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$25,000 of Communications Gear In a $500 Car
In perhaps one of the finest displays of technological excess in automotive communications gear, one "enthusiast" has managed to cram over $25,000 worth of gear into a $500 car. The car is rigged for just about every conceivable communications band including FM, UHF, VHF, HF, and WTF. What other amazing displays of technological excess have others seen? "The equipment seems to cover an amazing array of technologies, many of which seem to be redundant. For instance, just how many handheld 144 MHz radios do you need? It seems like the owner of the Ham Car is capable of listening to every police/fire/ems/military channel in the world. Simultaneously. There's a laptop and we assume there's some form of cellular or satellite communication setup for that, too."
Every time he drives in front of my house, my TV goes wild, I sometimes can hear alien like sounding voices coming from the TV, my wireless connection drops and my clothes dryer even starts to spin backward !
I sometimes worry about the effects on the driver's health in the long run... ;-)
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
The car is rigged for just about every conceivable communications band including FM, UHF, VHF, HF, and WTF.
Unfortunately the car can only travel in a 50 meter radius around the second tin can the string tethers it to.
.
Trolling is a art,
Just think. With a quarter of that money he could have gotten a car that wasn't an oil burning beater.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
WTF is WTF?
But can it crush cars?
I hope his mother let's him park it in the garage at least.
Sheldon
Good propagation on the WTF band tonight.
There is no leg room in the drivers side.
There is windshield obstruction illegal in most states.
The power requirements would probably exceed engine capacity.
So, question: Can it actually be driven, or is it a joke, sort of a flea-market grave yard for broken gear?
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
I had a friend who installed a $500 blaupunkt stereo in an old lime green Plymouth Valiant. Yes, thieves left the car, but stole the stereo.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I think this might have a bigger Com/Car value ratio.
2009 Hamvention:
http://scottrharris.blogspot.com/2009/12/bad-reception.html
Less antennas:
http://wa0kgu.110mb.com/
Lots of that kind of amusement at http://www.hamsexy.com/
Cruisin' Up and down the road.
What the fuck is WTF?
sudo eat my shorts
See him cruising low and slow through the barrio, with Weird Al Yankovich's White and Nerdy blaring through the open windows...
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
...he's single.
It seems worth noting that this uber car also has hydraulics.
"Just waking up in the morning gotta thank marconi
I don't know but today seems kinda lonely
Got chatter from the police radio only
And momma got static on the HF
I got my eavesdrop on, but my signal left
Finally got a call on the cell phone in my vest
Hooked up a bigger antenna as I shut the do'
Thinking will i live, for another set of radios
I gotta go cause I got me a chevy colt
And if I hit the switch, I can make the ass drop"
Seriously, how does this kind of redneck garbage get into slashdot? Some buffoon got hisself a 1985 Dodge Colt (trailer trash car if I've ever seen one) and proceeds to put a shit-ton of radios in it. Big deal! There's no technology or inventiveness here, it's the same as some ignoramus who built a vehicle out of his La-Z-Boy. Let's get a closer look - license plates trimmed with neon (barf); misuse of the "radiation" symbol (car is not radioactive); Florida plates (redneck central); a laser light drawing spirograph designs on the rear window (what is this, a nightclub circa 1992?); ground-effect lighting (waaaaay overdone); a scrolling LED sign, and much more totally stupid crap. Most of the gear is just ordinary handheld radios. I mean, come on, a "Sear's Platinum" battery powers the whole thing? What kind of self-respecting geek shops at "Sear's" (sic)? And a "Hydrallic" system? *cough* redneck *cough*
I'm all for rewarding creative use of technology, but this isn't creative, it's merely excessive. Not news for nerds, stuff that doesn't matter.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Ah... But does it run Linux?
Good question, but all I want to know is, "Will it blend?"
After looking at the thing would you really want it to? The car is a joke and I don't mean that in the good sense.
