Off Roading

[WRUU653]

32 minutes ago, nokones said:

I have a feeling that there may be some fake body parts

They’re called aftermarket

[gortex2]

Well I guess when I told wife we need to do multiple repairs on the JK she decided a new one was better...so picking up a 2018 Rubicon later this week. So instead of axles, lockers, its just radios and wrap...My kinda work for winter months ! 

 

[SteveShannon]

On 8/22/2024 at 7:33 PM, marcspaz said:

That sucks to see. Depending on the state, he can be looking at jail time for that stunt.

He received a citation for failing to report an accident.

And his insurance completely paid for my repairs and nearly a month long car rental. 

[marcspaz]

 

Well, i got the green light from the wife to build another rock crawler. This one is going to include some nice VHF/UHF comms, too. Just not sure if I'm going to stick HF in it. I feel like I won't need it, unless I'm wheeling with someone who is still running a CB. Of course, I know a few people with CBs, but no one uses them offroad.

 

I am pretty sure I am going to install the MXT500 due to its IP rating. The Jeep won't have any roof or doors once it's done. Shoot, im not even sure if it will have a windshield when it's done. LoL

 

Anyone aware of a different, affordable and readily available GMRS/UHF mobile radio that I should consider?  IP66 or better and 20+w?

 

This is what I picked up. 1997 Wrangler TJ.

 

 

This is roughly what it will look like when its done. 

 

[nokones]

Marc:

Looks like a fun project. Take a look at Rugged Radios. They have waterproof radios for off-road racing vehicles in both VHF and UHF. They also have Jeep specific kis and accessories along with racing audio accessories. I believe their radio might be 40 watt radios.

Their radios appear to be rugged (no pun intended), but I don't like the fact that their radios programming software application was developed by RT Systems which I find some what weird.

[marcspaz]

Hey Kenny... I appreciate the recommendation, but I will never buy a Rugged Radio.  They have such bad products and reputation for poor quality.  Everyone I ever knew personally who owned one, it was broken in some way shape or form and none of them ever made anything close the the power they claim... like 4 or 5 watts on max instead of 50w, kind of stuff.

 

Also, that they have been cited for unlawfully marketing radios in violation of marketing rules.  I'd rather steer clear.

https://www.fcc.gov/document/eb-issues-citation-rugged-radios-equipment-marketing-violations

[gortex2]

Nice we looked at a nice LJ that was actually automatic, but with my time on the road didn't think I'd have time to get everything done before April so a 3/4 done jeep was what we got. Luckily one we found was a one owner 100% mall crawler (whinch doesnt even have power cables to it). We plan to remove all the mall stuff and put some real stuff on it. Just ordered new BFG MT last night for all the way around. Going to miss the old school MT...

[WRXB215]

8 hours ago, marcspaz said:

This is roughly what it will look like when its done.

Man, that looks like some kind of expensive RC. 

[marcspaz]

1 hour ago, gortex2 said:

Nice we looked at a nice LJ that was actually automatic, but with my time on the road didn't think I'd have time to get everything done before April so a 3/4 done jeep was what we got. Luckily one we found was a one owner 100% mall crawler (whinch doesnt even have power cables to it). We plan to remove all the mall stuff and put some real stuff on it. Just ordered new BFG MT last night for all the way around. Going to miss the old school MT...

 

That sounds great!  I still want to get a trip together for members who are on or willing to commute to the east coast. I feel like Uwharrie is a nice, central/ Mid-Atlantic location. We have to see what we can pull off in 2025.

[marcspaz]

14 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

Man, that looks like some kind of expensive RC. 

 

Hopefully it will be as much fun, too!

[WRUU653]

1 hour ago, marcspaz said:

Hey Kenny... I appreciate the recommendation, but I will never buy a Rugged Radio.  They have such bad products and reputation for poor quality.  Everyone I ever knew personally who owned one, it was broken in some way shape or form and none of them ever made anything close the the power they claim... like 4 or 5 watts on max instead of 50w, kind of stuff.

 

Also, that they have been cited for unlawfully marketing radios in violation of marketing rules.  I'd rather steer clear.

https://www.fcc.gov/document/eb-issues-citation-rugged-radios-equipment-marketing-violations

Marc, I have not been interested in their radios. However as @nokones mentioned they do have some mounting hardware and accessories you might want to take a look at. I have purchased a few things from them that are well made (no radios though). I do understand your aversion though. 
 

[nokones]

Well, I didn't know about their radios and the situation with the FCC, I've never bought one, but I tried to program one and it was a pain. However, I have bought their mounting components and one of their VHF Phantom antennae that had a VSWR of 12.0:1 on 154 Megs.

I returned the antenna and got a refund.

[WRUU653]

4 minutes ago, nokones said:

that had a VSWR of 12.0:1 on 154 Megs

Ouch.
My purchases have been mounting related. I did get a cable once for a mobile installation and no problems. They’re 10 min. from my house so in a pinch I can run over and get something.

[gortex2]

6 hours ago, marcspaz said:

 

That sounds great!  I still want to get a trip together for members who are on or willing to commute to the east coast. I feel like Uwharrie is a nice, central/ Mid-Atlantic location. We have to see what we can pull off in 2025.

Let us know. I'll be in Uwharrie a few times this coming year. I have the annual pass on our jeeps. Need to get a 2025 one for the new jeep when they come up. For Jeep Jamborees we booked, Tennesee Mtns (Windrock) for spring, Coal Mountain in the summer and Cumberland and Uhwarrie for the fall. Most likely will do Greenbriar as well but thats 3 weekends in a row of trips. We also plan to do the SFWD events in the sping (Coalmont TN) and fall (Windrock). Be a fun summer. 

