Roble Shipping rates for Cebu-Hilongos (M/V Theresian Stars)
Roble Shipping rates for Cebu-Hilongos (M/V Beautiful Stars)
They are now located here: http://g.co/maps/5kz23
My wife and I were looking for portable 2-way radios for her wedding coordination group and my photography. We decided to buy something that is locally available and I found this, Motorola Talkabout 2-Way Radios MC220R.
1 set contains 2 radios which comes with 2 batteries, 2 belt clips, a charging cradle/mount which can charge 2 radios and a power supply for the charger. The power supply that came with the charger was 110V, but the vendor was kind enough to include a 110V to 220V converter for free. 
A closer look at the Motorola Talkabout 2-Way Radio MC220R. It has a simple design with all the buttons on the front and the volume at the top of the unit. It’s very light and compact yet rugged enough for everyday use. The speaker is loud enough to be heard in a public place like a shopping mall or in the streets. The mic of the unit also delivers good voice quality. Navigating through the different functions in the radio is easy. I figured out all its functions without reading the manual and this is my first Motorola 2-way radio unit.
At the side you can find the Push-to-talk (PTT) button. Accessible and easy to press.
At the other side is the headphone/headset/earbud plug. I bought the earbud with the PTT mic. Useful when shooting events and situations where silence is needed.
At the backside you will find the cover to the battery compartment and the hole where you attach the belt clip.
Inside the battery compartment. It’s a nice feature to include that ribbon strip. It really helps in quickly and easily removing the battery pack.
This is the battery pack. It’s made up of 3 AA batteries. If the pack rans out, you can just replace it with any AA battery. This is another reason why I like this battery. AA batteries are common and easily available including the rechargeable versions. So purchasing backup and replacement batteries is not a problem.
This is how it looks with the battery pack installed.
The belt clip. This is one of the thing that I don’t like about the unit. The clip looks fragile, I don’t use the clip and instead I bought a pouch for it. The pouch was originally for a mobile phone. Because of the small size of the radio unit, its not hard to find a cellphone pouch that fits.
The 2 sets of radios mounted on the charging cradle. Charging the units takes around 8 hours. It’s a good thing the vendor included in the package a 110V to 220V converter for free.
Battery Life
Regarding the batteries, they only last around 6 to 8 hours depending on how often you transmit over the radio. But because it’s powered by AA batteries, its not hard to find backup batteries for this unit. Even if you already used up all your rechargeable batteries, you won’t have problem looking for alkaline batteries from stores.
Radio Range
The features indicate 16 miles or 25.75 kilometers. In my own experience, it didn’t reach that range. In the mountain areas with thick vegetation and foliage, the range is drastically lowered. With thick forest and mountain range, you’ll be lucky to get a good signal over 1km. I’ve tested these radios in the mountains of Talamban, Cebu and in Olango Island and there are times when I can barely get a signal from someone back at the campsite and I was only about 1km away from it. But there were a lot of thick vegetation and foliage between us.
Fortunately, my wife and I use these for events which doesn’t require that much range. I’ve tested this in malls and 5 star hotels and I get good coverage from the executive rooms down to the basement parking.
If you seriously need the range, get the higher models like the Motorola Talkabout MR350R or the MR356R. My only problems with the higher versions is their face plate design since its camouflage design. I recommend you purchase the face plate replacements with a different more “civilian” looking design. It’s not advisable to be bringing devices with camouflage design in photo treks in the local mountain ranges of the Philippines.
Overall
I love these units and I’ll be purchasing similar models in the future. Very useful for those who need 2-way radios for use in events and activities that don’t require range distances of 5km and above.
Note: I will update this topic from time to time giving you my opinion regarding this model over time.
After numerous sunrise & sunset photo trips, I finally decided to buy a headlight. I realized a head mounted light can be very useful because both of your hands are free to do something else. For sunrise, we usually arrive at the place around 4am so its really dark. For sunsets, it can get dark really quick right as soon as the sun is out of sight.
Since I’m on a budget, I settled with the Energizer 7LED Headlight. I bought this at Handyman Robinsons Fuente Osmeña for only P699.00 and it already comes with 3 x AAA Energizer Batteries.
This headlight has 4 light modes. The batteries can last up to 30 hours depending on which light mode is used.
- Night Vision (2 LED red) – 30 hours
- Flood (3 LED white) – 20 hours
- Spot (2 LED white) – 30 hours
- Spot & Flood ( 5 LED white) – 16 hours
Here’s a closer look at the LEDs. I have placed notes on the photo, please click on the photo and you will be redirected to my Flickr photostream where the photo has notes.
