What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Well for one, you technically need a license to operate use HAM radio frequencies or the FCC can fine you big time...but the kinds of HAM radios most off roaders are using have an extremely short range comparable to what is possible with HAM. The guys that get busted for it are using much more advanced setups than those $20 handhelds you get off of Amazon that most guys on the trail are using. They work well for that though.

The FCC has a website dedicated to penalties and warnings they've handed out to unlicensed HAM radio users and those guys are into stuff way bigger than what most off roaders are...you'd have to be really unlucky to get caught and fined by them but not saying it can't happen.

 

I'd be interested to get into APRS and Ham a lot more. What are some good threads here or websites to learn more about it? TIA Would be kind of cool to let people know (family and friends) where I'm at when camping

 

If you like to venture off very remotely solo I would definitely look into some kind of satellite device like the Garmin InReach or similar. Not cheap but at least you know you're never 'alone' should the worst happen way out in the middle of nowhere

 

+1 to the inreach. It's like an APRS and HAM communication in one for letting people know where you are when you are off the grid. I would be more interested in HAM for bigger trips where the distance between trucks is far further than what a CB is capable of.

 

That'll probably hold me over while I'm still down in GA but like Mike said it'd be nice when the distance between trucks is a lot bigger on trips when I hopefully move out west next year. I'll look into both setups for now and decide

 

How far apart are you talking? My buddy and I have used some cheap walkie talkies on a couple trips, but we pretty much stay within sight of each other

 

I've found the handheld HAM radios don't have much more than maybe a couple mile range, depending on terrain.

 

Story time - wasn't done today, and wasn't done to my truck... but we were there and I took the pictures...

We were at RM 511 for the Vegas to Reno 2018 race when Bryce Menzies new BADASS AWD TT came flying in.
We hear the co-driver yelling JACK! JACK! DO YOU HAVE A JACK!!!!?!!????

My friend, who just happened to be carrying his Pro-Eagle in the back of his Raptor, jumped into action, ran across the race road and found a totally demolished tire and wheel. He and a few others who were with us started working on getting the wheel up off the ground.
After about 5 minutes of trying to get the wheel off, it was a lost cause, the wheel studs were just spinning. Probably a number of factors before getting to us caused those things to just be stuck. We gave the bad news to the co-driver and watched as this insane vehicle carried off into the distance with 3 wheels.

It was a pretty surreal experience since we'd been joking a few days before about how awesome it would be if a racer broke down in front of us and needed our help. We were all in shock for the rest of the day and are still joking about it. We've dubbed my friend the "Fairy Wrench Mother" After trying everything to get the wheel off, he kinda just gave it a little tap on top with a wrench.... it didnt do anything, but it was funny as hell to watch!

A few folks/pages on Instagram have gotten in on the fun too, so this has been fun to watch.

My buddy got a nice little thank you from Bryce, after he had a chance to cool down. I can only imagine the mix of emotions he had after he had a chance to decompress.

 

Yes and no.

6m is about the same antenna as a CB. But the tune is very different and almost no one uses 6m so..not really.

HAM and APRS don't require a subscription though..

I can talk from Southern MT into Central Wyo via analog repeaters and anywhere in the world via digital.

 

True but I don't need to teach my wife HAM and SAR is a push button away. Both have their benefits and downsides of course, but for my own personal use, I have been very happy with an inReach for my trips to let my wife know I'm all good when I have no service.

 

Most of the guys I know that do 6m are try to talk to folk around the globe. ...Using the atmosphere to reflect the signal. Fun to do but not really practical for most.

 

Reverse prerunner mod

 

Holy shit is this water heater sized muffler stock?

 

Yup, full of 1st gen awesomeness

 

Way awesome, this new truck even has the bump stops on the leafsprings.

Crazy shit

 

yep and yours looks like mine in that there are "suppose" to be two holes (in/out) but somehow there are now 5 holes...

Internal welds are rusting away = fail.

 

Plus, if you dial 911 basically anywhere even if it says you don't have service. You will get out most the time. long as you have emergency location enabled.

yeah but 20, 40, and 80m are more popular for that.

6m is great for a HiFi mobile rig as you don't need a freaking huge antenna.

 

You should see the muffler on my other truck.


Actually, you should just see the whole exhaust, no bueno

 

Anybody running a magnetic oil drain plug or oil filter magnet they're happy with?

 

No real need to. These motors are old enough to be broken in so metal shavings shouldnt exist, if they do you have big problems. The filter itself should catch any foreign objects, if you buy one of decent quality.