New Toy, arrived today...... Kenwood VC-H1s

Discussion in 'Survival Communications' started by BTPost, Aug 3, 2015.


  1. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Low and Behold a New, to me, Toy arrived today.... I have been looking for a pair of these forever, and since they are a Kenwood discontinued Product, and they only built a few of them, they are pretty RARE.... These are a pair of Kenwood VC-H1's... What they are is a Portable Camera, with associated firmware, that can Send, and Receive JPEG Pictures over any Radio Link via SlowScan Data Transfer. They use the Speaker/Mic connector to interface with the Kenwood HandHelds, like the TH-D72A's that AlaskaChick, and I, use for our Comms, around the AoO. I have heard tell, that they will also connect to the Kenwood TM-D710A's (With some adapters) that we use for Mobile Ops and a Base Station, here at the cabin, and I suspect that they can be patched into the HF Radios (TS-590 & TS -690) for SlowScan Tx/Rx as well...... Looking forward to playing with these two little Goodies in the near future....
     
  2. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Ooooooo....sounds good. Can the data rate be kicked up for VHF/UHF?
     
  3. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Still getting to know this thing.... I will answer when I know more, but I believe it has that mode as an option.....
     
  4. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    Pictures... of the kenwood's... and send them over the internet... I'm not sure my 2 meter rig will pick them up...;)
     
    Brokor likes this.
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Pictures......

    VC-H1.JPG
     
  6. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    interesting... thanks for the pics... looks kinda like a smart radio...
     
    Tully Mars, melbo and Brokor like this.
  7. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Didn't get to mess with them today.... Spent the WHOLE day messing with the FCC ULS System, and IT SUCKS.... Java Based, but only supports Java7 and Inet Explorer, or Firefox, but only from WINDOZ 7 or above... Totally SUCKS.... so I downloaded the forms in PDF, and then loaded those into a Pixel Editor to fill in the Blanks..... Then went to the FEE Section.... Holy Crap.... $700+ US for a Private Coast License.... No wonder NO ONE applies for those, for their Personal Cabins... Used to be like $50US.... Well, I will not be tendering an Application till AlaskaChick gets back from the FlatLands..... Did a FaceTime with her this afternoon... She made it into MYC without her plane getting smacked by a Drone.... Oh well, Onward, and Upward....
     
  8. whynot

    whynot Monkey+++

    Agree FCC website/ULS system is a poorly designed P.O.S. Most definitely not designed from a "for profit" point of view. (Impatiently waiting for my call sign to be added to the data base.)

    whynot
     
  9. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Must have been designed, and programmed by the same Federal Contractor, who did ObamaCare... Works just about as well....
     
    Tully Mars likes this.
  10. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    So, you're gonna pay the "government" 700 dollars so you can have permission to send yourself some pictures using radios?

    Am I missing something? :eek:
     
    Ganado likes this.
  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Yea, you missed the part about " Private Coast Station"....
     
    Brokor likes this.
  12. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Sounds like an unfair entitlement program to me. I'm telling the Liberals, especially the black ones.
     
    Tully Mars and Ganado like this.
  13. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Up here in Bush Alaska, every outfit with a Fishing Boat, and a Cabin, will have a Marine VHF Radio installed in the Cabin, so Momma can talk to Hubby, while he is running around in the boat. The FCC in it's Infinite Wisdom, has mandated am $550US Regulatory Fee, ( the highest Regulatory Fee for ANY Private Radio License) plus a $130US Application Fee, to obtain a License to use that Radio, installed in the cabin. It is NO Wonder why almost NONE of these Radios is Licensed. Who in their Right Mind, would pay that kind of FRNs, to License a $100US Radio every 10 years? No one I know.... This is just STUPID... 15 years ago it cost $60US for the whole License, and it doesn't require any more FCC time to process these, NOW, then it did THEN....
     
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  14. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Would it be cheaper to go with these as an alternative?
    Alaska public fixed stations provide communications for safety and public correspondence like public coast stations, but they serve Alaskan communities exclusively.
    Alaska private fixed stations provide point-to-point and coast-to-ship communications in Alaska. They are not common carriers and may not charge for service.
     
  15. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    If you look at the Fees Schedule, it is the same Fee Setup for ALL Stations in the MC and MK Groups, so APF Licenses are still $700US for 10 years... I have held ALL of the Maritime and Alaska Station Licenses at one time or another, and at different locations around the State. I need to call Licensing in Gettysburg, and see if I can combine the Private Coast, and Alaska Private Fixed into a Combined License like we used to do 15 years ago. Yea, It is a LongShot, but maybe.... If they still allow that, then I will put a bunch of 1.6-4.4 MhzMF Frequencies on there, add the 5.1 and 8.0 APF Frequencies, in addition to the 4,6,8,12,16 Mhz HF Frequencies, and then add the VHF Frequencies, that I need around here. I could justify, all that for $700US..... Hoops, just a lot of Hoops, to jump thru... Called My Old FCC Partner, up in Anchorage, to see if he had any insight.... They are talking reTIREing him, under this NEW "Reduction in Force" program, and running the whole State, from the Seattle Office... We did have a nice Chat, and caught up on the Gossip....
     
  16. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Ok, today I put batteries in the Kenwood VC-H1s and hooked them up to the TH-D72A Handheld Radios... and they work as advertised... Way cool.... I took pictures with both and transmitted them to the other Unit. Then I Added the Callsigns to the pictures, and sent them back the other way. 100% Cool Factor. If the Units are turned Off, they just act like a Speaker/Mic with a built-in Speaker and Mic, only a bit larger.These are a Way Cool gizmo, to add to the Comms collection. Next is to make an adapter cable, that will allow them to connect to the TM-D710As at the Cabin, in the rhino, and AlaskaChicks RED Toyota 4X4... After that, maybe an Adapter to feed the TS590, & the TS-690 HF Radios....
     
  17. WastedDaze

    WastedDaze Monkey+

    BTPost,
    When the VC-H1 was first introduced I was working at a Kenwood Land Mobile Dealer and was able to talk the owner to buying a pair.
    I set them up for video surveillance on the property. They were put in auto mode and sent a picture every 7 sec. It was pretty cool at the time.
    Also, being a ham I took them home and hooked them up to the HF gear and computer. That was a lot of fun, had a real blast with them... Eventually I had to take them back to work.... Don't remember what happened to them.
     
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