contests, helping other operators learn what they needed to learn to get a WAS, or WAC award. The "Rock", or in this case the anchor for the repeater was up at the crack of dawn, had a dry sense of humor, and a "Crisp, no nonsense" way with words. To the average listener (me) it seemed like everyone wanted to talk with this respected HAM radio operator. [I called this repeater frequency "The Contest Geek Channel" - not to make fun of it, but it best described what you'd hear so it was easier for me to remember.]The weather rock was nothing unusual, remained outside, but within view of his Shack window. Almost 75% of the fellows joining the group would ask him what the weather was going to be that day. He'd look out at the rock and (for example) see that it was wet and declare "The weather rock says rain". It was great fun, and everyone enjoyed his help, his "Open Band" alerts, and of course - his weather rock.
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Much of the conversations were very dry and technical, with Harry jumping in occasionally letting people know what band was open and to where it was open to. He had a great memory, so many times it would go something like this - "Hey George, I know your missing Japan in your worked-all-countries and I was just up on 15meters and it's open to Japan". It was through this manner where I worked my first South African station while I was driving into work one morning.
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"Hey guys", said Harry,"There's a South African station on ten meters around 27.480, if anyone wants to work him."
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I was either using my old butt-ugly Icom 725 or, a Uniden 2510, but in any case, I heard the report, started turning the dial and there was the station! Fortunetely I was right near an exit off the freeway and so exit I did, and pulled into a parking lot. He was fading and my wattage was limited but I did indeed make the contact, if only for about a minute. But, I never would have known about it at all if it wasn't for Harry.
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Years went by and I could pop on that repeater and it was like the contesting talk had never ended from my previous visit. It was good to know that at least some things don't change that much - until someone dies..... Yes, Harry the "Weather Rock" forecaster had passed away one night and not only was his passing sad, but the slow death of the repeater that followed, was terrible as well. At first there were nostalgic stories about him, and his weather rock, and some jokes about how maybe someone should borrow the rock to keep the tradition going, but you could tell: week-by-week, month-by-month, the heart of the repeater was gone. It's been several years since Harry passed away, and I stop by that frequency now and again but instead of constant QSO's, there's nothing left, like a planet who lost it's atmosphere and was now a wasteland of hash and squelch. It just goes to show, how one person can be the glue that holds the whole club or repeater community together, and if you have your own version of the "Rock of Gibraltor, then take a few minutes to thank he or she, for their contribution to Amateur Radio...
[The names in this story were changed, but as Zepplin sang: "The song remains the same"]
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"FROM THE FAVORITE MFG. DEPT."
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There are many poll's conducted with titles like "What's your favorite rig to own and operate?" which got me to thinking about one step further, who was my favorite Manufacturer. I've owned several ICOM's in the last 20 years, like the IC-211, 202, 505, 251, 271, 271H, 471, 275H, 207, 208, 7800, 703, 725, 751a and all 3 flavors of 706, but I'ved always come back to Yaesu (Although, the 751A remains one of the best HF rigs I've owned).
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I can't tell you how many FT-101's I'ved owned, but you can be sure it's over half a dozen, but I've enjoyed others like: FT-301, 901, 902, 890, 2
09, 290r, 100 (non-D), 757I and II, FTDX-560, 400, the 101 "twins", Ft-50r, 60r, Vx-5r, 650 (sweet!!), 225RD, 726, 530r, 897, 897D, and the 817ND. So for me I'd have to rate 'em: 1. Yaesu 2. ICOM and 3. Kenwood a distant 3rd. Out of all of 
the Yaesu's I think the 101E, 902DM, 757, 650, and 897D were/are my favorite HF rigs, yet I've used an ICOM 207 Dualbander for about 5 or 6 years now. And the FT-530r has to be my all time favorite HT: Not quite the big tank the 209 was, yes not as small and lightweight as a VX-5r or FT-60r. I'm covering my bases on t
hese, as sooner or later it will quit and then parts will become an issue, so whenever I see a reasonably-price 530, I'll try and buy it (I have 4 in my FT-530 "war chest" now).
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What turned me off of ICOM for a period of time, was the lack of parts for some of their earlier stuff, whereas I could and still can have my 101's repaired fairly easy enough. With the newer HF gear, Icom seems to be very reliable but I'm not happy with their noise blanker, while Yaesu seems to be "tricky" with SWR on certains bands....I guess there isn't one around that seems to be issue free. So what about you? What brand you prefer to pick from?
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Woody
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"TURNER"
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Turner, was Cedar Rapids' leading mortician in 1925, and from there they went on to being one of the most popular microphone manufacturers in the world! (Ya never know where you'll end up). The B-E-S-T information you'll find on Turner is on a site exclusively dedicated to the "Turner Story", by Eric Braun. You can also access his website via the CB GAZETTE website, and believe me, you won't be disappointed by what Eric has put together.
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While there were many different models, the most popular format was what you would see in a 250, 251, Plus 2, etc. and if you take notice, they OEM'd that style o
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Turner offered a radically new design for a desktop mi
This was the first desk microphone I wired to my Midland 13-880B and I received many compliments on the audio (it's still a favorite of mine, and I try to keep as many as possible on hand, just in case.....). As you can see, 
Turner kept up with the times with new designs, including the Turner Expander 500 with VU meter, tone and amplification controls, whereas Astatic's D104 remained cast in stone. And speaking of Astatic, we'll look at what they offered during this "Time of Change" in my next installment. But for more classic Turner try the CB Gazette's TURNER web page.