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
What has been seen cannot be unseen.That car reminds me of the Homer Simpson bit where he plugs in every accessory into the car. I'd get pretty nervous leaving that much expensive kit in the car, it might get stolen. However a thief could only use it to talk to radio amateurs. I see no Morse key. For more "whackers" check out http://www.hamsexy.com/ it does poke fun at a hobby that can take its self too seriously some times
So he could fit a Mac into his car. What's the big deal?
It's a DODGE colt, not a chevy.
One of the "finest displays of technological excess" my arse.
It's just a bunch of gear stuffed into a shitbox car in a manner not conducive to usability.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
Man receives $25,000 hospital bill following a car crash in a $500 car! Details at '11!
25K?
You can get an ICOM R9500 which will give you everything between 5khz and 3.5GHZ with filtering and processing and a 40 channel per second scann rate for 12.5k http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/receivers/tabletop/r9500/default.aspx
Add in another 2-4k for a really nice multiband Ham rig, and your done..
plenty of room and money left
How would you like to be the guy who has to keep all that clean and dust-free? Oh, and what about trying to manage drinks and food from drive-thrus without frying a few things beside the fries?
Except this guy seems to have wanted to DECREASE his chances of ever getting laid
with a Mr. Microphone? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqZQmS8KeLM
Honestly, I think it really should. Looking at ALL those electronics makes you wonder why each has to be connected the way they are. I mean, isn't it possible to build all those parts into a bunch of PCIe cards and build just a few computers for them? It be much more effective to have 10 receivers on a single board, so you can monitor 10 channels at once, than have 10 individual radios.
Though, when I think about it, you can get those 144mhz radios REALLY cheap if you buy them used. Be a control nightmare though, how the hell do you manage all those radios other then how he has it up:P
$25,000 of Crap In a $500 Crappy Car.
I'd prefer $25K of spam, eggs and bacon, but without spam.
The guy's call sign is AF4KK:
http://www.arrl.org/fcc/fcclook.php3?call=af4kk
I've seen this car in person at Dayton.
Well, he serves a purpose. At least when I'm traveling in my Grand Marquis with 2 dual-band VHF/UHF antennas, a cell antenna, and a HF Screwdriver, I don't feel so bad.
Now if everybody would stop SLOWING DOWN when I pull up.
www.eFax.com are spammers
pretty sweet dubs on that ride. btw, this is a stupid point, but isn't it impractical to have more than 1 or 2 on at a time to listen too?
Yes, but can it receive video from military drones?
Moderate drunk! It's more fun that way!
Really....
What does he expect he's going to do with that? Not drive it. I'm pretty sure he's exceeded the carrying capacity of it. He doesn't have room to get his legs in to work the pedals. There's too much equipment too close to the steering wheel to be able to drive safely.
and.....
There's no way he's running that much gear simultaneously on the available power in that vehicle. I counted at least 50 distinct pieces of equipment. I'm pretty sure that's a 1988 Dodge Colt, so it should have something like a 75A 12V alternator on it. That'd give 1.5A per unit average, not including incidentals like running the engine and lights.
I'm fairly confident that a lot of that stuff could be reduced down to one handheld transceiver. I'm pretty sure there are two or three regular CB radios in there too.
It looks like he went to every junk sale he could, and strapped anything resembling a radio into his car. For example, the VOM and LCD TV on the drivers door, and the gold-like plated PA microphone on the passenger door.
If he did run it all, *and* he didn't kill off his battery and alternator, he still wouldn't be able to figure out what any of the noise coming in was. It would be so much chatter, that it would be white noise. ... and I thought I had a lot of gear, with a roll cage, fire extinguisher, stereo equalizer, CB, and radar detector. :) At least I could sit in my car without damaging myself.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Taxis in New York usually have this much radio gear in the front. All operated hands free, of course.
Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
when d00d drives past 88 mph the intense electromagnetic radiation produces > 1.2 jiggawatts necessary to power his flux capacitor, which streams tachyon particles around his car, through a graviton assisted phasers which reverses the tachyon particles' polarity and allows him to travel into the past.
Well played, good sir!
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
I think I am going to sue them. I am sure I got brain cancer just from looking at the pictures. Even if I did not get cancer, I now have emotional trauma.
