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Ham Radios...still a lot of use or ?
On and off I've thought about getting into Ham Radio.
But I'm not sure how many individuals use Ham radio anymore, what with the influx of email, computers, twittering, etc...all the other forms of communication that we seem to have, nowadays.
I don't know much about Ham Radio, but it has always intrigued me. I have some questions.
Is it mostly social conversation with other Ham operators and if there is an emergency, then Ham Operators are there to assist in communications.
I know, or think the rules have changed a bit....license requirements, etc...but not sure what are current requirements.
I know that you can communicate all over the continent, possibly the world if you have the right equipment.
I wonder what the cost would be to get into Ham Radio ? Basic...but good Ham Radio that you can learn and eventually grow into.
Do you need a huge antenna or has technology come to Ham Radio where you don't need such antenna equipment ? What would the cost be ?
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lesmore49
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03/06/11 03:36pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Quality of CB Radio??
I've got two CB radios. Can't recall the exact model nomenclature , but one is a Uniden 68 or 78 (something like that)and a Cobra 38 hand held CB radio.
I mounted the Uniden in wooden box....didn't want to drill into the dash of my old and gone Astro. Haven't used it for about 4 years + or so. Sits in the garage.
I may use it again, as I'm planning a trip this summer, but in a car. I don't want to mar the paint finish with the magnetic base aerial...not sure if I can put something between the aeril and the roof of the car ? Any ideas ?
My other CB is a hand held Cobra with fixed and short aerial.
Both work, but I've never got many conversations with either one of them.
I don't think CB Radios have much reception range...something like 3-5 miles ? My hand held portable CB, probably less range.
They have been moderately useful very occasionally, but in general, probably a novelty for me and a bit of a waste of money.
But quality wise, i would say both my Uniden and Cobra are top quality machines.
It just seems not many people, except for the occasional trucker use them anymore. Maybe I'm wrong.
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lesmore49
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03/06/11 03:24pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 Ram badged Vans to be rebadged Fiat versions.
I,d rather see something like this.....
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/Fabrekator/bunchOstuff/newdodgevan.jpg
Looks like a '67 -72 Chevy / GMC panel truck (based on the Suburban) grafted onto a Dodge front end.
You could get the 292 inline six(1 barrel carb) and three of the tree with drum brakes all around , in those years.
Think I would rather have a 5-6 speed automatic, fuel injected diesel and disc brakes.
Times do change....for a reason.;)
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lesmore49
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03/06/11 02:07pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 Ram badged Vans to be rebadged Fiat versions.
I don't know much about the Fiat vans either....but reading the info about the Ducato on the attached Wikipedia link, has given me more information.
The Ducato is the bigger van...comparable to the Mercedes Sprinter in size..has different models with different cargo capacities (payloads) all the way to 4 tonnes...which is significant.
The Ducato is more a medium sized Van, than the Sprinter and FWD. It looks a lot better in the metal, than it does in photos. Do not know about the 4 tonnes in the Ducato, you do get a 8,600lb payload in its stablemate the IVECO Daily which is RWD.
As well there is a 4x4 version of the Ducato.
Four Wheel drive Ducato
Yes Fiat(well Fiat Commercial Vehicles) have improved considerably.
Saw this info about sizes and tonnage in Wikipedia. Don't know how accurate it is.
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lesmore49
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03/05/11 02:23pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 Ram badged Vans to be rebadged Fiat versions.
Ford already sells their Euro van here, and yep it's butt ugly also. But they are built for sales over in Europe not the USA. Bit of a clarification. The Ford Transit comes in a variety of models and size. Ford sells only the small Transit here. I believe the larger Transit will be sold at a later date In North America.
Not sure what you mean JP the Ram Van had very good sales numbers up until it was killed. The only reason Damn-Lire killed it was they would not spend the money for the new front crash regs for vans.
