[Milsurplus] Dayton Saturday

Ray Fantini RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu
Sat May 21 20:57:23 EDT 2011


Some events serve as metaphors for the state of infrastructure. Today in Dayton there was just such an event. I noticed when I was walking around the Hamvention grounds this morning that water was seeping up thru all the holes and cracks on the downward grade of the parking lot. The contract you enter into when purchasing a tailgating space in Dayton at the Hara Arena states most specifically that anyone who puts a hole or damages the parking lot they will be charged $50 per hole I don’t know how they can enforce this. The parking lot and access roads are in such poor shape it would be almost impossible to tell new damage from existing, so I assumed the water seeping up was rain water from the rain a couple days ago. Around noon today in the center of the tailgating area where the east and west tailgating area come together and maybe one hundred feet from the arena a section of the parking lot erupted and raw sewage spud from this hole and ran all the way down the center of the parking lot. A number of tailgating spaces were roped off to prevent access and all the golf carts they were able to muster were used to try to prevent people from walking from one side of the hamfest to the other, many sellers had to quickly move items from the ground and onto tables. Fortunately Dennis, Joe and all the other Mill radio people were about fifty spaces from the center of the hamfest on the east side and operations there were spared. I know this has nothing to do with Mill radios but to ignore this event and the poor condition and lot and buildings are in would be ignoring a huge problem with the Hamvention site.
Now something about radios, first all the Racal 6790 receivers that were being sold yesterday are sold, a nameless surplus dealer that I did not get to on Thursday bought the entire remaining stock. The majorities of the R-390 and 390A receivers were gone too; think the AM operators are buying them all up although still a couple for around $500.00 to $550.00 were still there. Did see a Collins collector with a 390A for only $1,250.00 with firm written under the price. Some SEM-52 for $150.00, a East German Russian R-107 with the wooden transit case and many accessories in bags for $150.00, saw about a half dozen RT-70, they were probably their yesterday but did not notice them, prices were around $85.00 or so for them. Also saw three or four of those big green WW2 tank radios with the chrome push buttons with the receivers for $30.00 to $15.00 and the huge transmitter for $30.00
Joe, W4VAG ran the 3885 AM net at twelve today. Net control was Joes RCA AV112 transmitter and AVR20 receiver all located in a wooden transit case. Their was a total of 33 stations that checked into the net. There were five stations using BC-611 handhelds, two stations using BC-645 “pogo sticks”, at least one SCR-284 crank powered station, a couple PRC-174 and PRC-138 backpacks along with a couple South Comm. SC-130 and two Racal sets, their was also about four or five Yahoo 817 and 857 radios. Their was some problems from the oscillator from the people who drag out their broadcast transmitter and use it on 3885, although they do go silent for our net their transmitters oscillator heterodynes annoyingly, and at times due to the amount of stations logging gets stressed.
John, K9WT ran the 51.0 “Cold War” net at fourteen thirty. Net control was the venerable PRC-70 and there were a total of 57 stations that checked into the net. There were over eight stations operating PRT-4, PRR-9 combinations. That may be the most ever. Next most popular radio was the PRC-68, 68A and B totaling six stations, then five PRC-77 transceivers along with a mix of PRC-126. PRC-148, PRC-136 sets. Myself I used a PRC-119 and operated right next to the new toxic river down the center of the lot. Their was only one PRC-6 and one PRC-10 today and a very unusual RT-70 with battery box all tied onto a back frame. Also there were newer radios like Harris -5800, PRC-350 and URC-200 and the foreign radios like the usual SEM-52, a FES-38 and at least three Check RS-10 eastern block radios.
For me that’s  it for this year, although the hamvention will be going on tomorrow I am not planning on being there, will be going to the Air Museum  and then home provided I don’t get called back again.
Ray Fantini KA3EKH


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