Starting my own aerial farm

A nice aerial farm at a gathering of Land Rover products. My Jeep has now started its own farmlet (see small photo below right)

The GME TX3220 fits perfectly in a Jeep's dash pocket

A few months ago, I posted these  thoughts on UHF radios. The availability in the dying weeks of 12.5% GST of a nice GME special package that basically included a free good quality matched aerial prompted me to take the plunge. The GME TX3220 is a compact unit less than half the size of the old GME AM set that served so well on the Land Rover. As the photo shows, it fits perfectly into a little dash pocket on the Jeep, unobtrusive and out of the way. The guys at Motortech 4x4  made up a nice mounting bracket that fits onto existing bolt holes, so no sheet metal was penetrated during the installation of the product! I'm impressed by the strength and quality of the signal the AE4012K2 aerial pulls in, despite not being mounted in the best position (ie the middle of the roof!). Although the unit is compact, even the clumsy-fingered should have no problem working the knobs and buttons. It's way better than trying to use a 2w hand-held for in-vehicle use.

The 5w unit is 29mm high, 129mm long, 117mm deep and weighs just 420g. It includes a speaker of decent quality, but there's a jack for an external speaker if needed. It comes with a strong mounting bracket if your 4x4 doesn't have a convenient little pocket to put it in. It quickly scans the 40 channels so you can hear all the inane babble, if that's your thing. GME often has special deals, so if a UHF radio is on your list, keep an eye out for the next one. Check also other good brands such as Uniden, Motorola, Midland and Oricom.

Out There South: the Mainland rules

Out There South appeared in 2010, so it's old news now and this is just a quick comment rather than a review. The first thing that struck me about the volume that led to Out There North (above) was the excellence of photography, compared to the newer book. It's not that the photographers lost their skills in the two years between volumes, it's just that the South Island is so much more scenic … especially in out-of-the-way places where 4WDs can go. This time they used three rental Toyota Prados which, unlike the Volkswagens in Out There North, weren't always perfect in every way. Sadly, the text is not up to the photos. As with the North volume, it reads like a well-prepared 4WD club magazine report, only more so. I really don't care that Chris was busy charging the UHF radios, I'd far rather read more about the areas, the tracks, and how to drive them.

Taking AIMS – 4WDs at the Australian International Motor Show

Holden's Colorado 7 shows lots of promise as a rival for the Mitsubishi Challenger and recent used-import Toyota Surfs. It's based on the Colorado ute, but its chassis was separately developed. Drivetrain is the same as the ute's and includes a limited-slip diff. It's a decade since we last saw a wagon with low range gearing in the Holden lineup. It was one of the most interesting off roaders at this year's AIMS at Sydney's Darling Harbour.

New wagon has seating for seven. There's nothing particularly exciting about the interior design, but nothing wrong with it, either.

Here's a reminder of the Colorado 7's roots. This ute's decked out with a snorkel and bumper available from the dealer network.

And here's Isuzu's take on the same truck, a D-Max SX fitted out for use in the mines. Presumably it'll be a familiar bit of gear to many of the New Zealanders seeking their fortune in the Lucky Country. The mine-spec package includes external rollover protection; checkerplate floor in the alloy tray; high visibility markings; a pair of 3m-tall flag mounts; a 4.5kg extinguisher; a light bar with LED tail lights, a revolving beacon and work lights; UHF radio; wheel nut indicators; and a combined jump-start, starter motor and battery isolator.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, was showing a single cab Amarok with a really nice alloy deck, available from dealers in Oz.

There's more than $27,000 Aussie dollars worth of luxury tax plus $8000 worth of NSW stamp duty on this diesel G350 G-Class; the main reasons why New Zealand buyers get a better deal on this amazing (but sadly amazingly expensive) vehicle.

4wdNewz was first with the news that the new V8 petrol Patrol will come to New Zealand, after giving up on getting a diesel any time soon. The Aussies have managed to keep the pricing commendably low, but Nissan NZ is still working on what we'll pay.

Nissan reckons the new Patrol will really pull the women.

The show was used to unveil the new Range Rover to Australasia. It's a stunning vehicle, but will be so expensive and is so luxurious that it's almost irrelevant to off-road enthusiasts. Still, it's nice to look and touch!