Me if I was looking for a LWB van it would be a GM or a Chevy. The only van that moved the rear axles back. Dodge and Ford extended vans had/have a long rear over hang. The GM/Chevy does not so it is a more stable van all around.
DonI agree. I think the GM design is more stable for the reasons you say. Extend the wheelbase, less overhang, instead of tacking on an extension behind the rear axle.
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lesmore49
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03/05/11 12:46pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 Ram badged Vans to be rebadged Fiat versions.
Hummm....THAT should really boost sales :R
I would say Ford will be the next to have a Euro or world based van. I think the small Transit 'from over there' is the first step...fill a market niche...run it up the flagpole and assess the reaction in North America.
So far, I think the reaction to the small Ford Transit is pretty good...I see them everywhere.
Don't have the sales figures, but I think Ford has done well with this small Turkish made....Euro-World van.
I would be surprised if the old style Econoline style van, continues after the current generation.
I do think the larger version of the Ford Transit...also a Euro-World style van.... will be take over here, after the Econoline finishes it's design life cycle.
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lesmore49
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03/05/11 11:50am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This video should be declared dangerous to Truck owners!
Warning...this video may make you feel really small, it may cause you to become extremely excited! It may in fact put a craving and a unholey lust in your heart! You've been warned!
Nope, no lust here. As I see it, the main ones that should get excited are the owners of gas stations! . . . :C
I agree. At best these are novelties...vehicles of limited use. Interesting to look at...
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lesmore49
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03/05/11 11:42am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 Ram badged Vans to be rebadged Fiat versions.
Interesting....two different perspectives......
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lesmore49
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03/05/11 11:16am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 Ram badged Vans to be rebadged Fiat versions.
Fiat Ducato
I don't know much about the Fiat vans either....but reading the info about the Ducato on the attached Wikipedia link, has given me more information.
The Ducato is the bigger van...comparable to the Mercedes Sprinter in size..has different models with different cargo capacities (payloads) all the way to 4 tonnes...which is significant.
I've always been a fan of big, full size vans, having driven commercial vans when I was working my way through school...years ago.
In many ways i think heavy duty vans....3/4 to one ton + have advantages over pickups...secure, larger and weather resistant space for more passengers and cargo.
True...they only can use ball hitch, not 5 th wheel...but I think if one is towing a moderately large, travel trailer...ie; 27-30 foot range...they can make a good tow vehicle.
I'm kind of excited about the prospect of these Euro vans coming to North America.
Thanks for alerting...through your post and link.
Les
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lesmore49
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03/05/11 10:47am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2 wheel drive VS. 4 wheel drive
So, answer this:
If some Government Bureaucracy declared that for environmental reason, the ONLY people who would be allowed to own 4X4 trucks would be those who could demonstrate a REAL NEED for such vehicles, and then established very stringent guidelines that had to be met to establish such proof; and the first of those guidelines was to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could NOT continue to live without the 4X4, and that there is NO way to accomplish what the 4X4 does in ANY other manner, could you do it?
There is no doubt in my mind, I couldn't. But then, I would not have to, I don't own a 4X4 TRUCK! None of my 4X4s are trucks!
Sure, it is a ridiculous hypothetical scenario. I hope.
Interesting point to ponder.
Back in WW 11 in some countries like Great Britain and Canada, there was war rationing. I think it also may have taken place in the USA, but I don't know this for sure.
Some of the products rationed included fuel...gasoline, diesel, etc. as most of it was assigned for use by the military in the various war theaters.
Will there ever be a war effort of the size of WW 11, where rationing may take place again ? Don't know. But if it did consumer vehicles that were heavier on fuel...both 4WD and 2WD..3/4 ton/1 ton pickup, I would think would be not too economical would be affected. If you only get for your ration...say 5 gallons per week of fuel...well pickup sales would spiral downward and there would be a glut on the use vehicle market.
Used (maybe new) Pickup trucks would be cheap like Borscht...like an old Polish friend of mine used to say.
