Comments

Episode-333- Listener Feeback 12-09-09 — 20 Comments

  1. http://gpsmagazine.com/2009/04/worldtracker_enduro_gps_tracke.php

    World Tracker Enduro GPS

    The WorldTracker Enduro is one of the smallest real-time GPS tracking devices available. Waterproof, highly sensitive, 5-10 day battery life, and able to operate in extreme temperatures, this A-GPS locator is GPRS/GSM compatible, and comes equipped with a panic button, GeoFencing features, and remote control.

    I don\’t have one–a quick web search provided that link, and the website (GPS Magazine) could probably produce several other results as well.

  2. The issue is probably not the GPS itself but the cold will cause the battery (and internal backup battery) to discharge rapidly. Some batteries seem to discharge at different speeds and temperatures.

    More dependable GPS units have batteries deeper in the unit or a more insulated covering.

    A work around is to either keep the gps near an armpit (not really convenient) or, keep a handwarmer in the pouch with the gps, they tend to generate heat for hours and should keep the GPS running.

  3. One way I have found to make my GPS work better in cold weather is to use Lithium batteries. These cost more but i find them more reliable.

  4. For a first rifle, .243, .30-.30, 7mm/08, .256 Roberts. any of these would serve the shooter for life. Also, Marlin makes a bolt action XLR rifle that I have heard GREAT reviews of, and it’s around $300!!
    Now I’ll see what Jack says!
    Norm

  5. The GPS receiver failing in cold is probably the battery. Try fresh batteries or different types of batteries. Also, the GPS receiver can be warmed inside the coat untill needed.

  6. I have a Garmin oregon and I live hear in oregon. This last elk season it hit 13 at night, my GPS slept in the truck all night and worked just fine in the morning.

  7. RE: GPS failure in colder weather.
    The GPS problem could be related to the batteries and not the GPS itself. If you have a GPS that you need to put batteries in instead of an internal rechargeable battery, consider what type of battery you are using. LiMH batteries only deliver 1.2 volts / cell. A typical Alkaline battery is 1.5 volts per cell, so using a rechargeable NiMh already has you at a disadvantage. Try switching if that is an option. Furthermore NiMH also have a lower energy density than other style batteries of similar size.
    As temperature drops the speed of the chemical reaction that produces current also falls off. As less current is available to the circuit, the device may enter a “reset” condition. Here is what I would try:
    1. Switch to a high current, 1.5 V cell. Use very fresh batteries. Some rechargeables self discharge up to 10% in the first 24 hours.

    2. Make sure that in colder temperatures you are using the device in the lowest power consumption mode possible. Lock off the back light, keep the antenna in low gain mode, switch off the communications port monitor, etc…

    3. I realize that it makes use inconvenient but keep the device close to your body, such as a shirt pocket.

    4. Store with a hand warmer over night if possible.

    Only then would I consider switching the GPS. If you wanted to get creative you could rig up a remote battery pack that you keep close to your body and the wires run to the device, but this may be more than you wanted to deal with.
    Good luck!

  8. I agree on the battery comments above. I use only disposable Lithiums when the temps are below freezing. Even lithium ions (rechargable lithiums) have about 25% less life at temperatures around freezing and get worse below that. NiMh and Nicads are awful at colder temperatures. When it’s warmer, I don’t hesitate to use regular alkalines, but when it’s cold and you need reliability, get the lithiums.

    As for the GPS itself, I currently use a Delorme PN-20 and absolutely love it. The ability to upload arial and satellite photo layers on top of the topo layers is a remarkable tool for looking for meadows during hunting season. The software it comes with blows away the stuff you have to pay for from Garmin, BUT if you aren’t one to read the manual or play around with it for a while, it’s much less user friendly and you will get frustrated. IMHO, if you want to plug and play without learning how to use it, buy a Garmin; if you want more features and capabilities and are willing to put in the time to learn how to use it, buy the Delorme.

    Over the weekend I was snowshoeing on the Continental Divide between James and Kingston Peaks in Colorado at 12,250′ in 0-10F temperatures. My water bottle froze solid during the 3.5 hour trip, but my GPS never stopped working and still showed a full battery at the end of the trip (if you buy one and use lithium batteries, tell the fuel gauge you’re using alkalines and you get about another 4 hours of battery life per set (not sure why)(don’t try this trick with the lithium ion rechargable!)).

  9. As to the Franken-rifle (build you own gun), James Yeager is not a fan. They don’t seem to run very well in his Fighting Rifle class. I agree with avoiding as many taxes as you can. Perhaps buy an separate upper and lower in the configuration you want, have it shipped to you and pay a gunsmith to make sure it runs the way it would from the factory. I am considering doing this with an AR from CMMG.

  10. @Mel

    I love James like a brother but I swear one day I am going to write a book called, “Things James Yeager Doesn’t Like”.

    I will tell you though I think you are onto something. Buying the best upper and lower you can get and paying a smith to really slick it up should produce a damn fine result. If it is a good smith who is good with slicking up ARs.

    You may pay the same money in the end BUT the money goes to a local business person not the coffers of our masters. I would gladly take any money dollar for dollar I have to pay anyway and give it to people in my community then see it pissed away by the congress critters who are more concerned with mice in California and turtles in Florida then they are with the needs of the people. Ironically the same people from whom they first steal the money.

