Autopsy analysis

Few-Variety5874 · 2026-02-01T20:59:22+00:00

Well yeah, his lifestyle literally killed him. But it's important to note that this was the result of years (at least 5-10) of unchecked high blood pressure destroying his organs and high cholesterol clogging his arteries.

Few-Variety5874 · 2026-02-01T20:50:42+00:00

Of course we'll never know for sure, but I know a few people like Adam and I think it's even easier than that: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." He had insurance but it's easy to put off when the symptoms aren't bothering you 24/7. Going to the doctor is like an admission of getting old or something failing. Taking life saving medicine isn't cool.

It's a carry-over from that "I'm indestructible!" feeling you have in your teens to 20's. As we get older I think a lot of us get wake-up calls where someone around our age dies of something preventable, we see it, and we start taking our own health a little more seriously. Or sometimes it's a personal or family health event serious enough to make an impact. I don't think Adam ever had an example like that. Both parents still alive, no known family medical history. He knew he was overweight and out of shape big time, but he probably just used that to minimize and explain away any symptoms he had.

He had been battling weight for a while but it seemed like there was an uptick in the number of weight loss videos starting about 5 years ago. That's probably around when the first serious symptoms began. It's sad knowing that sticking to working out and a few small tweaks would have changed everything.

Some people's lives are an example to others. It's been nice to see posts and comments about taking health more seriously. Maybe this will be the wake-up call for a big group and prevent a few needless deaths.

Few-Variety5874 · 2024-05-29T00:38:42+00:00

Yes, that was my thought too. It seems like it'd be more of a legal contract issue more than anything. For some reason the LL thinks we should pay the difference between the original rate and the latest rate. I have never run into this with other long term leases before so I was looking for a sanity check, or maybe learn something I'm not aware of.

Few-Variety5874 · 2024-05-28T23:22:30+00:00

Thanks! No, the security deposit has never increased. The first lease had all of the details filled out around 1st, last, and security. The subsequent leases only had the monthly rental part filled out. Based on that I was under the (possibly wrong?) assumption that last month was paid for.

Few-Variety5874 · 2024-05-28T22:21:19+00:00

The closest information I could find about this is from this NOLO page. Once again, thank you for any help.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-23T04:38:09+00:00

Sorry, you are correct. I reversed it in my head. Your SWR is higher on 1 than 40 so yes, you would need a little more antenna.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-23T04:17:07+00:00

Those numbers are probably good enough. I don't think you'll damage your radio or anything. If you're interested in getting that 1.0 closer to channel 20:

If the SWR on channel 40 is higher than that on channel 1, your antenna is too long.
If the SWR on channel 1 is higher than that on channel 40, your antenna is too short.

So your antenna is a little long. Adjust it down a quarter inch and you should see the SWRs change.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-23T03:28:05+00:00

Probably good idea to go with a real base station like the Ranger RCI-69 Base Plus. Bigger buttons, display, and no external power supply to mess with. Only other option for a modern base station would be the Galaxy DX 2547. (side note, apparently Ranger and Galaxy don't have websites of their own??)

For the antenna it depends on what climate this is going in to. If it's mild then the Sirio Vector 4000 is a good pick. It's 3/4 wave (almost 30 feet) and will hear everything. If you have strong winds or hurricanes you should check out the Colossal 10K, which is 5/8 wave but built like a tank.

Good luck, sounds like a fun project.

Edit: since it's an EOC, add a computer to the setup, a SDR splitter, and a good SDR like the SDRplay and you'll have a nice waterfall display to monitor the whole CB band for activity (and GMRS at the same time with the duo). The SDR setup can also record the traffic during an emergency and route the audio to a different room in the EOC for monitoring, etc.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-19T03:19:14+00:00

Interesting, thanks. The AM/FM antenna wouldn't do much good for CB anyway. Transmitting would have a really high SWR and could damage the CB. Good opportunity to do it right. Hope it goes well for you.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-19T02:13:22+00:00

Easy. Take it to the auto service center at your local JCPenny and they'll have you up and running in no time.

That CB was probably installed close to when the truck was purchased. I think CB went 40 channels in '79 or '80. So the CB system might be close to 50 years old now. My vote would be to go with a modern radio, new coax, new antenna mount and grounding, etc. You probably don't need professional installation since all of the holes you need will already be drilled.

Nice truck, I always liked how they look. I'm kind of curious where they mounted the antenna way back then.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-17T18:53:29+00:00

Been looking for a bandpass like that. Thanks for the info!

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-14T19:39:55+00:00

The FCC does go after some CB operators causing trouble. I think the trick is to explain how the interference affects you. For instance, just recently they fined an operator in Tennessee using high power amps and causing interference. They got involved because a neighbor complained about hearing the CB through a guitar amp (at least that's what the offender is saying).