Environmental reasons ? If fuel costs keep on going upward, then many see pickup trucks that are used only for recreational, or commuter roles as wasteful and putting more demand on limited and costly fuel supplies. If the truck is used for business...then many see this as ok...it's needed to haul loads, etc.
But I could see some environmentalists focusing on large, heavy pickup trucks used as daily drivers (one person), recreational use...as the poster child for combating waste.
It's happened before, particularly post Katrina when fuel prices sky rocketed....could happen again if fuel prices continue to rise, like they are.
I like trucks, always have. My son has a off road package Chevy extended cab...it's a great vehicle.
But in the masses of society, people like me are probably in the minority.
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lesmore49
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03/04/11 11:11am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2 wheel drive VS. 4 wheel drive
4X4 can be fun, and it can be helpful, but is is NOT absolutely necessary, no matter where you live.
This sentence is false. You cannot say, that 4x4 is "NOT absolutely necessary" for all people. You have no idea what they do, and why they NEED it. I don't care where you grew up, how many folks had 4x4s when you were a kid, etc. etc., so don't even bother. You choose not to have a 4x4 truck, fine. However, don't assume you know it all about what each person "ABSOLUTELY needs". Has nothing to do with "thinking" I need it, I KNOW I need it, and you would to if you had to do what I sometimes need to do, and where I do it. NOBODY here uses a 2wd truck for these types of tasks. If they don't use a 4x4 truck, they use a farm tractor (often 4x4 as well, but a 2wd tractor can work in a pinch due to the large traction tires it has).
You may have the last word if you wish. I've said my piece and stand firm by what I said.
What did people do in Missouri before (1960's and before) 4WD trucks were common ?
Not being alive back then, I can only relate what I've been told by my elders. I was alive back then (in my 60's) and can tell you that most farms/ ranches back then...didn't have any 4WD vehicles. The tractors back then if any had them...were much smaller and 2WD for the great majority. A team of mules, horses, or a farm tractor if you were lucky, and could afford it, was used for the off road farm type duties back in those days. we used tractors...or earlier...draft horses. The grain trucks we had, were MDT were International, Ford and Fargo (Canadian Dodge) were all 2WD and got good traction in the fields. If they got stuck...the 2 WD tractor pulled them out.
But we didn't tend to get stuck too often (it happened) as it slowed things down considerably and upset the older in the family.
We also had pickups...in our case GM. We would put around 400 lbs. of sandbags in the rear of the bed. Tires generally used were tall, narrow (for cutting through snow and mud and had heavy snow/mud lugs. Not too many had lockers or posi traction....not sure it was widely available in the 50's. Ground clearance was important.
I'm not talking about everyday commuting, mind you. What I am saying, and what is an easily proven fact, is that some folks, with the activities they do around the farm, off road, etc. MUST have a 4x4 pickup, or a farm tractor, for these tasks. Period. Many back then and now, use a Tractor if things are really bad....mud or snow wise. Many farmers have front end loader attachments to clear the farm yards and roads. A road or a yard, near impassable with for example, snow...isn't workable. It needs to be cleared and that's where a snowblower or front end loader attachment comes in. For anyone to say, that a 4x4 truck is not a necessity for anyone, is very much false. Some folks DO need 4x4. I don't necessarily disagree. Yes having a 4WD around the farm or ranch nowadays is handy...no question about it. But on the other hand I think that many individuals who drive primarily on the pavement, have 4WD...because it appeals to them. No other reason in some of these cases. End of story.I don't think we're too far apart. I don't think surveyorgrip, that you would disagree with me that 4WD can and in many applications is valuable, but that some don't have a need for 4WD. In some cases , they just want it. If they have the money, than why not, but not all need it.
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lesmore49
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03/03/11 05:26pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2 wheel drive VS. 4 wheel drive
I can't believe some of you are actually arguing whether OTHER people need or don't need 4 wheel drive.
