4x4Wire

2m Hamming Off-Road

Tom Severin

Monday, 16 October 2017

Badlands Off-Road Adventures

It is great to be able to reach out to an Amateur Radio repeater when off-road You recently got your ham ticket and are eager to experience ham radio while four wheeling.

Installing a mobile 2 meter/440 radio

You’re ready to make the leap to a mobile radio. Great! Even though this is your first rig, installing isn’t as difficult as it might seem. Of course, if you’re not comfortable buying the parts or doing the work, find a handy helper. Ask your Elmer or contact a local ham radio club.

This is not a step-by-step review. I just want to provide you on overview of the process and encourage you to do it yourself. Radio use and access is very personal. I want you to be happy and comfortable with your radio installation.

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ham ticket experience ham radio wheeling 2 meter /440 radio

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Convenience of a 4-Door Model in a 2-Door Vehicle

Tom Severin

Wednesday, 11 October 2017

Badlands Off-Road Adventures

Every once in a while a new product comes along that is a real game-changer for the 4WD community. It may not be flashy, but the product fills a void. Such is the case with the hinged side windows in the new hardtop for my Jeep Wrangler. What’s just as amazing is the story behind this tremendous find.

I was working on the Jeep one afternoon when this couple walks by. I know them vaguely, haven spoken a few times over the years. Jerry Mancini and his wife live about a block from me. Jerry owns Rally Tops, www.rallytops.com, located in nearby Gardena, Calif. They make hardtops for a variety of off-road vehicles, as well as tonneaus and bed covers for pickups.

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4 WD community side windows hardtop Jeep Wrangler

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QUIT LETTING OUR FEDERAL RESOURCES BURN!

Del Albright

Saturday, 26 August 2017

Del Albright - Outdoor Recreation Advocate

"HOPE" IS NOT A METHOD FOR FIGHTING WILD FIRES!

Let's tell our federal land managers and politicians to stop "letting it burn!"

Wildfires continue to destroy our heritage and natural resources in the West, while in many cases aggressive fire suppression has been lacking on federal lands. We recently heard the term "minimal impact fire suppression" -- meaning really that they intend to stand back mostly and watch it burn.

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FIGHTING WILD FIRES land managers resources fire suppression impact fire suppression

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MYCHANIC LED Blade MultiLight

John Stewart

Wednesday, 02 August 2017

Maintenance Hints, Tips and Tricks General

Have you ever grabbed your trusty flashlight needing just a little more light in the dark shadows of the engine bay? And, then realized the dim glow from the build means the batteries are failing. There you stand, needing more light and no fresh batteries.

Well, for that reason, I am always on the lookout for lights; especially lights that are LED and rechargeable.

The folks at MYCHANIC are offering an intriguing LED light, the Blade MultiLight. At 250 Lumens, this compact rechargeable LED light does provide plenty of light to brighten the dark recesses of the engine bay.

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light LED light rechargeable light

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Are You a Roads Scholar?

Tom Severin

Friday, 14 July 2017

Badlands Off-Road Adventures

Borrego Springs, CA

Off-road vehicles aren’t exactly sports cars. In fact, just the opposite. We can’t safely drive then the same way as our family car. They take longer to stop, are less stable in fast turns, and sometimes have poor visibility. Poor drivers (the bottom 25%, or 1 in 4) don’t realize this. They often don’t allow us space (much less a semi) to stop, turn, etc.

Anecdotally, I figure I drive only about 10% of any four-wheeling trip off-road. That means 90% of my driving time is on paved roads. That’s probably true for you as well.

This means we must substitute reading terrain and picking lines with defensive driving and avoiding road rage for a greater distance.

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Borrego Springs sports cars off-road off-highway vehicle