  11. Jack – thanks for answering my AR question honestly and to the best of your ability (and for the useful link). I agree with you on your selection of “go to” gun and I have 7.62×39 covered. I wanted an AR to have something in .223, hate taxes, and figured building your own might be a solution. I think that you guys have come up with a pretty viable solution in having a competent gunsmith do the work. Maybe this is the way to go on the first AR – discuss what challenges the gunsmith dealt with on the build and then perhaps try yourself on subsequent AR’s? While I have been reading building AR’s I also found another good option for a reliable, cost-effective .223. I’ll probably be destroyed for saying this … but how about one of the newer Ruger Mini-14’s? The barrels are supposedly heavier duty, the mag wells rounded to facilitate easier loading of mags, high-cap mags are readily available from Ruger at $25 a pop (yes, a bit more than AR mags), and you can get 3 different configurations of this rifle for around $600 (check out a CDNN Sports catalogue). Again, for my intended purpose (minute of pie plate at 100 yards is just fine) this might be a fine option.

    Thanks again!

  12. Well when I write “Things James Yeager Doesn’t Like” I will send you a free signed copy and credit you for the chapter on the Mini 14.

    That said I like them, I think they are a great gun. I owned one and sold it like a fool, must have put 3000 or more rounds through it with only one or two jams. Beat the hell out of it! Threw it behind truck seats when off roading, cleaned it only enough to keep rust off it and it ran fine.

    Being fair to James, his view is the AR is a combat weapon, if you expect combat stick to a tool made for it, and in many ways he is right.

    But for a day to day sporting weapon, I have nothing negative to say about the Ruger. Now you do know that they make AK frames that fire 223 right?

    Honestly if you just want at 223, I would buy a Model 70 or 700 if shooting critters is in order and you have the tactical stuff sorted.

    Who am I kidding in a world where money was no object I would have all three ;>)

  13. Amen to you last statement! Have multiples of all of the above. Like you might have mentioned on your show, “two is one and one is none”.

  14. My suggestion goes for all electronics in the winter. Put it on a lanyard around your neck and keep it chest level under your layers. Never had a problem with camera’s or GPS when i keep them warm.

  15. In response to shooting Bedded Game animals I’ll tell you what my father taught me.
    He was talking about hunting Rabbits at the time but this would apply to other animals too.
    He said that I should not shoot a sitting rabbit& only shoot those that move quickly as the sitting rabbits might be “sick”.
    The fact that a bedded animal may be sick is a possibility & the fact that you cannot see the animal fully prevents you from making a good judgment call on that issue.
    This is also one of the reasons you don’t shoot a “sitting duck”. Since if they can’t fly they are most likely sick & should not be eaten.

  16. @Capt Cook, With all due respect to your father I ain’t buying that one. Specifically with rabbits, a rabbits defense is to hold as long as it can if it believes its presence is known but its exact location has not yet be detected. After 25 years in the field I have never found a sick rabbit sitting in a field.

    This is really an ethics thing, perhaps some “reasons” grew up around the ethics.

  17. I built my own AR-15. I did it to save money and to familiarize myself with the firearm. I bought a M1S kit and built a standard 20″ A3 with a DPMS stripped lower. Boresighted it and fired the very first shot during Appleseed midway through the first day after switching from my 10/22 (hence, I did not have a lot of time to sight it in, but got it done). I fired 400 rounds through it without a single malfunction. I was satisfied.

    Regarding Jack on AR vs AK, I know some ex-military folks who love the AR because that is what they used (M-16) and are very familiar with it, and I know some who hate the AR because that is what they used and experienced all the bad things about it.

  18. Jack, regarding not shooting birds on the ground.

    When I as too young to hunt I remember tagging along with my Dad when he went quail hunting in north west Oklahoma. One time I ask him why he waited for the bird to flush before he would shoot. He responded that it was the sporting thing to do. So I too had this impressed on my mind at a young age.

    Fast forward a few years. I was now old enough to be carrying my own shotgun and hunting with my Dad. One thing that was different was that we had moved to El Paso Texas. We would hunt quail, but could very seldom get close enough to flush them. The different was in the habitat and quail that were around west Texas. Very open habitat and a different species of quail than in NW Oklahoma. These quail would run on the ground and a person on foot could not get close enough to flush them very often.

    One day my Dad was talking with people that grew up in the area and complained that we could not get them to flush so that we could do the sporting thing and shoot them in the air. The locals indicated that anyone that shot quail in that area would usually shoot them on the ground or else they just would never get close enough to flush them.

    I have long since moved away from west TX and southern NM but just wanted to state that while I still like shooting them in the air better. If I ever get the chance to hunt in west Texas or southern New Mexico again in open habitat, I will shoot them on the ground. While it sounds less sporting, it really is harder to hit a fast running quail that is dodging around sand dunes and scrub bushes than one would think. Just like the differences between hunting deer in the north east and hunting in TX the hunter has to adapt to the habitat and quarry.

  19. Hey Jack,

    First of all, great show, I’m trying to play catch-up with your old episodes. I’d just like to put in my two cents on pump shotguns if its still worth it four months later. For a left-eye dominant shooter like myself, Remington does have a lefty 870 option. However, I ended up going with a Mossberg 500 mainly for its thumb safety, and its slightly more affordable price. I ended up doing this because I expect others who are right-handed shooters to be using it as well. This may be advantageous in the survival/home invasion scenario, where the gun is easy to use for all trained to do so. I find it very un-natural to pick up someone’s righty 870 to shoot and have to work the safety. For a smoother, more expensive version, the Browning BPS is also nice with a thumb safety, and its bottom-eject prevents the shell from flying across both a lefty’s and righty’s face.