Good Gravy people...:S
The Ford vs Chevy...4WD vs 2WD, my horse is faster than your horse, my blunderbuss is more effective than your longbow, I can throw a rock further than you can.... is bench racing.
It's the modern equivalent of sitting around the cheese barrel, in the general store on a cold winter's day...debating and arguing the merits of...this....that...and of course...the other thing.
It's one of the things us... males...do and do well.
It's been going on as long as time itself.
It will go on as long as time itself...it's an avenue for competitiveness.
A lot of us...men mostly... enjoy this relatively mild form of competition.
So don't be surprised....join in. There's always room for one more.
:)
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lesmore49
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03/03/11 08:40am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2 wheel drive VS. 4 wheel drive
4X4 can be fun, and it can be helpful, but is is NOT absolutely necessary, no matter where you live.
This sentence is false. You cannot say, that 4x4 is "NOT absolutely necessary" for all people. You have no idea what they do, and why they NEED it. I don't care where you grew up, how many folks had 4x4s when you were a kid, etc. etc., so don't even bother. You choose not to have a 4x4 truck, fine. However, don't assume you know it all about what each person "ABSOLUTELY needs". Has nothing to do with "thinking" I need it, I KNOW I need it, and you would to if you had to do what I sometimes need to do, and where I do it. NOBODY here uses a 2wd truck for these types of tasks. If they don't use a 4x4 truck, they use a farm tractor (often 4x4 as well, but a 2wd tractor can work in a pinch due to the large traction tires it has).
You may have the last word if you wish. I've said my piece and stand firm by what I said.
What did people do in Missouri before (1960's and before) 4WD trucks were common ?
I don't know, I have never lived in Missouri.
We didn't live on a mountain top, we lived in the bottom of a coulee, about 2 miles from the main road. My parents drove an old Chevy sedan that somebody had chopped off and put a flatbed on the back. When the Montana gumbo roads were wet, Dad just took it easy, and we got out of and back into the coulee no problem. When the roads dried, we could just drop the wheels into the ruts, and that rock hard dried gumbo mud kept us going in the right direction without steering.
To put it simply, here in Montana, we did what had to be done to do what needed to be done. There were a very few well-off folks who had four wheel drives back then, but most of us got by just fine without, winter and summer. I don't remember when my Uncle got his first 4X4 on the ranch, but I think it was well after 1960.
Sorry Mowermech...I'm not the greatest with computers, just realized I had got your quote in there somehow. My response was meant for the fellow from Missouri.
But I agree with you. I'm from the Canadian prairies and used to work on the family farm in the 60's and 70's. At the time we didn't have one 4WD vehicle...among 3 large grain trucks, two pickups, any cars , two tractors...one a very large Case Diesel.
We learned to cope with and drive through prairie 'gumbo' and prairie snow (get about 5-51/2 months of winter) by picking out the 'line' where to drive, using momentum and having an 'educated' foot.
We got stuck sometimes, but not often...as getting stuck in springtime prairie gumbo, or drifting snow, is not something you want to repeat too much.:)
I think 4WD certainly can be valuable and has it's place...but I also think 4WD is not absolutely necessary for every application. I also think many get 4WD for applications that they don't need 4WD for.
Again sorry for mistakenly dragging your post into the fray...I guess I've got a better touch for driving in difficult conditions without the benefit of 4WD, than I am with a computer.:B
Les
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lesmore49
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03/03/11 07:51am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2 wheel drive VS. 4 wheel drive
4X4 can be fun, and it can be helpful, but is is NOT absolutely necessary, no matter where you live.
This sentence is false. You cannot say, that 4x4 is "NOT absolutely necessary" for all people. You have no idea what they do, and why they NEED it. I don't care where you grew up, how many folks had 4x4s when you were a kid, etc. etc., so don't even bother. You choose not to have a 4x4 truck, fine. However, don't assume you know it all about what each person "ABSOLUTELY needs". Has nothing to do with "thinking" I need it, I KNOW I need it, and you would to if you had to do what I sometimes need to do, and where I do it. NOBODY here uses a 2wd truck for these types of tasks. If they don't use a 4x4 truck, they use a farm tractor (often 4x4 as well, but a 2wd tractor can work in a pinch due to the large traction tires it has).
