Chase vehicle...what's yours for 2005?

[Tim Johnson]

Vehicle Camera Mount fix

Finally got my camera mount squared away. I was about ready to drill holes in the floor board and mount a base there, but after looking around in the truck I figured I could mount a plate to the seat frame and build from there.



Metal plate bolts to seat frame on both sides. Has a short pipe welded to it, which allows me to raise and lower a smaller size pipe inside of it.




You can see the two 9/16 bolts that tighten up on the front side of the lower half. Top of the pole was threaded making it easy to find a threaded fence pipe accessory, modify it by welding on a flat piece of metal, and putting a bolt through it to mount the bogen pan mount.




Rear view showing laptop, camera mount, and kenwood dual bander.


A rather modest setup compared to some, but its plenty for me. My only complaint, especially this year is the low gas mileage the ole dodge-a-nader gets. 14 mpg hurts even when not chasing. Exterior is low profile, no lights stickers or the like. As far as anyone passing by is concerned, I look just like any other redneck on the range driving a dodge ram :lol:

 

[Tim Johnson]

Vehicle Camera Mount fix

Finally got my camera mount squared away. I was about ready to drill holes in the floor board and mount a base there, but after looking around in the truck I figured I could mount a plate to the seat frame and build from there.



Metal plate bolts to seat frame on both sides. Has a short pipe welded to it, which allows me to raise and lower a smaller size pipe inside of it.




You can see the two 9/16 bolts that tighten up on the front side of the lower half. Top of the pole was threaded making it easy to find a threaded fence pipe accessory, modify it by welding on a flat piece of metal, and putting a bolt through it to mount the bogen pan mount.




Rear view showing laptop, camera mount, and kenwood dual bander.


A rather modest setup compared to some, but its plenty for me. My only complaint, especially this year is the low gas mileage the ole dodge-a-nader gets. 14 mpg hurts even when not chasing. Exterior is low profile, no lights stickers or the like. As far as anyone passing by is concerned, I look just like any other redneck on the range driving a dodge ram :lol:

 

[George Tincher]

Tim,

Nicely constructed monopod. Seems I always preferred something like that as opposed to things that attach via suction cups, bungee cords, etc. Simple, solid and far enough back from the windshield as to not have fitting issues. Plus, you have the ability to pan. I like it! I'll have to keep that design in mind for the future.

-George

 

[George Tincher]

Tim,

Nicely constructed monopod. Seems I always preferred something like that as opposed to things that attach via suction cups, bungee cords, etc. Simple, solid and far enough back from the windshield as to not have fitting issues. Plus, you have the ability to pan. I like it! I'll have to keep that design in mind for the future.

-George

 

[Tim Johnson]

Tim,

Nicely constructed monopod. Seems I always preferred something like that as opposed to things that attach via suction cups, bungee cords, etc. Simple, solid and far enough back from the windshield as to not have fitting issues. Plus, you have the ability to pan. I like it! I'll have to keep that design in mind for the future.

-George

Thanks George. I feel the same way about the suction cup route. Just not crazy about having that up on the dash even if the camera is not mounted all the time. I used to wire a real tripod to the seat frame, but this was also rather cumbersome, and prevented me from lowering the drink holder. The iron poles and plate are solid as a rock and look much better. When not chasing I can pull the top pole out and leave the lower half bolted to the seat. Very similar to the jotto desk.

I'm just glad to finally get it solved. Been mulling over some ideas for a few years now and finally found something I like. Thanks again for the kind words!

 

[Tim Johnson]

Tim,

Nicely constructed monopod. Seems I always preferred something like that as opposed to things that attach via suction cups, bungee cords, etc. Simple, solid and far enough back from the windshield as to not have fitting issues. Plus, you have the ability to pan. I like it! I'll have to keep that design in mind for the future.

-George

Thanks George. I feel the same way about the suction cup route. Just not crazy about having that up on the dash even if the camera is not mounted all the time. I used to wire a real tripod to the seat frame, but this was also rather cumbersome, and prevented me from lowering the drink holder. The iron poles and plate are solid as a rock and look much better. When not chasing I can pull the top pole out and leave the lower half bolted to the seat. Very similar to the jotto desk.

I'm just glad to finally get it solved. Been mulling over some ideas for a few years now and finally found something I like. Thanks again for the kind words!

