Gary Lewis

The answer is that the first two get you to the same spot, but the URL's are different. Ditto the last two.

Then I think he wants the permalink. Here's a test: This link is via using the Permalink button at the top of the very first page of this thread/topic This link is to the very first post in the thread/topic This link is for the top of the page that your post is on This link is to your last post Let's see how they work.....

You are right on the "battery" issue. But then, that's what they are called..... As far as the voltage, are there two "lithium" technologies? One that can't be recharged, like the Ultimate Lithium™ Batteries, which give 1.5 volts per cell, and one that can be recharged but that gives 3.2 volts/cell? That explains a lot of things! If my understanding is correct, then I guess I'll be content with NiMH packs for a while, but take alkaline AA's with us as a backup. And then if we start having battery problems I could consider using something like the Ultimate Lithiums.

Yes, very nice! But it shouldn't be an AOD. Instead, it should be the E4OD, which is better yet.

Bryan - I'm not sure what you mean by "subscribe to a thread without email notifications". If you "subscribe" you will get email notifications, but you can decide if you want to subscribe to an individual thread or the folder it is in, like Projects, or to the whole forum. And, you can decide if you want an email for each new post or a daily rollup showing all new posts. However, you may be talking about a link to a thread or a post. And that's called a "permalink". If you want a link you can store away to a specific post click More on the far right of that post's header, then Permalink, and then copy the link that appears. You can paste that link somewhere and then click on the link later to come back directly to that post. Or, you can get a link to the whole thread by going to the very top of the thread and click the Permalink there. Does that help?

Yep, I remember those days. Change out crystals to change channels. Battery life was measured in minutes. And, as you said, the size of a brick but with coverage of a block. Now they fit in the palm of your hand and take four AA cells or the included NiMH pack. Speaking of that, I find it strange there's no lithium pack available for them as there are lithium AA's that can be recharged. I like the idea of having batteries that I can keep "hot", and my experience with NiMH is poor. So I've considered some of the lithium batteries that can be recharged or at least the lithiums that can't be but stay hot forever. Thoughts?

By the way, I just found the spec's on the handhelds - 5 watts on High. Sure beats .5 watts on the FRS units. Should make for reliable comm's.

Ok, I'll confess I didn't understand much of that. But, with some Googling, it appears that: IGBT: IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) module is a device used in many types of industrial equipment, such as motor motor and laser controls and welding. SMD: I assume this still refers to surface mount devices SDR: Software-defined radio is a radio communication system where components that have been traditionally implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded system. Boy, things have really progressed since I was playing with electronics!

I'm still struggling with all the terminology, so had to go look that up. And I've got to learn about group calls, direct calls, selectable call alerts, etc. And that's just on the handhelds! These are fancy systems. But, apparently quite capable.

Wow, John, those are ugly! What are your plans?

If you are only getting 13 then there is a good chance you could get 15 with a bit of tuning. And probably more.

These are GMRS units rather than FRS. Highland Wireless says: My base unit has 15 watts of power and the handhelds have three power settings, although I haven't found the spec's for them. Midland says that the transmission ranges between the base unit and the handhelds are: Max: Up to 50 miles if there's no obstructions at all, pure line of sight Ideal: 10 - 15 miles with "partial" obstructions, whatever that means Obstructed: 5 - 10 miles with "major obstructions to line of sight" Personally I'm not expecting those kinds of ranges, but it would be nice to have the 10 - 15 mile range if we do the Running Of The Bulls.

Oh, I missed the "why". I had several broken ones and made a good one out of the parts. But I'm not sure I will take the time to fix that spring. And I have a broken connector to the mercury switch. So I have parts left over.

I used spray silicone lube. It seemed to work well and the one I did it on has worked nicely for some time. The ones I've taken apart didn't have any grease on the Nylon ratchet mechanism, so I wouldn't use any there.

