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Making Your Vehicle CRM-Worthy: Accessories, Add-ons, Extras, and Bad Choices - Ep 298
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We’ve talked in the past about the best vehicles for CRM, but what are the best accessories to make your ride the envy of the other shovelbums? Are some add-ons better left off? Join us as we pimp your ride CRM style.
Transcripts
- For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/crmarchpodcast/298
Blogs and Resources:
- Bill White: Succinct Research
- Doug Rocks-MacQueen: Doug’s Archaeology
- Chris Webster: DIGTECH LLC
- Andrew Kinkella
Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube)
Blog: Kinkella Teaches Archaeology
ArchPodNet
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Transcript
Introduction to CRM Archaeology Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
You're listening to the Archaeology Podcast Network. This is the Serum Archaeology Podcast. It's the show where we pull back the veil of cultural resources management archaeology and discuss the issues that everyone is concerned about. Welcome to the podcast.
00:00:22
Speaker
Hello and
Meet Doug from Scotland
00:00:23
Speaker
welcome to the CRM archaeology podcast, episode two hundred and ninety eight. And joining me today in no particular order is Doug from Scotland. Well, I'd say Doug in Scotland from that's right.
00:00:42
Speaker
It doesn't sound like he's from Scotland. He's so Scottish. Although that would be fun. He was your best brogue. No,
Essential vs. Unnecessary Car Accessories for CRM Work
00:00:50
Speaker
no. They have a different hate crime laws over here. So no, no. So and then Heather, not from California. Yes. And I'm not doing a California accent because I'm not from California.
00:01:10
Speaker
But dude, it leaks in over time. I'm telling you, like, yeah I think you sound more California than when I when I first met you. Really? yeah Yeah, yeah, it's funny. Like I have a ton of friends with the same story. It's just that that sort of cliche, so Cal Valley thing like like it angles in in their speech. But anyway, our topic for today is actually car accessories. Now, in the past, we've done shows on what kind of automobile to buy for CRM, right? We all had our choices and I remember
00:01:44
Speaker
I'm a car guy, right? But I remember being just jealous and bummed that Bill came up with the Toyota minivan as the best CRM car. And I thought that was just the greatest choice. But in terms of once you pick your car, what kind of accessories are worth it to buy, to add on? What works for you in the field? What are some things that that kind of the public at large thinks you should have in the field, but really don't work. Right. And so I just took.
00:02:16
Speaker
a couple of minutes to think about this, and I thought we could all just kind of talk about maybe experiences we've had with with certain accessories on our car that maybe they worked really great or stuff that you bring with you in the field where it really like saved you at the last minute. And I had thought
Field Vehicle Tools: Winches vs. Tow Straps
00:02:31
Speaker
I would just start with one or two and then the rest of us could just join in and we can go from there. So first off, I i thought in the no category,
00:02:42
Speaker
Something that you do not need with your field vehicle is a winch. You do not need a winch. Now, I'm probably the one in 10,000 people who's actually used a winch on the front of yeah the front of a truck. But of course, again, all cliches apply. I use the winch in the jungle in Belize to winch out a truck from like heavy mud and stuff. And this is where you have to like take the winch and pull the cable out and tie it to something and turn it on. And I think it even had an extra battery that it ran on in the truck. I can't remember, but it is involved. They're super expensive. They're heavy. You do not need a winch on the flip side in the sort of yes, maybe category or stuff like tow cables or tow straps. Those are cheap, you know, and easy to store. And
00:03:40
Speaker
All you need with tow straps is some other car to pull you out, you know, or tow straps can also come with their own kind of winching thing.
Emergency Safety Tools for Fieldwork
00:03:50
Speaker
But usually what happens is you put the tow straps on the one car that's in trouble, you put it on the second car and then you pull yourself out done and done. No need for a witch.
00:03:59
Speaker
Yeah, I've added those when we had fleet cars that those tow straps are a must. Yeah. Yeah. And the other that I would put along with that are bolt cables. And I know that sounds like why would you need both cables? So what what are those? I'm sorry, bolt cutters. There you go. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great one. I didn't even think of that.
00:04:24
Speaker
Yeah, that is for safety-wise an accessory, very, very important. yeah Reason quickly, you know especially here in California, you can be out off-road and all of a sudden the fire happens and you're rushing out of where you are, you run in and it's happened. I mean, it's happened to me, not during a fire, but you you encounter the gate that you came in and a rancher has locked it behind you.
