So I bought one of these :
A friend of a friend of a .... etc. who does police, fire, ambulance and mining vehicles etc. persuaded me that I really didn't need one to try and reach across Australia or to the moon etc.; if I really needed something like that I was better off with a satellite phone. After some research I tended to agree but I still lost the plot and needed a CB for inter-vehicle communication at close range . . . you know . . . like when travelling in a convoy. At this point everyone yells "Rubber Ducky that's a big 10/4" and I go and cringe in a corner. Never the less I bought it and had it fitted. Did you get that bit "HAD IT FITTED"? I DIDN'T DO IT MYSELF?!!! It was decided that the most convenient place to mount it was on the front of the gearshift console.
Which is OK.
The aerial is another matter. It really needs to go smack bang in the middle of the roof to work effectively, however with the truck 4000mm high and the legal maximum is 4200mm and more importantly there are bridges and underpasses that are 4201mm, at least it seems like it, that is not really practical. There are the remains of an aerial still in the middle of the roof of the cab but that was for the old flat bed arrangement, the current "big box" would block the signal for 180 degrees behind the direction of travel. The best compromise that could be agreed on was here ...
This still blocks off reception and transmission in a 90 degree arc but will allow communication with vehicles in front and behind and that's really what it's for . . .
Now the "bitch and moan" part comes about with the interior installation.
I had a cable for the reversing cameras reasonably neatly over the front of the dash as I didn't want to drill any holes in the dash until I had decided exactly how much I was eventually going to change it all, however, the guy doing the installation either forgot it went down the front or tried to help by tucking it away and in doing so broke off the end of the ashtray while trying to squash the cable in behind it. Somehow I don't think it improved the look . . . I think I preferred the exposed cable. What? Did he expect I wouldn't notice?? Or I would be happy the cable is now half hidden and is going to wear through where it is squashed???
Well I guess it just advances the next part of the project. I temporarily screwed the rear view camera display to the top of the ashtray. I hate/loathe/despise/etc.... smoking so it was never going to get used but it is not the best of mountings.
In addition the radio which is directly underneath has one output amplifier blown so only one speaker works.
No worries! I will just get a new one. What could be simpler?
a) Isuzu no longer has them as a spare.
b) Wreckers do not keep radios???
c) It's 24vDC and all cars are 12vDC (at least that can be solved)
d) the real killer is that it's only half as deep as a standard radio!!
You can see that compared to the size of the standard car radio I bought intending to just "put it in the same slot".
and there lies another tale . . .
While purchasing some other things one day I saw this
Damaged packaging?? So what!!
It's got all that nice new fruit with MP3 plug, USB control, CD player, detachable front panel, remote control, etc, etc . . .
HAH!!
I bought it at the time because it was cheap and I would use it some time in the future . . . fast forward, that's now, so I unpacked it and yes only the packaging is damaged but they forgot to mention that the remote is missing along with the mounting hardware and that someone had detached the front panel without pressing the appropriate release button.
Of course what followed was par for the course . . .
"Excuse me I purchased this about six months ago but have only just opened it and there appears to be a few things wrong . . ."
"Well. Jeez mate. What do you expect us to do now. You should have told us straight away, and look it says 'damaged' what do you expect?"
and
and
and . . .
Why don't I learn??
So it's back to the old technology, iPod and iTrip for music in remote locations where the radio wont work
and cross wire the one amplifier channel still working in the old radio to both speakers so at least I get dual Mono, and advance the timetable for the construction of the new dashboard console so I can mount the new 12vDC radio properly.
In the mean time I think I might just go away for a month . . . so let's check the travel conditions . . . of course . . . the north of Australia is having unseasonal early monsoon rains and many of the roads are closed so I can't go that way and I have to apply for several travel permits to cross aboriginal lands to go east and that could take a while and there is only ocean to the south and west and . . . and . . .
bitch . . . moan . . . complain . . .
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