CB Aerial Run

Last year I fitted a CB to our Discovery. A common addition for off-roading.

On a forum the other day I was asked if I had any photos of the cable run. Unfortunately I was in a hurry to go off-roading when I fitted it and didn't take any photos.

The best I can do is take a few photos now and describe the cable run for the aerial.

The CB is one that has all the controls on the handset so that the bulk of the electronics can be mounted out of sight.

I fitted the CB under the drivers seat (UK right hand drive.) I had removed the old CD changer, long obsolete due to MP3s and mobile phones with Blutooth. The removal of the CD player left 4 very handy bolts sticking up.  The CB mounting bracket fitted those bolts with only a little adjustment.

As a side note I used the same bolts to fit a bracket under the seat for a fire extinguisher of the type required to meet UK Motor Sport Association (MSA) regulations.  Recommended for most off-road activities and compulsory for some competitive events.

Back on the CB topic...

There is some power under the seat but I decided to run a separate feed from the front.  I have fitted an additional fuse box for accessories. It's under the steering column. The plastic panel next to the accelerator pedal is easy to remove by pulling out the trim clips. That gets the cable as far as the foot well carpet.

To be able to lift the carpet it is necessary to remove the plastic trim on the lip of the door. It's easier to do that if the trim round the seat belt real is pulled away. First pull off the rubber round the door then simply pull the tiny metal clip off the frame.

That clears the end of the plastic insert for the carpet trim.  The long trim insert can easily be pulled up to reveal the screws which need to be removed to release the carpet trim.

I did the same for the back door and carpet which is where I was going to run the aerial lead.

Without wanting to drill massive holes in the car the only way I could think to run the cable was to remove the big screw connector from the cable and refit one after I had finished. I left it attached to the aerial mount.

I therefore had to work from the back of the car where I wanted to fit the aerial.  The outer panel, with the rear lights in, is open top and bottom.  At the top there is a small hole next to the gutter where the panel is up against the roof section. I threaded the cable through and managed to get a cable tie through another hole in the gutter to hold the cable in place.

The cable is still outside the car between two panels. Luckily for me there is an unused hole through to the boot, behind the rear light panel. I covered the hole afterwards with sealant and some gaffa tape.

It comes out inside the plastic trim in the boot. You can reach behind that by removing the vent near the rear door and the top of the trim just behind the seat where the rear seat belt passes through.

I am struggling to remember if I had to remove any of the trim clips to push the cable from the boot section over the rear wheel arch. Whatever I did was easy.

I could not get the cable under the carpet but by pulling the rubber door seal the cable easily hides under that rubber seal when it is pushed back.

At the bottom of the wheel arch, with the carpet edge trim removed, the cable can go under the carpet until it is under the drivers seat.

Put all the trim back and the cable is completely hidden.  I soldered a connector back on, job done.

The Size of Watches

With the advent of the new Apple watch and various earlier versions by other manufacturers, wearable technology is getting a foothold.

This started me thinking and in my opinion it will not be long before it will be socially acceptable to wear a full size smartphone on your lower arm.

This will then lead to the obvious enhancement of being able to rotate the phone so it is vertical or horizontal and all those health and fitness monitoring devices will be built right in to the back of the phone.

I'm not sure if the self destruct feature from the film Predator will make it in to many phones.

Track Progress

I got quite a lot done on the track this weekend and I've started a thread on the SlotForum for the progress of this layout.

The construction is simply MDF screwed to timber battens. Where the screw heads are under the track I have covered them with insulation tape to avoid any chance of an electrical short on the track conductors.

All the lower levels and ramps are secured in place and I've made some holes ready for the booster cables. I am now working on the long overhang.

I won't need my complicated design for the overhang, a simple balanced cantilever with a strong bit of timber will be more than enough.

It probably needs another days's work before it will be drive-able.

Tyres Changed To Harrow

The weather has been dry for a few days and the fields are solid enough to harrow but only just.

To minimise the risk of getting stuck I swapped the tyres to the mud terrains. Changing 5 wheels over and checking all the tyre pressures takes me about an hour. This sounds like a long time to me but that's just how long it takes, including getting all the tools out and packing them away afterwards.

Shelley seeded the winter paddock and harrowed the top two fields. This is something she enjoys doing. Music on and round and round the fields towing the harrow.

The harrow does an excellent job of tidying up the gravel drive.

Another Track Layout Starts

I've been adjusting the track layout to better suit adding scenery.  At the same time I've been trying to minimise the hidden areas of the track.

Too many overpasses make it difficult to see the cars.

I've come up with a new layout, similar to the previous one but with better lines of sight to most of the track.

While creating the plans I gave the layout a name.

'Valleycross'

The name came about because the scenery will be that of a hilly quiet countryside and a crazy idea to extend the track in a 'L' shape with a long bridge to cross over from the bed to the top of the chest of drawers. Plus the name rhymes with Rally-cross.

The long bridge idea has been abandoned for the time being but the name has stuck in my mind.

With the new more realistic plan in mind I have started work on the layout and made some of the underlying framework.

I finished a few pieces today.

Two Nose Drinker

We did some more digging yesterday.

This was to run a water pipe to feed a new drinker in the yard.

When we fitted the original field drinkers we did not expect the horses to spend so much time in the yard.

For the last few years Shelley has filled buckets in the yard.  We decided recently to fit a permanent drinker.

Tom and Henry like drinking together so I bought a drinker large enough to let them both drink at the same time.

The gravel and concrete in the drive was exhausting to dig through. I broke through about an 8 foot length of what was probably hardcore from an old path that used to run along past the stables. Shelley did the rest of the digging while I modified the fence to support the drinker and plumb it in.

We did get it all done in the one day.

The moment the drinker filled with water the horses started to use it together.

New Scenic Layout

Having seen some excellent slot car tracks with scenery I've decided to add some decoration to the layout in our attic room.

First job is to improve the base with a coat of paint so the old track had to be taken apart.

I've drilled some extra holes to be able to thread electrical cables if necessary.  I temporarily filled them with tissue while painting to stop the paint dripping through.

I also made a gap in the middle of the front edge of the tray to get easier access to the power base and added a lip under the tray to add back some support.