00:04:53
Speaker
And maybe, he would' have yeah, you don't have the code, you can't get out. And that's the worst situation you could be in if it's in a fire. So having bolt cutters is important. Yeah, that's a fantastic one. Yeah, i've I've been I think probably all of us have been in a situation like that, maybe not so dire, but where you're like, oh, my God, they locked the gate, you know. So yeah, bolt cutters. i've i've I've been there. It's a great one.
00:05:18
Speaker
There's there's some other small ones that people don't think
Tires, Batteries, and Small Essential Tools for Fieldwork
00:05:20
Speaker
of. Like I've I've had great success with a bike pump, like having a bicycle pump like in the back of your truck, you know, to pump up your tires, to pump up pump up your friends tires, to pump up your spare tire. Man, if I can do one thing for everyone, go out and check your spare tire right now. I guarantee you it's flat. Right. So.
00:05:37
Speaker
little stuff like that, a bicycle home and actually a quality bicycle pump. So there's there's so often on this, we'll recommend things. But if you buy a cheap one, it's going to break in the in the emergency. So I love having bicycle pumps. And speaking of good stuff, just get stuff like like extra money is well spent on like good tires, a good battery, stuff like that. You know, like I just I never buy crappy tires or batteries anymore. Like like I haven't for a long time because good ones just are better, they're safer, they last longer, or all that kind of good stuff. and Tires are essential. Yeah. and And you don't need super knobby, crazy tires, right? like Like you'll find that those will give you worse gas mileage. You just need good ones, like quality products. And then along that line, I would also add, depending on where you're at,
00:06:29
Speaker
you know, if you end up in an icy area, it's not totally, you know, frozen ground yet. So you're still out there working kitty litter. Oh, yeah. Things like that to get you out. And then and then some ah pieces of wood.
Emergency Traction Measures in Muddy Conditions
00:06:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's muddy and you need to be like sometimes if you you know, it happens. People don't have those toe straps. You still need to get out of that mud. So something to get underneath the tire to get you out.
00:06:54
Speaker
Totally. How many times have I been in that situation? And then you're like scavenging far and wide for a piece of wood. Like, yes, it's so true. And if somebody just has a piece with them, oh, my God, it just yeah it it just saves you. Speaking speaking of the spare tire and and and that area of thing, dude, I've been screwed up by this a bunch of times. Make sure to buy a good quality lug nut wrench.
00:07:23
Speaker
disc and one that fits. Know your lug sizes. These are the lugs on on your wheels. right If you buy a crappy lug nut wrench, it will break while you're trying to use it. right bit Buy a big one, spare no expense. million know Craftsman brand, that kind of stuff go high end for your lug nut wrench because you you want to be able to put the extra pressure and weight on that wrench and have it not break and have it have it make a nice seal to the nuts. I was actually going to loop back to your your first point on the, you know, the winch. Yeah. I was going to say everyone thinks they're going to use it. And, you know, where did you actually get stuck? But when you do.
00:08:06
Speaker
I guarantee there's not going to be a tree lined up with whatever vehicle you need. probably have and Because I've seen it before, because they've you have to have the right angle on the winch to be able to pull the vehicle out. And usually, you know, so I worked in the Southwest, like, yeah, some of it's going to be. where trees Trees are so abundant there. Yeah. But like, I was just thinking like, yeah, I've worked in forest areas. that That's a little bit better. So if you're working a forest area, yeah good chance you might be able to find the right tree, but actually even then it's hard because a lot of times if you're in the forest, you're you've you're on a road most likely or in a field yeah where there are actually very few trees.
00:08:51
Speaker
yep and I've seen people trying to like loop it and go at the wrong angle and actually end up getting just more stuck. Cause if you, if you're not straight on where you're pulling out, you're going to pull at an angle and you're either going to break the winch or you're going to pull the vehicle sideways.
00:09:11
Speaker
seen that tooboard even more stock like there's yeah There's this idea that, you know, you'll be able to use it, but honestly, you guys are spot on with like tow
Safety Measures: Not Going Alone and Using Beacons
00:09:23
Speaker
ropes and another vehicle. Cause there's, there's just, there's yeah but chances one, the chances that you're going to need it are going to be very low. And then the chances you're going to do it and have like, I don't know, a perfect boulder slash success. Yeah. Yeah. Also like a, you know, uh, a California redwood that won't snap. Um, you know, your two ton truck or won't you, you're not gonna, usually what's gonna happen is you're just gonna pull out wherever small tree pine tree that you hooked up to. And that's it.