I'm not even sure there IS a test. I think I just give them money for the license. But if there is a test I suspect I can ace it without much effort having had my amateur license. And you are right about the shorter wavelengths getting blocked more easily. Even trees make a difference. But I don't expect we'll need much distance. Mainly I'm thinking between Big Blue and the FJ when we take two vehicles, and then from the spotter to Big Blue when we tackle some of the harder trails. But, if Ray does get the Run Of The Bulls together it would be far easier for the guys on bikes to carry one of these walkie talkies than something for CB.

Just did this for you, John. Don't take the two halves apart - like I did. Make SURE you pull the whole spool out as a unit.

I was blown away when I got the box this morning, and told Janey "There can't be an antenna in there!" But when I unpacked it there was. To put this in perspective, a 1/4 wavelength antenna for the 27 MHZ CB band is 109" long. But at the GMRS frequency of 462.5 MHZ a 1/4 wavelength antenna is 6.4" long. I stuck batteries in the walkie talkies and went about one block down the street and the reception was absolutely crystal clear. No noise at all but the sound of the other person talking. Far from what I've found on CB walkie talkies in the past, and I've used a bunch of them. Guess I'd better apply for my GMRS license.

Brutus is not even in the same league as 'Lil Red and Big Blue. It takes a really, REALLY bad tune to get a 4.9L even close to the kind of MPG a 7.5L turns in. But, at least Brutus is going to have clean fuel as he sips.

You are really making progress. And, it looks good! With the rust off and the preservative on it should stay that way for a long time. As for the stud, I can't picture it but can you do as you suggested and lay a bolt in from the back side and tack it?

Join the crowd. Been there, done that. Don't feel bad. Bill/85lebaront2 says you can get all of the air out of a system by pulling the heater hose off and, with the radiator cap off, filling via the heater hose until the coolant comes out of the radiator. But that doesn't work for me. It is better, maybe much better, than just filling up the radiator. But I still have to make sure the recovery reservoir has plenty of coolant and drive the thing, let it cool and suck coolant back, drive it, let it cool, etc for several times. Eventually, the next morning I find the coolant is right were I left it before driving the day before, and I know it is full.

I'm going to use a new pad on Dad's truck, but it will be a trailer queen. Big Blue will be happy with a nicely painted dash cover. Got the radios in today. Ordered yesterday, got them before church this morning. The truck radio is tiny! And the antenna is even smaller. Should be so easy to put this thing in the little cubby in the Highliner. In fact, the mike is half the size of the unit, and detaches easily via the RJ-11 connection, so can be stored in the glove box or console on the seat - assuming I ever get one. And the walkie talkies are complex! The number of functions on them boggles the mind, with group settings, privacy codes, NOAA channels, etc.

John - Yes, sorry I missed you as well. I don't know for sure where I got the "ringed steer" picture. How big do you need? It looks like it got cropped a bit here:

Thanks, Jim. That's the kind of information I was looking for. George - I agree that it is the best cover I can find. And while it doesn't completely cover the defrost vent area I'll paint both the same color, including the edge of the Coverlay, and it will be difficult to tell there's a cover on there. And, as you've seen, the old pad is in such BAD shape that this will be a huge improvement.

Yep. But I also have not only the Documentation/Electrical/Standard Wire & Color Codes document available but also a complete 1985 EVTM that is OCR'd. So I can search for the wire color and find every instance of it. However, there are lots of uses of orange wires, which is why I asked for the trace color. That will nail it down pretty quickly.

Thanks for the pics, George. I'll watch out for those areas. And, I won't cram it on, I'll fit it gently and trim if I have to. And, speaking of trimming, I've already had to sand off hard, curled edges of the cracks that would have held the cover up. I'll probably do some more trimming as I'm waiting for the new cover, using the old cover to test with. Also, I'm debating how to install the cover. IOW, what to glue it down with. Coverlay sends RTV as the "glue" but I also have 3M spray adhesive. However, I'm worried that the spray adhesive wouldn't let me slip the thing in place before grabbing it - firmly. On the other hand, the RTV doesn't seem like a very strong adhesive. Thoughts, y'all?