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ryanrs posted:Hunting 2021: We have the beavers on satellite, but aren't getting any hits on social media. This should be a thread title in TFR.
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Nov 21, 2021 12:24
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I'd be surprised if there are beaver up there. I've been going to lake pillsbury at least once <5 years since the early 80s, and I have never heard or seen anyone mention anything like that. There are river otters up there, but AFAIK they dont build dams The wildlife I know Lake Pillsbury for is the Tule Elk. The last time I was up there, it was the beginning of mating season and I saw over 200+ elk fighting it out.  Right off the road in Oak Flats
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Nov 23, 2021 18:43
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This is an incredible pic, quoting for a new page.
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Nov 23, 2021 18:57
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that shot is incredible and is a culmination of some of the best content in AI. hellye wtg
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Nov 23, 2021 19:03
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NorCal Beaver / Squirrel Expedition Beaver Reconnaissance Last week I posted this intriguing aerial photo of a possible beaver dam.  There was a 1.5 mi trail down from the road, but it was pretty overgrown in places, barely more than a game trail. I saw a bobcat on the way in, which was neat.    After crossing a couple small streams, I arrived at Rice Fork, a creek that feeds into Lake Pillsbury.   And here's the beaver dam! It looks a lot smaller in person, heh. I think the dam in the aerial photos probably washed away in the big rainstorm late October and they are rebuilding.    So there are definitely beavers upstream of Scott Dam. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this information, but it probably won't involved freezing my rear end off on a gravel river bed, at night in December, trying to ambush a beaver. It's neat to know they are out there, though. Thanksgiving in the Forest Despite my usual preference, I decided to camp in an actual campground for Thanksgiving Day, since I knew I'd have the place entirely to myself. That day I saw zero people or vehicles, except for planes flying overhead. Also figuring into my decision was the knowledge that a large oak tree had fallen in the campground during the 2020 Doe Fire. It had fallen on another tree, so the oak was not in contact with the ground, minimizing any rot. The large size of the tree meant that other campers hadn't been able to scavenge much firewood, and the largest branches were mostly intact. For a man with a chainsaw, though, it is an endless supply of seasoned, dry oak.   The Milwaukee rechargeable chainsaw is the best camping chainsaw. This is especially true when clearing small downed trees off the road. It takes 2 minutes to pull it out of the van, slice up the tree, and be on your way again. But it's also perfectly happy cutting oak logs larger than the blade. The chain geometry is quite mild and the system doesn't have a ton of inertia, so kickback hasn't been a problem for me, even when doing dumb stuff.   After splitting a bunch of oak, I spent the rest of the day drinking beer, cooking sausages over a roaring fire, and reading a lot. I finished the day sipping scotch under the stars. It was an extremely chill, relaxing Thanksgiving. No Gray Squirrels For the next four days, I made my way from Mendocino NF, to Six Rivers, then to Shasta-Trinity. I saw a lot of burned forest, but also a lot of mixed conifer / oak / madrone woodlands. I saw a huge amount of bear sign (bear poop everywhere), plus one actual bear, but only maybe 3 or 4 gray squirrels during the entire trip (all while driving). I also saw zero roadkill squirrels, which is pretty unusual. Look at this lovely mixed evergreen forest! If you were a squirrel, you'd like to live here, right? I think I need to be hunting here in September, not the end of November. I know the squirrels aren't hibernating, but maybe they are hiding in their nests watching TV and posting on the internet instead of scampering about where I can shoot them?    Van Notes TPMS system works, but reception from the rear wheels is not good when the van is packed with gear. I need to see if this is an RFI issue (was running the TPMS receiver on a cheap USB car adapter), or just poor reception. Reception problems are an issue with TPMS in RVs and trailers, so there are solutions available. Life without a sway bar: lmao so much body roll. Really noticed it on twisty highways like 36 and 3. Oh well, it's still worth it. I'll just drive slower. Speaking of body roll, on lefthand sweepers I hear a rubbing/grinding noise which is probably a wheel bearing. Need to be going fast enough to get weight transfer onto the right-side wheels. Is there a way to verify the problem is actually the bearings? If I jack up the van, will I be able to feel play in the bearing or similar? (The bearings would be just starting to go, they are not catastrophically hosed yet). LED Light bar. I finally got to use this out in Mendocino NF. It's amazing! The offroad lights are so bright that you can't tell if the OEM high beams are on or off. I'm starting to think I should just install a basic switch instead of the more complicated controller I've been dreaming up. For now, I have a powerpole connector I plug and unplug to control the lights, ha ha. Backup lights. I've determined that lighting isn't really the issue. Half the time when I'm backing up, all I can see out the back is sky, so more lights won't help. The proper solution is probably a backup camera + screen. But, ugh, I know there's probably a thousand lovely backup cameras on Amazon. Which ones are not poo poo, if any? On the plus side, putting a camera high on the van's rear door should give a nice view of stuff I'm about to run over. Front camera. I tried videoing a trail with my phone, which of course ended up looking like poo poo (but maybe kinda funny). A dashcam would let me catch cool encounters like the bear (also, not-cool encounters). A GoPro-like device would let me film especially interesting trails. But on the other hand, having a running camera might entice me to do extra-stupid stuff offroad, which could end badly. Not really sold on this one, tbh.