00:09:55
Speaker
You've done nothing but ruin a perfectly good tree. Exactly. And it's dangerous, too. You know, and I remember the like the one time we used it, we were we were just messing around forever trying to get it to work, trying to get it right. Everything you just said, do we liked it. It's like, oh, the angle's wrong. Like it was it was such a mess. I almost think we finally had a second car come and we just unhooked it and use tow cables anyways. You know, like I think that's what happened anyway. Here's a couple of cautionary, you know,
00:10:24
Speaker
cautions, whatever, do not go out alone into these areas. And so that's just a reminder, just because you have a souped up truck doesn't mean that you can handle everything. And when you go into some of these really back areas, you with no, you know, reception, then that leads to the next thing I was going to add. But just don't don't let companies pressure you into going into dangerous situations, but specifically or potentially dangerous situations alone.
00:10:53
Speaker
Because that, yeah you know, even if you're in a vehicle, it it's just precarious. it's It's not worth it. As people have said, this job's not worth dying for. Along that line, I think what's essential, yes, you lose reception, but having these safety be beacons So that if something happens, you can put out a signal is is an excellent tool. So most all companies should have these for their field staff where they're when they are going out, that they do have a safety beacon. It usually has three different settings where it will.
00:11:29
Speaker
just say it'll just be a location. There's another one where I'll actually contact somebody specifically that's programmed with that system to contact because you have, okay, I'm safe, but I have an issue I need help with. And then there's like a emergency. I need help now. And here's my location. So those, I think, especially because that the type of work we're in, we're always in areas without any cell reception. You shouldn't go anywhere without those beacons.
00:11:59
Speaker
Right. Oh, it's a great one. And speaking of that, on the flip side, like I love how we're bringing up these these little sort of safety things, you know, on on the flip side, people who are just sort of too big for their britches with their cars. It's often because their car is full of stuff you actually don't need. It's a four by four, which you tend to actually not need. And they have all this stuff on it that like showcases they're much on this right. that Yeah, it'll have like an exterior gas can. It'll have like an axe like strapped to the side, like one of those red like fireman's and it'll have some crazy ass roof rack. You know, like and it'll have my favorite. It'll have a snorkel like like really. Oh yeah, you need a snorkel in Southern California. And for those you.
00:12:43
Speaker
Yeah, if you don't know the snorkel of those things, you put on kind of the side of the four by four. That means you can drive like underwater. Yes. And like oh it as long as the snorkel above. No, it's it's a piece that you put like on the side, so sort of on the front next to the screen. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've seen that. So stupid. Oh, and so and and super beefy skid plates
Convoy Protection: Importance of Mud Flaps
00:13:06
Speaker
and all that crap. Look, you don't.
00:13:09
Speaker
need that ground. Ground clearance is your friend. I will say that ground clearance is nice. But yes, I've seen you need to know how to drive. You need to know how to like read your environment. I've seen people do incredible things with a Honda Accord. OK, so. yeah you just don't believe where i could go with that thing exactly that doesn't have clearance but that thing was a it was just a beast he i could write anywhere with it and and the nice thing about the tour and now i don't suggest you go and get a toyota echo but when you know it's it's a it's a good lesson that you don't have to go out and
00:13:46
Speaker
get the best, you know, vehicle and buy all the bells and whistles. yeah You know, I think sometimes people do that and there are certain personalities that tend to do that. But I think, that you know, you have Everybody complains about how little we make in this, right? Which isn't true totally, but yes, you are limited in funds. Why go out and spend, I mean, literally some of these $50,000 on a setup when you don't even know what you're going to need.
00:14:16
Speaker
So go out, make sure you have all the safety equipment, make sure you have the necessities. But then as you work, you'll start realizing, oh, you know what, this would be a good thing to have. But don't buy everything and then realize only need a quarter of what I bought. It's a waste of money.
00:14:35
Speaker
It totally is. And all that all that stuff that we were joking about, it's like if it's if it's four by four to to me, you want to think of it as this is the stuff you use to get yourself out of trouble, not into trouble. You know what I mean? Oh, I got four by four. So I'm going to go down this road. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:52
Speaker
When you find yourself messed up, you go, okay, I think I'll engage the four by four. And actually with that, we'll wrap up here on segment one. I know Doug has something to say and he can start it off with segment two. I'll see you guys in a minute. Hello and welcome back to the CRM archaeology podcast, episode 298. And we have been talking about accessories for your automobile to make your day a little bit nicer and easier in the CRM world. And Doug, I know you had something to add. What's up?
