Florida B.S. Thread

Yes comes with everything

 

Includes everything you need.

 

I know it was discussed here once upon a time.... but why don't we (the off-roaders) move from CB to VHF/UHF for trail communication? CB is complete trash the majority of the time while on the trail with a very limited range. The only downfall with VHF/UHF that I can find is price. Thoughts?

 

Probably due to fcc rules. VHF is used for marine and aviation. Theres probably rules against using vhf like we use CB. CB as we know doesn't require you to be licensed to use it. We could use HAM which performs way better than CB but many people don't want to get the license to be able to legally use a HAM radio.

 

The main limitation with CB is the legal wattage limit. If we all started running linear amps (which would be illegal, but in my experience, not or rarely enforced), we'd be getting a lot more range. Of course, most of us have garbage CB setups to begin with so it falls under the GIGO principle.

 

I haven't done too much research on it, and have found mixed answers on whether or not VHF requires a license. RuggedRadios.com sells VHF/UHF radios that are targeted at the offroad community. From my understanding though, there are separate channels for marine and land use. Don't quote me on that though lol

 

Well, I finally have everything to install my CB, so I ain't changing now

 

From the ruggedradios.com site, explaining a little about what is needed

 

There's plenty of license free channels we can use as well as the benefit of most of them being portable. Would be useful for spoting sometimes. For about $50 you can be fully setup compared to the usual $100 with cb

 

Got the license covered like a Jimmy hat...for Hamm or the VHF stuff (FCC GROL holder allowing me to operate any commercial or civilian transmitter period). I'm just old and reluctant to try new shit. LOL. That and I'm a cheap lazy bastard that doesn't want to buy new shit and install it when what I got works.

 

I'm thinking about bypassing my proportioning valve for my rear brakes. Anybody ever tried that with a 1st Gen? They currently suck so bad, I can't imagine they'd suddenly work better than the fronts...unless the valve is just completely not doing it's job and letting enough pressure through to make the rears work properly.

 

I've had cb's I've owned peaked out at a cb shop, can get 20-30 watts easy, cash payment is king. This would about double it's range, a linear of 200-300 watts would get more, but the trick is to get a good antenna setup to hear it all. Almost any peaked or boosted cb will get out, but you need a good antenna to have good ears. Just like any other government run agency, the fcc has had budget cuts, so less manpower to police all this. Haven't seen an fcc van running around since the 70's, but they were mostly looking for base stations running much more power.

 

I called them once back in the 2000s because someone around the neighborhood was running an amp'd up base station with so much power I could hear him on my computer speakers and it was pretty annoying. They pretty much told me they weren't gonna do squat about it and I should just get shielded wires. I'm guessing unless it happens right in their face and you're being a dick about it, they don't give a shit.

 

I used to work with a guy that had a high powered base station, he went out and installed filters on all the neighbors nearby to stop his transmissions from blasting out of their TV's. Oh the 70's were fun times.

 

I have a linear that I used years ago, could pull in to a bank drive through, key the mike and say hello to all the ladies inside. They would all look around, it was funny. If I pulled into the building I worked at, and did the same, they could hear me in the 3rd floor control room speakers. Speaker wire does more than play music if pushed.

 

I don't have experience removing the LSPV however the 4Runners didn't have one and they had the same drums in the rear so I imagine you would be okay, pretty sure I've seen a block that replaces the LSPV for sale somewhere, or a LSPV delete kit if you will.

All that said, when the rears in my '00, and now my '10 act up and don't seem to grab I know I just need to pull the drums and pressure wash the gunk and sand out, acts like tiny ball bearings between the shoes and lining.

If you've tried that and they're still sucking it might be time to replace the shoes and drums, they can be glazed without looking like it.

I had lots of meat on my shoes when I replaced my old 00's shoes and whoa what a difference.

Granted I never had 33x13.5's on my 00, nor the LSPV.

Hopefully your axle seals aren't leaking and putting fluid in your drums?

 

Has for VHF UHF I'm planning on getting a HAM, working to find a place to study and test for my op permit. @Taco No Baka

You know a good study site? A hammy friend sent me a link to a study app but I can't make heads or tails of it.

As for why most folks don't go UHV VFH, again, cost, complexity, and need for licensing scares a lot of folks off.

I was hesitant about it till my ham friend showed me how easy it really is.

You can do so much more with ham, positioning, packet sending (like radio text messages) you can even report your speed altitude and position.

Last time we got together and went camping he brought his powered 10' antenna and we talked to a couple of planes that flew overhead, was pretty cool, and this was all done with a little handheld HAM about the size of a large walkie-talkie.

Maybe we can get a group together and do a HAM study course and test together? I would be down.

There's a few courses in Florida found on arrl.org

 

Let the Fun begin

 

Hell yeah man

 

Haha, you haven't been on here that long so you probably don't know I'm one of those wackados that pulls my drums, calipers, and rotors after every wheeling season and power washes the mud and crap out of my brakes. Granted I haven't done that yet this season in the rear because I was hoping to get one more trip in. My rear wheel bearings and axle seals are only a couple years old if that and I replaced the shoes at that time too since I did have a seal leaking like a sieve. The drums are also fairly new with only 2k-3k miles on them.

Oh, and if they are glazed, you can just hit them with some emery cloth or some fine grit sand paper to brake the glaze and you'll be good.

the only thing that could be wrong is my wheel cylinders could be leaking, but I've been keeping an eye on me fluid level and it never drops so I doubt that's the problem. On the other hand, they could be locked up, but I doubt that as well. I believe the culprit to be the stupid proportioning valve.

I'm thinking that if you have 4 wheel ABS, you probably don't need a proportioning valve because if a wheel locks up the ABS is supposed to handle it, although I do think the 1st Gens with ABS had one anyway. Go figure.

Granted, you do have a point with them being dirty since I did play in some pretty deep mud last October, so that could be contributing to the problem as well. It was actually the video you took of me dropping into the washout on Trail 14 that really convinced me that I need to do something about it. If you watch it at .25 speed when I'm dropping in, you can see my fronts are locked up, just sliding down the side while the rears are still rolling.

Haha, sorry, I think maybe @TacoTRD78 or somebody did some research on that a while back, but I got my GROL license decades ago in AMT (AKA: A&P) school, so I really don't know where they do study and testing for HAMM stuff.