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Nov 30, 2021 20:26
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I like these because they're metal bodied cameras that can be installed pretty subtly. Here's what the video looks like on a Pioneer headunit: They're pretty much all "webcam resolution but with maybe better low light performance, maybe" - I haven't noticed any difference across the (three?) cheap brands I've tried.
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Nov 30, 2021 21:12
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Krakkles posted:Pioneer headunit OK, so the screens are sold separately? Possibly relevant: I use an iphone, and it is way more annoying connecting to my 2018 Mazda 3 over bluetooth than the minivan over a cassette adapter. Maybe it's just the Mazda headunit being dumb, or maybe I'm an old person, but the interactions between the Mazda headunit and the iphone are so loving stupid and annoying. If all iphone-compatible screens are that bad, I don't want one. e: Wait, are the screens separate from audio these days, or are they combined? I haven't actually looked at car audio at all since the 90s. But I don't have any desire to change the van's audio situation. I just want a backup camera. ryanrs fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Nov 30, 2021 |
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Nov 30, 2021 22:19
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I put a Natika camera on our RV. Image quality isn't the best with the included cable plus 35 feet of 1994s finest rg59 but I could have sworn it was better before I added the long cable. Going to just live with it until we rebuild the roof structure and I can add conduit so it'll be easy to use the cable that came on the camera. You can buy cameras and screens separately or in sets, honestly I'll probably stick to buying separate so I can choose features on each. I had to go with a camera that had flip and rotate options as well as the ability to disable the overlay guidelines because I wasn't mounting it conventionally. And yeah, I hated the smart phone interactions on a 2020 Dodge pickup I rented so much that I switched back to using my Bluetooth fm transceiver + charger adapter just so plugging in the charging cable would stop driving my phone insane.
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Nov 30, 2021 22:28
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ryanrs posted:
Maybe but I'd lean towards probably not unless it's really bad. I had two failed wheel bearings on my Mazdaspeed3 - one was a rear making a clicking noise, the other was a front that growled like a motherfucker. Neither one had any noticeable play even compared to the good bearings on the opposite side.
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Nov 30, 2021 22:40
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Generally for a reversing cam, most folks just use a double-DIN head unit so as to not take up more dash real estate. Most backup cameras are 480p at best, because they are analog, and that’s what works with the head units. If you want better than that, there are plenty of dashcams that can do varying levels of HD forward and rearward. A lot have a small built in screen, and quite a few have built in WiFi so you can review and download footage with your phone or laptop without having to pop out the memory card.
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Nov 30, 2021 22:46
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ryanrs posted:OK, so the screens are sold separately? I can say that I tried a wireless to phone dashcam (FenSens, I think?) and it was traaaaash - like, the connection was way too laggy to be at all useful. Highly recommend hardwired whatever you do.
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Nov 30, 2021 22:51
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Darchangel posted:Generally for a reversing cam, most folks just use a double-DIN head unit so as to not take up more dash real estate. Most backup cameras are 480p at best, because they are analog, and that’s what works with the head units. I bought a rear view mirror with a built in screen for a reversing cam and swapped it out with the original one. It was pretty awesome. Looks and works like a normal mirror, then once you go into reverse half of it turns into a screen.