00:15:21
Speaker
Yeah, so it's one of those things that usually sort of gets lumped into that sort of snorkel aspect of vehicles, but actually is super important. And it would be actually mud flaps. And of course, this would depend on your vehicle. like yeah But mostly for trucks, it's a good thing. And it's it's not so much for you know the mud and protection like that. ah It's actually, if you have a crew and you have two vehicles,
00:15:51
Speaker
that will save so many windshields. yeah just because ah you know If you're going along rocky roads, you're going to be just churning up all those small stones. and If you don't have those mud flaps, they're going to be start flying back and whatever vehicle you have behind you is going to get them. and Eventually, one of those is going to hit that windshield right and crack it. I i remember like We had, uh, we, we replaced so many wind while we didn't replace, you got the person to come out and do the little fix until like they added mud flaps to all the vehicles. Cause it was, it was just a thing where, you know, you're following people along and without the mud flaps, those stones are going to be shooting out there at not quite bullet velocity, but you wouldn't want to get hit with it. And definitely not your windshield. Yeah. It's one of those things that like.
00:16:47
Speaker
people sort of forget about. It usually gets tossed into that sort of souped up truck thing. But actually it is one thing I would say in archaeology not overrated. I think that was great. That was smart. and And as you said, very overlooked.
00:17:03
Speaker
But I think we've all been there, too. We've been there on those roads because so often, of course, in CRM, there's a crew there's and almost always there's more than one car and whoever is in the back, they get it. You know, so I think that's a that's a great one. Often, often overlooked in terms of broken windshields and other other difficulties. I've said this before
Benefits of AAA Membership
00:17:23
Speaker
on the podcast, but also.
00:17:26
Speaker
I highly recommend having a AAA membership. So, you know, in the United States, the American Automobile Association membership, that thing is just gold in terms of like you need a tow, you need like a jump, you know, that kind of stuff. I have I've been a member for over like it's something crazy. I started when I was like 18 or something. I've been a member like over 30 years. I love that place. I just.
00:17:49
Speaker
You get to know the AAA office that's close to you because you can get a bunch of stuff done there, a bunch of stuff on your car. All of a sudden, you don't have to go to the DMV anymore. Yeah, yeah which is a godsend. And yeah there's other things that can help you with the travel passports. That's a great thing to have in your back pocket. yeah So I have a ah couple of things to add as far as the outside of the car that I have some ideas for the inside. But for the outside, if you have an open bed,
00:18:18
Speaker
Highly recommend either putting a cab on it, a top on it, or putting a top, like a lockable top on it. You know, when we're traveling and you go into a hotel, The last thing you want to do is lug all that field equipment into your hotel room. So having a lockable bed is a good thing. Even better is just putting a cab on it, if you can afford it, um if you have a truck. And that will save you a lot of time. The other thing is a lot of people like to put those toolboxes, those metal toolboxes that are attached and permanent in the bed, which when it comes to archaeology is can be very problematic.
00:18:57
Speaker
When you put those in there, it limits what you can fit in your bed. Oh, right. Yeah. Yeah. yeah That's a tough one. It is. But I have, if you have a cab, so what I what i would suggest, if be if you're going to put a cab on it, put a cab that has those compartments on the sides of the cab. So it's on the side of the truck and you can actually access them. They're totally lockable and you can access them from the side top. Yeah. And then you're not taking up your bed space.
00:19:26
Speaker
If you put those big toolboxes in, unless you can do it on one side, don't put it on the end. If you can do it on one on just one side, then that's a better place to put it. But when you put it on the end, it really limits your ability to to fit as much as possible in the back of that truck.
00:19:41
Speaker
Right, right. yeah that's i would I would agree with you. It's one of those things that I tend to recommend that kind of thing, but it also can be done like without that thought. like like if you I tend to like sort of ah a trunk or back organizer of some kind, and this can be for SUVs too, where you have some sort of organization system. There's different things you can buy. I tend to recommend those. I think they tend to work. I used to use the old school milk crate situation, which right works, but it's much better to have something that's better integrated. As far as that organization system, if
00:20:16
Speaker
This would be more for companies, small companies that have that can maybe right now. I mean, anybody could write it off. I don't know if this expenses is worth it for an individual, but they do have these drawer systems where you can put the organizer on the bed. So then you and it's just flat and it has a drawer that pulls everything out. Then you can put stuff on top of that. So it's usually maybe, you know, like eight inches tall and it has this yeah all door system, but then you still have the the full bed.