 

[Stuart Robinson]

This is my UK chase car ~ which has seen quite a few miles over the last two years. When I am in the USA I tend to use hire cars and opt for 4-wheel drive SUV's if at all possible

[Broken External Image]:http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/stu/chasecar.jpg

 

[Stuart Robinson]

This is my UK chase car ~ which has seen quite a few miles over the last two years. When I am in the USA I tend to use hire cars and opt for 4-wheel drive SUV's if at all possible

[Broken External Image]:http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/stu/chasecar.jpg

 

[Tony Laubach]

I finally got my car ready to roll and have pictures to prove it! Here's what can be done with a tiny lil' Tracer when you work at it! Granted, my partner will be stuck in the backseat, but hey, at least it only costs me $25/tank to fill up! :lol:

http://www.tornadoeskick.com/tracer.html

[Broken External Image]:http://www.tornadoeskick.com/images/tracer-in02.jpg

[Broken External Image]:http://www.tornadoeskick.com/images/tracer-in04.jpg

 

[Tony Laubach]

I finally got my car ready to roll and have pictures to prove it! Here's what can be done with a tiny lil' Tracer when you work at it! Granted, my partner will be stuck in the backseat, but hey, at least it only costs me $25/tank to fill up! :lol:

http://www.tornadoeskick.com/tracer.html

[Broken External Image]:http://www.tornadoeskick.com/images/tracer-in02.jpg

[Broken External Image]:http://www.tornadoeskick.com/images/tracer-in04.jpg

 

[Robert Dewey]

Nice laptop Tony :wink: . I may be a bit biased though, since I have the same one as you, LOL... I was wondering though, do you have a problem with the power cord? On mine, it always seems to fall out of the hole on the back of the laptop (they may have changed that though, since your model is slightly newer).

Overall though, the laptops are pretty decent - I can handle games such as FarCry on medium settings, and still get a decent frame rate (ATI Radeon 9200, overclocked of course). Oddly enough, I took a screen shot during the game that captures what appears to be a bow echo on a radar screen: http://www.waveformpc.com/FarCry.jpg

 

[Robert Dewey]

Nice laptop Tony :wink: . I may be a bit biased though, since I have the same one as you, LOL... I was wondering though, do you have a problem with the power cord? On mine, it always seems to fall out of the hole on the back of the laptop (they may have changed that though, since your model is slightly newer).

Overall though, the laptops are pretty decent - I can handle games such as FarCry on medium settings, and still get a decent frame rate (ATI Radeon 9200, overclocked of course). Oddly enough, I took a screen shot during the game that captures what appears to be a bow echo on a radar screen: http://www.waveformpc.com/FarCry.jpg

 

[Court Hubbard]

LOL that is too funny. Associating storm chasing while playing a game, funny stuff. Thought I'd include some other pictures of my vehicle, so here he/she/it is in full.

[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/chasevehicle.jpg


[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/antennas.jpg


[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/inside.jpg

Don't mind the dirty vehicle and the cup with all the trash in it, and YES I plan on getting a Jotto or something similar to save the life of my laptop. And hey, NO DELL JOKES, I know what you were thinking.

 

[Court Hubbard]

LOL that is too funny. Associating storm chasing while playing a game, funny stuff. Thought I'd include some other pictures of my vehicle, so here he/she/it is in full.

[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/chasevehicle.jpg


[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/antennas.jpg


[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/inside.jpg

Don't mind the dirty vehicle and the cup with all the trash in it, and YES I plan on getting a Jotto or something similar to save the life of my laptop. And hey, NO DELL JOKES, I know what you were thinking.

 

[David Drummond]

[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/antennas.jpg

Good luck with that antenna there. I had one of those solid type ham antennas and snapped off two of them before I gave up and went back to whips. They work wonderfully, just broke too easily for my tastes.

 

[David Drummond]

[Broken External Image]:http://home.insightbb.com/~silent_shadow03/antennas.jpg

Good luck with that antenna there. I had one of those solid type ham antennas and snapped off two of them before I gave up and went back to whips. They work wonderfully, just broke too easily for my tastes.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Don't mind the dirty vehicle and the cup with all the trash in it, and YES I plan on getting a Jotto or something similar to save the life of my laptop. And hey, NO DELL JOKES, I know what you were thinking.

My laptop holder is very similar to that, lol. All I do is put a paper towel roll under the one side. It actually works quite well and is cushiony.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Don't mind the dirty vehicle and the cup with all the trash in it, and YES I plan on getting a Jotto or something similar to save the life of my laptop. And hey, NO DELL JOKES, I know what you were thinking.

My laptop holder is very similar to that, lol. All I do is put a paper towel roll under the one side. It actually works quite well and is cushiony.

 

[Court Hubbard]

My laptop holder is very similar to that, lol. All I do is put a paper towel roll under the one side. It actually works quite well and is cushiony.

Well, I shall give that a try, very inexpensive, I like.

Good luck with that antenna there. I had one of those solid type ham antennas and snapped off two of them before I gave up and went back to whips. They work wonderfully, just broke too easily for my tastes.

This has been a pretty big fear of mine with this antenna. It's doing quite well, for now. Just out of curiosity, what whip antenna(s) do you recommend David?

 

[Court Hubbard]

My laptop holder is very similar to that, lol. All I do is put a paper towel roll under the one side. It actually works quite well and is cushiony.

Well, I shall give that a try, very inexpensive, I like.

Good luck with that antenna there. I had one of those solid type ham antennas and snapped off two of them before I gave up and went back to whips. They work wonderfully, just broke too easily for my tastes.

