Stranded in Portugal and reflections on the effect of the pandemic on overlanding

I am stranded in Portugal and here's why.
I also take the opportunity make a few personal observations about the destructive effect of the pandemic on overlanding which is essentially stopped (like many areas of our lives) and may remain so indefinitely unless attitudes change.
For an unbiased assessment of the pandemic I'd recommend Dr John Cambell's KZbin channel at
/ @campbellteaching
For actual data on the covid pandemic follow this link
ourworldindata.org/coronavirus
December 2022
The covid hysteria has now subsided and the world has more or less returned to normal except that we are left with the legacy of the enormous damage to the economy, to public health, to our children's education and society at large caused by the insane lockdowns. Paradoxically there seem to be much higher numbers of unexplained excess deaths than were ever caused by covid (less than 20,000 true covid deaths in the UK during the pandemic).
My comments made at the time of the video, at the height of the pandemic, have turned out to be remarkably prescient.

[@Berserkeroffroad]

Outstanding advice. I appreciate your "processionalism" regarding problem solving. Another video I watched today showed a guy crossing a river in his Jeep and it died during the transit. He got out of his rig and admitted he didn't have any tools and just stood there. Thank you for setting an example.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I had forgotten this video. My comments made on the covid hysteria were remarkably prescient. Yep we should always be prepared and if things still go wrong (as they do) you need to make a plan to extricate yourself from the situation. Regarding the guy who got into trouble with the jeep, I can sympathise if he's a newbie because we learn by our mistakes. If he wasn't a newbie there are no excuses for his foolishness.

[@adrianjay1972]

Top shelf content and observations Bill! Your description of your gov was spot on with my Canadian gov (just insert different names) right now and your explanation of all the bs that happened (and is still trying to happen unfortunately but on the flip side it seems more of the population is watching their every move which is good!) Anyways I am thoroughly enjoying your videos and as an automotive and Heavy equipment tech I really enjoy your engineering perspective and how important the KIS theory is when building up any vehicle for proper use! Cheers from West Coast Canada

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Thanks for your kind comments. We were appalled by Justin Trudeau's authoritarian antics during covid but most western leaders were just as bad. The trouble is that they got the taste for extraordinary powers and don't want to let go now.

[@glentomkins8044]

Good observations there Bill! It was a problem here in Australia too, and many other countries, not just in the UK. When people are living in fear for their lives, governments can do what they like.

[@adelarsen9776]

1) Great to see and hear you again. It's worth following Dr John Campbell on You Tube. 2) Yes Bill. Beer fixes everything. Add a bacon sarny and your problems go away..... 3) We await part 2. Cheers and Happy Days :-)

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I tried pouring some beer in via the servo pump however it didn't fix the problem. Maybe I'll try some fine Alentejo wine next :-) Yes please try Dr Campbell's channel. Some people find his style a bit tedious but he provides excellent info on the pandemic and seems to be totally unbiased and always quotes his sources. I am appalled at the way mainstream media puts their own slant on everything. One of the government's scientific advisers is now saying we'll have 5,000 deaths per day in the UK within the month, faithfully reported by a leading newspaper. It's hysterical.

[@adelarsen9776]

@@defendermodsandtravels If it was up to the MSM the light at the end of the tunnel would be turned off. Keep enjoying life and good health to you Sir.

[@drkennedy6844]

Right on man! Thank you for your videos and your time!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

The tale gets worse :-( Still not resolved weeks later.

[@ChibabaDave]

So happy I found your channel. Not only great land rover videos which ill find very helpful but your views on whats happened in the recent years is spot on. I was in Zimbabwe when it was red list, how the Government and authorities treated people returning was criminal. The sheep who blindly went along will never appreciate what happened and the coercion and threats people who resisted faced. It was also disgusting to see how people in Africa suffered due to the lack of tourism. There was no furlough for them. Please keep it up.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I am near Musina now thinking about going into Zimbabwe. I don't know about Zim's covid journey but it was probably grim. I was in Namibia before and was told that if you caught covid and had access to Ivermectin you survived but if you went into hospital you didn't. Any mention of Ivermectin was censored in the west because it went against the various Governments' agendae and the interests of big pharma.

[@ChibabaDave]

@@defendermodsandtravels Zimbabwe is stunning. The falls are worth seeing, a wee trip into Livingstone is worthwhile too. Ive only seen the falls when its the dry season so its quite scaled back but you get to see everything. Shoestrings backpackers lodge in Vic falls has the facility for you to store and camp with your 4x4 or you can hire a room. Decent food and reasonable prices too. Maybe a little loud at night but its not too late. Highly recommend trying a cold Zambesi lager too, its my favourite, the local vic falls gin is also excellent and quite unique If youre game the white water rafting is excellent although the climb back up the gorge is tough, a sundowner cruise on the zambezi is also very worth it. I saw no signs of covid there. People suffered for nothing and as you say big Pharm and the Politicians who performed what amounts to insider trading with them made billions from us all.

[@Kgall86]

Couldn’t agree with you more! Beer looks great! Keep the videos coming, getting fed up being sold every item under the sun on videos these days. Love your videos.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

The only thing I sell is a dose of honesty as I see it.

[@RovingAfrica]

If you still want to come to South Africa, i would 100% say just do it. I have been in and out of SA during this whole pandemic. and i can tell you that you are much much better off over here than in europe. especially if you want to travel around. everything is open, and the travel ban isn't as hectic as it seems.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I travel during the European winters (I wonder why?) but at the precise moment I was about to go SA was put on the red list so I have missed out for this year. Next winter it will be a toss up between SA and Brazil (where I used to live). If you want to travel you just need to go for it and find a way around the petty rules set by the politicians for their own reasons.

