[NJARC] Classic Exchange Tale of Woe(?) from K2TOP

[Robert G. Flory]

Our operation in the Classic Exchange got started in earnest at 2120Z wit=
h
Jeff WB2WCO on 14.041Mc using the Millen 90800/90881 and RMCA AR-8506b, a=
nd
myself on 15m running the Drake C-line.  Conditions were excellent.  The
AR-8506b was a last minute substitute for the Breting 14 which lost its
local oscillator about 2 hours before the start.  The  AR-8506b gave new
meaning to a "clear" frequency.  A clear frequency is one where you hear =
10
stations but none of them are telling you to move to a different one.

Peter, WW2Y, showed up and sat down at the Heathkit DX-40 and Hallicrafte=
rs
S-40a on 7Mc.  Even the Heathkit QF-1 Q-multiplier could not keep the RTT=
Y
out of the receiver, but I told Peter to hang in there and do the best he=

could until the RTTY contest ended at 0000Z.  In spite of the interferenc=
e,
this station made the most contacts.

Once we had made the requisite 3 contacts with the AR-8506b for it to cou=
nt
as having been used, we switched to the RCA US Navy RBC for 14Mc.  Jeff's=

brain, taxed from trying to copy one of ten signals heard at a time, was
very happy.

Our fourth operator, Peter's 2-year-old daughter Grace, woke up  from her=

nap and joined the crew after a tour of the station.  She really liked th=
e
mercury vapor rectifiers.  She then sat down at her station, consisting o=
f
an RCA US Navy RBB receiver and a AN/GSC-T1 Code Training Unit.  When she=

turned the tuning knob on the RBB, she said "Wow".  55 years later, and t=
he
quality of that rig is obvious to a 2 year old.  She then practiced her
dits and dahs on the Code Training Unit.  She was kinda freaked out by th=
e
headphones.  Its going to take a lot of gentle playing around to undo tha=
t
visit to the audiologist.

I drove to town to pick up a pizza, and on my return saw Jeff stumbling
down the walk to the parking lot as I wondered why he hadn't turned the
light on.  Wait a minute, there aren't any lights on!!  Looks like we hav=
e
taken another 50-year leap backwards in time and now we are in the 19th
century.    After briefly wondering if this could be our fault(naaaah), I=

lit a kerosene lamp and rescued the rest of the crew from the darkness. =

Peter said that when the lights went out, Grace said, "Uh-oh".  We ate ou=
r
pizza and then Grace initiated a half-hour game of peek-a-boo.  Peek-a-bo=
o =

with a 2 year old is great fun, and even more fun by the light of a
lantern.

The lights were to remain off for the duration, so we never did get to fi=
re
up the Westinghouse US Navy TBW and RCA US Navy RBB on 80meters.  The cre=
w
gave up on waiting and went home.  Well, we had a heck of a lot of fun
anyway, especially with our fourth operator Grace.  I guess this is not
really a tale of woe after all.

How many points for a hit-and-miss engine belted to an array of generator=
s
and dynamoters?

73, Rob K2WI

 =