[MRCG] the MRCG event

[mac]

All,

Couple of comments.  The security hassle has dropped off with the  
passing of time and is entirely tolerable.  The new mess hall is great  
and their request for prior notice is entirely reasonable.  The  
objections raised to our radio ops  off  NCO club grounds was a  
surprise as we had done so in previous years with no problem. I  
suspect we just ran into the wrong cop this time around.  Will sort  
out in advance next year.  Also,, field operations during the May  
meeting are a relatively recent turn of events. Up until 3 or 4 years  
ago there just wasn't enough time given the number of technical  
presentations, exhibits, eyeballs, buying and selling, etc. going on  
which is why we started holding the MRCG Field Days.  The event does  
need some rejuvenation, though,  All around we're about half of what  
we were at our peak.  I agree with Mark that Camp SLO is not the reason.

Dennis D.  W7QHO
Glendale, CA

************************
On May 13, 2012, at 10:15 PM, Mark J. Blair wrote:

> Agreed, Tim. Camp SLO is dirt cheap compared to any other venue we'd  
> be likely to find, aside from member-owned venues like John's  
> hangar. If I recall correctly, they charged me a mere $5/ night to  
> pitch my tent in the overflow camping area. If I had a camper or  
> travel trailer then I'd pay more for a spot with hookups, but it'd  
> still be a small fraction of the cost of a motel room. On-base meals  
> are inexpensive and not bad at all. The "security hassles" amount to  
> carrying the papers you're required to carry at all times in your  
> vehicle, anyway. They were pretty cautious when they just started  
> letting us use the facilities again after shutting us out for a year  
> or three post-9/11, but they didn't do any vehicle searches this  
> year that I know of.
>
> I also like Ft. Mac, but it doesn't offer the accommodations that  
> Camp SLO does. No mess hall, general public mingles (which is both a  
> plus and a minus), and camping is pretty much a "we'll look the  
> other way if only a couple people do it" affair. I camped out in the  
> back of my HMMWV around 2002-2003 or so, when we lost access to Camp  
> SLO after 9/11; been there, got the T-shirt, and helped clear the  
> flood drains the next day. The drive to Ft. Mac is a lot shorter for  
> me than to Camp SLO, but it's also a lot longer for the north  
> California folks... many of whom wouldn't be willing to drive the  
> extra distance. Camp SLO is about as far north as I'm willing to  
> drive, too. Besides offering good facilities, it's a good compromise  
> location for the north and south coast folks.
>
> Attendance and participation have been decreasing over the last  
> couple of years, but I don't think that the Camp SLO venue is a  
> significant contributor to that. In my opinion, the meet has simply  
> fallen into a rut and lost structure, and that's something we're now  
> trying to address. I think that the field ops this time were a good  
> improvement. We still face dwindling membership due to folks getting  
> old and dying off, and that's something we need to work on more.
>
> Hey, why don't we continue this discussion on the brand new MRCG  
> mailing list!
>> -
> Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
> http://www.nf6x.net/
>
>
>