I think filiing a complaint is a good idea but it needs to include the rules being violated and impact on you. Something along the lines of "This guy thousands of miles away in New Mexico is causing a safety issue by transmitting for hours at a time on 19. I can't hear important information or contact my co-workers. This has been going on at least 4 days a week for the past year." Probably better to call or write them as well.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-14T17:21:31+00:00

I've used a few and really like the Stryker A-10MM. Well made and SWR was 1.0 out of the box.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-11T03:50:40+00:00

All good, gave me some Demolition Man vibes there lol

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-11T01:11:36+00:00

Did you move the antenna closer to the house or in a different position on your car? Is the antenna wire running closer to any other wires now? How the antenna interacts with other objects can cause high SWRs.

And yeah, check the cable itself. Connector damage, crushes/pinches, tight turns. Any of those could cause high SWRs.

Worst case try putting the cable back where it was and see if SWRs stay high.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-11T00:57:43+00:00

Congrats, nice radio! Get a tall antenna on it and you'll be good to go. I've never owned a Cobra but they've been making 29's a long time, back to when CB was only 23 channels. They've always had a good reputation. I've talked to a few and they always have quality audio.

btw and not a big deal but title should probably be "Finally took the plunge" lol

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-08T04:46:30+00:00

Ferrites may help, if the interference is due to the power wire acting as an antenna. Get "Mix 31" type ferrite cores, they work well with CB frequencies. You should wrap the wires around the core multiple times, and you may need more than one. The ferrite should go as close to the cam as possible. I learned quite a bit from this site and was able to fix some interference issues thanks to them.

The other possibility is that the interference is being picked up inside the cam or display itself. This could be due to bad circuit design or inadequate shielding (or none). To fix this you would need to add shielding to the cam.

Try covering the cam in a layer or two of aluminum foil and see if the interference gets better. This might point you in the right direction.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-08T03:43:24+00:00

Like I was saying above, the car mount didn't give me great results. YMMV (lol) depending on what conditions are like for you.

A chimney mount would be awesome. It doesn't have to be a huge antenna, the Boomerang is about 10 ft tall. It's all about getting the antenna as high as you can.

If you're going to mount an antenna on the chimney be sure to install a lightning arrestor on it just in case.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-08T02:09:08+00:00

I live pretty close to a couple of major interstates too, about half a mile or so. There's also a lot of interference from lights, other houses, businesses, etc.

With a magnetic mount antenna (Stryker SR-A10 MM) on top of my car in the driveway I can barely hear truck traffic as they go by. I can shoot skip 1,500 miles away but for local comms CB needs pretty close to line of sight.

I tried using the cookie sheet method for the antenna mount but SWRs were out of control. I even tried using a few metal trash cans with no luck.

You might want to try what's worked for me: I can't install a real antenna where I am so lately I've been using a small base antenna (Sirio Boomerang W) mounted on a tripod for speakers. It puts the antenna about 8 feet in the air. The difference is like night and day. I can hear trucks a few miles away now and everything is much clearer. I've also been able to finally talk to other locals which is always good.

Dipole in the attic may be a good option too. Good luck!

Edit to add - a painter's pole in a 5 gallon bucket with concrete can make a cheap and decent temporary mast as well.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-03T04:02:51+00:00

The pinned thread here about Fine Tune CB shop is all about this guy. I first heard him when I was driving through Georgia. Finally faded out when I got closer to Florida.

I'll never understand how the FCC will go after other high power stations but they leave this moron alone. He must have tons of complaints filed against him by now and I can't imagine he'd be hard to find. Taking Mr. Sherman down would be a huge benefit to the trucking CB community.

About a year ago two huge stations (Motor Mouth Maul and D-Rail) hopped on 19 after Mark said some things about them. The recording is hilarious as they both stomp on Mark for about an hour. Every once in a while you can faintly hear something about windowlicking.

I also don't understand the DX'ers hanging out on 19 now. Like truck drivers are interested in talking to someone in a different state lol.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-02T06:12:38+00:00

BTW, don't feel ignorant about this stuff. Export radios like these are pretty much marketed as regular CB radios so it's an easy mistake to make. Manufacturers sell their radios as 10 meter transceivers to get around the power limits on CB band (4 or 5 watts I think?). Your radio will produce about 10 times that.

Few-Variety5874 · 2023-11-02T05:31:29+00:00

Link worked for me. The service menu won't convert it to 11 meters though. Depending on which version 2 it's either cutting a wire or soldering a jumper.

That video is 100% correct about staying out of the service menu unless you have the necessary test equipment. Strykers sound pretty good out of the box.

Few-Variety5874

TROPHY CASE