Marantz NR1403

I've been talking about upgrading my AVR for a long long time. I had an old RCA receiver for the better part of 15 years. It did the job, but was starting to hiss and it had no digital inputs.

That's enough about my old receiver. Time to introduce my new AVR, Marantz NR1403.

Never mind the dust and bad wire management.

It's a slimline AVR with a lot of nice features. You can find the features at their website below.

Marantz NR1403 Website

It sounds great! My favorite features are Dynamic Volume and Power-On Level.

Dynamic volume is a sort of automatic level adjustment that evens out the audio level to reduce large volume increases and it brings the level up during quiet scenes. I live in an apartment so this is really handy, not to mention Hollywood these days seems to have a real hard-on for loud effects scenes and swells in the  music. I only wish the "heavy" setting was slightly heavier. I still sometimes have to turn down the volume for some scenes. Another feature which is nice, is the ability to turn off the volume indicator in the OSD. So when I do need to adjust the volume during a movie, I don't need to see the giant volume level indicator on the bottom of the screen. They seem to have thought through their features.

The power on level feature insures that you dont blast yourself out of the room if you powered off the unit with the volume turned up.

I don't really use the HDMI switching, I only use one HDMI input the rest of my inputs are run into the TV and passed through as optical.

I don't think this should unit should be bought by someone that wants a simple set-and-forget AVR. It has lots of settings and the manual needs to be read in order to set things up properly. There are lots of menus to get lost in. You will definitely want to use the OSD when configuring the unit for the first time.

I've used Marantz in the professional world and always thought they were decent quality goods. This unit is heavy for how small it is. Which hopefully means it's packed with quality components.

The set-up microphone seems to work really well. I feel like it balanced out the room nicely, and since I currently have an eclectic collection of speakers it's nice to have a way to bring them all together.

I feel like with this unit, you are getting a lot of the features of their higher end models but at a entry level AVR price. Marantz seems like the kind of company that doesn't make you pay for every little bell or whistle.

I think I'll be getting years of good use out of this AVR.

LG 60LM7200 - Home Theater Upgrade

I've been working with some fairly outdated home theater components for a while now. My TV was a Sony KDS-60A2000, which is a 60" HD rear projection set. My AVR was completely analog RCA boat anchor that really deserves no more description.

The perfect storm that resulted in me upgrading my equipment consisted of my TV picture turning a slight shade of green and my overpayment to Uncle Sam the year before that resulted in a decent tax return this year.

Sony admittedly had a problem with the SXRD line of RP sets which was caused by the bulb over heating the covering on the LCOS panel which results in an uneven discoloration in the picture. Oddly enough I have a friend with an older model with the same problem. He has a new TV now too!

So after shopping around for a few months familiarizing myself with the current models on the market, I widdled down my choices to the GT50 models from Panasonic and the higher end Samsung plasmas.

The plasmas were just too dark. The picture looked nice but was just too dark and the brightness and contrast settings had little affect.

Then I popped around the corner where they keep the LEDs and one set stood out of the crowd...the LG 60lm7200!

This set has a very bright, very crisp, very rich picture. I won't pretend this is the best set on the market, but for the class it's in and the price it sells for, it's a great deal. I won't rattle off the specs, you can find them at LG's site for yourself.

http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-60LM7200-led-tv

I will tell you what I like and don't like about it. The bad news first....

The major letdown for me is the remote. Although it does control other devices, big plus, the pointer isn't easy to use.

The set also has a pretty mean glare, I think most modern TV's have this issue, some do a better job at mitigating glare than others. During daylight hours watching TV is challenging since I have giant windows in my living room. I had to relocate two lamps to minimize reflection. Luckily the stand swivels 10 degrees to also help mitigate glare.

 Changing inputs is not easy. And the menus are thorough, but laid out in a less than easy way to access, and the volume indicator just looks weird to me.

All that being said I can get past all these downfalls for the picture quality, the price, the slim bezel, the well designed stand, and I'll say it again....the picture quality.

The passive 3D looks fantastic, it comes with 6 pairs of lightweight glasses. Be careful when cleaning the lenses, they are fragile.

I read somewhere that LG figured out how to make full res passive 3D, but I haven't verified it. I'll say a borrowed Avatar Blu-Ray play through a PS3 looked phenomenal. Tons of color, the 3D was pleasing in 95% of the film, and some scenes looked "Whoa" good.

