Loose notes 10/10/14

•   I came across an interesting post on a Dutch ham radio blog. It seems that Alinco has turned over "development and production" to AnyTone in China. Who isn't making their radios in China now? 
• A Dutch ham, PD5HP (Henk), sent me the pin-out for the Leixen VV-898 VHF/UHF radio. I'm looking into some way to use the radio for packet/APRS, and the only way in is through the mic. I'm not sure what "RXD" is, but I'll throw this out for anyone else interested in experimenting with these somewhat-nifty 10W dual-band rigs.  EDIT: I found out that "RXD" is the pin for the programming data.
• 
•  KE0NA (Dave) has completed the first instalment of his instructions for turning the TYT TH-9000 into a repeater. He has plenty of photos for every step, and anybody should be able to duplicate his efforts. You could whip up a UHF repeater fairly easily with these instructions, so watch for that first introductory post any day now. 
• Also from that same Dutch ham radio blog, it seems there's a new 10W HT emerging. The 10W Baofeng BF-F8HP that I wrote about previously was pulled off the market somewhat mysteriously. This is an alternative, though Topsung is hardly a familiar brand and might not be compatible with BaoFeng accessories. 
• Other radios on the horizon are the dual-band Lisheng UT880 for $150 (plus shipping). It's a full-powered (50W) FM rig with all of the standard features, but it has a front-panel speaker (like the Kenwood TH-271). Or there's the Lisheng UT858 monoband for the same price, with detachable face. Also, the TYT-TH9000 monobands are dropping in price. The latest price point is around $120 (plus shipping). I've also noticed a few radios in development, such as the GM160, that use MDC1200. What else? PuXing has a new DMR HT on the way. So does Lisheng.