Oh I see it has a Florida license plate, that explains everything.
In my neck of the woods, and every other neck of the woods I've ever lived in, this car would go straight to impound the moment he got pulled over by a cop, for whatever reason. More then likely he would also be going to jail.
It has long been, and still remains, illegal to have a scanner capable of listening into police frequencies in a moving vehicle, at least everywhere that I have lived. It seems the cops do not like the people they are pursuing to have the capability to listen in on the cops whilst the pursued flee.
In short, he would have been better off putting all this shit on a DESK.
And in a $500 car, the cops are probably going to catch him regardless of the technological advantages he may have. Hell, if nothing else, all they have to do is put out an APB for the vehicle with 50 fucking antennae sticking out of it.
I know I slip behind in my tech sometimes but since when is "FM" a "band" and not a modulation method?
from mobile scanner bans. Not sure about FL, though.
Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
simpsons did it
when d00d drives past 88 mph the intense electromagnetic radiation produces > 1.2 jiggawatts necessary to power his flux capacitor, which streams tachyon particles around his car, through a graviton assisted phasers which reverses the tachyon particles' polarity and allows him to travel into the past.
Oh, it doesn't just let him travel into the past - it allows him, having traveled into the past, to then return back to... back to...
...back to the point in the timeline from which he originated...
Bow-ties are cool.
It's all for show
He could have have covered 90% of the bands he'd legally be allowed to transmit on with one Icom IC-706 Mk IIG that's about the size of a thick paperback book. Add on a cell phone and a CB transceiver and he'd pretty much have all covered while still being able to fit it into a standard double DIN radio slot.
Besides, there's no way he'd be able to put enough antennas on a car that size to be able to use more than a couple pieces of that gear at one time.
KJ6BSO
This ain't rocket surgery.
I know that everybody needs a hobby, the key is in knowing that not every hobby needs a body.
Never put hazardous material/radiation stickers on a vechicle for laughs. If he has an accident where hes trapped in the car, they may let him bleed until hazmat sounds the "all clear".
They can have my command prompt when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
He may not be a terrorist - but I'm sure he has a tough time driving across the border.
All I want to do is imagine a Beowulf cluster of these.
SSC
Hah, laugh now, but that thing is going to be the first to establish communication with E.T.. For all we know it's attracting all manner of aliens to Earth right this minute so they can say "You're taking up all the available radio bands!"
Where on Earth, or any other planet, could you get $500.00 for an '85 Dodge Dolt ^H^H^H^HColt? Maybe 500 Rupees... maybe, but your karma would suffer badly.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
Yup, this has a "hoaxy" type feel to it. I was thinking either the driver is a midget (judging how far up the seat is, its possible) or this is a prank/hoax.
I was intrigued for a minute, but then I realized they were just talking about radios...
Get back to me when you find a bacon motorcycle.
I can see it now:
"Oh, no officer I wasn't talking on my cell phone while driving. This? Oh. This is a Ham radio."
[signature]
Well, I got a free E350 conversion van (with the raised roof) a while back in pretty good condition (good interior, no frame rust, minimal body rust). So I put a diesel engine in it (Cumins 4BT) with a second electrical (alternator + batteries) in the 'free' engine compartment space. (Then, I got some new tires. Oy those are getting pricey.) A full-size diesel van for about $3500 investment which gets around 32mpg average (highway/town)? Not bad!
And I then geeked the hell out of it. Shortwave radio with remote-operable antenna which is mounted in the driver's area next to the CB. Radar jammer.
There's a 17" LCD in the overhead area with a decent sound system, connected to a BeagleBoard. Plugged into the BB is a Wii for the kids. The BB is running QTembedded.
I also replaced the dashboard CD player (not a bad model) with a hacked up FriendlyARM 7" touchscreen computer. The FriendlyARM controls all accessories now, as well as the rear-view bumper webcams and the controls for the antenna. It's got 802.11b/g connectivity and (and a 3G GSM modem, which I've yet to get working - and have no decent local service for).