The jury is still out on the 3D gaming aspect of this TV. I only have Uncharted 3 to sample. So far it looks great and is done well enough to add to the game and not distract you from it. I've played Battlefield 3 in 2D to 3D mode. Although it does actually look good and almost like real 3D, it's not suggested because the action is so fast the 3D effect detracts from your ability to process the game action. Maybe it will just take time to get used to. Hopefully BF4 will have a native 3D mode.

The remote remains a thorn in my side with this set. I need to reduce my remote count, but with this remote and the lack of control my Fios remote has over the set, I still have this mess.

Arduino Home Theater Control

Since I've just upgraded my home theater with a new TV and AVR I have obtained more remote controls. My remote control list includes:
LG Magic Remote
Marantz AVR Remote
Verizon Fios Remote
PS3/Apple TV Universal Remote

For various reasons that I won't go in to now, only one of the remotes are capable of eliminating the need for the other remotes. It sucks that we haven't moved forward enough to create an open standard for wifi control of consumer electronics. It seems like something like this would only benefit the market.

This problem is not new and if you have enough money and time, you can have a very nice control system. You could use Crestron, AMX, Control4, or any other number of vendors that offer iPhone/iPad integration or fancy touch panels.

Not me, I like to do things the hard way. Not to mention I already have all the components lying around.

My initial plan is to just use a simple push button to fire off a macro of IR commands to turn on and change inputs/modes to watch a movie.

That means:
Turning on the TV
Change the TV to the proper HDMI input
Turn on the AVR
Change the AVR to the proper HDMI input (more on this later)
Change the AVR to the proper surround sound mode

At that point I will have to use the AppleTV remote to pick a movie and so on.

It's not much of an advancement but should be a good place to start.

I've found several resources for Arduino code/libraries for this sort of project. I don't have much skill in the realm of coding so I will rely heavily on the web and a buddy of mine that has experience writing code for Arduino.

Here are two really good examples that got me started:
http://www.gamemaker.se/electronics/remote.php
http://www.righto.com/2009/08/multi-protocol-infrared-remote-library.html

So far, with this simple set up, I've been able to send basic IR commands to my LG TV. Off, On , Mute, Volume Up/Down, Input control.

[Update] Portable Ham Radio Setup

I recently added this piece to my portable setup.

It's a drive-on flag pole mount made by Boone Outdoor Hardware. Originally it's designed for mounting a flag pole and displaying your favorite sports team's flag while tailgating. It was $25 from the fine folks at etrailer.com. They also make a flag pole to go with it.

FYI etrailer.com has exceptional service, they carry lots of stuff that I've considered for another hobby of mine, boating.

Anyway, like any good radio ham, I found an alternative use for it.

My idea is that on a road trip or any other outing, there may not be an easy to access place to set up my painter's pole to for raising my Buddipole antenna.

With this piece I would just find a good spot to park the car, put the mount near the tire, run over it, pop the pole in the mount and assemble the antenna.

The pole seems to be held solidly in the mount. it has a set screw to hold it tight. I would keep a close eye on it in any kind of wind. However it is designed to hold a much taller mast than my painter's pole. Something to consider is using the foam bumper it comes with so it doesn't damage your car.

Another consideration is the Buddipole is documented as having a sensitivity to nearby metal objects ie. a vehicle. I haven't tested it in the field yet to see what effects if any this will have on the antenna.

I plan to test this setup soon and will report back what I find.

Youtube Link: Drive-On Antenna Mount

I also picked up this sweet folding hand cart for trucking all my crap around. It works well and folds up nice and compact.

It only cost me $25 bucks from Amazon.

C'mon Spring Time!

I've been thinking a lot about my motorcycle lately. Most likely because it's winter and I'm tired of being cooped up in the apartment. Here's a little ditty about my motorcycling history.

I grew up riding ATV's and dirt bikes in the country. I got my first ATV when I was about 15 years old it was a Suzuki 230 Quad Sport. Mine was similar to the one in the picture below.

I wore that thing out! I rode it so hard I ran through sets of tires, bearings, and chains like crazy and believe it or not 20 some years later it still runs. My folks still have it back home.

I had friends that had ATV's and dirt bikes. They lived nearby and we did lot's of trail riding.

Then life started and I didn't ride or own a bike for several years. Then around 2007 I bought this guy.

It's a 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan "Mean Streak". It was a great bike even though they discontinued it a year or two later. It was a 1600cc V-Twin (fuel injected). There were lots of after market options for it and a lot of people liked it because you could get some big horsepower increases with some simple mods or upgrades.