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Dec 1, 2021 00:06
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These are good suggestions! Tomarse, what specific make/model did you get?
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Dec 1, 2021 00:13
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Here's a short, terrible video of me leaving my campsite. I'm driving with one hand, and using the other to hold up my cell phone. It's bad, but maybe it shows the potential for a gopro or gopro-like device for future outings? (This video explains a lot about why my van looks the way it does.) https://vimeo.com/651786300
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Dec 1, 2021 00:48
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ryanrs posted:Here's a short, terrible video of me leaving my campsite. I'm driving with one hand, and using the other to hold up my cell phone. It's bad, but maybe it shows the potential for a gopro or gopro-like device for future outings? My wife had me driving on stuff like this, but more rain forest like, in Rarotonga (cook islands) back in 2019 in a rented Mini. It was pretty good at it and it was kinda trashed to begin with.
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Dec 1, 2021 05:22
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I wonder if there’s a no-helmet equivalent of a chin mount. Those are the best for GoPros on a motorcycle.
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Dec 1, 2021 05:25
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ryanrs posted:Here's a short, terrible video of me leaving my campsite. I'm driving with one hand, and using the other to hold up my cell phone. It's bad, but maybe it shows the potential for a gopro or gopro-like device for future outings? Now dub in the speeder bike sounds
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Dec 1, 2021 08:56
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Wow, it looks like replacing wheel bearings is a huge pain in the rear end. Is this something I should have my mechanic do?
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Dec 2, 2021 01:08
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Krakkles fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jan 10, 2023 |
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Dec 2, 2021 01:11
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If I did it myself, it would not be with a nice hydraulic press. It would be with a threaded clamp / bearing puller like you might rent at an auto parts store. I suppose those are fairly lovely. Maybe not, though?
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Dec 2, 2021 01:26
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Krakkles fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jan 10, 2023 |
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Dec 2, 2021 01:32
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ryanrs posted:These are good suggestions! It was just a cheap one from Amazon. The amazon link doesnt work anymore but it was a "TOOGOO(R) Auto Parking Monitor LED Night Vision Reversing CCD Car Rear View Camera With 4.3 inch Car Rearview Mirror Monitor£ºMirror Only" that cost me all of £11. Looked like this one https://aruba.desertcart.com/produc...tor-mirror-only screen is built into the mirror and it clipped over the stock one. Really couldn't complain for the price!
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Dec 2, 2021 13:33
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ryanrs posted:Wow, it looks like replacing wheel bearings is a huge pain in the rear end. Is this something I should have my mechanic do? Depends entirely on the bearing style. Old school tapered bearing that you can pack by hand: messy but easy and dirt cheap, worst case you need a BFH and a punch to knock out the old races Bolt on unit bearing: even easier and also no grease everywhere Bearing that has to be pressed into the knuckle and then the hub has to be pressed into it: This is what my MS3 had. I took it to a shop and it still fought them tooth and nail. To the point where even with a shop press they couldn't separate the hub, bearing, and CV shaft, so I got to buy all of those parts too.
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Dec 2, 2021 15:11
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Tomarse posted:I bought a rear view mirror with a built in screen for a reversing cam and swapped it out with the original one. It was pretty awesome. Looks and works like a normal mirror, then once you go into reverse half of it turns into a screen. I've got one of those on the Crown Vic and I hate it. Since the screen is *behind* the mirror, I can't see it in daylight, or with polarized sunglasses on, and the mirror itself is darkened, because it doesn't have the flip-to-darken function, and it's too dark at night with my cop-spec window tint. Newer versions just make the whole "mirror" a screen and run the camera full time. Also, the super cap in it died so it doesn't run the clock when it's off, and the time is always wrong. Both cameras still work fine, though it seems to corrupt or otherwise lock the files on the SD card every so often, so it can't overwrite old files... What I'm saying is don't buy the cheapest one.
