Archive for December, 2009
Dec
30
Remember the days before bass was invented? Ah, people back then didn’t know what they were missing. Audio systems in vehicles have become an important selling point for those looking to purchase a new car. For those people who travel long distances or who can’t stand silence in their vehicles, or who simply love music, audio systems are a key, if not essential, element in making their driving experience more enjoyable.
When you go to a dealership nowadays, you can usually get an upgraded sound system put into your vehicle prior to its purchase. Some of the most popular “upgraded audio packages” include sound systems by popular brands such as Audiovox, Pioneer and Bose sound systems. There are also neat radio deals (which will cost you extra outside of the sound system) such as Sirius radio, which is a radio featuring all sorts of different channels of music without the commercials. If you decide to purchase a vehicle with an upgraded “audio package,” some cool features you can expect to have include, but are certainly not limited to the following: channel controls mounted on the steering wheel, extra speakers mounted throughout the car (for more of a “surround sound” feel), as well as special audio features in SUVs which allow you to play music outside of your vehicle if you’re at the beach or tailgating.
When you purchase an upgraded sound system for your vehicle, expect to pay anywhere from $500 and upwards for the added features. Even though you may LOVE music, you need to keep other people in mind when you purchase it. Sure, the car is going to be yours and you may feel that whenever you are alone in your vehicle, you can blast the music as loud as you want. However, consider the area that you are driving in. Do you usually drive through a lot of quiet, residential areas? How much time do you end up sitting in rush hour traffic moving at like 2mph? Can you usually be found driving on country roads for hours on end, with no one else around? These are things to keep in mind when you purchase a sound system. For instance, it is against the law to have your music blasting past a certain level of loudness to the point where other people can hear your music even though your windows might be closed as well as theirs. Be aware of the noise ordinances that are in effect for the areas that you drive through. For example, if you live in Raleigh, if your music is audible past 50ft, you can be cited for it.
By: Brenda Williams
About the Author:
Dec
27
Are You Nervous About Taking Your Driving Test?
Written by admin under Driving Lessons
Tags: Composure, Driving Test, Manoeuvre
As a close colleague of one of Wolverhampton’s foremost driving instructor, I have been around the driving school scene for over twenty years.
The one thing I have observed, over an over again, is the constant fear which seems to consume every other pupil which I have known who has taken Wolverhampton driving lessons, for at least a number of months.
Strangely, most pupils would have undergone other types of examinations before, (definitely at school and possibly at college or work, etc) but even if they had been apprehensive they had somehow found a way to cope with it.
However, when it comes to the driving test it is commonplace to see competent pupils suddenly losing their composure as they approach their test or worse still, whilst they are actually on the test.
When I have spoken with my Wolverhampton driving instructor colleague and asked him what he thought was behind the high failure rate of pupils who couldn’t control their nerves and what advice he personally gives his own students, this is how he responded.
He said, “Usually a pupil is worried that they are going to make a mistake at some stage of their driving test and fail as a result of the excessive stress”.
“When I realise that a pupil is concerned about their driving test, I tend to address it as soon as possible by trying to get to the heart of the real problem”.
“I begin by going through the list of manoeuvres one by one, and ask them if they are confident with say, reversing, and then I might possibly ask them if they confident when approaching a junction? etc, etc”.
“As a pupil answers yes to each question, I usually end up with the true reason they are nervous about taking a test because if they are truly ready to take their test, there is only usually one or two manoeuvre that they are not confident about”
Suddenly I understand what he was getting at!
When a pupil is left with only one or two manoeuvres that he has to focus on, it is much easier to deal with any nerves they may have had because they now realise that they are not really worried about the whole driving test but just the part(s) where they have a genuine weakness and it is much easier for the instructor to address the problem.
Additionally, by talking through any nerves with the instructor, the pupil has bought their concern out into the open and this enable the ‘problem’ to be eliminated.
Keeping concerns inside you is never a good thing and by utilising this approach, my driving instructor friend has developed a proven system which has enabled him to obtain one of the highest pass rates amongst pupils who have been taking Wolverhampton driving lessons over the last twenty years.
By: O Sampson
About the Author:
Owen Sampson is a business marketing consultant who has worked with small to medium sized business in various capacities throughout the UK for nearly 20 years.
If you enjoyed this article and would like further information about Wolverhampton driving lessons, please visit http://www.wolverhamptondrivinglessons.com
Dec
08
A significant part of your entire car audio system consists of just wires. There are all kinds of cables and wires involved in installing a car audio system. You have power wires, speaker wires, amplifier cables, power capacitors, and what not. It is always better to be equipped with at least the basics before you go in for car audio installation.
The power wire is an important part of the amplifier installation. Select the proper gauge and fusing. A proper gauge prevents the amplifier from being choked off by the size limitations of the wire. Choose power wires with lots of strands, so that they are easier to install and don’t break while passing through the numerous corners of the car. The jacket of the wire should be of a material, which can resist chemicals like oil and battery acids, which can wreak havoc on substandard wires.
You can go for wires with large number of strands for the car audio speaker wires. The jacket is not that important in this case, because the speaker is not placed in regions where it could encounter chemicals, as in the case of power wires. Oxygen free copper wiring is always recommended for car audio speaker wires. The size of the speaker wiring depends on the power going in to your speakers and the total length between the amplifier and the speakers.
Signal cables are otherwise known as RCA cables and assume importance for their noise rejection properties. Try and go in for a quality RCA cable, which would ensure trouble free performance in the long run. It is recommended that you go in for “twisted pair” cables. They are better at noise reduction. Needless to say, the quality of wires connecting car audio power capacitors and batteries should also be good.
One can find extensive information on car audio wiring by visiting online resources on the subject. Perhaps car audio professionals are best placed to offer you great advice on car audio wiring.
By: Peter Emerson
About the Author:
Car Audio provides detailed information on Car Audio, Discount Car Audio, Wholesale Car Audio, Car Audio Systems and more. Car Audio is affiliated with Car Stereo Installations.