[MRCA] It was a great Rally.

[B Smith]

Ah yes, Gilbert, it is a great Rally, but 
frustrating because there is so much going on, and 
.   .   .
its hard to talk to everyone especially  some of 
the newer participants, hard to renew older 
friendships and  look at all the new stuff, meet 
the new people and still play. But a year will 
soon go by and then there will be another Gilbert 
thanks to Al, Steve, and Dale. But during the year 
to come I will remember:
 Being Greeting by the security force and the 
local police Sergeant with   3 stripes  who 
remembers me and always waves me in and  then it 
was fun  watching the  Howard building fill up 
with  people and radios but especially putting the 
emphasis on people. Remembering walking with Al to 
go look at the Collins R-390A on a Thursday Rainy 
Night and hauling that 80 pounds  back through the 
wet.
Seeing Homer and his new assistant Bryan the 
grounds keeper and assistant and saying hello for 
yet another time. Sad to look in the "tip barrel" 
and not seeing  much of anything.
Remembering Al placing a whole roll of litz wire 
in front of me when I was setting up Thursday, 
litz wire that is price less and I accepted it 
knowing  that Al understands my obsession with 
winding my own IF coils for a receiver.  So the 
roll of wire is transferred from " my pile to your 
pile".
Pat saying he did not need a coat, before  going 
up on the mountain early Friday and arriving on 
top with winds at 20 knots and borrowing my extra 
jacket and gloves, the winds   gusting to 30. 
Talking with the Chief of Parks on the mountain, 
the chief who wants to know what we are doing and 
then slowing  and comparing radios sitting  on 
park benches instead of picnic lunches, I mean 
give me a break.
Later Saturday watching Al come out with a box of 
resistors when Rob needed a 100 ohm shunt for the 
ARC- 1 metering system, I mean who carries a box 
of resistors? Ans: Al does.
John on the honky tonk piano playing for us  at 
the pizza place and  on Saturday someone looking 
at Johns 18 antennas on his vehicle  and noting 
that one of the mounts actually did  not have an 
antenna.
Talking with Joe and asking about the next article 
in ER and he says "he has more time now but that 
he has all ready sent "Electric Radio several 
pieces"  and my thinking I will never be able to 
catch up with Joe and Jeep. But looking at the 
Command Set spines connectors  on Joe's table and 
thinking that I can fabricate more flexible cables 
and not have to make a deal with "Toober" and 
thinking where is Toober?  Seeing Lou arrive and 
shaking hands after two years.
Listening to Al on 51.0 when Pat and I were on the 
mountain  and it was communications chaos  and Al 
saying  calmly  " lets sort this out". Wish I had 
had Al as a Co-pilot a few times.
 Always remembering Why is  2 meters better than 
51.0 from the mountain?
Watching Bill  pick up the  military style HBR 
during his presentation, putting it on the side 
and my realizing it was still plugged in but Bill 
saying this is hot and that he has to be careful- 
Bill  a professional.
Watching Flory answer every single question his 
son asked and  the Flory marching  around in his 
Marine Corp Gear after surviving the Marine Corp 
Boot camp this summer. And then Friday nite trying 
to find Studebakers restaurant which only Dale can 
find  and the excellent company and the meal.
Bill showing up with the same shirt  and that 
Pirate Hat and loaning me those dangerous killer 
magnets to hold the ponchos on my truck, and 
learning that the magnets  come from hard drives 
that are junked.
Looking at Pete's meticulous work on modification 
of the dial of the type 12 stuff.
Watching Dave haul in the huge  BC-669 (or version 
there of SCR-543?) container  and leaving  it as a 
calling card perhaps from another planet  and it 
would sit like a unmovable object, unattended 
until  later Ted would open it, bring it to life 
and  load it up on 3885. Looking at the Pepsi 
machine and someone, perhaps Al telling me of a 
ham that build a huge transmitter using a soft 
drink machine as a rack.
Looking at Pete's face when I told him I blew all 