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Dec 2, 2021 18:16
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I'll probably go with a dedicated screen. I have a good viewing angle on a mile of blank dash, so I can just screw whatever I want to that. Because of the seat position, things like upright screens on the dash won't interfere with road visibility. e: The install doesn't need to be "clean", since I've already ripped out every seat except the drivers, smashed up the exterior, etc, etc. The screen install needs to be not-janky, but it doesn't need to look stylish or OEM. ryanrs fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Dec 2, 2021 |
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Dec 2, 2021 18:36
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I think for my next trip, I want to spend 2-3 weeks hanging out in the Mojave Desert. I want to take the kind of trip where you're definitely ready to go home by the time the end date rolls around. I expect to be in Barstow a couple times for resupply, so I will need to familiarize myself with the various firewood and taco sellers in the area. Anything in particular I should seek out? I know Mojave Road is this whole thing and I can definitely spend a week there. What else? Burro Guy's Tunnel? Anvil Canyon selfie? Is there anything cool in Death Valley NP that's worth putting up with being in a NP?
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Dec 2, 2021 21:35
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I bought this duder on the premise of running the Mojave trail; its exhaustive with how much stuff there is to see or do Also your van should be #1 perfect for that kind of driving. Re: death valley ... you have the van, the equipment, the derring-do. Maybe try to seek some sort of motoring revenge for those poor germans? dont actually do this Also guess I'm going on a roadtrip to Lake Pillsbury because I absolutely have to see this beaver dam in person.
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Dec 2, 2021 21:40
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Vampire Panties posted:Re: death valley ... you have the van, the equipment, the derring-do. Maybe try to seek some sort of motoring revenge for those poor germans? dont actually do this Glad I'm not the only morbid motherfucker to think that. Take a lot of water. Then double it.
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Dec 2, 2021 21:54
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IOwnCalculus posted:Take a lot of water. Then double it. Do this. Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs, and Furnace Creek are your only fuel options near DVNP. Plan Accordingly. (Scotty's Castle if the road is not washed out, Ubehebe Crater, and Crankshaft Crossing come to mind) Highly recommend DVNP. Trona Pinnacles is nearby. See that too.
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Dec 3, 2021 00:15
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So that's two votes for Anvil Canyon selfie? (And though I appreciate the watery sentiment, my 'expedition' loadout already includes 200 lbs of water and I will not be doubling that.) What about that wheel bearing? Right now, I can only provoke the noise with a full load and significant cornering forces (I would have to seek out the right road). I haven't tried with the van empty, but I kinda expect I will not be able to get it to make noise at all. How fast do wheel bearings degrade? It seems to me like something that would happen slowly at first, then all at once, heh. How much warning do I get before something catastrophic happens like the wheel falling off? I have free 200 mile tows with AAA, so really it's no big deal to get it towed to a shop, so long as I can get back to pavement, first. A failing wheel bearing doesn't seem like something that would suddenly strand me out on a dirt road (whereas something like a failing CV joint totally would). I am tempted to wait for the wheel bearing to get worse before I take to the shop, if for no other reason than to make easy to diagnose which bearing is bad.
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Dec 3, 2021 06:16
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I've been doing dumb car poo poo for 13 years and I misdiagnosed a bad wheel bearing as recently as a few years ago. I mean, it was on my Subaru so when I took it apart I *did* find that it was bad, so it wasn't wasted money and time, but it was not the one I was hearing, that was on the other side, which was even worse. It's easiest to diagnose by breaking it down to the point that you have the rotor or drum off and spinning the hub by hand while feeling for grinding or roughness. Try pushing in and pulling out while doing this. I misdiagnosed mine because it was the outer bearing on one side that was acting up, and so it made a racket when I turned towards that side, which normally indicates that the inner bearing on the outside of the corner is at fault. Usually they will be an annoying whine or rumble for tens of thousands of miles, then a concerning rumble for a few thousand or a few hundred, then grinding, then a loud bang and a locked up wheel. There's no real telling though. They can fail pretty fast sometimes. Every time I've taken a used, screaming, whining, rumbling bearing apart the damage has been visually much less than I expected given the symptoms.
