrectly and then make leaps of logic that are invisible to the rest of us. I hope you enjoy this.

This Random Wire issue 182 podcast is AI generated for those who would rather listen than read.

Issue 117 of the Random Wire Review publishes on Friday, January 3, 2025. Contents for issue 117 include:

* ALLSTARLINK: Version upgrade of AllStarLink cloud node

* RADIO: Radios organized and stored

* RADIO: Updated homemade YSF hotspot

* COMPUTING: Added utility to bash shell

* COMPUTING: New antivirus software installed

* TECH: NVMe storage gadget with USB-C

* CATCH-ALL = little things

* CLOSING: farewell 2024, hello 2025

Find issue 117 at https://www.randomwire.us

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Credits

* Intro and outro music by RedhatMike on Pixabay

* Morse Code clips from the Morse Code Translator

* The cover art for the podcast stream is by Wallace Chuck

* The other cover: If you see a photo of a person with a headset, that is a selfie of Tom Salzer KJ7T using a Heil headset

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As an experiment, I pasted all of Random Wire Review issue 115 into Google’s NotebookLM AI system. It spit out an audio rendition of issue 115 in the form of a podcast which is published here.

I have to say: the Random Wire review described by the two voices sounds pretty interesting! Honestly, I was really surprised at the insights and conclusions offered by the AI.

Did it get everything exactly right? No, but the vast majority was not only accurate but had added context the AI pulled from other Random Wire issues and from external sources. Color me impressed.

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Credits

* Intro and outro music by RedhatMike on Pixabay

* Morse Code clips from the Morse Code Translator

* The cover art for the podcast stream is by Wallace Chuck

* The other cover: If you see a photo of a person with a headset, that is a selfie of Tom Salzer KJ7T using a Heil headset

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Topics in Issue 109

1. Following Up on Thrift Purchases

1.1 Grundig AM/FM/SW Table Radio

1.2 Heathkit HM-11 Reflected Power Meter

1.3 Heathkit Hybrid Radio Patch HD-15

1.4 Audio-Technica AT2020 Microphone

2. Following Up on New Devices

2.1 TD-H3 handheld radio

2.2 muziWORKS H2T Meshtastic device

3. Gear for the Wichita trip

3.1 Mount adapter

3.2 Tri-mag mount

3.3 Multi-band VHF/HF compromise antenna

3.4 Magic carpet for groundplane

3.5 Other trip preparations

3.5.1 Extra microSD cards

3.5.2 Camera tripod and primary lens

3.5.3 HF radio and antennas

4. Not Radio

5. Closing

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Credits

* Intro and outro music by RedhatMike on Pixabay

* Morse Code clips from the Morse Code Translator

* The cover art for the podcast stream is by Wallace Chuck

* The other cover: If you see a photo of a person with a headset, that is a selfie of Tom Salzer KJ7T using a Heil headset

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Topics in this issue

1. Featured: Heltec T114 Arrived, Easy Config

1.1 Assembly

1.2 Installing Meshtastic

1.3 Running on a power bank

1.4 Changing the antenna

2. Flashing Meshtastic

3. Radxa E20C Router/Computer Arrived

4. BEARS Meeting Winlink Presentation

5. WIRES-X Error (Again)

6. Old Power Station Power Supply

7. “Trials and Errors” Blog

8. Interesting Links

9. Closing

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Credits

* Intro and outro music by RedhatMike on Pixabay

* Morse Code clips from the Morse Code Translator

* The cover art for the podcast stream is by Wallace Chuck

* The other cover: If you see a photo of a person with a headset, that is a selfie of Tom Salzer KJ7T using a Heil headset

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Featured content in this edition of the Random Wire Reflections podcast focuses on choosing the radio package for a long road trip, information about a new microphone-preamplifier setup for podcasting, a new AllStarLink audio board underdevelopment, and the ASL “restomod” audio interface project.

Topics in Issue 105

1. What Radio(s) for Upcoming Road Trip?

2. Podcast Recording Combination

3. News: A New ASL Audio Interface Under Development by NR9V

4. Project: ASL/PC-1A “Restomod” Project Wiring

4.1 Project box

4.2 Wiring

4.2.1 Masters Communications RL-20 DB9 pins

4.2.2 Microphone jack

4.2.3 Audio amplifiers

4.2.4 Capacitors

5. Review: XHDATA D-220 AM/FM/SW Radio

6. Alternative to Groups.io and Google Groups

7. Interesting Stuff: Zero Retries Newsletter

8. Grab Bag

8.1 Allstarlink Notify (ASLNotify)

8.2 Allstar Neo II

8.3 Asteroid mining? Really?

8.4 I flipped for this pocket knife

8.5 Wirecutter recommends walkie talkies

8.6 Wedding anniversary

Credits

* Intro and outro music by RedhatMike on Pixabay

* Morse Code clips from the Morse Code Translator

* The cover art for the podcast stream is by Wallace Chuck

* The other cover: If you see a photo of a person with a headset, that is a selfie of Tom Salzer KJ7T using a Heil headset

Featured content in this edition of the Random Wire Reflections podcast focuses on AllStarlink and includes the audio interface project being built into a Kenwood PC-1A phone patch controller box and how to determine what you just upgraded in your AllStarLink node.

Following are the topics currently planned for The Random Wire issue 104 publishing early on Friday, August 23, 2024.

TOPICS IN ISSUE 104

1. ASL: Restomod of PC-1A Phone Patch Controller

1.1 Master Communications RL-20 board

1.2 Microphone connections

2. ASL: How To Know What You Just Upgraded

2.1 Find what is upgradable

2.2 Find what you just upgraded

2.3 Confirm your Debian release

2.4 Find your Asterisk/ASL version

3. RF: Scout 555 Received

4. Musings

4.1 QRZ renewed

4.2 Should have been writing

4.3 Skywarn operations on network radios

4.4 Heltec mesh node T114 first look

4.5 Snakebit with RAK-based Meshtastic devices

4.6 Module 17 developments

4.7 Lightsaber news

4.8 Radxa ROCK 320C palm-sized computer

4.9 ARRL News on your AllStarLink node

5. Closing

Credits

* Intro and outro music by RedhatMike on Pixabay

* Morse Code clips from the Morse Code Translator

* The cover art for the podcast stream is by Wallace Chuck

* The other cover: If you see a photo of a person with a headset, that is a selfie of Tom Salzer KJ7T using a Heil headset