Brian1 91 XLT 4x4

[Rick]

Very nice article Brian. Congrats Excellent pics too

 

[2TimingTom]

Very nice

Anytime I think of anything hear the border I think of it being off limits due to drug and human trafficking. Which pisses me off since why in the EFF can't we secure our own borders in this regard?!?!?

 

[BKennedy]

Its nice to read articles involving a 20 year old modified SUV. Most articles now are about modern vehicles because that's where the money is.

 

[SLAYERMIKE]

I enjoy your articles and seeing your rig in the mag, simple clean and gets the job done!

 

[NCdreamin]

Just got my first Explorer ('97 sport) and this article has been a big help in regards with some stuff to look for in preventative maintenance. Thanks!

 

[Brian1]

Thanks guys!

Welcome to the site NCdreamin

 

[chillmiller]

love your rig .... and it amazes me that every time i see a built explorer on tv/mag's/ect .... its someone from this site...

 

[Brian1]

Thanks!

Did anyone catch the most recent Dirt Every Day show on Motortrend's Youtube channel?

The past few days I have added a LED strip to my awning with a multi-function switch to turn them on/off and for various light patterns. I still need to wire the power from my aux. fuse block to the rear hatch area. I also added a Blue Sea 2 port USB outlet under the front of the center console. I added a junction block since I already had a 12v outlet running to the back of the console. Now it will be easier to add another USB or 12v outlet in the future.

The reason I added the USB is that I recently got a Mobilinkd APRS tracking system. The Mobilinkd TNC has a battery but can also be powered by USB. It connects to a LG 7" Tablet I also got via Bluetooth to run APRSdroid so I needed a USB outlet for the tablet power as well. This all connects to a handheld Baofeng with an external roof antenna. Now I can text and email from the middle of nowhere even without cell service

The main benefits of the Mobilinkd APRS is that it is portable for hiking or easily transferring to another vehicle, I don't need to dedicate a channel on my main radio to it, the tablet will show an offline map and the locations of friends or anyone else running APRS on it and it is much easier to send messages using the keyboard on the tablet.

 

[BKennedy]

Love the video. I think you and Ted do more for exposure of RBV's to the general public than anyone else. And, more importantly, you have fun doing it. Every time I look at your thread, I get more ideas.

 

[Tbars4]

...Thank you...I'm honored to be mentioned..

...Everytime I look at this thread I feel like I'm slacking..

...except the dual usb in the console....I did that a few months back when I added a console to the Ranger..

I need more info on the aprs thingie...spill it or i will be calling....

 

[Brian1]

I need more info on the aprs thingie...spill it or i will be calling

The benefits of being a licensed ham radio operator APRS is automatic packet reporting system and can be used worldwide. It uses GPS and a ham radio to track your position and to send and receive messages. More info at aprs.org and on the Mobilinkd TNC here http://www.mobilinkd.com/

 

[gmanpaint]

Woot!! More gadgets!!

Awesome episode and nice cameo Brian!

Did anybody else notice Blee lurking in the background when they were fly fishing?

 

[2TimingTom]

Yeah, APRS is cool. Last weekend I went camping with some families. They headed out the day before and got a dispersed spot somewhere south of Leadville, CO. Once at camp, he fired off his location via APRS and I could see where he was while at home.

Of course it really didn't matter because once I got about 15 miles out from camp, he and I were chatting on the radios and he could have directed me in that way- another nice feature of HAM radios.

 

[BKennedy]

I am thinking a HAM radio needs to be my next big-ish purchase. All the times I go out by myself with just a CB and a mobile phone, it makes sense to have one.

 

[2TimingTom]

Big-ish..... I think the test was $15 and you can get a handheld radio from Amazon for $30. And then tune into the repeater network and you can probably talk across the state.

 

[BKennedy]

Big-ish..... I think the test was $15 and you can get a handheld radio from Amazon for $30. And then tune into the repeater network and you can probably talk across the state.

I had no idea they are so inexpensive. Rick has been telling me for years to get one. Thanks. Time to go look over the ham radio threads..

 

[Brian1]

I added another USB port to the back of my console and tonight I tried out my awning LEDs for the first time. They should work great for camping!

 

[gmanpaint]

Dang, they look pretty bright! Too bad they weren't a yellow Bug light color.

Might need to add a battery powered bug zapper to the camping gear now. :

 

[Brian1]

Haha! They are dimmable with the micro switch. It also has a party mode. Shown is at full power.

 

[Rick]

Just caught your segment in the video. Nice work as usual Brian I had to pass the video on to a local friend who is a Tundra fan. Amazing how well it did in Moab.