[Hallicrafters] Wrinkle vs Crinkle

[Zengmeiste at aol.com]

  For all I know we could be talking about fictional characters here,
i.e. Rip Van Wrinkle and dear old Chris (or Kris) Crinkle, both of whom
are beloved storybook icons.  This is what I was told, by a ham so
ancient he had to roll his own caps and resistors, draw his own wire,
wind his own transformers and construct his own vacuum tubes.

  Rip Van Wrinkle is the patron saint of all those quietly resting 
boatanchors (and non-, just to be fair, though I hear Rip prefers
Hallicrafters; well, who wouldn't?) lying in repose, awaiting the day
of resurrection, yearning to feel billions and billions of electrons
coursing throught their metallic veins, to throw their identities out
into the vast electromagnetic soup we live in.  Rip watches over them,
keeping the holy smoke internalized, slowing the ageing of capacitors
and other components, and keeping hope alive for millions of somnolent
receivers, transceivers, transmitters and of course test equipment.

   Chris (or Kris) Crinkle is the patron saint of Parts, large and small,
NOS and other, shiny and dirty, human-sized and microscopic.  He helps you
find that 1 ohm resistor you KNEW you had lying around just a second or two
ago; he leads you to hitherto unknown sources, and protects your shipments
from going astray when you use USPS, UPS and (most especially) DHL. He 
watches 
over these just as Rip watches over boatanchors; they work in tandem, though
occassionally Chris (or Kris) will intentionally secrete that vital part
somewhere out of sight for while. He's a devil, that Chris (or Kris).

   A story untold, a name unknown to me because the old man stopped,
suddenly, and smiled, is that of the patron saint of Tubes.  "That",
he said, "is a story for another time."

  I leave it to you, who have so much knowledge and miscellany at your
command, to reveal who that saint is. Please do so soon so that our trio will 
then be complete.

  Thank you, and GO BEARS.

   73, Terry KC9KEL