[MRCA] Able Archer 83 AAR

Mon Nov 8 15:59:52 EST 2021

Nice AAR Ray, thanks.

Ken

KD2GFM

From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On
Behalf Of Ray Fantini
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2021 2:39 PM
To: mrca at mailman.qth.net; MMRCG at groups.io; milsurplus at mailman
<milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [MRCA] Able Archer 83 AAR

AAR Able Archer 83 on November 6/7 2021

What was supposed to be achieved by this project?

Make as many contacts as practical using Cold War era equipment at a remote
location. Once again, we operated from building 607, Fort Miles/NAVRADSTA
Lewes Delaware (Cape Henlopen State Park).

Secondary objective was to showcase Ham Radio and Military Radio Collecting
thru promoting this historical event.

Available resources included my M151A1 mutt with AN/GRC-106A with RT-524 and
URC-110 for FM along with Walt's Sunair transceiver and a vintage Collins
KWM-2A and an additional station that was running Digital modes located at
the site.

We also included two tables full of Cold War radio equipment for the public
to see that included my old MX series digital messaging terminal that was
scrolling a special AA83 welcome bulletin.

What was actually achieved?

Walt (K3SBC) arrived Friday afternoon at the Fort Miles and I came in
Saturday morning and set up the mutt in front of 607 while Walt was running
his Sunair with a AS-2259 antenna. I set up a forty-meter inverted V for
working the MMRCG Net on 7.295 that morning.

Checked into the MMRCG Net using event call W3A and worked all stations
involved. Also worked KD2GFM direct right before the Net. After the Net
moved the forty-meter V over to the KWM-2A in the building and Walt operated
several stations on 40 all in LSB mode, the one thing I cannot do with the
GRC-106 being USB only. At noon worked the 5.357 M & S Net but had poor
conditions. Was using the 2259 for that and was able to only copy three or
four stations and was not able to hear Net control.

Being USB only I decided to operate up on seventeen meters and was able to
do some contacts including a couple other "Parks on the Air" stations that
were in operation at that time.

I departed around five that afternoon but Walt and KC3NQB stayed behind and
kept operating thru the night. The State park people were great in not only
providing us the location to operate from but also showed up with a couple
space heaters and that along with Walt's propane powered heater helped to
keep the cold out of the old barracks building. Cannot imagine what it must
have been like back seventy-five years ago when all they had was a couple
pot belly stoves for heating those buildings, very cold and damp to say the
least.

On Sunday I showed up around nine that morning. Did operate both on twenty
meters and seventeen meters again and worked several other parks on the air
contacts along with trying to set up a QSO with MRCA group members on 14.345
but that did not work out. Was working stations throughout the west and
south on the MUTT mounted whip without issue but not to the north.

I did drag out my PRC-108 and went for a hike up the road to the front of
battery 519 where they have a platform overlooking the ocean and worked back
to W3A base. Ok, so it was only about a click but at least it was a backpack
to base operation on 5.357

We shut down operation around one that afternoon and at that time figure
that we had well over two hundred contacts counting the digital with over
one hundred contacts on voice mode on AM (MMRCG Net), USB and LSB and at
least two hundred visitors thru the site to see and learn about the History,
Equipment and Ham Radio. You would be surprised how many people are
surprised to know that Ham Radio still exists.

After talking, cigar smoking and packing everything up had the MUTT loaded
and departed the site around three thirty.

Thought Walt was not far behind me but turns out he got locked out of his
vehicle with the phone in it and did not get off site until after seven that
evening, imagine it gets cold and dark there on November nights.

What aspects of the project work?

Cannot say enough about the State Park people who were very supportive and
great host.

They provide us use of an entire building, allow me to set up the mutt and
Walt's S-250 along with our antennas and such in the front and provide local
power. Don't think we can ask for more from a host.

The hardware all worked with no issues from any of the radios or antennas,
and with the exception of marginal conditions for sixty meters and not being
able to do a twenty-meter MRCA group thing for the limited amount of time I
spent operating was able to do a large number of contacts.

The KWM-2A station was popular and despite of the problem of never being
able to determine what frequency you're on compared to modern radios people
responded with a real appreciation of the audio quality of the old Collins.

The GRC-106 worked well on both twenty and seventeen meters with just the
seventeen-foot vertical on the back of the mutt but have to be careful that
no one is around the antenna when transmitting.

What didn't work and why?

Did have issues with the digital station that was also on seventeen meters,
when it transmitted that would kick in the overload protection on the 106
and mute the receiver. This only occurred when we were both on seventeen
meters being if I was operating on twenty there were no issues from the
digital station  In an attempt to get more involvement, we included a
digital station this year.

Think for next year we will also look into more and better antennas and
perhaps try to get on site before Saturday and spend more time getting
everything set up.

What would you change if given a second chance?

We did go to two days this year. That is a big help but need to try to get
more involvement from the Military Radio community, don't know what this
will take? We have an event that is centrally located in Delaware at a site
where you can have dry inside operating locations with local power by a host
(Delaware State Parks) that supports what we are doing but for some reason
just cannot get people in Military Radio community to come out. 

This is a Historic site where they have plenty to see and do, including the
Battery tours, museum and everything that's located just down the road at
Rehoboth Beach, but somehow cannot get people to drag out their equipment
and take part.

Think it was Joe Munson (WA4VAG) who said it years ago at Dayton that
Military Field Radios are only Happy when they are in use, in the field and
not sitting up on a shelf.

I have always tried to apply that principle. Ok, that's the end of my rant.

Will try to make it on site Friday next year. Had a server die on Thursday
at work and was on the phone with technical support all day Friday so that's
my excuses for not being there and not getting all the RTTY stuff that I
should have brought out.

Will try to get that mode up and running for next year. May also try to drag
out mechanical teletype and try running that from the site.

And will still try to promote a backpack or field radio exercise something
along the lines of what we do at Gilbert for MRCA every year. The park is
huge and has many places to operate from.

I included pictures of this year's operation at:

http://staff.salisbury.edu/~rafantini/AA2021.htm

Ray F/KA3EKH

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