[MRCA] Gilbert Meet Critique

Tue Oct 21 06:43:48 EDT 2008

Suggest Saturday morning is a better time for the Big Pocono trip.  Less
skywave interference on the air, and less flea market interference at
saddle up.

RF

> [Original Message]
> From: Radio Station KW1I <kw1i at earthlink.net>
> To: Military Radio Collectors Association <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> Cc: Al Klase <al at ar88.net>
> Date: 10/20/2008 3:24:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [MRCA] Gilbert Meet Critique
>
> Breck,
>
> Thanks for the critique.  I appreciate all the effort you put into the 
> weekend; the radio display, the "Wag-a-Talkie", presentation and your
unique 
> sense of humor!
>
> On Friday's field exercise:   Each year I have the same problem getting
all 
> the puppies in the box for embarcation.  The flea market is a strong 
> distraction.  By time I track down one set of individuals , someone else
is 
> off the reservation.  At some point we had to move out.   Everyone else
was 
> lined up with engines running.  Maybe next year I'll publish a firm
schedule 
> with a form up and departure time listed.   I can have some maps made up
for 
> those that aren't there when we leave.  Hopefully, they can catch up or
at 
> least keep track on 51 mHz either direct or through base.  The following 
> year anybody who was miffed at being left behind can be there at schedule 
> time.
>
> Because of the squeeze on time on Saturday morning in the future I am 
> thinking about a group breakfast at 0800 and then doing comm team
insertions 
> in the immediate area only, so we can be back for the published schedule 
> time for presentations (BTW - thanks for being flexible with the
reschedule 
> of your presenation)   Friday will be the longer range ops day.  For that
I 
> am considering teams goint to the two state parks that we had teams to
this 
> year on Saturday.  They are a bit closer than Big Pocono and maybe it is 
> time for a change.  But, there is no reason we can't send a team to Big 
> Pocono as well.  Then we will have less RF interference at each site and 
> more locations to work.  Unfortunately, the two other locations do not
have 
> a 51.0 mHz propagation back to base.
>
> I didn't bring my BC-474 to MRCA because I had a melt down on the power 
> supply the night before I left.  I was trying to correct a small 
> irregularity and created quite a large flaming and smoking irregularity
in 
> its place!  Since I have been back I got it going again and it gave me
great 
> service at the NEARfest event on Oct. 3,4.  I brought the ladderline from
my 
> 130 ft doublet directly to the BC-474 antenna/ground terminals and it
tuned 
> up nicely.  I got good reports from Long Island, NY to Auburn, ME from
our 
> location in central NH with typcial mid-morning 75 meter propagation.
>
> Hope to hear you on soon.
>
> Dale
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "B. Smith" <smithab11 at comcast.net>
> To: "Military Radio Collectors Association" <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 7:51 AM
> Subject: [MRCA] Gilbert Meet Critique
>
>
> > I've had some problems with email etc but offer these comments and 
> > critique
> > items:
> >
> > First when we left for  Mount Pocono and the Field Exercise on Friday we
> > all most left Joe Munson behind, I mean I am talken Joe Munson. I
spotted
> > him returning from the flea
> > market as the convoy was pulling out, I am glad I was tail end
Charlie---  
> > I
> > mean leave Joe Munson behind, good grief. Lets get real. He had to ride 
> > on
> > my tailgate of the war wagon in order  to catch up with the convoy.  Joe
> > Munson. Next time gentlemen have a roll call and then mount up. Haste 
> > makes
> > waste. No one left behind on my watch.
> >
> > During the field exercise on Friday I am happy to say that
> > I established the MRCA URC-4 distance record, I finally got to
> > set a new MRCA field exercise radio record that Mark, KD3ZK had not all
> > ready accomplished.
> >
> > I spent a lot of time talking to Bill Fizette who is the "Receiver"
author
> > for AWA and past president . He brought two HRB receivers to show and
also
> > brought me some 832's for my ARC-1 project and then Rob Flory talked me 
> > out
> > of two of them. But I caught the HRB fever and am now working on one.
> >
> > I enjoyed making my first contacts with the BC-474 and on 80 and
40.(very
> > easy conversation to 40 and reversible) my tiny switching power supply
> > survived the meet and worked perfectly.
> > I enjoyed watching  folks crank the CRT-3 at my URC-4/CRT-3 display.
> > The CRT-3 was modified to transmit on 570 Kcs on the Broadcast band and
> > was also 7160 Kcs able.
> > The "Wag-A-Talkie" worked flawlessly on CW  and I finally found out
what 
> > the
> > loud squeal was when I was on phone, the switch was on A2, duhhh.
> >
> > Unique accomplishments at the meet:
> > Rob Flory ground his CR-1 crystal on site to adjust the frequency of his
> > ARC-1, I mean took the crystal apart and ground it using # something
> > sandpaper.
> > He also modified his son's crystal set so that it would cover 75 meters 
> > and
> > his son could listen to the HQ station on 3885Kcs. Rob has a lot of 
> > patience
> > with his son and I watched him carefully explain what he was doing. A+
> >
> > Best War Stories were from Joe Munson, he had lots of stories about
burst
> > keying from Thailand.
> >
> > Best hands on working display was Joes'  WA2EJT.
> > Best foreign radio display was by Chuck, WD8AXA
> > Most useless radio award went to K4CHE for his CRT-3 on the broadcast
band
> > and also on 40 meters 7160 Kcs.
> >
> > Personnel Observations:
> >
> > The most patient:  Ted, W3PWW, especially durin the Field Excercise on
> > Friday.
> > The most polite: Dean, KK1K
> > The most energetic Dale, Kw1I
> > Most reserved, calm, and methodical Al, N3FRQ
> > Most helpful  during the field exercise was John, K1KHP
> >
> > Also I would like to thank Al, N3FRQ for turning out that "light".
> > Thank you Steve, Al, Dale, for the event.
> > The best buy at the military flea market was GRC-39B's for $20 a pair.
> >
> > I enjoyed the meet and has usual I returned to Chickenland with a
hundred
> > new ideas for projects. That's all I need is another project.
> >
> > Z
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > MRCA mailing list
> > MRCA at mailman.qth.net
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/mrca
>
>
>
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