Off Roading

[H8SPVMT]

• Out by ourselves over the holidays and ran a portion of the South Carolina Adventure Route (SCAR).  This one trail was very close to 1000 ft of mud. Total trip 240 miles.
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[nokones]

My Motorola XTL5000 remote will no doubt work anywhere my "ISARUBICON" takes it. I finished up the radio install this morning. Next will be the CB Radio. 

Besides the comms, I have all the get-dirty trail stuff on order with some unfortunately on backorder.

[WRXB215]

@nokones Nice setup. I have a friend I talk to on GMRS often who has a Jeep and an XTL5000. He has a channel mounted overhead and that is where he mounted the remote head. @OffRoaderX has one in his Jeep. Seems like Jeeps and XTL5000 kind of go together. 

[TheNevilleKid]

On 1/4/2024 at 9:12 PM, nokones said:

My Motorola XTL5000 remote will no doubt work anywhere my "ISARUBICON" takes it. I finished up the radio install this morning. Next will be the CB Radio. 

Besides the comms, I have all the get-dirty trail stuff on order with some unfortunately on backorder.

What model Larson window antenna do you have there and do you have any problems with the defroster wires with reception?

[gortex2]

49 minutes ago, TheNevilleKid said:

What model Larson window antenna do you have there and do you have any problems with the defroster wires with reception?

It appears to be the Larsen  KG450UD

You can see details on Tesscos site - https://www.tessco.com/product/450-470mhz-glass-mount-antenna-w-14-ft-rg-58-u-264181

[nokones]

2 hours ago, gortex2 said:

It appears to be the Larsen  KG450UD

You can see details on Tesscos site - https://www.tessco.com/product/450-470mhz-glass-mount-antenna-w-14-ft-rg-58-u-264181

Essentially, yes it is same model antenna but I ordered the KG450UDPL which is without the connector. I didn't want to pay for a connector that I would end up whacking off and not use. I ended up putting on a mini-UHF connector because that is what is used on the XTL5000 mobile radios

[marcspaz]

It's time for me to switch things up again. Not sure what I'm switching to yet, but I pulled my XTL5000'S out of the Jeep today. I'm thinking of going back to a MXT500 or possibly an MXT575. I love the simplicity.

 

Also, I removed the hi-lift from the hood and removed my light bar in preparation for some new Rigid cubes that are on the way.

 

Of course I had to flex to showoff the clean, new look. LOL

 

[gortex2]

8 hours ago, marcspaz said:

It's time for me to switch things up again. Not sure what I'm switching to yet, but I pulled my XTL5000'S out of the Jeep today. I'm thinking of going back to a MXT500 or possibly an MXT575. I love the simplicity.

I tell this to people over and over about the Midlands. I run APX8000 and APX8500 mobiles in all my vehicles but 99% of my off road use is on my midland 275 just becasue its simple. Go to channel 4, boomch 4, go tochannel 21 go to 21. Simple and wife can even manage it. Dont get my wrong I'm a blue blooded MSI fan and will alwasy have a motorola radio in all my vehicles but KISS is the way to go for GMRS. The other advantage is size and wiring. I hd an XTL in my parents truck. When they got the Jeep Renegade there was absolutely no where to mount stuff. A 275 HHCH worked perfect and was in and being used in 30 minutes. 

 

[nokones]

44 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

I tell this to people over and over about the Midlands. I run APX8000 and APX8500 mobiles in all my vehicles but 99% of my off road use is on my midland 275 just becasue its simple. Go to channel 4, boomch 4, go tochannel 21 go to 21. Simple and wife can even manage it. Dont get my wrong I'm a blue blooded MSI fan and will alwasy have a motorola radio in all my vehicles but KISS is the way to go for GMRS. The other advantage is size and wiring. I hd an XTL in my parents truck. When they got the Jeep Renegade there was absolutely no where to mount stuff. A 275 HHCH worked perfect and was in and being used in 30 minutes. 

 

The various Jeep and Off-Road clubs in my area have designated a specific channel and tone for their Club and use the same channel and tone each time they make a run. So, I have programmed all the channels and tones for each of the respective clubs in both my XTL and XTS 5000 radios.

I set up a Zone specifically for the Jeep Clubs and programmed all their club channels. Just in case they decide to run a different channel and/or tone, I'll have my laptop and cable handy to make the change prior to starting out. Also, in case if one of those just-in-cases comes up I'll have my MXT500 along with me..

[gortex2]

I have all the stuff in my APX radios also and even have a "midland" zone. Its just quick and easy with the midland. For SAR and all my other stuff I only use the APX but lots of times the midland just makes sense. Also allows me to monitor other stuff on my APX while wheeling and use the Midland for trail comms.

 

[nokones]

I thought about diving into the APX series for the portables but the audio accessories are totally different than XTS series radio. Essentially, Motorola kept the same accessory connector since the Jedi series with a couple minor exceptions.

At least, with my XTLs, I'm a couple steps in that direction.

[nokones]

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned about the performance of my glass-mount antenna and the fact that it is not tunable. Again, I made another second mistake in life by stating incorrect information.  I stated that the Larsen Glass-Mount Antenna did not have a pot to adjust/tune the antenna like the yesteryear glass-mount antennae.

In fact, it is an adjustable antenna.  Since, I didn't notice an adjusting pot screw on the side of the coupler, I assume that it was not tunable.  Just the other day, I noticed that the rod was being held by a set screw thus, the rod can be trimmed for better VSWRs.

And to my surprise, and after 4 months that my Bird 43 and several slugs were being held hostage by Bird Instruments for recalibration, it appeared on my door step a couple days ago so I decided to trim the antenna this morning.