00:20:46
Speaker
Right. yeah right as well Yeah, those are cool. Doug. Yeah, it was brought up by what Heather said about, you know, lockable, you know, yeah obviously left. And one other thing, ah you know, it's It's not going to be thought of as an accessory for a vehicle, but it really is, is your insurance. And actually it ensure making sure that it has theft. And who's covered? because you know So if you have your own vehicle, it's worth checking out the fine print on your insurance of you know are you actually covered for theft? So if someone breaks into your vehicle and steals stuff,
00:21:28
Speaker
will it count and will it, you also need to double check that fine print. Is it theft coverage for, you know, there'll be all these little things about, sometimes you won't be covered for work if you're using your own personal vehicle. So definitely check the fine print on that. Sometimes like you won't get theft if if the vehicle's not stored out in front of your house in a well-lit street. Yeah, there's there'll be all these little bits and pieces in there and it's sort of,
00:21:57
Speaker
not thought about, but definitely theft and other types of, you know, other bits of insurance. And if the CRM, if the company, if they are insured for theft for the personal belongings of their employees, because, you know, you you could say like leave your personal laptop in in a vehicle.
00:22:16
Speaker
You guys go out to do some survey, come back at the end of the day, someone smashed open you know the windows or the rock and taken everything out. It's worth seeing if you're actually covered for personal equipment, for anything that you bring along. and like you know Laptop or even you know you might just leave your phone in there thinking you know there's no cell reception, so why bring it? And you just leave it in the car. and then you know you're in trouble if it's not covered by the insurance. So another accessory to think about is like,
00:22:47
Speaker
Your personal insurance, you're covered from your employer. And you know if you want to pay extra, you know if it's not covered, you can sometimes buy sort of ad hoc or you know bespoke bits of insurance as well. And that might be worth thinking about. The one thing also that that brings up the fact that you know they are there are most, actually, I would say a majority of the CRM companies out there, if you're driving your own vehicle, you're not going to be covered on their insurance.
00:23:15
Speaker
And a lot of people unfortunately do not find this out until after they're in that situation. And now now they they thought that if something happened to their car while out in the field, that it would be covered by the company and it's not.
00:23:30
Speaker
So just make sure that you are aware of that. That would be a question that you would ask. And you know companies write into their budgets, rental cars or the use of their their actual fleet. So
Understanding Insurance Coverage for Fieldwork
00:23:43
Speaker
just make sure that you are walk you're going into a project with full knowledge of what you're covered on and make sure that if something happens and you you are using your own car that you're covered. Otherwise, it's going to be on your insurance and companies are not going to reimburse you. Very few will.
00:24:00
Speaker
Yeah, and actually and just know your own insurance. kind of like what you know Doug was talking a little bit about this earlier. like What's your deductible? Sometimes people just don't even know this stuff you know because they just think of insurance as of this thing you just have to pay to drive your car. you know ah what What is your coverage? Is it is it small? Is it big? you know so I would say look at that and also think critically about your deductible.
00:24:22
Speaker
the you know The deductible is how much you have to pay out of pocket kind of before the insurance kicks in. I usually have a fairly high deductible just because I drive like old crappy cars and i'm just and it it brings your insurance down if you have a higher deductible. So I'll have like a $2,000 deductible or something, which means that I just pay for all the stupid stuff as that happens to my car, which is fine, but they'll pay for it if something catastrophic happens, right? So that's where I go, but also I drive very cheap, crappy cars with that. This is a good time to sort of turn this around and we'll continue in segment three. See you in a minute.
00:25:01
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the CRM archaeology podcast episode 298. And we have been talking about car accessories. And I know that Doug, you had something to add. Yeah, it was sort of internal accessories. I have a couple. One is, ge I'm not actually sure what the correct term is, but I'd call it an airline pillow.
00:25:22
Speaker
but You guys, you know, but the neck ones, the little donuts that go around neck. Yeah. Yeah. I should probably look up the term. I call them airline pillows, but I'm not sure. I think people just call them like donut pillows and stuff. You know, everyone knows those. Yeah. You know, it depending on how long your drive is going to be, you know, a couple of those in there for your crew in case anyone wants to take a nap is always much appreciated. I watched them. Yeah.
00:25:51
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Don't get the ones that are like, get the ones that you can unzip and take off the outer casing and wash most definitely. The other thing is, is it sort of an interesting one where it's, it's for older cars, but it's going to be super valuable for newer cars as well is the radio adapter for your phone, which is, or, you know, music device. If you have one is it.
00:26:22
Speaker
You know, they come in a range of different flavors, but for the most part, they they attach to your phone or, you know, if you still have a, you know, iPad, iPod, or, I don't know, Andrew, i for some reason, I feel like you'd have a Zune or something like that. But now.
