Neil Marshall

Sorry boys, wasted bonhommie - all the threads have been removed from the LRO site. In any event, not sure I like the sound of two men shaking together. Do you face each other? Do you do it off road? Neil

Errrr, has Trevor been morphed into James??? Is this going to happen to more Forum members? Neil

Thank God you didn't say that to me [and yes to the earlier question! ] Nick's a v. helpful guy - hope you get it sorted soonest! Neil

Well if you don't know me by now, Les....I was thinking 'I'll keep holding on' to it, but you can have it. Money’s too tight to mention, but you can have it for nothing. Neil (all I need now is a brain)

Siggy, I'm with Mo and JB - the leading brands have download sites where you upgrade the firmware etc. Cables et al are available at pretty competitive prices now for most machines. Best single addition is an external aerial, available widely on Ebay or from proper suppliers. If you want a rugged handheld, can thoroughly recommend my GPSMap 60 CS for most purposes - colour screen and detail are fantastic. 57 Mb of internal available memory. Only negative is that it would have been better with a flash card capability. DO NOT BUY ANY US MARKET GPS as they will require you to fill up the available memory with the basic UK stuff.....sadly they're half the price over there. This is the most helpful GPS site I've come accross - loads of tips and an excellent New User area. Neil

So that's what that nice Colonel Gaddafi does in his spare time.....how does the GPS help? Neil

Les There's one for sale on the NILRC website - here - I think it might have a few bits with it. Neil

Nige, now she's asking for an apology....her strap line is Forum antagonist. And one of her friends is now accusing moi of being rude... Oh dear, I'm just going to have to ring Donald Rumsfeld. Neil

Well, Les, we can't have you being kicked without good cause. See how long this one stays up. I think your questions were reasonable - far better that any pre-qualifications are made clear in the invitation rather than flooding the service with expressions of interest that can't be taken any further. Ever read J P Donleavy's 'The Ginger Man' Les? Learn some great put downs. [And I know you've got this thing about red hair....beats me!] Neil

If all you need is mapping software then the Fugawi range of OS maps are excellent - you can add notations, waypoints etc and even see the topography in 3D. Often available on Ebay, sometimes as 'back up copies' or buy cheapest here. Maps are in Landranger 1:50,000 scale. Also worth looking at the free GPS Utility - an easy-to-use application that provides management and manipulation of GPS information. You can use it to transfer data to/from a GPS receiver and store the data in PC files in one of several text formats; convert between different map datums and many coordinate formats (Lat/Long, UTM/UPS, country grids etc.); route and track statistics are available and can be transferred to a spreadsheet ; by using a scanned or digital bitmap you can digitize waypoints, routes and tracks. You can plot your GPS information as a map and add map annotations in text or image form. Works with Fugawi, Google Earth, Memory Map etc. I have a hand held Garmin GPSMap 60 which is a fabulous bit of kit and includes autorouting. But I learned quickly that it's pretty useless for walking and off-roading as there is no relevent data to display in open countryside....conversely, even in the smallest of villages you can even see house numbers. So for off-roading, a GPS receiver linked to mapping software on a laptop or PDA is best. 16 channel bluetooth GPS receivers are available from £45, 12 channel PMCIA cards for under £40....just make sure they're compatible with your mapping software. Bluetooth is desirable as GPS works by line of sight. Best of all is to use an external roof mounted aerial. Neil

I think the real issue here is money - local authorities have a legal duty to maintain green lanes etc and they are under so much budgetary pressure that they will use any damned excuse to reduce their liabilities. Closure is a clever option and we are going to see a lot more. We are facing a much less supportive electorate than even five years ago, so lets not kid ourselves that this is just a blip....the world and his dog now talk in pubs about the damage and noise caused by off-road bikes and cars and they just don't approve. It's time for a re-think on making codes of practice work and a far better partnership with local government to allay concerns. If we loose rights they won't ever come back so we ought to be looking seriously and hard at this issue. Some positive PR would help - a big attempt to publicise removal of abandoned cars etc - in the same way that BASC, the voice of shooting, concentrates publicly on the C [conservation] rather than the S [shooting]. If you don't believe me just look at the Natural Environment & Rural Communities Bill where, since the committee stage in July, a new clause has been added giving powers to make Traffic Regulation Orders to National Park Authorities covering byways (BOATs & Restricted), Bridleways and Footpaths. GLASS is on the case but I don't believe that they can counteract heavyweight lobbying on their own. Neil