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Dec 3, 2021 09:31
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I would assume a bearing you are just getting a hint of is going to be fine 95% of the time for quite a while. Like most of us here we probably hear and feel things in our butts in a vehicle that most would be oblivious of. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Maybe check rock auto for a close out deal on a set but I doubt it’s a PRESSING matter (ha)
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Dec 3, 2021 16:50
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ryanrs posted:So that's two votes for Anvil Canyon selfie? (And though I appreciate the watery sentiment, my 'expedition' loadout already includes 200 lbs of water and I will not be doubling that.) Just make sure the 200lbs is in multiple containers, so that if you spring a leak you don't lose it all.
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Dec 3, 2021 18:08
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I'd rate the wheel bearing making noise as an asap repair. It's a part that either works perfectly or starts eating itself as soon as it doesn't. Wheel falls off is probably pretty far out but it will start making ever increasing amounts of heat and it will pump that heat into the axle and brakes.
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Dec 4, 2021 01:11
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Yeah, I wouldn't take a noisy loaded down wheel bearing into the Mojave or DVNP*. Especially if I knew about it beforehand. *broken down there twice... just outside of Furnace Creek both times.
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Dec 4, 2021 01:19
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Any time I've replaced wheel bearings I just do both sides automatically even if it's just the one side making noise. The one time I didn't do that the other side started making noise a week later. You're already dirty and have the tools out may as well do them both.
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Dec 4, 2021 13:05
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Time to investigate poor TPMS reception when the van is packed. So I've learned that while TPMS repeaters are a thing that exist, they only exist on the 433 MHz ISM band. This is a general purpose, unlicensed radio band, used for garage door openers and similar crap. Also cheap valve cap TPMS sensors. My sensors use the licensed 315 MHz band (licensed to auto parts manufacturers). So I can't use any of the TPMS repeaters on Amazon. Another possible fix is a proper antenna instead of the coil of wire packed into the TPMS display (right next to the OLED step-up switcher, lol). But that increases the size of the device. Not going to do this unless I have to. A third possible idea, which is the one I'm pursuing, is that the interference from the car USB adapter is suppressing reception range. This is a very common issue in general, and the TPMS display manual specifically warns against it. The TPMS display even ships with it's own cigarette lighter / USB power adapter that has presumably been vetted for noise. The only problem is that the included USB adapter doesn't fit into a cig lighter socket. It's something like 0.5mm too large diameter. I could probably hammer it in, but I'm not going to. It wedges in both the Sienna OEM cig sockets, and my totally unrelated powerpole to cig adapter. WTF, how does that even happen?  Fine, I'll just make my own ultra low noise 12V to USB power adapter. The pcb is being manufactured in Shenzhen right this minute.  It's an absolutely dead-quiet precision 5V power USB supply with the important caveat that it can't charge your phone. A phone, or any device wanting to charge its battery, will want 5V @ 2.1A, or at least 500mA. This requires a switching supply, because a linear supply will dissipate too much heat and would melt a little USB adapter. My board can only supply 100mA max, so I avoid any thermal problems. Really, it's just a pile of inductors and capacitors. I think my linear supply has more ferrite in it than an actual switcher, heh. The board should be here in a week, and I can test it on my next trip. ryanrs fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Dec 6, 2021 |
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Dec 6, 2021 07:49
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I'm curious what software you're using there. I normally use eagle but its lack of support for custom pad shapes is starting to frustrate me a bit. Kind of surprised you didn't just hack an smb connector onto the thing and run some cheap coax and a 350MHz antenna under each end of the car, too. Could probably even get away with just teeing the two into the antenna input instead of doing any impedance matching at all.
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Dec 6, 2021 08:05
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It's Eagle. That screenshot is from the manufacturer-side CAM software after processing my gerbers. The slots are plain SMT pads, with a trace drawn on the milling layer for the slot. Like, just a round capped trace line, with the width and length for the slot. I put a note in the order remarks saying "Plated slots on milling layer." Let's hope the see it! Antenna fuckery will only be done if absolutely necessary.
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Dec 6, 2021 08:18
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| # ? May 23, 2024 05:50 |
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Oh gotcha. I try to avoid that level of pad fuckery because either I'll forget to provide the notes file or the manufacturer I choose will not be set up for it and everyone will be mad, lol.
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Dec 6, 2021 09:11
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