WSHH887

You know, I have been to a few large events but they are just not my cup of tea. Mostly, I like to wander the SoCal deserts. I no longer seek out the hardest trails. I don't need to prove either my vehicle or self. I prefer to go alone. I have had folks tell me "that's dangerous, what if something happens?". Well then I either get out of it by myself or I am SOL. I have been off-roading since the 70's. To date I haven't found anything That determination, ingenuity and time can't solve. The right tools make a huge difference. If ask what the most valuable extraction tool is, most will say a winch, maybe a high lift. But really it's your brain. And if you don't have the mechanical skills and experience to fix what breaks you shouldn't be out there. Now you can't always fix it on the trail, maybe you need to wait until you are home. But you should be able to do it.

No, I haven't. I just thought it was a hoot to receive from that far away. I'll give it a try next time I hear it.

Good to know. Thanks

On grounding in general. When water pipes were either galvanized or copper, it wasn't uncommon to ground your houses electrical system to that. In a lot of cases here the meter is located in the parkway an the pipes ran underground for a fair distance. So grounding wasn't an issue. But, the use of plastic/non conductive materials has resulted in some older homes being repiped and loosing their earth ground. Regardless of what material you use for grounding it's simply wiser to use copper grounds rods driven to the depth required by local codes. Another thought, it's probably better to ground your radio equipment separately from your 120 VAC system.

I have to concur that line of sight makes a huge difference. I live on a peninsula that sticks out far enough into the pacific ocean that I can pick up a repeater in Chula Vista, Ca. That's pretty close to 200 miles. It isn't always happening, but some times. It actually took me a bit of detective work to figure out where it was. I was flat amazed. But, I sit on top of a hill and there are no obstructions between me and the repeater. I have that repeater programmed just the novelty of it.

Being old and liking to talk face to face I solved the problem. First a bit of background. Neighbor and her kids survived a home invasion while on 911 waiting for police. The police showed up a couple of hours "after" the invaders left. I helped her and he husband with the use and purchase of that which can't be mentioned here and had an idea. What about a neighborhood "network" where we could check in on those who are elderly or infirm and also allow a call for help from neighbors during emergencies. I went out and talked to my neighbors and some were receptive. So I supplied a few radios to older neighbors, and some bought their own. Nothing official, but it works. No fancy interweb lists or maps, just good old talking with neighbors.

I also have a Gen 3 Tacoma. I should take photos. I mounted the mxta26 on an nmo mount attached to a bracket that mounts to the rear of the bed. I ran the coax under the lip of the bed and then through the drivers side pressure vent on the rear of the cab. Then down and under the panels on the door frame to the front of the cab, across under the drivers seat and to the radio. No holes were drilled, and the SWR is 1.01. My bed cover is a multiple section accordion folding type made of aluminum. I've seen a few other installations, but all required drilling holes. While I've done that with my Jeep I'm avoiding it on my other vehicles.

I'm old. I had a SSN SN but also wore OD green fatigues. But for a while I wore tiger stripes. Looked cool, but I think they stood out more than blended in.

As many times as the question is ask. I've been around since the days of bulletin boards. Newbies are always asking the same questions. We can either insult them or invite them. I've always been in favor of inviting.

It's the strange ones that are most fun to play with. Imagination is the spark that fuels fun.

I haven't been able to get on the forum much lately other than to do a quick scan. So, I apologize in advance to all who take offense to my poking the bear. But I have lost toke, er time, to make up for.

Gee, is Dan around here somewhere?

Really, is anything after a CJ really a Jeep?

There are no dumb questions. Only people with huge egos trying to feel superior by making you think the question is dumb.

Mission? I haven't been on one of those since 1972. Didn't like what people who didn't like me were doing.