You may have the last word if you wish. I've said my piece and stand firm by what I said.
What did people do in Missouri before (1960's and before) 4WD trucks were common ?
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lesmore49
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03/02/11 08:39pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: February truck sales numbers
If fuel prices continue to go up, truck sales will go down. It's a correlation.
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lesmore49
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03/02/11 08:30pm |
Tow Vehicles
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Sharks use mental maps to find locations
Sharks use mental maps to find locations
Interesting article. There appears to be a lot of things we don't know about animals.
I find information like this, that is contained in this link fascinating.
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lesmore49
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03/02/11 08:15am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Metric Measurements
I wish that back in the 60's they would have converted us to the metric system like the rest of the world.
One of the prime reasons Canada changed to the Metric system in the early '70's was because America was considering converting to the metric System around the same time.
Canada and the US have always been each other's largest trading partners and Canada was going to change along with the USA...to keep the two nations in sync as it were.
But of course as we know, the change to Metrics in the USA didn't happen...but Canada decided to go ahead.
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lesmore49
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02/27/11 11:35pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Real, true Horsepower- better than diesel power ?
But I wonder how accurate this rating really is, as four Clydesdale's, in this instance, seems to more than equal...350-400 hp from a heavy duty pickup
Not trying to start another horsepower/torque debate, but those four draft horses have nowhere near the power of a pickup. They may be able to apply more tractive force (torque) to the ground, but they can only do it at very slow speed. It's very similar to, for example, an ancient, heavy steam tractor that may only have 15 or 20 hp, but can apply a tremendous amount of tractive force to the ground.
A pickup, on the other hand can continue to apply the force up to a much higher speed, around 10 times faster than a draft horse. Therefore, it can do much more work (work = force x distance)and has much more horsepower, a derivative of torque and speed.
Can you imagine if a Clydesdale Horse had a 6 speed transmission and a differential, like a modern one ton truck, which could multiply the horse's power and incorporate a number of gears that would allow the horse to increase speed...while using the same amount of RPM...or GPM...gallops per minute.....in each of the six gears.
That is something else to consider....4 large horses popped out that heavy semi in almost no time flat...while (horses) slipping and sliding...scrambling to get a grip.... on the ice(so much for greater tractive power...applying force to ground)...without using any mechanical devices (transmission gears/ axle ratio) to multiply their horsepower.
It would be interesting to calculate the area and 'grippiness' (traction) of 4 hooves vs the 4-6 patches of tire from a truck.
In addition it would be likely that the P/U truck would be in 4WD or if a dually...would one call it 6 WD.
Should we put more stock into that old phrase..."get a horse" ?
:D
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lesmore49
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02/27/11 11:25pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Metric Measurements
I learned the old British Imperial System , whilst growing up in Canada. After I graduated high school, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau brought in the Metric System.
I can work out both Imperial and Metric (I'm ambidextrous ;)) , but I do prefer the Imperial system.
I still convert Metric into Imperial measure in my mind, when looking at something in Metric.
Probably because I'm more comfortable with Imperial. In some ways the system of measurement that you first learn, that you grow up with...can be compared to one's mother tongue.
Many people will always be more comfortable with their first language, then their second or any of the additional languages they may learn as they go through life's journey.
How many times have you heard someone say, that they translate their second language into their first language when they are speaking in their second language(s).
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lesmore49
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02/27/11 09:38pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Lottery winnings
I was going to split it with you, but since you don't have a plan for it, I'll just do something else. :w
I have a plan...a good one. You get 10% and give me 90 %. I'll PM you with my bank's address (Switzerland) and other pertinent details. ;)
Les
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lesmore49
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02/27/11 07:38pm |
Around the Campfire
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