>>17911
Proceed with caution with those. I desperately wanted them to be good because they're almost half the cost of competitive weight/rating, but none of this "independently lab verified" stuff has ever actually been shown on those particular plates, only on the crappy steel stuff. They're stuff is not listed on the NIJ website either. In fact I can't even find any "youtube testing" they make fun of on those actual plates.

A lot of stuff the owner says is gibberish and raises a few flags.

>>17913
If you contacted Armour Wear, the company that supplies Bulletproofme with those particular plates, you could have the certification information sent to you. But yeah, only their IIIA stuff is listed on the NIJ compliance site. Might be because that's the only product they've submitted for any government contracts or something? I dunno. But if you got the information, you could find out what lab did the testing and make a call based on that.

Bulletproofme is one of the oldest sites on the internet that has sold armor to civis, though. I have to imagine that they can't have stayed in business so long while making false claims as to the proofing of their products.

In any case, you make a good point. Researching what you plan to buy is never a bad move.

Dude just go on eBay and pick up some plates. I just bought 4 ceramic plates for $330 shipped. Shop around for a while. You might be surprised at what you find on there.

Any idea about eastern bloc soft vests and plates?

>>17915
do they have dates or other expiration information? also can you confirm they are not dropped (can create fractures and reduce resistance to projectile impact and shrapnel)

I run small plates in my rig mostly because I hate to sacrifice mobility for that little bit of protection, going for the miminalist perspective.

My view has always been lighter is better. I used to use level IV ceramic, but traded those. I downgraded to some level IIIA polyethylene plates with Soft armor behind them so my entire rig weighs less than 15 pounds (mostly in comms and ammo)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261306914004464

>>18214
Most of the stuff I have seen looks like they wear dedicated ballistic gear with gear worn over, or some of the SF wear specialty gear, most of which is pretty much unobtainable in the west (apparently there are limited places you can buy it, but import/export restrictions on body armor -ITAR type laws stop most of it from shipping internationally)

It also looks like some SF are fond of American/western made gear.

I do personally also like the look of german LE gear

Message too long. Click here to view the full text.

If the straps are sewn into the part of the pouch that is away from the body, they are probably lifter straps. Put your mags into the pouches so that the straps are under/behind them with the top sticking out, then fasten the end to the velcro to hold them in. Need a mag in a hurry-ish, grab the strap and pull upwards to lift the mag out until you can get a decent grab on it. Never seen a chest rig use lifters like that, normally you see them on IFAKs or the like. But that's the best I can figure from the picture.

Can't help ya with the smell, unfortunately.

> straps in mag pouches

Mine didn't have those straps, did I get jibed? What sting are you talking about, mine is like 'mil surplus' smell

Still want one.

Soak it with baking soda and water

I'm not sure if the straps were commonly cut or if the straps were a test run or specialized version for certain units. Getting one with straps is kind of rare, but I'll admit I like the one I have without straps so I don't see the issue. Other Pattern 83 gear doesn't have them so I'm getting the feeling it is a special case of getting them rather than most users removing them.

>>18164

which won't talk to anyone

>>18148
My first radio was a Baofeng UV-5R that took two years of abuse. I reprogrammed it and stuffed it in the traveling box. Remember the box?

I spend the better part of a day with manuals learning to program the damned thing by hand to get onto local repeaters. Yes, it was difficult to program. That's why they make programming cables and CHIRP. Now, I cut and paste to different radios with different firmware. I play with RTL-SDR and have a Yaesu FT-897 base station these days.

And FIVE Baofengs, mostly for hiking using mobilinkd for APRS or otherwise messing around. They're brilliant for what they do, which is work as programmed, take abuse, and be cheap as hell. Sure, they look awful and have an ill-conceived interface. But for $25, you have a great little HT that you can take out and mistreat with excellent results.

>>18174
I taped a little piece of paper inside the battery compartment with instructions on how to program a repeater offeset, since I always forget the correct order.

And yeah they're not great, but they're good enough and have drastically lowered the cost of entry into ham radio. I think a lot of the hate just comes from the same old farts who got super angry when code requirements got dropped.

Anybody get contacts on AO-91 yet?

https://www.amsat.org/ao-91-commissioned-declared-open-for-amateur-use/
>The satellite was launched on November 18, 2017 as part of the ELaNa XIV mission, secondary payloads aboard the Delta II rocket that carried the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) satellite to orbit. AO-91 also features the Fox-1 style FM U/v repeater with an uplink on 435.250 MHz (67.0 Hz CTCSS) and a downlink on 145.960 MHz.

