Category: Electronics

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Watch Your Home Team with Slingbox

Slingbox is a device that hooks up to your cable, tuner, or DVR. You connect to it remotely using the SlingPlayer software to watch TV from wherever you are on the Internet. It costs $150 to $240 depending on the version you want.

Because it is a one-to-one connection and not a broadcast, it isn’t illegal. So if you want to watch your home TV while you’re on the road, or if you want to watch the football team that isn’t shown where you live, Slingbox is a great solution.

The quality isn’t perfect. It depends on the upload bandwidth at the Internet connection where the Slingbox is located. Sports programs unfortunately will suffer the most from the video compression because they have a lot of action. Sometimes you just need to listen to the announcers to figure out what really happened.

If football is very important to you, then consider purchasing DirecTV and then adding the Sunday Ticket for $300. But if you can handle the reduced video quality, Slingbox is a great solution.

UPDATE: Slingbox just released the Slingbox Pro-HD, their new top-of-the line version. This box can now send high definition video over a local network.

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HD Radio in Washington D.C.

What is HD Radio?

Unfortunately, HD Radio has a misleading name. The letters “HD” stand for nothing. They only mean that it is digital instead of to analog. Digital does not mean that it is higher definition or higher quality than analog. It does mean that radio stations can fit more channels on the same spectrum.

What does HD Radio give you?

The Washington D.C. metro area has some great HD Radio stations. HD Radio gives you free extra channels to listen to outside of what is available on a normal AM/FM radio. Every channel listed below with a -2 or -3 is an extra channel that is not offered in analog AM or FM.

Washington D.C. HD Radio Listing

WAMU-HD 88.5 FM Nws/Tlk/Inf, American University
WAMU-HD2 88.5-2 FM Bluegrass, American University
WAMU-HD3 88.5-3 FM BBC / NPR / WTMD, American University
WPFW Soon in HD 89.3 FM Jazz, Pacifica Foundation
WCSP-HD 90.1 FM Nws/Tlk/Inf, National Cable Satellite Corporation
WCSP-HD2 90.1-2 FM C-Span, National Cable Satellite Corporation
WCSP-HD3 90.1-3 FM C-Span 2, National Cable Satellite Corporation
WETA-HD 90.9 FM Clscl/NPR, Greater Washington Educational Telecomm Association
WKYS Soon in HD 93.9 FM Urban AC, Radio One Inc.
WTGB-HD 94.7 FM Alternative, CBS Radio
WTGB-HD2 94.7-2 FM Adult Alternative – The Jam, CBS Radio
WPGC-HD 95.5 FM CHR/Rhymc, CBS Radio
WPGC-HD2 95.5-2 FM Gospel, CBS Radio
WHUR-HD 96.3 FM Urban AC, Howard University
WHUR-HD2 96.3-2 FM WHUR World, Howard University
WASH-HD 97.1 FM AC, Clear Channel
WASH-HD2 97.1-2 FM Smooth Jazz, Clear Channel
WMZQ-HD 98.7 FM Country, Clear Channel
WMZQ-HD2 98.7-2 FM Classic Country, Clear Channel
WLZL Soon in HD 99.1 FM Tropical, CBS Radio
WLZL-HD2 Soon in HDon 99.1-2 FM Hispanic AC, CBS Radio
WIHT-HD 99.5 FM CHR, Clear Channel
WIHT-HD2 99.5-2 FM New CHR, Clear Channel
WBIG-HD 100.3 FM Oldies, Clear Channel
WBIG-HD2 100.3-2 FM Oldies 50’s & 60’s, Clear Channel
WWDC-HD 101.1 FM Rock, Clear Channel
WWDC-HD2 101.1-2 FM eRockster, Clear Channel
WMMJ Soon in HD 102.3 FM Urban AC, Radio One Inc.
WTOP-HD 103.5 FM News, Bonneville International Corp.
WTOP-HD2 103.5-2 FM iChannel -Global Unsigned Bands, Bonneville International Corp.
WTOP-HD3 103.5-3 FM Traffic and Weather, Bonneville International Corp.
WPRS-HD 104.1 FM Black Gospl, Radio One Inc.
WJZW-HD 105.9 FM Oldies, Citadel
WJZW-HD2 105.9-2 FM Smooth Jazz, Citadel
WJFK-HD 106.7 FM Talk/Sprts, CBS Radio
WRQX-HD 107.3 FM Hot AC, Citadel
WWWT-HD 107.7 FM Talk, Bonneville International Corp.
WTNT-HD 570 AM Talk/News, Red Zebra Broadcasting
WMAL-HD 630 AM News/Talk, Citadel
WXTR Soon in HD 730 AM Sports, Red Zebra Broadcasting
WTEM-HD 980 AM Sprts/Talk, Red Zebra Broadcasting
WYCB-HD 1340 AM Gospel, Radio One Inc.
WOL-HD 1450 AM News/Talk, Radio One Inc.
WWWT Soon in HD 1500 AM Talk, Bonneville International Corp.

How to get HD Radio?

HD Radio’s Wikipedia page lists several HD Radio receivers for your car and home.

One of my favorites is the Sony XDR-F1HD. This costs about $100 and needs to be connected to an amp/receiver. It can not be connected directly to speakers unless they are powered speakers that can be connected with RCA cables.