The ground clearance is almost car-like as Land Rover goes all out to make the Rangie more … car-like! Good job the clearance grows deeper at the turn of a knob.

Jeeps are built, not bought II – it all comes together

Ah, that's better: the Wrangler at Jeep Woodhill 4WD Adventure Park. God bless beam axle suspension.

Tyres

Skip this bit if you don’t agree, but I believe that outside of 4x4 competition, super-aggressive tyres like the Centipedes are overkill. I was going to fit BFG Mud Terrains to the Rubicon’s 17-inch alloys, but was seduced by good reviews overseas of the new-ish Goodyear Wrangler MT/Rs with Kevlar (photo, right). Their unusual asymmetric design combines advantages of an all terrain and a mudder. From the brake side out the pattern comprises a row of block tread, then some all terrain-type tread, some typical mud terrain tread, then another row of blocks. The common criticism is that they’re too much of a compromise, but my experience over four seasons is that they are at no disadvantage compared to the best non-extreme mud treads, whatever the terrain. My 255/75 x 17s are a conservative one size up from stock.

Clearance

Aiden Van der Werff ready to fit
an OME spring.

Although diff-head clearance hadn’t been an issue, the Wrangler was hanging-up elsewhere. Fortunately, the Jeep world is full of Wrangler lift kits. For example, the catalogue from American supplier Quadratec is thicker than some provincial phone books and devotes 32 pages to lift kits and suspension improvements. I shopped closer to home, with the relatively simple (simple is good!) but well reviewed Old Man Emu kit. I have used OME for years, always pleased with both the products and the service from suppliers, in this case Jeep-friendly Motortech 4x4 on Auckland’s north shore. I got medium-weight 2616 front springs suitable for a vehicle with a bar and medium rated 2630s at the back. These provided about 60mm more air under the body and solved my clearance problems. A fair bit firmer than standard, I’d think twice before choosing a “heavy” option. The Nitrocharger Sport shocks provide way better ride and control than the uninspiring factory dampers.

Rancho Rock Gear sump shield is
glued in place. Maybe it's painted
red for easy location
if it falls off.

While discovering the insufficient clearances, I seriously re-shaped the V6’s flimsy sump; only luck stopped it tearing open. The Motortech 4x4 guys hammered it into shape, carefully testing for leaks. They then fitted a Rancho RockGear sump shield I’d imported from the US. Beautifully built, it’s a controversial product because it’s held in place by special adhesive. The subject of many postings on Jeep forums, no one has yet reported one falling off or coming loose.
Bumpers: The Wrangler’s standard bumpers had to go. I rather fancied an American product or two, but chose ARB’s because we live in the age of OSH and Motortech 4x4 has had no problem getting ARB low-volume certified. The steel product’s a good compromise between light weight and brute strength.

So it's time to get serious in Motortech's workshop

More fun than Christmas: Aiden Van der Werff
unpacks the goodies at Motortech.

Fortunately, the Mopar skid plate mated perfectly and the bumper allowed fitting our familiar rated recovery hooks. At the back, the standard bumper included a number plate holder that protruded below its lower edge to act as a scraper blade. Another couple of outings and it would have been wrecked, so a matching ARB rear bumper seemed like, and was, a good idea. The extra clearance of the two well-built bumpers, particularly at the front, has been an eye opener and the Wrangler is also a better-looking vehicle for them. The bumpers also let me Hi-Lift off purpose-provided slots.

Why no winch?
The winch on my last truck became a 40kg dead weight, so infrequently was it used. I almost always travel in groups so there’s usually a friendly recovery nearby. If not, I’ll have to get out my Tirfor 516D hand winch. Using it can be hard work, but it’ll do the job. Should I change my mind, the ARB bumper is winch-ready.

Mounted under passenger seat, the
latest ARB compressor provides
an energetic source of air
for re-inflating tyres.

ARB's recently introduced deflator
is the best 4wdNewz has used.

Other stuff
After 12 years with a GME AM CB radio, it wasn’t a hard sell by Motortech to get me into a compact 3220 UHF unit with matched aerial. It’s easily used by the clumsy-fingered and pulls in a strong, clear signal.
A wired-in ARB CKMA12 compressor lives under the Wrangler’s passenger seat for tyre inflation and it’s significantly faster then the older model. The 6m air hose, a detachable inflator with gauge, and the ARB E-Z tyre deflator all sit beside it, out of the way. The E-Z is the best deflation device I’ve ever used.