00:26:40
Speaker
I'll tell you mine. So is it yeah, and in terms of the in terms of the radio, it's so funny on my list was a decent stereo. And I don't mean you have to go out and buy a crazy awesome stereo. But, you know, we we choose what to fix on our older cars. I think having ah just a good sound system that works is nice because it's just so nice to be able to listen to your music. If you have an older car, check this out, dude.
00:27:03
Speaker
I have a tape deck right in my in my field vehicle, which is a 1991 Azuzu trooper. And what I found is so most of us have CD players we no longer use. But a tape deck is actually easier to connect your phone to than a CD player.
00:27:19
Speaker
Right. So I connect my iPhone just straight into the tape deck because you can get an adapter. They're like really cheap. And that works actually really well. It's better than the systems that that feed straight into your radio where you have to tune to a certain channel because I find a lot of those get static. So funnily enough, if you happen to have a tape player still in your car, you could end up with better quality sound out of your phone.
00:27:49
Speaker
Yeah, I was going to say it's definitely for older vehicles, ah because they won't have those accessories. But weirdly, also for a lot more newer vehicles as well, because cars are becoming a bit more like phones, in that there's now becoming problems where
Tech Compatibility in Vehicles
00:28:07
Speaker
the car companies are no longer doing software updates.
00:28:11
Speaker
for their cars and your cars are now becoming, I say cars, cars as in vehicles, cars, trucks, vans, everything. Just, just know when I say car, I mean your vehicle. I'll try to say vehicle. I do the same. Yeah. You know, your vehicles, they're more closer to your laptop than say a vehicle of like 20 or 30 years ago. And A lot of them require now software and you know they they do cool things where you know oh all you have to do is just plug in a USB for your phone and it automatically syncs up and all that stuff. But now a lot of car companies are just basically being like, yeah, after five years or eight years, we're no longer doing updates.
00:28:52
Speaker
and lessons Yeah. And so now, you know, your newer phone might not be able to sync with your car, so you might not have that direct, wonderful, oh, I can just plug it in and then play whatever music I want. And that's why I was saying actually that sort of Yeah. You could get that adapter for cassette tapes. If your your vehicle's that old or or that radio ones, which actually, yeah, Andrew, you did point out it can be finicky at times as you drive around and you have to switch channels, but it will actually, it'll be good for older vehicles. And that's going to be probably a must for newer vehicles in a couple of years because you actually won't be able to connect up your phone. The software won't work.
00:29:35
Speaker
you might have that that golden, you know, cars are maybe like 10 years old. Sorry, vehicles are like 10 years old, where they accepted it, but didn't quite need as much software might still work in the future. But yeah, you're, you're a lot of newer vehicles. Yeah, get prepared to have to go old school on connecting them up.
00:29:58
Speaker
Yeah, totally. totally you know with In terms of interior, too, I would recommend fixing your air conditioning if it's broken. That can be a big expense. It just depends. But think about it, man. When you're out in the field, just nothing beats going into your car and like blasting the air conditioning. And it can ah it can basically be like a health thing. You know you can be so hot that like the air conditioning can really just help you out from basically you know passing out from heat exhaustion. So I would recommend saving up the money. and Fixing your AC if it's broken. Yeah, without, you know, without getting into talking about what cars and we have another episode that you can search and yeah and look at that. But, you know, it's just. Just be careful about getting something that is highly electronic because for the reasons that Doug is mentioning and also because.
00:30:47
Speaker
you know, when you are in the middle of nowhere and something happens, it's a lot harder to troubleshoot. So just be conscious of that. A couple things
External Power Sources for Fieldwork
00:30:56
Speaker
that I love, if you're buying a new car, a car, a truck with a AC outlet is awesome. And very, very helpful for a myriad of different reasons for tasks that you're doing out in the field. And if you don't have that, then there's some great converters that you can ah that you can purchase from most hardware stores. They're about $30, $40 and they're great because usually they'll have two AC outlets in them. They go into your cigarette lighter and then they also have use USB and in the mini, whatever you call them.
00:31:30
Speaker
like yeah with The various charging situations. Yep. So that has been a lifesaver for me. If you are somebody who is a crew lead and let's say you're trying to also input data while they're out in the field, this is more of a computer accessory, but it's a computer accessory that you have in order to do work in the field in your vehicle.
00:31:51
Speaker
So I could would consider it in a field accessory, and that is attachable monitors. I swear by them, they're amazing. And if you have a car with enough room where you can actually use them, then being able to have additional monitors to actually get that work done wow while the crew is actually working it is a huge plus. It is for me, but it wouldn't be for everybody who's in the field, right? But if you're a crew supervisor and you're having to knock out the report while the work's being done, yeah or at least portions of the report or processing data, that's important. If you have money, and let's say you're a company, right? I wouldn't do this for personal people, but if it's a small company, a Starlink is great. And being able to set up a Starlink right where you're at, we have that, and we can set it up anywhere. We have instant, I mean, no matter where you are, we have reception. So that's an extra plus.