The headlight can tilt down to suit your preferred angle.
The strap is comfortable and easy to adjust. My only comment about it is that it should have another strap running from the headlight to the top of your head and down to the back connecting to the main strap for added support. If you use this for jogging or fast paced trekking, you’ll be adjusting this a lot.
The battery compartment is located right behind the LEDs. Even with this design, the headlight just weights right and doesn’t fall down due to the weight. Other headlight designs have a separate battery compartment which is placed at the back end of the headstrap or at the back of your head for distribution of the weight. It has a soft material on the back that serves as a cushion as the headlight rests on your forehead. The cover of the battery compartment is secured by 2 locks one on each side. The headlight and the battery compartment has IPX4 rating. Meaning it can take water splashing from any direction without any damage.
The battery compartment takes 3 x AAA batteries. The package already comes with 3 x AAA batteries.
The Light Modes
1. Night Vision mode. Only the 2 Red LEDs light up. I think this is useful if you are using a night vision device. The red LEDs are supposed to help illuminate the area.
Front View
Side View
Red LEDs used. Distance to wall around 1.5 meters. Light spread around 1 meter including the faded area.
2. Flood Mode. 3 big White LEDs light up.
Distance to the wall is 1.5 meters. The light spread measures around 1 meter in diameter. This is very usefull for walking around in the dark and at the same time saving on battery power.
3. Spot Mode. 2 smaller White LEDs light up.
The diameter of the light spread including the light fall off is around 1 meter. The spot however measures around 1 foot. This is probably useful for me when I’m working on something. Like fixing a PC or doing more DIY projects.
4. Spot & Flood Mode. All 5 white LEDs light up.
This mode basically combines the effect of the spot and the flood mode. You get around 1meter light spread with a bright spot light at the center. This mode drains the batteries quicker as I mentioned earlier in this post cutting battery life to almost half.
This is probably best used in emergencies when you are in a hurry and moving around in the dark.
I have only tested this light indoor and so far the Energizer 7LED Headlight has met my expectations.
I only have 2 complaints about the product so far.
1. The button. I have to click on it to get to the other modes which is kind of annoying specially that the button is a little bit hard to press on. I recommend you hold the headlight with one hand and press on the button with the other.
2. The Strap. It would have been better if they added another strap that runs from the headlight to the top of your head and to the back end of the main strap. This will give the headlight better support since all the weight is in the front.
Hopefully if the weather permits, I will be able to test this on the field tomorrow for the scheduled sunrise photo trip at the mountains of Busay, Cebu.
I will update this post as I spend more time using the headlight. (durability and IP rating)
Omni Shade Bora Bora Booney by Columbia.
FEATURES:
My first one was has a red color but I lost it in one of my trips to Valencia, Bukidnon. It protects me from the heat of the sun during my trips/treks. I can’t tell if its really UPF-50 thought, but it really keeps my head and face cool even under the heat of the sun during noon time.
The 3-inch soft brim is useful when doing landscape photography because it blocks the light so I can clearly see the display of the camera. And because the brim is soft, I can just bend it up so it won’t hit the camera as I look into the viewfinder. It also helps block the sunlight from hitting your face and your eyes.
The Quick Dry feature is very useful. During treks or trips, I can just wash the hat in the evening and it’ll be dry in the morning.
The Omni-Wick sweatband is one of the most useful features in this hat. What really bothers me when doing outdoor photography is sweat. It gets into my eye glasses and my eyes while shooting. The sweatband prevents the sweat from reaching my glasses and my eyes – happy shooting.
The vented mesh on the hat keeps the head cool. The adjustable chinstrap and drawcord at the back makes sure the had has a good fit on you.
Update: October 3, 2011
I’ve had this 2nd hat since July 11, 2011 and its still in good condition.
Overall, I love this hat and I highly recommend this to any trekker / outdoor photographer.
Old School Meets New School Photowalk
Attention All Photo Enthusiasts!
Let us rediscover the Urban Streets of Cebu City this coming August 13, 2011
What: Open Photowalk for all Photography Enthusiasts
When: August 13, 2011
Assembly Time: 5:00AM – Walk starts at 6:00AM
Where: Magellan Shrine (Magellan’s Cross)Route: Colon, Carbon, Pasil, Taboan, Cebu Cathedral.
iSTORYA.NET Photography Club in full support!
Poster by 1up2down Photography www.facebook.com/1up2downphotography
guests online.
