End of year: What’s on the bench?

Read Time: 5 minute(s)

I have many projects “on the bench,” waiting for my time and attention.

Kenwood NX-1302 NXDN radio

I want to get the  Kenwood NX-1302 NXDN handheld radio working with one of my hotspots. Well, first I need to get the radio working, and then program it to work with one of my hotspots.

This radio comes from the early 2000s and looks like it was unused. Can I get it programmed? I have a copy of the CPS software and an off-brand interface cable. Fingers crossed.

44net address block

A block of IP addresses on the 44net was assigned to me, but I have not yet set up a tunnel or otherwise deployed any of the addresses. Right now, there is a lot of activity in this space. I don’t want to be on the leading edge of this so I am purposefully dragging my feet while others poke and prod at the 44net Connect system. Eventually, I think some fairly easy tutorials or guides will emerge. Until then, I’m gathering my courage (and a few VPN-capable routers) against the day I take the plunge and put some resources onto the public internet with static 44net IP addresses.

Orange Pi single-board computers

I’m fiddling with two versions of the Orange Pi boards, the OPi RV2 and an OPi 5 Plus. I should be able to load OpenWRT on one of them and use that for the WireGuard tunnel between my home network and my 44net IP block. My fallback for the tunnel is a GL.iNet travel router that I can load up with Wireshark.

Why the 44net addresses? I’d like to provide a static IP address for a few AllStar nodes, and perhaps also for some Proxmox LXC machines. This could also save some money if I can host my “AllStar node in the cloud” 57945 from home, and perhaps my M17-PNW reflector from home, too. The downside of this thinking is that home-based services are unlikely to have the high availability of commercial cloud-based systems.

M1KE handheld WLAN IP transceiver

Setting up the M1KE handheld WLAN IP transceiver for some modes will get covered in the third article in the M1KE series. (I’m working on this right now, with the M1KE sitting beside me, connected to our local Yaesu System Fusion repeater via XLX.) An interesting aside on the M1KE is the end of my transmissions are cut off when I release the PTT button like I would with handheld and mobile radios. I have to hold the PTT in transmit for an additional two seconds after I stop talking. It’s not because of my hotspot because I’m going direct to the XLX system over the internet.

HP t630 thin clients

I’ve spent a lot of time with Lenovo ThinkCentre thin clients (mini PCs) and similar Dell machines. I’m expanding into HP thin client machines. The form factor is different and they offer more expansion options than the smallest Lenovo and Dell machines. At the moment, the HP thin clients remain very affordable. Two are arriving this weekend and I’m looking forward to diving into configuring and operating them.

zBitx HF radio

I spoke of this radio in June 2025. That lonely radio has been sitting on my bench, staring back at me, ever since. It does digital, with FT8 built in. I have a few HF antenna options. I’m working on a pneumatic launcher so I can shoot a wire higher into a nearby tree.

KVM over IP

I hope to experiment with some KVM devices to allow easier remote access to my various machines. We’ll see how that goes. There are options, including JetKVM, PiKVM, TinyPilot, Comet KVM from GL.iNet, LeafKVM, and several other devices.

(Added after publication: the Openterface KVM-GO is a compact, open source KVM for local use [not remote] that could be useful for those who have several computers running in a home lab.]

Drones

I got involved with flying drones when one became available as part of a silent key’s estate. I paid a fair price for a well-maintained full-size recreational drone. Later, I acquired a mini drone (less than 250 grams) and then upgraded that to the next version when it came out. The company that makes and sells these drones has been banned in the United States (although I note here that the company was not banned by name — instead, drones manufactured by foreign companies were banned, but it certainly seems like this is selectively targeted at one company at the moment). There’s no telling if other drone manufacturers who make these devices overseas will be targeted in the future. I’ve stopped flying the drones from that particular major foreign manufacturer, but I have a different brand of drone that I’ll experiment with in 2026.

The FCC banned the import and sale of all new drone models and critical equipment made by foreign manufacturers, including the world’s largest drone maker DJI, by adding them into a so-called “Covered List” of entities deemed to “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.”

Instead of my major brand drone, I’ll be flying a Potensic ATOM 2 mini drone. Allegedly, the image quality is not as good. We’ll see.

APRS

I’m in a spot where we don’t get good APRS digipeating or igating. I’m interested in setting up a digi or igate at the lake house, something low powered (5 watts?), more as a fill-in than anything else. I’m just starting to look for information on kits, building my own, and pre-made units. I’m also interested in Winlink, but I think I’ll start with something in the APRS realm as I’ve been a fond user of APRS since I was first licensed.

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Featured photo credit: Photo by Blaz Erzetic: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-soldering-circuit-board-2517330/