This has been a pretty big fear of mine with this antenna. It's doing quite well, for now. Just out of curiosity, what whip antenna(s) do you recommend David?

 

[David Drummond]

Good luck with that antenna there. I had one of those solid type ham antennas and snapped off two of them before I gave up and went back to whips. They work wonderfully, just broke too easily for my tastes.

This has been a pretty big fear of mine with this antenna. It's doing quite well, for now. Just out of curiosity, what whip antenna(s) do you recommend David?

Assuming that's a dual bander? I have had wonderful experience with Comet antennas. My last one lasted me since 1997 and I am just now replacing it due to a crack in the base, still works fine though. The Comet SBB-7 is very flexible and has excellent gain at 4.5 and 7.0! I am planning on purchasing one of those next week. I think you would do well with a Larson brand as well. Those solid antennas are tough to work with when mounted on a tall vehicle like an SUV or van.

 

[David Drummond]

Good luck with that antenna there. I had one of those solid type ham antennas and snapped off two of them before I gave up and went back to whips. They work wonderfully, just broke too easily for my tastes.

This has been a pretty big fear of mine with this antenna. It's doing quite well, for now. Just out of curiosity, what whip antenna(s) do you recommend David?

Assuming that's a dual bander? I have had wonderful experience with Comet antennas. My last one lasted me since 1997 and I am just now replacing it due to a crack in the base, still works fine though. The Comet SBB-7 is very flexible and has excellent gain at 4.5 and 7.0! I am planning on purchasing one of those next week. I think you would do well with a Larson brand as well. Those solid antennas are tough to work with when mounted on a tall vehicle like an SUV or van.

 

[Court Hubbard]

Assuming that's a dual bander? I have had wonderful experience with Comet antennas. My last one lasted me since 1997 and I am just now replacing it due to a crack in the base, still works fine though. The Comet SBB-7 is very flexible and has excellent gain at 4.5 and 7.0! I am planning on purchasing one of those next week. I think you would do well with a Larson brand as well. Those solid antennas are tough to work with when mounted on a tall vehicle like an SUV or van

Actually I have an ICOM-2100H(2 meter mobile) because I'm just getting into HAM radio. I looked at the SSB-7 and it does look like a nice antenna, the only downfall to me is that it is 55 inches!!! I thought my current one at 41 inches was tall, but I do know that in order to get good reception and transmit you must have a pretty big antenna. Any other recommendations, as far as exact models?

EDIT: Thinking about this model, as I kind of want to stick with Diamond so I don't have to buy yet another mount. http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ham...mantm/2568.html

 

[Court Hubbard]

Assuming that's a dual bander? I have had wonderful experience with Comet antennas. My last one lasted me since 1997 and I am just now replacing it due to a crack in the base, still works fine though. The Comet SBB-7 is very flexible and has excellent gain at 4.5 and 7.0! I am planning on purchasing one of those next week. I think you would do well with a Larson brand as well. Those solid antennas are tough to work with when mounted on a tall vehicle like an SUV or van

Actually I have an ICOM-2100H(2 meter mobile) because I'm just getting into HAM radio. I looked at the SSB-7 and it does look like a nice antenna, the only downfall to me is that it is 55 inches!!! I thought my current one at 41 inches was tall, but I do know that in order to get good reception and transmit you must have a pretty big antenna. Any other recommendations, as far as exact models?

EDIT: Thinking about this model, as I kind of want to stick with Diamond so I don't have to buy yet another mount. http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ham...mantm/2568.html

 

[Tyler Allison]

Thinking about this model, as I kind of want to stick with Diamond so I don't have to buy yet another mount. http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamantm/2568.html

I just sold my used one of those not 1 week ago. Used it ever since I got my ticket (2 years?) and I bought it used from a guy on the internet. Never had a problem with it and I liked it. I ended up selling since Im switching to NMO mounts.

 

[Tyler Allison]

Thinking about this model, as I kind of want to stick with Diamond so I don't have to buy yet another mount. http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamantm/2568.html

I just sold my used one of those not 1 week ago. Used it ever since I got my ticket (2 years?) and I bought it used from a guy on the internet. Never had a problem with it and I liked it. I ended up selling since Im switching to NMO mounts.

 

[Court Hubbard]

That is great news, I think I'm going to go ahead and order it, but in black.

I APOLOGIZE FOR GOING OFF-TOPIC

 

[Court Hubbard]

That is great news, I think I'm going to go ahead and order it, but in black.

I APOLOGIZE FOR GOING OFF-TOPIC

 

[Todd Beal]

[Broken External Image]:http://www.geocities.com/tab2710/bizzlemachine2.jpg

I would like to introduce you guys to the Hulk (2003 Montero Sport AWD), appropriately named because he is green.

 

[Todd Beal]

[Broken External Image]:http://www.geocities.com/tab2710/bizzlemachine2.jpg

I would like to introduce you guys to the Hulk (2003 Montero Sport AWD), appropriately named because he is green.