Bumping a old and dead thread but the Chinese are starting to get into the HF game. The Recent RS-918 is a pre-assembled copy of the mcHF SDR kit radio for around $450, and Xiegu has two models of QRP radios, one (X5105) aping the Elecraft KX3 and being sold through MFJ.

Also Yaesu is now selling reengineered Baofengs (or rather, their version of the RDA1846 chip) as the entry-level FT-4X. Also the VX-8DR has been discontinued with no sign of a replacement, so if you see one for a reasonable price and want one, grab it.
https://qrpblog.com/2018/09/yaesu-ft-4x-review-it-is-after-all-a-baofeng/

>>18144
>>18144
That looks like it needs a good break in and a couple heavy washes

>>18145
Ah, I just did a bit more digging.

SARCO, of all people, claims to have some surplus uniforms in a similar pattern in stock, and even printed fabric by the yard:

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/ngo-contractor-uniforms---atafrex.aspx

Once again, I do not work for this company, and know nothing about the quality, but at the very least they seem to be offering Rhodie-style patrol caps with the flap in the back to keep the sun off the back of your neck.

The khaki base in these pictures looks quite a bit darker and yellower than in the Begadi product, but that could be the lighting. The single picture of the fabric they're selling makes it look much lighter and less saturated, almost off-white or pale grey.

>>8725
IS the Vector file available for purchase?

Rhodesian camouflage available from

https://www.fireforceventures.com/

happy birthday.

>>18260
Fuck, the site is down. Hope it comes back soon.

My dad couldn't have been happier. It's his 60th birthday today. He's a former DoD/Civilian Department of the Navy employee. He saw a MIRV test off the coast of Cuba in the early 80s. Currently works as a HVAC engineer.

(No batteries in PVS-7 in pic)

>>18258
MX-10130C/UV Gen 3

>>18258
Nice! I have a blemished tube from a PVS7 given to me by a friend in law enforcement. I've tried bidding on dead PVS7's and parts but the stateside sellers reject it for Customs teasons (itar). I keep trying anyways, hope to luck out eventually.

>>18261
Where are you located? There are some Russian NV scopes that use MX10130 tubes. Not sure if we can get those in the US but maybe in Euroland.

>>18265
I'm in Canada.

Tay-sachs

  US Army 1st Air Cavalry Division soldier with an E63 personnel detector, in Ankhe, South Vietnam. https://youtu.be/4kGpf9W5s3c

A US 1st Air Cavalry Division soldier equipped with an E63 (XM-2) personnel detector manpack. The E63 intake tube is mounted to the barrel of his M-16 rifle and a signal cord runs from the backpack to a speaker under his helmet. The soldier advances slowly through an area of heavy brush, during training in Ankhe, South Vietnam. Another soldier moves in the background. Location: Ankhe South Vietnam. Date: January 31, 1966.

I prefer this Vietnam War-era personnel detector.

Inexpensive to produce, but the training costs are high.

I just realized I have a photo of the inner workings

But does it also detect bombs and drugs, cure HIV/AIDS, or find lost golf balls and broken water mains?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651
http://mashable.com/2014/02/26/egypts-miracle-hiv-device/

What about heart-beats?
http://www.pitt.edu/~kconover/dkl.htm

Lamps are great for anywhere you need to camp up and need to illuminate a large area. My $25 lamp from bass pro has a battery runtime of something insane like 150hrs. I've had it for years and haven't needed to change the batteries once.

IMO that's difficult to keep on your pack. I would vote for running it on the molle on the back, keep it real fucking tight so it doesn't move and make sure your bag aint going to roll on it when you put it down. You'll have a longer pack but it's better for the back than off-setting the weight, and if you turn it on while walking at night (IF Ever, even) it could illuminate the area pretty well.

I wouldn't recommend carrying one in a BOB kit tho

>Rule 12: Backpacks should not be wider than a door frame, or thicker than a door frame width minus your body thickness.
Your shit's all fucked up, stow it properly.

Stash it horizontally across the top of the small external pouch.

I know I'm late to the party but...

Couldn't you get something collapsible, like this?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C5QSENQ

  >>18169
The design reminds me of this.