What of 17M on Saturday?? Was it canceled due to weather?? Eastern weather is always problematic (crummy or worse most times). I was at NEARFEST in NH last year, the first day, Friday, it rained, yucko!!!
Would try a 17M sked this Fall or Winter.
Tom, W6TOM
On 2023-09-26 12:42, Ray Fantini wrote:
AAR MRCA Red Ball Military Vehicle Show, September 22nd and 23rd Gilbert PA.
What was supposed to be achieved by this project?
MRCA Gilbert is a long running annual event with displays of military radio equipment and a field exercises. The event takes place at the Howell building with the field exercise at Beltsville Lake, about twelve miles from the Howell building. The terrain is mountainous and wooded. The field exercise allows us to put our field radios into operation as they were intended.
What was actually achieved?
Weather was a big factor this year. Because of the threat of bad weather some did not attend, but attendance was good on Friday. Before noon we had displays along both sides of the Howell building. Many aircraft radios with several set up and functional. The WW2 contingent was well represented. Mark WW2RDO had his working BC-659 along with a couple BC-611 sets for local coms around the building, Eugene W2HX brought his land rover right into the building for everyone to see, the Amish chapter of the MRCA had their full table spread and what I thought was a highlight of the show was the huge display of German WW2 equipment including receivers, transmitters and an enigma machine.
At fourteen hundred local hours many of us set out to Beltsville Lake to take part in the field exercise. Some operations like the RTTY net, MMRCG net and cross-country attempt were canceled due to the threat of tropical storm Ophelia, and many departed Friday night.
What aspects of the project work?
Despite the weather the number and quality of the displays meant or exceeded what has been done in the past. Almost every radio on display was functional, had documentation and in the case of aircraft radios were assembled with control heads, interconnecting cables and exceeded the quality of what may be seen in some museums. When you throw in the fact that you can talk directly with the exhibitor the experience at least in my mind is far beyond any other event that I have been to.
Field operation did take place although some issues occurred with the schedule of the smaller nets. We had thirteen stations check into the 5357 USB net, most local at or around Beltsville with others checking in from the Howell building and at home. We did have more use of the 51.0 Tactical push then ever before and would propose that we keep the idea of using that simplex channel as a coordination channel throughout the event again. Eugene W2HX and his land rover dominated all the nets from up at Big Pocono with solid coverage on all bands and modes. NCS was my usual M151A1 running a AN/GRC-106 for SSB and AM, a RT-524 for 51.0 and a URC-110 for VHF AM at Beltsville Lake.
I also had the opportunity to use my new AN/PRC-74 and a AN/URC-200 that been kicking around the shop forever on the air.
What didn't work and why?
There was much confusion over the schedule of 3875 USB net, the 3885 AM and 3570 CW net. In addition to this I had wanted to try running a 144.25 AM net but that was a failure also along with providing much confusion. We did have five stations check into the 3875 net and three to the 3885 AM net at Beltsville but think we had several stations using backpack and handhelds at the Howell building that just were not able to work the distance between the Howell building and Beltsville Lake. NCS did not hear anyone on 144.25 except for me running a URC-200 over at the boat launch to NCS on the far end of the parking lot. NCS also had issue with some of the traffic on 51.0 being some stations used new squelch and others did not so had to switch between new and old squelch in order to talk to everyone. The 524 has the disadvantage of when you put it into Old Squelch it no longer encodes the 150 Hz tone so others using New Squelch cannot hear you.
What would you change if given a second chance?
Better coordination and adherence to the published schedule, Walt did an excellent job as NCS for the fourteen hundred net but then I went and fouled up everything pushing the 144.25 net that did not work anyway. Think in the future we should relocate the 3885 and the 144.25 Net to at the Fair Grounds only, with the distance between NCS being at Beltsville and many people who may want to participate with low power limited distance radios like the BC-611 at the Howell building can't see where this will ever work.
Rethink the 144.25 AM net and see if we want to use better radios, antennas and more power or make that into another low power radio exercise like the 3885 AM net?
Resolve the issue with the VRC-12/RT-524 so it can operate in Old Squelch and still encode 150 Hz tone at the same time.
Ray F, KA3EKH
Attached is a list of stations logged during the afternoon's nets:
5357
KW1I PRC-174, KB2LRT PRC-174, KC8KBK TW-100, K3TZJ PRC-1099, K3ITN IC7000, WA2FJT TW-100, N3FRQ, KD2GFM, KA3EKH PRC-74, KK1K PRC-515, W2HX Harris 800, N3JZF
3875
KW1I, W2HX, KK1K, NM2K, KD2GFM
3885
W2HX, KK1K, KD2G
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