00:32:46
Speaker
Yeah, that's cool. I find even if I'm out there and I have to type stuff up, even having like a like a decent sized pillow to put like on your lower back or whatever, you have to find a place to kind of sit, you know, in your car and do work. A pillow will give you so many more angles. I have a couple like like last minute things I don't think we talked about, like make sure to have some jumper cables, jumper cables. I've used a bunch of times, you know, just and just make sure that they're they're decent.
00:33:12
Speaker
like like decent quality. get the ones that There's ones that are a little heavier gauge and a little lighter gauge. Get the heavier gauge, spend the extra money, it's a little bit safer. I also really like having a shop manual. that This is not the full-on, you're an actual mechanic manual, but there's Hanes Corporation makes Hanes manuals for cars, especially for slightly older ones. Those are great. you know If you're like, wait, what happened to my car? You can kind of look it up and get some tidbits for fixing it. And then make sure something as simple as know your oil, have it have a have a quart of spare oil. What oil does your car take? Does it take five thirty? Does it take zero twenty? Right. Know your oil type, know your viscosity and be ready with it. Doug, what's up?
00:33:55
Speaker
Yeah, so this is sort of a nice-to-have accessory. It goes back to a bit of talking about like power outlets and things like that, and also sort of an alternative for jumper cables. so you know A lot of people now, it's become quite common.
00:34:11
Speaker
You carry your spare fuel battery. So people always had those like small little batteries for your phone. And now you know people are are carrying the sort of other more industrial ones that could be used for like laptops and other accessories. There is a sort of adapter where you can basically attach it to a car battery and use that as sort of a spare battery.
00:34:34
Speaker
it's sort of one of those, you know, maybe if you you want to carry just a little bit less kit is you can have that for, uh, you know, just have a spare car battery there. You can use that for charging stuff. And then you also have that spare car, you know, I say car, sorry, vehicle battery,
00:34:51
Speaker
right there. You just have to make sure you you haven't taken it all down. but you know They're rechargeable, so as long as you just have even the tiniest little bit of charge and you replace it, it should be good to go and then your converter will you know you'll church charge back up the battery as soon as you got it. so
Preparing for Trips: Essential and Spare Items
00:35:07
Speaker
As long as you just make sure you you leave a little bit of capacity in that, yeah it can slightly cut down on you know needing to carry extra spare batteries for laptops but and all that, you know your extra equipment. um But again, that's sort of more of a nice to have, you know not necessarily a ah key thing. you know Some people might like it, some might not. But it's something to consider is just having a spare battery, but also doubling it up to charge some of your other electronics if you need it.
00:35:40
Speaker
Yeah, no, that makes sense. That's exactly what we're talking about. Yeah, I think that's smart. Heather, you said you got one more. Yeah, I have one more comment. Just a good practice to get into is to create lists for yourself. Number one, the safety list. So you have what you check and it's worth the extra 15 minutes before you're going out, maybe the night before the first thing in the morning to check to make sure you have everything you need. So number one would be a safety list that you're going to use every single time.
00:36:07
Speaker
You make sure you have everything, everything's, you know, up to date and it just do it every time. Get in the practice of doing that every time you go out. Number two, have a list of accessories that you need for each level of field work.
00:36:25
Speaker
So there's a few things that I would always have in the truck, and you can add those to each one of those lists, but have, I mean, how often do we go out in the field and we're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot the breaker bar, you know? yeah And so it's have your list, have it laminated and go through it or have somebody go through it so that you make sure that you have everything you need because you want to be as effective efficient as possible and forgetting a key piece of equipment it it is going to derail you. So having those lists I think are that way you don't have to think through it. Oh my gosh. Okay. Okay. What should I have here? What should I have here? Just make a list. And over time you'll add things to it. But if you have that list, then you don't even have to think about it when you're packing up at 5am in the morning or the 9 o'clock the night before.
00:37:16
Speaker
Right. Right. No, that's great. I use this all the time like that. You know, as as we were talking, I was thinking like in my mind's eye, looking in my like rear seat of my car, you know, and I'm like, OK, what do I what do I use? What helps me out? And we've talked about this before on the show, but like I would say make sure to have like some spare shoes, some spare socks, man. Spare socks have saved my ass. Right. A bunch of times and a spare backpack. Because when you're in the field, it's like your backpack strap will break. You know, you're like, oh, no. So I've had this like old crappy backpack with like some old shoes and socks in it and an old sweatshirt. Right. Just sitting like in the far corner of my car forever and ever with with my safety stuff. You know, and that's I've used that so much.