[@RovingAfrica]

@@defendermodsandtravels ah okay! Alright well. You seem to have plenty of beautiful options! I keep coming back to capetown. The bug has bit me :D

[@Africasideways]

Well said Guv!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Pleased to see you are still around. You're in Cape Town right?

[@Africasideways]

@@defendermodsandtravels Ja indeed.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@Africasideways I am planning to ship the Def to Walvis Bay later this year. I need a bit of advice about overlanding in the region. If you are willing to help please advise how I can contact you offline. You can get me at [e-mail]. Tks

[@Africasideways]

@@defendermodsandtravels Yeah, still here.

[@stephenhankey688]

All common sense solutions to me, like you said though easy to panic in situations like that. 👍

[@erictyrrell3560]

It’s frustrating navigating the societal stops and starts of the pandemic waves, especially as a traveler. Do you feel that current policies are at least preventing healthcare systems being overwhelmed? I’m not sure where the balance is and I doubt officials in many countries do either.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I feel government isn't being straight with us. Firstly the "death with covid" rather than "death from covid" figures distort everything. Secondly I believe that not enough account is being taken of the massive collateral damage of the various anti-covid measures. There is a school of thought that omicron will actually turn out to be beneficial to us, that it will sweep through the population displacing delta and giving a high level of immunity (even among the unvaccinated) without too many hospitalisations and deaths. These views need to be debated openly rather having government propaganda forced onto us. It's time for a clean sweep of government and the covid brigade because we cannot go on like this forever.

[@rogerwileman8399]

The only way to go .Beer and a bacon butty makes everything just gets better

[@rp4b449]

Well, there is only one solution, head for Perth till the unmentionable apocalypse passes. Interstate lock-downs aren't really an imposition, you'll still have a few million square Kms to drive around. But you will need to retire the Defender - and buy a Toyota, or at the least an old Nissan Patrol.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Would a Toyota or Nissan Patrol be more reliable than the Daihatsu engined Defender? They all use Nippon Denso alternators too. Minor point - I'd never be allowed into WA. Most of my family live in Australia and we have resigned ourselves to not seeing each other for a long time. New variants and politics will prevent that. I have been horrified by the sight of quarantine camps being erected, looking just like Stalag Luft III. I'd never be prepared to be incarcerated in one of those.

[@philhealey449]

Strange, my comment daring to promote vitamins , raise questions on severity of Omicron and have a rant about travel woes and experience of deceptive practice on PCR lab accreditations has vanished. If this survives 24 hours I'll try again, including repeating alternator opinions.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

I certainly didn't delete your comment. One set of 3 diodes has failed which is perplexing. Any ideas?

[@philhealey449]

@@defendermodsandtravelsFirst insomnia opinion is maybe a Voltage spike, but from what source? I know you are not meant to run alternators open circuit, i.e. with the battery leads disconnected even momentarily and conversely you should (anecdotally) disconnect the alternator if arc welding. The other anecdotal problem lately is alternator overloading due to charging lithium batteries. Possibly even with an all lead acid set-up, handling the load from a discharged starter battery AND your leisure battery simultaneously could be trouble, especially if you have a new-fangled electronic high current battery to battery charger which could cause an overload, exacerbated by electric radiator fans and running your heater blower at high speed. While I'd expect windings also to be cooked apart from the diodes, you might be asking a lot from an original puny 45 Amp alternator for your present day loads. Do you have an in-cab Ammeter to monitor output? Subject to bracketry and belt arrangement ( remember your "e to to the power of Mu x belt angle Theta" when looking at vee belt drives to get plenty of pulley angle) I'd consider adding a second alternator (with second ignition light) that could share the load and give you redundancy, else at least upgrade to a higher output alternator. Back to LiFePO4, if you go that battery route, I'm also aware there are some current regulated charge controllers that sense alternator temperature to restrict tendency to overload thermally at low rpm when alternator fan cooling is poor. Funny story now, my own retrofitted second alternator initially fell off the Unimog after only a few thousand miles due to bracket fatigue failure - of course your favourite territory - and my brother drove it for days when it fell off in his custody, completely oblivious although he noticed a funny red dash light was on , despite assuring me he did daily checks. No damage fortunately! Rgds.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@philhealey449 None of that applies in the present case - certainly no welding and the instruments have shown no abnormal signs. There's a high quality shunt ammeter which indicates the current never exceeds 80% of the rated 55A output and the voltage never goes above 14.5V. Also I have never used the alternator to charge flat batteries which BTW are AGM and not Li. I have had cases of high under bonnet temperatures but not since this alternator was fitted in Feb. The only indication is that the ProSplit unit sometimes showed under voltage by a flickering LED which should have been steady - I suspect that if I had a Fourier analyser or old fashioned oscilloscope I might have seen that one diode had failed which triggered the others. Stupid of me not to delve deeper when I saw the flickering LED but the cab instruments indicated everything was fine. I will have more to add as this saga unfolds.

[@philhealey449]

@@defendermodsandtravelsAll very strange and I look forward to a conclusion then, safe in the knowledge you will be doubtless be carrying a second alternator even if it is not rotating ! Harmonics are another possible can of worms with high frequency PWM in your charge controller, but usually attack capacitors and here I can't think why a diode would be affected.

[@defendermodsandtravels]

@@philhealey449 Yes clearly I should have carried a spare alternator which I have always done before. I understand that replacing the button diodes in a rectifier bridge is tricky although it appears mine has had diodes replaced in the past. The alternator guy here doesn't want to touch the diodes and wants to source a new bridge which I know will be difficult here. The only positive is that the stator coils don't look burned so it should be reusable.

[@mylesmooney7505]

You nailed it about the government