I did notice some difference in the readings before and after the recalibration.  

Today, as it turned out, the VSWR for a 467 MHz freq was 1.12:1 and for the 462 MHz freq the VSWR was 1.23:1 throwing 57 watts at it.  At the lower power setting (24 Watts) the reflected power barely flinched the needle.  So, I adjusted the transmitter high power setting and ended up with 49.7 watts.  

So, I have to say "NOT TOO SHABBY"

[WRUU653]

6 hours ago, nokones said:

So, I have to say "NOT TOO SHABBY"

Not to shabby at all. It looks good too. 

[WRYZ926]

Closest I get to off roading is driving on the county roads around me. Sometimes they will spread crushed gravel on them and other times they spread giant creek rocks on the roads. That is if they bother to even do anything to maintain them. Some of the county roads are nothing more than dirt trails. I got rid of my Jeeps, the last one was a 1962 Willys M170 Front Line Ambulance. I just Cruze around in my Honda Pioneer 500 now days. It is a little goat.

[Yugo]

yup funny just found this forum (been on mygmrs.com for a while) 

Ive been looking for new doods to hit the trails.

 

93 ZJ full crawler 7" lift lockers more than I can list.

I use all channels cause sometimes theres noise.

 

Gorman, rohr flats, kennedy medows, manache medows...  Im down to try new places also have rock crawled in BB.

 

Would love to tag along with some people just hit me up.

[Davichko5650]

On 12/6/2023 at 6:21 PM, StogieVol said:

• Who all off roads?
• What vehicle do you off road in?
• What channel you use for trailing (is it open or simplex set up)? 
• What's your favorite local trail/trails?

I do - solo or with friends (quasi club)

2001 Ford Explorer - 31" tires, no lift, skid plates and winch

Channels 7 and 16 on GMRS

Iron Range OHV Park, Gilbert, MN  - Easy to "Dumb and Dumber" trails, open year round

 

Previously had a 78 Bronco 400 ci - tore it up out in E MT Antelope hunting!!! (figuratively - no way to break a 78 Bronco)

Prior to that, blasted around Ft. Campbell in an M561 Gama Goat, with a DF or Intercept/ECM (Jamming) Pod on back!

[Davichko5650]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:39 PM, StogieVol said:

I use to do light dirt/gravel roads in my Jeep. Then I climbed a pretty rutted out hill and was hooked. Now I want to go hit trails and see what the Jeep can do without being dumb and trying to hurt it. I like to be easy and be smart about trailing. I only want to fix something if I have to. I do not get wild and just break things for fun. 

I like to push it to the truck's limit, but I also know it's my Daily Driver so cannot be stupid either. Easy to Moderate trails here in MN with excursions down logging an State/National Forest and "Minimum Maintenance" roads - some very minimum and marked "4 wheel driver recommended, road may be impassible.

Keep Channels 7 and 16 monitored, as well as 146.520 and a couple repeaters near s few of the trails on the hamside

[marcspaz]

 

My latest adventure at Uwharrie National Forest. 

 

 

 

 

 

[H8SPVMT]

Daniel is getting worse by the year.  Have not been up that trail since 2015/16.

Have been thinking of getting back up to URE but all wheeling are getting too ole...

 

[marcspaz]

@H8SPVMT the bottom 1/3rd of Daniel is in tough shape, for sure. Dickey Bell got so bad that the park service closed the trail to do maintenance.  It's supposed to reopen in July.

[H8SPVMT]

On 5/9/2024 at 10:56 PM, marcspaz said:

@H8SPVMT the bottom 1/3rd of Daniel is in tough shape, for sure. Dickey Bell got so bad that the park service closed the trail to do maintenance.  It's supposed to reopen in July.

Thanks for the heads up.  It was really getting rough for what once was a good trail to ride. Our club used to maintain Saw Branch til the moved it due to the gun range issue, and it then turned into 85 "Woop-de Doos" ....(water diverters). I won't hazard travel (URE) by myself like I used to do.

 

[gortex2]

For those looking for a good place we did Trailfest at Coalmont TN last month. Great off road park in a nice small town. It run by the town and doing a great job of building it. 

[Nitro]

On 12/6/2023 at 7:21 PM, StogieVol said:

• Who all off roads?
• What vehicle do you off road in?
• What channel you use for trailing (is it open or simplex set up)? 
• What's your favorite local trail/trails?

I do a lot of offroading and "sideroading" lol. New Hampshire has this weird thing called a "Class VI Road" which is a public highway that is unmaintained, which can range from a dirt/gravel track to a full on boulder-ridden wheeling trail.

Dodge Nitro, 3 inch suspension lift, 31 inch tires, full skid plate on order and a custom front bumper in the plans.

I usually stick to Channel 16. Started off with a couple Rugged GMR2s, and currently browsing mobile units that I can stick on the dashboard.

[nokones]

For simplicity, a Midland MXT500 is small and more than likely will fit your needs. It is a simple 128 channel radio but not with a lot of features.

A Kenwood radio like the TK880 is a great radio and very small and has several features and will operate on any frequency within the designed operating band range.

If the operating band range dips below 450 MHz into the 70 cm band technically by rule it is not legal to use on GMRS freqs. If you decide on a Kenwood look for a radio that operates above 450 MHz.

The TK880 has two RF Output power  options 24 watts and 40 something watts. The 40 something watts is a tad longer because of the heating. The 24 watts on your case not make much difference and would be a smaller radio for your dash.

[Davichko5650]

Posted before as to what I drive, here's a couple pics, including the radio installs. The winch is on a hitch receiver and can be used front or rear