I know most on this forum despise midland but I just grabbed another 275 for the new jeep. With the "offroad promo code" it was $132. That made more sense than ripping the old one out of the other JK. Plus I'd like to keep the old JK anyway. Only other radio planned will be a FTM400  which I already have in a box. I had picked it up used for the other JK and never got to it. No APX in this JK...at least yet. I normally just grab my APX Next anyway now so no need for a mobile. 

[gortex2]

BTW...The midland 20% off code for off road is  - OFFROAD20

 

[gortex2]

Crazy winter but the wx is getting better. Was in Uhwarrie on some private land a few weeks ago and it was great to get the jeep out again. This weekend put the new radio in the wifes new JK. We ended up grabbing a second one as she wanted the "jeep" version of the 275. Happy Wife Happy Life. So I now have a spare. I did get the FTM400 mounted. HEado n molle panel and deck on side wall. I actually made a bracket out of 1" aluminum that uses the hard top bolt holes to hang it behind the roll bar. I have the other JK mounted behind the console and she doens't like it blocking cup hholders. This jeep will stay with rear seat so makes sense. 

Waiting on some parts for the front end now. Noticed we would align front end and it would bounce around too much. Digging yesterday found upper balljoints shot so next weekends work is ball joints and tie rods. 

[MarkInTampa]

I've been a fan of the Stanceworks YouTube channel for awhile. His latest video shows him installing his new Motorola communications system in his race car. While watching it I remembered this thread. Nice system, but don't know if it's $3000+ (uncle Sam get his cut) nice. Also wonder how it's licensed....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUMMaMSrLBQ

 

[Socalgmrs]

8 minutes ago, MarkInTampa said:

I've been a fan of the Stanceworks YouTube channel for awhile. His latest video shows him installing his new Motorola communications system in his race car. While watching it I remembered this thread. Nice system, but don't know if it's $3000+ (uncle Sam get his cut) nice. Also wonder how it's licensed....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUMMaMSrLBQ

 

Ok.  

[gortex2]

Most of the large race teams have licenses for the system. My system in my jeep cost around that price with 2 headsets, headset jacks and radio. I dont run TRBO but have my VHF or UHF tied in on that jeep. Not sure if he is using a LMR system to give him long range or not but know some folks that subscribe to a LMR system to give them range and distance on RF. 

 

On a side note just got home from Windrock Park this weekend for our first JJUSA event of the year. Have 4 this year on top of other events. Was great to get in the woods and actually tested my new starlink mini in the jeep on the trails. Worked as expected but was nice to sit and lunch and upload some photos and videos while everyone else was out of service. 

 

[amaff]

21 hours ago, MarkInTampa said:

I've been a fan of the Stanceworks YouTube channel for awhile. His latest video shows him installing his new Motorola communications system in his race car. While watching it I remembered this thread. Nice system, but don't know if it's $3000+ (uncle Sam get his cut) nice. Also wonder how it's licensed....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUMMaMSrLBQ

 

 

HA! I commented on that video. You can get a similar result for <$300. Well, maybe not at current prices. But that's about where I am for a single car, pit-to-car setup, with super-het radios.

Those Racing Radios are *usually* business band radio.

I like the stuff he builds, but for a guy always talking about how broke he is, he sure seems to like throwing it around lol
For the grassroots racer, it'd be cool if someone at that level would show normies how to do it for more reasonable money IMO. That system costs more than all my radio gear combined.

[GrouserPad]

Race enduros on Dirtbikes. I keep a uv5g in my pack(rarely cell service) and leave another one sitting in my pickup bed volume up. If my buddies finish the race before me because I’m broke down or something they know the radio is there and I can let them know what’s going on. Sometimes we car pool to the races and it’s a bummer when one guy doesn’t get back in a normal time and we all wondering if they are ok. 

[nokones]

If you are tracking your race cars on oval or typical road courses, a mobile radio is not the hot set up. You would be better off with a portable radio and an external antenna. If you were racing off-road or La Mans whereas there are miles between the driver and the crew/pit then a mobile radio would be the set up and the pit with a raised base station antenna and maybe a portable repeater at a higher elevation point.

In the video, the radio was not installed in a good location. Reaching over to your side or behind you during a session on the track is not the ideal thing to do under those conditions. That would be a total distraction and may cause you to make a furtive movement in your driving. That installation was a very poor choice.

The antenna mount should have been a NMO mount with either a Phantom, quarterwave, or a low profile blade antenna.

The XPR mobile radio was also way overkill for several reasons. You don't need a 1,000 channels, maybe a radio with a channel capacity of not more than the total number of itinerant channels that would be licensed for would have been the smart choice. Maybe something like a Motorola CM200D or 300D or even a Kenwood would of been a better choice and a lot less money. He probably paid at least $1200 or $1300 for a radio that he didn't need.

In my opinion, the video is a good example of how not to install radio communications in a racecar.

[nokones]

1 hour ago, amaff said:

HA! I commented on that video. You can get a similar result for <$300. Well, maybe not at current prices. But that's about where I am for a single car, pit-to-car setup, with super-het radios.

Those Racing Radios are *usually* business band radio.

I like the stuff he builds, but for a guy always talking about how broke he is, he sure seems to like throwing it around lol
For the grassroots racer, it'd be cool if someone at that level would show normies how to do it for more reasonable money IMO. That system costs more than all my radio gear combined.

I guess when I get a boring moment, I'll snap some photos of my racecar communications and post them. I've done several racecar comm installations in the past and yes on a occasion or two, installations with mobile radio setups because of the unique application requirements.