EarthRoamer XV-JP "Northwest Edition"

[RobRed]

Mike,

Every install is different of course and you may find you HAVE to use the external but my ftm 350 head is mounted low in front of the shifter of my Land Cruiser and gets great reception with the fgps1. The external yaesu cable, bracket and gps unit really aren't all the weather proof. Those pieces are actually for the VX8 handheld.

BTW I have an ipad mounted up where your tablet is and I find it to be about perfect. Oh one more thing... the scangauge has an 8P8C (rj45) end on the display side so it's easy to extend that as well.

 

[RobRed]

One more thing - Monoprice.com has the 6p6c stuff (and other cables) at great prices (i have no affiliation). Make sure you get data (straight) not phone (twisted).

 

[mhiscox]

One more thing - Monoprice.com has the 6p6c stuff (and other cables) at great prices (i have no affiliation). Make sure you get data (straight) not phone (twisted).

That's funny; the UPS guy just delivered a box of eleven different cables I'd ordered from Monoprice earlier this week.

The advantages of Monoprice are pretty widely known, but if you've never used them, check at monoprice.com next time you need a cable. They're sometimes an order of magnitude cheaper than the same thing at Best Buy and have maybe three orders of magnitude more choice in length, color and configuration. I've no affliation, either, but they're one of my go-to sources. Highly Recommended.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Hi Mike, or Paul.

What shovel is that?

Thanks.

p.s. As always, it is looking amazing.

 

[mhiscox]

What shovel is that?

I think it's this one . . .

http://www.amazon.com/Bully-82510-C...?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1332560461&sr=1-25

If not, it's a lot like it. The salient features I worked to get were a fiberglass handle, a D-handle and not the full length of a long-handled shovel.

 

[MrBeast]

Paul, I just read the entire thread. I am very impressed with your work, this thing has turned out beautifully. I will be looking forward to seeing the final evolution of this rig.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Holy Moly! How have I missed monoprice.com all this time?? Those prices are amazing!

 

[RobRed]

Best Buy just assumed you liked paying $60 for an HDMI cable... You know for the convenience.


Sent from my iPad 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Overland Hadley]

I think it's this one . . .

http://www.amazon.com/Bully-82510-C...?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1332560461&sr=1-25

If not, it's a lot like it. The salient features I worked to get were a fiberglass handle, a D-handle and not the full length of a long-handled shovel.

Thanks Mike.

Does the handle break down? Kind of looks like it has connecting pins, but it is hard to tell.

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks Mike.

Does the handle break down? Kind of looks like it has connecting pins, but it is hard to tell.

Those are eye bolts holding the tools to the case. It's a normal shovel handle; it just has a couple holes in it now.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Holy Moly! How have I missed monoprice.com all this time?? Those prices are amazing!

Yeah no kidding right Pat!?

I just found a cable I was looking for for less than $2.00. The best I had found was $15. at amazon. What a deal!

Thanks Mike!

 

[r3run33]

paul this has been bugging me and I have to ask yo but don't want to offend you; I do know you are the craftsman and won't take this the wrong way. In using veneer especially in this vehicle it may get wet; what about water causing the veneer to separate??

 

[PaulJensen]

paul this has been bugging me and I have to ask yo but don't want to offend you; I do know you are the craftsman and won't take this the wrong way. In using veneer especially in this vehicle it may get wet; what about water causing the veneer to separate??

After the first month, I designed it to get wet...I though that the Jeep would be waterproof and all, but it leaked bad...I fixed everything I saw and a few I had to track down...I realized that it would eventually, somehow, someway get a drenching now and again...With that in mind, I built it more like a boat than a car...Every bit of wood has waterproof epoxy painted on it...

I'm not concerned about delamination unless there is prolonged submersion...The substrates are all epoxied and wouldn't be affected by water getting in easily...The PSA has a waterproof vinyl core and the bond to the veneers are solid...The outer face of the veneer has at least two coats of tung oil...I have wetted the tung oil coated surfaces with water and the water just runs right off...I was dubious, but now I'm a believer...

Since early December the Jeep has been under the absolute worst weather we get up here in Washington State...Horrible stuff...14" of tree breaking snow and ice, sub-zero temperatures for weeks, endless rain, and even a couple of sunny days...Real world testing if there ever was...I can gladly say the Jeep now is 99.5% weatherproof and considering the exposure it gets when open, that's damn good...Better than I expected really...

The only way I could see destructive water getting in is by crossing water that goes as high as the bottom of the cabinets...The floor is teak so there are no worries there at all...If water gets in high enough to soak the wood from below, there will be far greater damage to the electrical and mechanical systems that are at the same height...

The prudent driver will recognize that and hopefully choose not to destroy those things that water might...

 

[mhiscox]

TIME FOR THE (rather low-key) PUBLIC UNVEILING . . .

The Jeep is just about complete. Paul is finishing a few last minute items to get ready for the truck's initial voyage around Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Then, the following week, the plan is for him to drive down to Portland (or, alternatively, I drive to Lacey) to turn the truck over to me. The Wrangler will then end up making it's first public appearance at the 7th Annual Northwest SprinterFest in Tualatin, Oregon on Saturday, April 14th.

This actually makes a lot of sense. I'm a long-time attendee, and Paul has two Sprinter conversions under his belt. Between us, we'll be in Tualatin showing off one or both of our Sprinter campers on April 14th. Add to that the fact that John Bendit, who is hosting the event,was responsible for large amounts of the Wrangler's initial conversion work, bringing the Jeep to SprinterFest to let both John and Paul get some credit for their work seems a fine idea.

Anyone whose been following the Wrangler's build is invited to stop by and take a look at both the Jeep and the attending Sprinter campers. No admission or registration necessary to visit. All the details about time, location, etc. can be found here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/73593

 

[mhiscox]

AND GETTING NEAR TIME TO MOVE ON . . .

It's been a while since James Lombardo started this thread to show all the ways he'd changed the EarthRoamer XV-JP's configuration, and ever since Paul Jensen started working on the interior in December, there's been a pretty steady stream of posts to this build thread. And we are just about done . . . next week Paul will take off for the truck's first major trip in a couple of years.

Those you have followed the posts that James, Paul and I have made know that the Wrangler is now nothing like the truck we started with; our changes have produced a new design is very different from the original and completely unique. For this reason, we're moving to a different neighborhood, saving this production-camper-oriented forum for the completion of the build thread, but moving to the more appropriate Other Custom Expedition Camper forum as a location for our trip reports, beauty shots and other future activities.

The first post is up over there. Come visit:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/76018