Welcome to the Official SoCal BS/ Shenanigans, Tundras and What’s Happening Thread

Haha! He's got a point, Jason; take pics of everything so we can live through you.

 

Might put a set of these on my “farm truck”. http://www.armada-engineering.com/shop/wheels-tires/17-bf-goodrich-off-road-race-tire-37x12-50r17-kr2

 

That's exactly the tire I was thinking of. I am, of course, happy to let you be the test pilot/guinea pig.

 

Ahaha will do!

Anyone want to do any trails in july?

 

How many miles are you looking to get out of those?

 

I could be mistaken, but aren't they very soft and don't actually last very long?

 

How about next weekend on the 21st?

 

That is what I would expect.

 

What's up man? I'm down

 

I was thinking of trails around Anza-Borrego/Ocotillo Wells or Big Bear.

 

anza borrego should feel about hot enough now to melt your plastic parts... big bear might be a more enjoyable option right now...

 

Sounds like a good time man. I'm down. LMK the details

 

Well there goes my theory. Its obviously the driver, not the tires

 

But, that's what night runs are for.

On a more serious note, I was going to base it off of who was interested, where they're coming from, and as mentioned Big Bear is a lot cooler right now.

 

Id be cool with either but leaning more towards Big Bear because its closer for me. Hopefully not to crazy trails as im still getting my feet wet lol.

 

Also is the

$19 baofeng uv-5r dual band two way radio (black), 144-148mhz & 420-450mhz

baofeng uv-5r the radio i need to get?

 

no. POS

get a kenwood handheld

 

Hey man, with a decent antenna I get like a whole 600 meters of range!

 

Alright, Big Bear it is. I'll post up some of the trails later.

 

I was wheeling with a guy once who said every time he transmitted with his baofeng, it would shock his hand. Even when he put it in a sock he was still getting shocked haha

 

You’ll be fine with us-5r and it’s what 90% of us use in SoCal (aside from maybe @osidepunker’s crew )

yes there are better... there always will be

But if you buy the radio everyone uses, there will be more people that can show you how to use it. Also there will be more people that can lend you a battery (seen this on many runs)

 

Its not that kenwoods are "better" Baofeng are unreliable. they have problems charging, the screens go bad, they shock you, keyboard stops working etc. I personally have seen over a dozen fail on the trail over the years.

oh, and NOBODY knows how to use them. Every single person I met who used one didn't know how to change the damn channel.

but crappy radio is better than no radio so run what ya brung

 

btw, my kenwood lasts a full 3 days or more of all day trail runs. so you wouldn't need to worry about borrowing a battery haha

 

Have plans early evening but I'm in for Big Bear on 21st.

Got new wheels, tires, and suspension that I've been wanting to take off road. Will be first time out other than to go shooting. Do I need a radio?

 

Radios aren’t necessary but it’s very helpful to have one and be able to communicate with one another. A lot of us have the cheap 25 dollar boafeng but others have Kenwood but they are a bit more pricy

 

Which is a good one to buy? I'm good with spending more on a better one.

 

@osidepunker would be able to help u with that

 

It won't just be more, it will be MORE. First you need to know what frequencies the group will be using. VHF, UHF, or both? Single band VHF will be cheaper, but that forces the group to stay on VHF. Ham, gmrs, frs, race, or business frequencies? If you buy a real amateur radio and the crew are using non-ham frequencies you will likely need to mod it.
The reason that Baofeng radios are so popular is that they are cheap and have extended frequency range out of the box. I have a "real" radio in my truck, but also carry along a Baofeng to use out of the truck and loan out. Just realize that you get what you pay for, in addition to the one that I carry around I also have on dead one sitting on a shelf.
The FCC is supposedly cracking down on radio manufacturers and the rumor is that Baofeng isn't going to be able to keep selling the unlocked radios. I say buy 2 of them now just to get you going. If/when you buy a better radio the Baofengs can either go in the recycling bin or you can give them away.

 

The radio mounted in my truck isn't great, but the reception is much better than my baofeng (mostly because the antenna is mounted atop the cab).
I use that when possible, and use my baofeng when needed, or loan it out.

It's not a bad idea ot have a cheap-o

$19 baofeng UV5R BAOFENG UV-5R dual band two way radio (black), 144-148mhz & 420-450mhz

baofeng UV5R, but it's like buying the cheapest of anything, it has its draw backs. Investing into a quality radio is just that, an investment. You get what you pay for.

On the tame group runs radios are not essential, but nice to have for when there's on coming vehicles, pedestrians, or turns. Usually you have the vehicle in front of you in sight. On faster/longer/more technical runs they are a must have. Calling out obstacles, turns, vehicles, people, it becomes much more valuable when you can't always see the vehicle in front of you.

Bonus points: radio chatter is usually BS much like the forum haha.

Bonus round two: In Superstition we drove onto an active bombing range, we could see everyone but it was wild hearing the chatter as we all ripped u turns to get out of harms way.

Bonus round 2.5: At said bombing range I was pulled off to the side righting my flipped over cooler and didn't hear this, but my gf did.

And finally: If you get a flat, break, need to stop, you can alert the group so you're not left in the dust and they know where and why you stopped so there's no fear of someone lost.

 

Radio schmadio. Real men use megaphones.