Total 'investment' is under $5k, I'd guess. I'm thinking of installing solar panels on the roof to trickle charge the accessories battery, but I've got to find some good/cheap ones. I'll probably be putting one of those Humvee heaters in it, or maybe a multifuel milsurp (vented) space heater, since we've got long winters here.
I should take pictures.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Sup dawg, I heard you like radios...
These images are posted on many of the various radio forums quite frequently. I've had the chance to meet the guy in person at various hamfests around the country. Just about every radio has it's own antenna and, more surprisingly, they actually work!
There's no way he's running that much gear simultaneously on the available power in that vehicle.
Would you have a less difficult time believing that someone can power a 1000 Watt audio system in a car? Chances are he's got a beefed up alternator, and runs the radios on a secondary battery. That way he won't end up stranded somewhere. Even some people using (illegal) amplifiers on CB radios have done such things.
He's only going to be transmitting on one radio at a time, perhaps having several radios monitoring and handheld units trickle charging. Mobile and handheld radios don't draw much current in receive mode.
Why so many radios? It helps to be a bit crazy. This reminds me of David Bowie, in the movie The Man Who Feel To Earth, being able to watch a bunch of tv programs at one time. But having equipment to cover a number of different bands gives that ham more than just a higher channel count. There is no one band that is best for everything. Even for talking directly to just one far away person, the band that'll work best depends on the time of day, the time of year and sunspot activity. He may be doing things besides voice or morse-code contact. He could be doing two way tv. And a VOM and oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer is more than just junk in the right hands. There was a time when many hams made some of their own equipment. Many know quite a bit about electronics.
Chances are good that dealing with antennas for all of those different bands and radios is a tougher problem than finding enough power.
Now, there is a man who will never get laid - at least not with a woman. He'll never even get to kiss a girl. I'll bet he even has B.O. and sounds like Comic Book Guy or maybe Professor Frink (both from The Simpsons) when he talks. I'm shooting for "funny" here but I think this post might somehow be more "informative" in real life. :(
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
...would have cost about the same, would have been upgradeable to new bands and waveforms, and would have left some room for actual passengers in the cabin.
I totally agree with you. Granted, he could condense everything down to just a handful of radios, but that is totally up to him. I really wish the original poster would know what they are talking about though. FM isn't a band, it is an operating mode just like AM (DSB), SSB, CW, RTTY, packet, etc. HF, VHF, UHF are not bands either, they are ranges of frequencies. 2 meters is a band. As far as I'm concerned ( and this is just MY opinion ) the person that owns that car is the type amateur radio operator that gives responsible operators a bad image to the general public. As a ham operator myself I find it disgraceful to be associated with someone with a mentality like that. N3NQ
As soon as I saw the $25,000 price tag I knew it was a ham. I'm one but at least I have a brain.
He's going to get a tasering, that's for sure. unless he knows how to play it cool, seeing something like that would make most cops wary and the wrong comment could turn an innocent roadside breatho into a night in jail while the cops rip that thing apart looking for Osama binladen.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
and WTF is the gold microphone on his passenger side door for? his limited edition 'michael jackson' karaoke machine?
-Tony
Of course it does! At least the garmin unit...
I've been using the term "radio on wheels" for a long time to describe vehicles comprised with too much of radio and too little of car, but this exceeds all the acceptable proportions for that term by some orders of magnitude, so much that I'm looking for a new term to describe this kind of aberration.
Is that a XM receiver on the driver's side door?
With Natalie Portman at the wheel of each car, holding a plate of hot grits.
People like this are why ham radio should be banned and all ham radio owners forbidden from owning electronics. Please tell me what benefit this man provides to anyone in public. There's so much distraction there. This is a pileup waiting to happen.
People like this are why Anonymous Coward posts should be banned and all Anonymous Cowards should be banned from owning computers. Please tell me what benefit this Anonymous Coward provides to anyone in public. There's so much distraction there. This is a Troll that has already happened.
Page 7: Buy too much electronic junk and put it in a car.
$ 25 000 are about 20 000 EUR which could pay my rent for the next 35 month. But event though I do not have a car not even one worth $ 500. So this way of wasting money won't work for me.