ARB bumpers allow the Jeep to be Hi-Lifted
from front or back.

Other bits and pieces include the American Rugged Ridge Hi-Lift jack bracket that fits to the tailgate end of the roll cage and allows secure stowage of, and quick access to, the heavy jack. A good Wrangler-owning handyman could easily make one and it would be time well spent.

American Rugged Ridge mount keeps jack secured to roll structure.

Recovery points don't get much more accessible than this.

Seal of approval: the low-volume
certification plate gets riveted to body.

10-4 Good Buddy

I'm looking at dragging myself into the 21st century, replacing my old AM CB radio with a modern 40 channel UHF PRS (Personal Radio Service) unit, a type of two-way communication increasingly favoured by 4WD clubs, safari-trip leaders and off-roaders in general. Not knowing nearly as much as I should, I sought advice from Brett Whyte, a Land Rover enthusiast who has amassed a good general knowledge of such things. Here's what he had to say:

"• Nothing beats the power of a 5watt dash mounted unit, the maximum power allowed by law.

"• What makes the difference is the aerial. Dash mounted PRS units cost between $450 and $550 so why would you compromise its power by trying to save $30 or so on a cheaper aerial? Unless you are prepared to drill a hole in the dead centre of your roof to create a ground plane, you need to spend the extra on a 'ground plane independent' aerial. These have about 20cm of 'solid' shiny rod at the base of the simple wire aerial and can be mounted away from flat surfaces. Most of us mount them on the bullbar where we can see if they are under attack from trees, etc. Mine has been mounted on the bar, just inside of my left headlight where it doesn't distract my forward vision. It's been there for at least five years and hasn't been broken. My old AM CB unit regularly suffered damage to its fibreglass-based aerials.

"• No hand-held transceiver can deliver the same distance efficiency as a dash-mounted unit with a good aerial. This is despite being available at the same maximum wattage. It's a simple matter of the tiny aerial they have not having the same performance potential. I know club drivers who wished they had not bought a 5watt hand-held as it is clumsier to use in a cab than a microphone on a cord. Conversely I know another driver who is delighted with his 3watt hand-held and I found its three-day+ battery life extraordinary.

"• My advice is to spend money on a dash mounted unit so you have the best capacity in your vehicle. Then I would pick up a bargain hand-held of one or more watts so that my passenger can run up to the front of the stoppage and tell me what's going on. Absolute minimum in a hand-held is one watt, 2watt is much better. Anything below that is enormously frustrating to other drivers in a convoy."

Thanks for that. I'll communicate more about the search for perfect communications in future posts.

Copy that

Here's a good site about UHF radios and off-roading. It's Australian but has a New Zealand section and is worth a look if you're a PRS user, or would like to be.

And here and here are earlier postings on UHFs.

Sad about Stratos

It's too bad that Stratos, a public broadcasting channel on Freeview, has closed. Stratos carried the excellent Australian 4WD TV series, which included a lot of New Zealand coverage. Stratos was for some – including myself – the only way to watch episodes on the big flat screen. (An alternative is to stream them from the 4WD TV website and watch on the computer.) According to the show's website, it's also shown on Auckland's Triangle TV, CTV in Canterbury, Channel 9 in Dunedin, Mainland TV in Nelson, Sawyer TV in Napier and Family TV in Rodney. But for those of us unable to access any of these regional UHF channels it's Goodnight 4WD TV. I'm hoping 4WD TV might be able to get it on one of the other Freeview national channels. Simon Christie, who runs 4WD TV with his wife, Miranda, told 4wdNewz, "we are still in total shock … we know we have a great following in New Zealand."

What you can do

4WD enthusiasts need 4WD TV available nationally on Freeview, particularly in light of the show's substantial and ongoing commitment to New Zealand coverage. Basically, this means being on TV One, TV Two, TV3, Prime or the Southland station, Cue. Please take a minute to email, write or phone the channel(s) of your choice and tell them that you'd love to see the show on their channel now that Stratos has folded. TV stations do listen to public opinion, so please do it now. Information on how to provide feedback is published on each channel's website.