If you need a new amp/receiver, there are some that have HD Radio built-in. My favorite of these is the Yamaha RX-V863, which can be ordered for $619 currently with a little haggling.

Is HD Radio worth it?

HD Radio has been around since 2002 and has been somewhat slow to take off. But if you like the extra stations it gives you, it can be worth the cost of the new equipment. Unlike Sirius and XM, there is no subscription to get HD Radio.

Washington D.C. offers more HD stations than most markets. The extra stations cover many genres and niches such as News, Bluegrass, Alternative, Country, Oldies, Jazz, and Gospel. If any of those stations interest you, give HD Radio a try.

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iPhone Special Diagnostic Codes

Thanks to AppleGuy Tom for providing these codes which work on most US AT&T phones and have been tested on the iPhone. Simply type these codes as if you are calling them.

*3001#12345#* -Displays the Field Test Mode, network, cell, GPRS, call, and version information.

This picture shows the information from one of my cell towers. The Rx Level is showing the signal strength from that particular cell. Note that in Field Test Mode the signal meter in the top left corner changes from a 5 bar readout to a number. This is more accurate and can help when placing your antenna for a signal booster, for example.

*#06# -Displays the 15 digit IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) in the middle of the screen. (This number is also printed on the back of the iPhone.)
This number is worth writing down. Your carrier can deactivate the phone with this number so that it will not work if ever lost or stolen, even when using another SIM card.

*#21# Displays ‘forwarding’ state (enabled or disabled) voice call, data, fax, SMS, sync data, Async data, packet access, and pad access forwarding for outgoing calls.

*#30# -Displays ‘Caller ID’ (enabled or disabled).

*#33# -Displays ‘barring’ state (enabled or disabled) voice call, data, fax, SMS, sync data, Async data, packet access, and pad access forwarding for outgoing calls.

*#43# -Displays ‘call waiting’ state (enabled or disabled) voice call, data, fax, SMS, sync data, Async data, packet access, and pad access forwarding for outgoing calls.

*#61# -Displays ‘call forwarding to voicemail’ state (enabled or disabled) [and number forwarded to] of voice call, data, fax, SMS, sync data, Async data, packet access, and pad access forwarding for outgoing calls.

To change the number of seconds before the call forwards to voicemail, retrieve your eleven digit number from *#61# then carefully type *61*numberRetrieved*11*30# -those last two digits are the seconds to ring (Default is 20; Max = 30)

*#62# -Displays ‘call forwarding when unreachable’ state (enabled or disabled) [and number forwarded to] of voice call, data, fax, SMS, sync data, Async data, packet access, and pad access forwarding for outgoing calls.

*#67# -Displays ‘call forwarding when busy’ state (enabled or disabled) [and number forwarded to] of voice call, data, fax, SMS, sync data, Async data, packet access, and pad access forwarding for outgoing calls.

*225# -Requests an SMS message displaying the current monthly balance. (if applicable)

*646# -Requests an SMS message displaying the remaining monthly minutes. (if applicable)

*777# -Requests an SMS message displaying the pre-paid account balance. (if applicable)

Some other AT&T codes currently do NOT work on the iPhone: *#4720# (voice quality reduction codec -to save battery) and  *3370# (better voice quality codec)

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When to buy Apple Products

You don’t want to buy a product just before it is replaced by a faster version at the same price. That’s why MacRumor’s Buyer’s Guide is useful for Apple products. It currently shows that there are many iPods and computers that are due for revisions soon based on the time since the last revision. This coincides with recent rumors of a September 9th event to announce new products.

This does not predict exactly when a new version will arrive.  Apple could come out with a small bump in the middle of a cycle. But if a revision is long overdue, you should consider waiting unless you need something immediately.

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Boost Your Cell Phone Coverage

Cell Phone Boost That Works

You might have seen stickers that you put on the back of your phone. They supposedly improve coverage, but they work just about as well as hope. This is better than that. It’s the zBoost Cell Phone Signal Booster.

The zBoost Signal Booster is equipment that you need to install at your home or office (now there is a car model too).  It consists of two parts:

  • Antenna to pick up the signal. It is in 16 inch by 1 inch PVC pipe
  • Booster that you place where you need the signal to go. It is about the size of a router or cable modem.

The antenna and booster are connected by a coaxial cable. There are different zBoost models costing $215-$310 depending on the cell carriers you need boosted. Be sure to get the right model for your needs.

If you read the reviews on Amazon, you will see that most people either love it or hate it. This is based on the individual situation in a particular location. You need to have coverage somewhere so that you have a signal to boost. The ideal location is typically on a roof or a window. Then you put the booster where you need coverage, which is recommended to be at least 25 feet away from the antenna in order to reduce interference.

My Experience

I just installed the zBoost for someone in Arlington, Virginia. It was the dual-band 800 and 1900 MHz XY510 model because they have iPhone 3G’s, which use both bands depending on if they are on AT&T’s Edge or 3G network. Their living room went from no coverage to 5 bars. Be sure to follow the instructions closely and experiment with placement. In my case, changes of 1 foot for the receiving antenna made a difference of 3 bars.

If your home or office has poor cell phone coverage, this could be well worth the investment.