The Frankenstein Build! LT/Expo/Trail rig..and BS

Mine made it out unscathed!!! You'll be ok

 

You ha e no idea...lol

Yea cause every time he got the urge he went and cut something off his own truck!

I mean..we have 5 Toyota 4x4 here..but none need anything cut

 

long time no chat hahahah

how the Ham world coming along for yah?? I finally fixed my FTm-400DR install not long ago to get back into the game
have you dabbled into the HF spectrum yet?? I grabbed a 10m stryker sr89mc the other day for like 30 bucks, shitty part is there is not SSB sooo if its modded for CB its CB only, I do have a 6m Icom sitting in the garage, but many antennas does one guy need...

Also had no clue you went Long travel, I knew it was in the talks, but cool to see you got her done. Truck is looking sharp

 

I'm not as into it as my dad now. He is so far down the rabbit hole its crazy.

We want to do HF but unless you have a general license you can't even utilize hf legally. Which I don't have.

I'm rocking a icom 5100 in the truck and 51 handheld. Plus adding a gm300 VHF for aprs. Also carry a digital repeater using a Pi computer my dad built.

I like it a lot though. Wish more people ran them in the off-road world

 

hahaha yah HAM is a little bit of a crazy crazy world, I luckily have a general license for HF! But my background in my career really helped me get it

Our licensing north of the border is a little different, we have three set-ups

Basic - VHF/UHF priviledges up to 500watts
Basic + - VHF/UHF/HF up to 1000 watts
Adavnced - Which is all amateur bands - including the fabrication of your antennas!

I just ordered my BU-2 for my Yaesu so i can get the APRS tracking up my tablet while im driving as the current blips on the screen dont cut it hahahahaha, my radio has the ability to cross band repeat digitally or so im aware, I like you still am very much a noob
Dstar here locally atleast is not doing so well, It looks like my bet on Fusion was the way to go, and I heard Kenwood was hoping on the fusion bandwagon too, so I guess well see


What are you plans for summer wheeling??? I am trying to get some preliminary ideas together for my US trip

 

I don't have major plans really yet

Dstar here is doing better then fusion. Be interesting to see which wins. I can crossband repeater digitally and analog. Its a very nice radio I like it. The handheld is just as good.


I'm adding aprs because the digital Support out west isn't tthere. Its coming though.

I could get my general but can't afford a hf rig anyways haha

 

yah I really dont think youll ever really see a winner per say..... hahahaha its just interesting to see, Yaesu is really really really popular north of the border so I think thats why the Fusion is coming on so strong, no one really runs the digital side half the time anyways.... it also appears with GMRS bands really picking up steam again Amateur radio's are losing the ground it had gained

I personally love the distance I get with the 2m over a CB hell even a 70cm is better hahahah, it is nice to turn that crossband repeating on though when Im out of the truck and use a cheap 70cm to chat on the 2m repeater without fear of terrible reception. It sure drains the battery .... I really need to finish my dual battery set-up

I should add too, its a nice to "loan" out a handheld or two as well when on the HWY to keep comms a little more manageable

 

I may give out my baofang handheld so thy can monitor. Cant use it but still hear me too.

The range is soooooo worth it. And quality over CB.

Just can't be as...normal on a ham haha its more like a professional radio and cell phone.

Still very cool. I talk to my dad all the time across the country.

 

yah its nice, the quality alone is what sold me



now if some of the others would hop aboard it would make life easier, so long as I have eyes on them I can allow them speak back as they are under my supervision hahahaha but we mainly run simplex at that point, simply to not tie up a repeater

Repeaterbook has saved a me a few headaches too, its a pain travelling throughout without knowing the local repeaters and than setting up simplex only to find out its on a repeater band..... but thats why I have 15 different simplex channels stored in my radios

I swear to god everyone I know has atleast one cheap baofeng, cant beat the 25 dollar radio that just plain works

 

and you can totally be normal if your running simplex, thats the point its for the most part a CB at that point, you should really cheap the swearing off the radio at that point still, but the chances of someone else catching it are MUCH MUCH slimmer

Now repeaters.... yah thats a little awkard

 

Yea they are handy lil units. My 51 blows it out of the water but that's a 350 dollar difference lol

Yea we simplex too or repeaters. My radio has GPS so you store 1500 repeaters then just search by nearest. Very handy.

True. But still.

 

thus my BU-2 being ordered.... Im tired of programming the nearest repeater for a new area, I have all 300 repeaters for Alberta programmed into my radio, but I have no clue which is which.... I wish I would have went with an 857D for the Bluecat intergration to repeaterbook, but Ill survive not about to drop anymore cash into a UHF/VHF radio until something new and groundbreaking comes out

 

So you say now

 

its like you guys all know me better than I do, I swear in a month ill be eating my own words with a new radio in my rig hahahaha

I swear though its not the plan atm.... a new engine may be first on the priority list

 

Wow that sucks

 

its not a needed yet.... but its getting close i developed a knock last year, it got quieter but its still there

so unsure my path yet, Im trying to source a 4.2 1HD-T but I may end up with an LS swap .... the 4.5 is just too much money to rebuild

 

Unless the 'knock' he is referring to is a bearing knock.

 

yuppp........ its common in the older under maintained 1FZFE

 

Why didn't you just seafoam it Ben?

Bummer Joe.

 

Seafoam won't help a spun bearing... Or is it pinging?