the filaments on my URC-4 when I was preparing for 
Gilbert but now  I would not be able to QSO his 
type 12 equipment which would be a Gilbert first.
Looking at the all caps and slant bar zero 
typewriter   that traveled from Jeep's to Bernie's 
, to OBR's to Gilbert last year,  and then  back 
with Flory and then back to Gilbert and looking at 
it sitting on my "war wagon" rear gate ready to 
talk to me  and it sits there when Al suggests 
that perhaps it might make its way to the  NJARC 
club museum and be displayed in the military room 
and thus it will make still another trip, perhaps 
the final one, to a final home. Remembering Chuck 
and his gift of the CD full of SINGARS manuals. 
Talking with Ted and learning of his problems with 
his T-195 inverter power   supply which I know I 
can fix  but sitting there thinking --- "why is it 
I can fix every ones else's stuff but can't fix my 
own?
Watching Bill and Paul erect their "Taj Mahal" 
tent  and later seeing it in the dark glowing like 
some sort white religious revival tent  you could 
probably see it from the air for miles and then 
slowing approaching the lit up tent, hearing a 
slight buzz and  opening the tent flap to return a 
flash light and being hit in the face  by the 
"heat" emitting from within,later I would be very 
cold in the "war wagon" but  those boy travel in 
style.
Getting up at oh dark thirty and walking around 
the  rally and actually seeing others doing the 
same thing, kind of like zombies and I am one of 
them, some with flashlights looking at what was 
for sale. Watching Mark consume MRE's, Mark always 
cheerful and full of information.
Watching Bill get fired up about 160 meter coils 
when I gave him a gift of some home brew coil 
forms ready for winding. Seeing Jeff consume 
squirt cheese and crackers, a tradition.
Watching  Ted  at midnight  go around and 
methodically  look at every exhibit and taking it 
all in ---he was probably the only one that read 
my CAP info displayed  like a science fair 
project.
Watching Ray setup and sit like a king pin high up 
in his truck in his chair and hearing that he let 
his daughter drive  and his trying to sell trade 
with  me the ARC-58 that he knows I want but I am 
hesitant on acquiring "more weight"  and watch Joe 
Meagher  finally show up  to a Gilbert show and 
Joe and his carefully surveying the situation and 
giving me a personal invitation to visit the 
Baltimore museum.
Watching Dale run around with 1 each road map in 
hand, going back and forth trying to get it all 
organized.
Watching Gene and Larry Saturday morning with the 
field stove that burns diesel and air and 
listening to the stove go swooooosh when it fires 
up as  he gave me several start up  demos that 
were scary  and then looking inside the guts of 
the stove at the huge flame.  And all through the 
day the cannon or whatever it was  goes off and 
scares me and reminds me of other times.
Meeting the famous Jack Antonio who took the time 
to find me, Jack who has sent me countless items 
and helps everybody.
Watching Dean and admiring his coolness and polite 
way.
Watching Dale and Dean and Bob drive the Mule and 
their expressions on their faces like they were 
leaving the planet and going to neighboring 
asteroid on a mission. Brothers who share the same 
interest, how lucky they are.
And Chuck and his endless series of projects that 
he is carefully dragging me into the abyss. Bob, 
Jeff's friend bringing me over a half of a special 
ops parachute because he knows I like parachutes 
for shelters. Talking with Gene on 29.050 and 
finally making contact with my HT-1.

Lessons learned:
After it stops raining never park under a tree in 
a 86 Suburban War Wagon that you are going  to 
sleep in----  because  after the rain has 
stopped--- the tree generates  a continuous 
barrage of rain all night long a constant series 
of drip, drips and more drips.

Hard drives have excellent magnets.

Bring a small heater and plug it in.

Always bring a box of resistors.

 Its no fun watching the building slowly  empty 
while you are  packing up.

Friends are very important.

         "and the beat  goes on".
73    breck