It had a ton of power, was reliable and somewhat comfortable to ride. I took it on several road trips and cruised many backroad miles. 

I started to realize I was wearing out tires more often that I probably should have. When I would take it in for service, the tech would ask if I was dragging my pegs a lot. I realized How hard I was riding and thought maybe it was time to get something a little sportier!

Then I got this beast in 2011!

Road Trip Mode

Old Bar End Mirrors (I have CRG Arrows now)

That my friend is a 2011 Kawasaki Z1000! So fast, so so fast and not to mention it's sexy as hell (at least to me). It has everything I want in a bike. It's not so sporty that I need to stop every 20 minutes to stretch but it's sporty enough to scare the bejesus out of you when you hammer the throttle.

If you're not careful the front end will come off the ground. It is twitchy, but not unmanageable. 

As far as modifications go, so far all I have done so far is install a fender eliminator and better bar end mirrors. The next thing on my list to install is an integrated taillight/blinker. I also want to upgrade the levers to make gear changes and braking more accurate.

I may do a few more cosmetic upgrades, but other than that, that's all I can see doing for now.

Anyway that's just a brief history of my bike ownership. I'll post more about my current bike when the weather warms up and I can get out on the road. 

[Update] Buddipole High SWR on 10 Meter Band

Update: Well I think I put together why my SWR was so high on 10.

The BNC not being cranked down was the first issue. The second issue was likely a result of a bad banana plug. I'll explain...

So last night I was screwin around with my antenna (no euphemism there). I saw there was a 6m opening and wanted to see if I could hear anything.  Whilst connecting it up the red side banana plug broke off in the binding post! I wasn't applying extreme pressure or anything, I think it's a manufacturer defect. A close inspection reveals scorch marks and what could be a cold solder joint.

Broken banana plug on the right

I corresponded with Chris from Buddipole about my issue. He responded quickly and said that this is a rare situation and he is sending me a fix. Very good support at Buddipole.

I think that mystery is solved.

I poked around the Buddipole User Group and found that people are able to work 10m without a tuner. So this must be the issue.

I'm replaced the banana plugs with ring connectors and nuts on the binding posts. I'm sure the folks at Buddipole will cringe if they ever see this. It just seems to me the banana plugs they use are way too small and fragile to last, especially when hanging coax from them. Even with strain relief they feel like they are too stressed to be reliable. So even if they sent me a new cable, I would fear the same thing would just happen again. Soldered ring connectors will never brake and the connection is way more solid than banana plugs. I've read other  people have done the same thing. It's easy and I already have all the parts.

Lock-nuts and ring terminals

I'll give it a go and report back what I find.

Axial SCX10 Dingo Kit

I built this kit back in July 2012, so I've had a lot of time to play with it and form some opinions. This kit has been reviewed to death, but here's my two cents.

The kit was a pleasure to build and aside of a couple small issues, It went together quickly. Axial provides good instructions for assembly. I'm an intermediate level kit builder and I put the whole thing together in an evening.

 My stock configuration (parts that didn't come with the kit):

• 27 turn Axial motor
• HiTec HS645-MG
• Spectrum DX3E Radio and Receiver
• Novak Super Duty XR
• Venom Power 3600mah NIMH battery
• Traxxas EZ Peak Plus 6 amp charger

The steering servo and ESC came from a Clodbuster tube chassis truck I built a long time ago. It had dual motors and was run off a 12V 7 amp UPS battery. That thing screamed. The servo is way under powered for this truck. You need at least a 200oz servo for the SCX10.

My list of Pros:

• Lot's of upgrade options
• Fun kit to build
• Extremely capable right out of the box

My list of cons:

• Long steering radius
• Sloppy drive train
• High center of gravity

Modifications:

• Hot Racing high clearance steering knuckles
• Robotronics servo arm
• Axial AX10 axles
• Relocated battery tray to the front and ESC to the rear

Once I made the steering enhancements, the truck became even more capable. The only issue I have now is while relocating the battery tray I had to put spacers under it to raise it so the front suspension would have full travel. Well that raised the CG enough cause problems in high angle situations. A battery solution that lowers the CG might be worth a try. I could also see getting a set of upgrade shocks, the stock plastic body shocks work, but leave something to be desired on the trail.

It's a great truck for the money, I would definitely suggest it to someone wanting to build a very capable off-road truck that should keep you tinkering for a while.

It has loads of adjustments and plenty of upgrade options that won't break your bank account.

Now go outside and rip up the trail!