New England B.S. Thread

Every application is a compromise, and mobile radio is a great example of an application. So much for maximum elevation and an infinite homogenous ground plane.

For a time I worked with some folks whose standard mobile application involved a nice big HF antenna mounted on the front corner that ended up, for practical considerations, flexed horizontally backwards with the tip tied to the rear bumper. This of course was nothing like the element's intended nor envisioned use at time of spec, and this did degrade some of the capabilities of the platform as originally specced, but there were a few happy accidents, too - it meant fixed field stations suffered less from a horizontal HF wire and also that there were essentially no worries about the cone of silence. It was plenty good enough for LoS operations, the main mode for the mobile units, and on the rare occasion they were really pushing the limits of the band and the topology, they could fix position and cut the tether on the antenna.

ETA: I'm betting GMRS was picked by the market (so to speak) because it's cheaper and easier to run without a license. The chips for that band have been available as commodity hardware for a long time and were cheap to miniaturize- i.e. the baofengs won on availability, cost, and perceived barrier to entry

 

Well....To be fair, I have 4 market baskets within about 20 minutes on the goog.

Johnston - 18 minutes
S. Attleboro - 22 minutes
Fall River - 22 minutes
Warwick - 24 minutes

....But this is RI, and those market baskets are too far for me

Trader Joe's - Providence - 8 minutes
Trader Joe's - Warwick - 24 minutes
Trader Joe's - Foxboro (has wine and such) - 37 minutes

MURS is no license, GMRS is 35$/10 years, no test (was 70$/10 years, that got reduced, and Ham licenses went from 0$ to 35$, no re-test, but re-up on expiry). FRS is the "free" option for GMRS, they use the same frequencies for channels, but are limited to 0.5W, and no repeaters. GMRS has up to 50W depending on the channels, and has repeaters in the upper channels too.

I'm guessing because FRS was so popular with walkie talkies, that GMRS took off. I wish MURS was more popular. I don't regret not having CB anymore.

 

Jorts are better than Dockers..fight me.

That said, never owned NB and never will. Vans or nothing.

 

Anyone here changing a car battery at a specific interval instead of waiting until the car is dead and chasing their tail? I trust our service guy at Lexus and no pressure at all he just mentioned my wife’s car is coming up to 8 years with original battery and might be smart to change it before we get stranded in winter which does make sense. I can’t complain about an 8 year battery life.

 

I change them when they start showing signs of a weak start. I don't think they would just randomly die one day, at least not a lead-acid battery, but if you ignore signs of an increasingly weaker start up, then one day it may not start at all.

 

I just have jump packs in all my vehicles. Wait for the battery to quit kickin and you can usually start with a jump pack multiple times.

Wifes car has both jumppack and air compressor

 

I would do that. But I DIY, what are they asking for a battery?

I can get a stock style replacement for anywhere from 70-200. I have a 27F AGM I upgraded to, but it also has a solar panel to it - so I have NO CLUE what my service plan/interval is going to be with that bad boy....

I have jump packs too. I hope Connor does now too

 

This is my wife’s car so I’m definitely a bit more cautious with things. My car, I’m totally on board and have jump packs and will survive. My wife’s car also has the jump pack. Might need to print how to use instructions and leave those with the pack

 

Didn't ask their price. Said I would use Costco and grab an interstate for me to toss in.

 

Yeah, if it wasn't for the fridge, I'd be in the same boat. Jealous of people with stock stuff, and it's just the battery - can't imagine John, Matt, et. al. when it comes to suspension and wheels/tires

Some of them can jump through the 12V connection. I am suspicious about that. In theory I could connect mine to the fridge connector in the back seat and hit it.

 

No hope for project rzrbug.

After this winter I should have one of the most dittled rigs around here

 

Just for haha's, look into the

$100 Noco GB40 1000A UltraSafe Car Battery Jump Starter, 12V Jump Starter Battery Pack, Battery Booster, Jump Box, Portable Charger and Jumper Cables for 6.0L Gasoline and 3.0L Diesel Engines

Noco GB40. with that, you can get a pigtail, and hook it directly to the battery. All she has to do, is turn it on, and plug it in. ]I have the same tail on the bikes, for charging, and jumping, and added a pigtail to the wife's Subaru, to make it easier if she needs it. Walk in the park.

 

I do it almost all of the time. I am running a x2 power agm that i replace every 6 years (or when it starts to "cough" in the winter time )

 

That’s the exact jump pack she has. I haven’t thought about direct hookup!

 

The battery in my '19 Tacoma is the original. Heat is supposed to be worse on batteries than is cold, but I've had no problems yet. I like to get my batteries at Costco, but I'm always careful to grab one that has a date within a month. I don't know why, but any Costco battery I've bought that's been over a month ended up not holding a charge pretty quickly.

I did a lot of shopping at Market Basket, mostly after the start of COVID. I had three within 20 minutes of less. Brockton, Raynham, West Bridgewater. West Bridgewater was the best of the three.

I laugh at those Progressive commercials because I see my now 41 year old son turning into me.

 

8 years? You got your money’s worth out of it. Change it soon. I usually only get 4 years out of a battery until it dies.

 

It depends on what she does with the vehicle. My buddy would do this. He worked out of his vehicle and lived alone so this would have meant a lost day of work. If not, maybe just go with what @Pugga said

My wife's old Rav4 did this one day at work. No hard starts or lights left on according to her and I believe her. I just bought a battery and went to replace it since she worked a couple of nights a week till about 930 and winter was starting. Come to find out it was the original battery to the vehicle and was 11 yrs old, I'd say we got our money from it

 

Happened to my truck too. Drove 45 minutes to pickup my Northeast Electrical order to wire up the barn. Truck was off for maybe 5 min and it wouldnt even crank over. Quick jump and back on the road to batteries plus

Battery was pretty abused (leaking out of the top from wheeling) but didnt show any signs of being weak

 

That how my last one went.
Stopped for gas and it was dead. No weak starts. Jump pack and on my way.

 

Probably a cell the plates inside have thin connections to the post! Happened with my 2017 taco only had it about a year parked the truck for maybe 2 hrs came back and dead had it towed to toyota they replaced the battery no charge under the 2yr warranty