00:38:04
Speaker
I yeah I still have the backpack that I had when I was in your class. Yeah, that's my spare backpack. My spare backpack is every one of my daughter's ancient backpacks from when she was five. Right. You know what I mean? So it's yeah, it'll be like ah ah a backpack with a kitty on it. And and that's why that's why I like that's why spare like shoes and and socks. Anyway, Doug, yeah, you got one more.
00:38:26
Speaker
Yeah, it was a just to sort of ah expand on some of the other comments you guys said earlier in the other segments. It was just sort of like a car safety kit is to check out and see what they have. The ones with like the little reflective triangles yeah and that sort of stuff. Because when you were saying, you know, make sure you have a good like lug nut kit, but also, you know,
00:38:48
Speaker
Basically, that that entire safety aspect, like checking out what what your vehicle has and maybe thinking about slightly upgrading that. like
Comprehensive Emergency Car Kits
00:38:57
Speaker
You don't necessarily need road flares and stuff like that. but you know Do you actually have a quality ah lug nut wrench? Do you have like some maybe reflectors, you know, sometimes some of those emergency kits have like these little flashing lights that you, your battery power that you can just toss on the back of your vehicle. If the, you know, if your battery is dead, you're not going to have your emergency lights. yeah And, you know, especially depending on where you are. So if you know, you're pretty,
00:39:26
Speaker
rural areas with a lot of bends. Depends what the locals are like, but some people take those you know roads that should be 30 miles an hour at 60 going around. If you've broken down on on a curve, you know a nice little curve right there, you you want to have something that's it's there. so even just like going a bit above and beyond wherever is the default for your vehicle on the safety, I'd recommend just having that extra stuff. You know, if it's even its triangles or just those little flashing, you can even just substitute little bicycle lights.
00:40:02
Speaker
if you've put on their helmet, just something that you need there to let people know that you're broken down on the side is always going to be helpful, especially, you know, if you're broken down for a while and it ends up being, you know, nighttime when you're, you're still out there, those things will be quite helpful. I don't quite think you need to go like the full road flare, ah but you know, to each their own. So maybe some people really do want that. But the problem with those is,
00:40:31
Speaker
They expire. yeah yeah so It's usually better to get like a battery-powered light than something along those lines. I like the collapsible triangles that pop up, and some actually have the flashing lights on them.
00:40:46
Speaker
Yeah, totally so speaking of going like, you know, a bit a bit over the over the top, we're getting getting the extra. One last thing that that that reminded me of is if you do have a triple A membership, you'll have the choice for like 100 mile towing. I think it is. And it's like an extra 20 bucks a year or something like that. Dude, by the extra towing, I've used it. I've gotten a 90 mile tow once and that and it's free. So I highly recommend any CRM professionals out there get the AAA with the like long towing because you're in the middle of nowhere and without the like 100 mile towing, the AAA only pays like the first seven or eight miles or something like that. And then it's you paying for the tow. So it's it's cheap insurance. And
Conclusion and Call for Listener Interaction
00:41:30
Speaker
with that, that wraps up another scintillating episode of the CRM archaeology podcast. Thanks so much for listening and we will see you guys next time.
00:41:44
Speaker
That's it for another episode of the CRM Archaeology Podcast. Links to some of the items mentioned on the show are in the show notes for this podcast, which can be found at www dot.arcpodnet dot.com slash CRMARC Podcast. Please comment and share anywhere you see the show. If you'd like us to answer a question on a future episode, email us. he Use the contact form on the website or just email chris at archaeologypodcastnetwork.com. Support the show and the network at arcpodnet.com slash members. Get some swag and extra content while you're there. Send us show suggestions and interview suggestions. We want this to be a resource for field technicians everywhere and we want to know what you want to know about. Thanks to everyone for joining me this week. Thanks also to the listeners for tuning in and we'll see you in the field. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.
00:42:34
Speaker
This episode was produced by Chris Webster from his ah RV traveling the United States, Tristan Boyle in Scotland, DigTech LLC, Culturo Media, and the Archaeology Podcast Network, and was edited by Rachel Rodin. This has been a presentation of the Archaeology Podcast Network. Visit us on the web for show notes and other podcasts at www.archpodnet.com. Contact us at chrisatarchaeologypodcastnetwork.com.