GM posted it's third quarter figures today and yet again they're a stinker! The North American operation lost a further $1.6 billion due to lower production volumes, continued increases in health care costs, higher material costs, and a shift in vehicle mix away from full-sized sport utility vehicles. GM's market share in North America was 25.6% in the third quarter of 2005, compared with 28.5% a year ago. 25,000 production jobs are going, along with more plant closures, so that each plant can operate at 100% capacity - a target that's just not credible. Retirees are going to accept a reduction in health care support. The pressure is on in Euorpe too. The Hyundai-Kia group has announced plans to extend its dramatic growth pace in Europe by the end of the decade to more than 1.3 million annual sales - virtually the same level as Ford, GM and Renault. We're going to need a new Smiley soon, one with slanted eyes. Neil

Nice work Nige Neil

Really fabulous looking vehicle. If anyone's read the Centre Steer article in the current LRO you'll be reminded of the rear end when you look at this picture. And also of Russian army 4x4s. Are you prepared to give us a clue on the price? Neil

Thanks Steve - I was probably in pedantic mode. Tony's point about being appropriate for the purpose is a good one and links well with the point Jim was making...are we about to see the next variant of Defender too sophisticated for parts of its market? Neil

No experience at all of Champs but I've always admired them and they're getting pretty rare - better to have a go than see it rot away. 24 volt electrics aren't a big issue. Neil

Well, BMW did mislead you - one computer that couldn't run a watch - but the point about purpose is well made.....vehicle manufacturers are getting too clever for their own boots, and we'll pick up the tab. And, yes, I'm only making conversation too on a dull Sunday evening! Have a great evening!! Neil

You obviously don't believe me - there is almost no native computing power on the Shuttle, and Apollo had frighteningly little onboard capability [30Kb of memory from one computer], relying instead on the amazing skill of the test pilots flying them, rather than automation. The clever calculations were made at Houston, then relayed by radio link. Neil

The Space Shuttle was launched with less onboard computing power than a Sinclair ZX80, and they froze the design [they now work off laptops, haven't you noticed?] so the Apollo spacecraft probably had zilch....naughty BMW for misleading you like that! I'm not against advanced electronics....it's just they have to be sat in the right place, and with bomb-proof connectors.....oh, and with memories of a big bill to replace my Spider, the bits they wire them to have to be robust as well. Neil

Jim, I understand precisely what you're saying - hence the huge difference in sophistication between a Toyota Ute and a Land Cruiser. Unfortunately Ford doesn't have the same emotional and financial bonds with emerging and third world economies that Land Rover used to have and Toyota still does have, so I can't see them drawing the bar at today's technology, let alone turning back the clock. I'd really like to know whether Ford has accepted that it's going to be locked out of the future miltary market or whether it's planning an assault with a completely new model - the military would have similar issues over complex electronics. Chris, that was my understanding too until Ford and PSA announced ten days ago that they had started production of the new Transit engine at Dagenham...so it might have been a case of mis-information ahead of the big announcement. Here's some more about this new engine - full Ford-PSA press pack here. These images might take a while to download if you're on dial-up, but they're worth the wait. Compared with the unit that provided the base architecture for the new engine, a 12kg reduction of weight has been achieved, thanks to an optimised block structure and the use of the latest finite element computer analysis. This also allows for better noise performance. The fuel injector pump now runs directly on the camshaft rather than off the engine block itself, which contributes another significant weight loss. The camshaft is also driven by a simplex chain that is light and is quiet. Weight reduction has also been achieved by the use of a lighter front end accessory drive, which powers the alternator, power steering pump, vacuum pump, water pump and air conditioning compressor. This weight loss delivers driveability and fuel economy advantages for the commercial vehicle customer, especially with a lightly loaded vehicle, and there are is also an increase in payload capacity for the driver with a regularly heavily laden vehicle. Uniquely for a commercial vehicle engine programme, the development of these engines used 100,000 hours and 4.9 million kilometres of 'real world' data taken from customers' vehicles around Europe using data loggers (similar to 'black box' flight recorders). These were installed in vehicles for between six to twelve months. The data collection monitored key parameters such as engine and vehicle speed, fuelling, throttle position, EGR Valve performance, among others. The new electronic EGR is pictured below. Will we all be blanking these off still? What on earth will we do on a weekend? Neil

Trev That's a perfect role model! International 2.8 engine? Strengthened suspension? Neil

I said, we're only just getting into gear....loads more mileage in this debate, yet Neil

Oh sh*t, I hate a man who measures things! Neil

We have the 'stat in series with one of the relay coils' in the amendment to James' circuit....and as Siggy has suggested, adding a simple diode will control whether one or two fans operate. I guess for competition use of a three way dial switch might be preferable to a side/main beam switch. But, as ever.....many ways to skin a cat!!

We have exactly the same approach below as James' diagram - the thermostat should act as a switch for the relay [older Kenlowe instructions] - but best to switch on the earth side.