Podcast Listening 101

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Originally Published in Issue 33 of 4Low Magazine

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Story by the Staff of 4Low Magazine

Learning about four-wheel drive is often a hands-on experience. There are other resources, but sometimes they are a bit hard to find. There are books and maps available, useful for determining where to go. There are plenty of YouTube videos that will generally show you what not to do. But four-wheel drive is generally not heavy on standard media channels, TV, radio, and such.

We started looking at podcasts and have discovered quite a few. We’ve also learned, not everyone knows how to listen to a podcast.

Here’s your helpline.

Podcasts are like radio shows, lots of different formats, lots of different hosts – some you will love – others, not so much. Find one that interests you and tune in.

Unfortunately, it’s not like the radio; you don’t just tune in on a station and hit play. It’s more like finding your favorite CD and pressing play and then coming back to it a week later for more.

Podcasts are played through apps on your phone, typically. However, they can often be played on laptops, desktops, or even through Alexa; you just have to work a bit harder by finding the website related to the podcast to play it there.

Let’s start by using your phone and assume one of two things works for you. 1) your vehicle allows you to connect your audio from your phone or 2) you’ve got a set of headphones you can plug into your phone. With either of those situations, you are well on your way, although if you’re still carrying a flip phone, it’s going to be tough on you.

The most popular Podcast platform on an iPhone is Apple Podcasts – it comes embedded in your iPhone. You may have never connected it, but it’s there – now the hard part is finding what you want to listen to.

An Android user has lots of other choices; the two most popular seem to be Spotify and Stitcher.

Download the app from the Play store to get started.

With the apps downloaded, now the work begins. There are many off-road, Jeep, and racing shows to listen to. You can search for them and Subscribe/Follow – this is one of the easiest ways to ensure you’ll get notified when the next episode releases.

Most podcasters release weekly – but some talk daily, others on a less regular basis. Subscribing/following takes the guesswork out of wondering if there is a new episode. It allows you to go to your Library (inside the app) and see what’s current. You can also easily listen to prior episodes.

Several cool features of a podcast will enhance your listening.

  • You can download an episode and listen when you are offline.
  • You can check out the show notes and get website addresses they mention during the show.
  • You can often find a transcript of the show; this is particularly useful if you are hearing impaired or have another disability.

In off-road, we recommend the following podcasts – each is different. Like comparing brands of vehicles, each podcast host does things his own way, no doubt, you’ll find one that appeals to you.

  • Conversations with Big Rich – host, Rich Klein, hear conversations with the legacy stars of rock crawling and off-road. Big Rich interviews the leaders in rock sports.
  • The Talent Tank – host, Wyatt Pemberton, the premier podcast venue for those that make Ultra4 & off-road racing the toughest, most diverse motorsport in the world. “giving a voice where there wasn’t one” to the U4 community.
  • The 4×4 Podcast – host, Dan Cole, covers all topics related to offroading, rock crawling, desert racing, overlanding, adventure travel, and the outdoor lifestyle. This is one of the oldest, started by Dan back in 2011 when he was stationed in South Korea; it has allowed him to stay engaged with the off-road community while serving overseas.
  • The TrailChasers podcast – hosts Cody Sisson, Matt Dieterle, and Jose Alvarado started as a way to connect with people on a deeper level than social media. Cody tells us he was looking for a “way to allow people to tell their stories that would inspire others to chase their dream.”
  • The ModernJeeper Show – hosts Matson Breakey and Corey Osborne, is a show about Jeeps, Jeeping, and Jeepers.

Now that you have them in your Library – sit back and listen. These are great for long drives or even short ones as you move around town. There are more than 850,000 podcasts out there, with 30 Million episodes.

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