[MRCA] MRCA at MTA

[Radio Station KW1I]

In two weeks there will be a spring gathering of MRCA comm personnel at the 
Miltary Transport Associations Spring Show ( http://mtaswapmeet.us/ ) at the 
Sussex County Fairgrounds in northern New Jersey.  Several of us attended 
last year and were favorably impressed; nice facility, lots of vehicles and 
quite a bit of radio related equipment.  This year we have an assigned 
exhibit area for MRCA vehicles and tables.  The area is centrally located on 
a fairground roadway backing up to a metal grandstand that should be ideal 
for rigging antennas.  Bring radios for demo that work on other than AC 
mains.  An MRCA sign has been created and will be displayed for the first 
time at the MTA Show.

Several vehicles will arrive on Friday night, April 16 to claim our spot. 
Overnight camping is $10.00.   The show opens Saturday, April 17.  The 
entrance fee is $5, but is waived for exhibitors.  Limited and low key 
selling is OK for exhibitors, but significant vending requires obtaining a 
flea market spot.

So far Saturday is the major day for MRCA activity planning.  During the day 
we will be exhibiting and demonstrating military radios for show attendees. 
Plans call for several comm teams to be dispatched to High Point State Park 
during the day to reconnoiter various features of the park for relay on HF 
and VHF back to the fairgrounds.  The park is 18 miles away and can be 
reached in less that 30 minutes.

Mobile stations on Friday afternoon will be monitoring 51 mHz FM, and 
Channel 4 on 60 meters will be monitored from the fairgrounds from late 
afternoon arrival on Friday throughout our presence on the grounds.

MTA feedback on our last year's exhibit was good, and they suggested we 
might improve by having as much as a one page write-up displayed next to our 
various  equipment types.  Apparently, many of the show individual and 
family attendees have little knowledge of military radio communications.

Email a note to the MRCA reflector if you plan to come to the MTA show and 
if you plan to exhibit.  Several of us are leaving late in the day Saturday, 
so it would be great to have some other MRCA people stay through Sunday to 
make it a two day effort.

Dale
KW1I