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self looks good, has a nice big display which is easy to read, has great transmit audio, but a terrible, terrible noise blanker (which at times, actually adds noise into the receiver). But the real deal is that it's an HF+6m mobile that is selling (new) for about $800. There are several other alternatives (some less expensive) which offer HF-440 coverage, yet this dinosaur continues to roam the catalog pages of HRO and AES.
TS-430 (made around the same time) and fetches a price in the range of $500-600 dollars (close to original retail).
TS-50, and HF mobile rig. A favorite of HAM's and Freebanders alike, this was a popular rig while in production (in fact it competed directly with Alinco's DX-70t) and remains popular on the used radio market at a high range of $400-$550 dollars. I have nothing to say about the rig itself, except that when you breach the $500 mark, you should be asking yourself "Should I pay this much for a used, 20-yearold HF mobile? Or should I kick in another $100-$200 and get a newer, smaller rig with a warranty and VHF-UHF coverage?"
egan to fill up quickly so crafty Sideband Operators, using VFO's or crystal kits moved to frequencies above channel 23, while AM'ers cut that designated wire to allow them to use channels 22a and 22b (there was nothing more satisfying than hearing the "Clip" noise from the wire cutters....unless of course, it was the wrong wire) I seem to recall on local fellow who got in there with a pair of snips the size of garden shears, and managed to short out everything around the green wire.
een to this as well and began to make rigs with wood side panels, brushed chrome, and other cosmetics with hopes the base units would make their way into the living rooms of America as well [Note - the wood features also reflected the current fad of wood paneled living rooms, and mobile units with brushed chro
me and painted "Wood" accents reflected many vehicles of that era that had fake wood dashboards, or side panels on station wagons].Fanon even had a small base unit with looked like the latest solid-state FM radio tuners of that day. And most manufacturers were keen to the operators love of a BIG Base Station! When the "Joker" invited me down to his house I knew that it was either to show me he new BIGGER Base Station or his new BIGGER antenna. No one wanted to pay six bills or more to get a base that was the size of a small VCR.
d offered the buyer a break in price. CB's, being under-the-dash mounted were easy (and fast) to steal, and brought the thief a fast profit on the black market, or local truck stop. CBer's bought devices that would allow the radio to slide into a bracket quickly, and slide out just as fast so they could lock their rig in the trunk. Others had hideaway antenna brackets so they could fold their antenna into the trunk, so their car would not appear to have a CB radio in it [ed.- my memory may be faulty on this one, but I seem to recall watching the local Houston news one night and they had a story about a local guy who invented and put a patent on this device]. If you were monitoring channel 19 while driving down the road it was not uncommon to hear someone offering a CB for half it's value. Once an interested party was snagged, the seller would suggest that they move to another channel to discuss the deal. Not all ON-THE-AIR deals were black market radios, but a good percentage of them were. Today, many thieves consider CB's not worth their time, due to lower prices and the general (yet wrong) impression that CB is dead.-
TO BE CONTINUED AT A LATER DATE
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art of the sixties [with the exception of several mobile units]. Favorite rigs around that time were the "Big Dogs" like Tram's Titan, and Titan II; Regency's Imperial II; Browning's Mark II; Lafa
yette's Comstat series, and HB-333, 444's. 
DSB (Double Sideband), and General Radiotelephone's SB-72, but for most of that decade it was AM. Even operators with the Browning sideband rigs were perplexed by it, and didn't like the fact they had to "clarify" the other station in, so they used it mostly on AM.CB Magazines created column's devoted to SSB, and you had to admit, those full page color ads of the new breed of CB had to get your heart pumping a little faster. I jumped onto the SSB band wagon as fast as I could get the money for one. Up until this time, there weren't any real local "Dealers", most of what we bought came from mail order or more likely a neighbors garage. We had a couple of garage dealers in our town. They found a distributor and depending on their cash flow, would either have a rig or two to look at, or at least a bunch of catalogs. The garage dealer I remember best sold Pearce Simpson for the most part (although he wo
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One day, while talking with some friends, a fellow called "Mister Chips" asked for a break and introduced himself to our group. Apparently he was new to CB and was just getting the feel of things, and asked how his rig sounded. The answer was "Great". Then the question was: "What kind of rig are ya running?". "A Sideband Engineering Super Console" Mister Chips replied. The name sounded familiar so I grabbed my latest copy of S9 and there it was in full page ad. We didn't know what the real difference was between sideband and AM, because we'd never heard a SSB signal. Mister Chips oblidged us by going to SSB and talking.
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After the shock wore off, he was deluged with questions and even invited us over to see the rig. My Dad took me over to his house and Mister Chips was an agreeable sort, years older than my Dad, but they connected on a level I couldn't - until it came to his rig, which was sitting on the kitchenette table, looking aw
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So now I was hot for a sideband rig, but how could I afford it? they were four hundred dollars and up. Then one day a group of us were talking about SSB and one of them mentioned that they had heard of an actual CB Radio shop, just across the border in Springfield, Ma. and after some negotiations, I got my Dad to drive me up there. I knew the street but not the exact address, and while we were driving down the street I saw a TV Repair Shop to our left 
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Once I got a sideband rig two or three of my radio buddies followed. We all like the straight forward kinda talk, and using our first names instead of "Handles". We used channels 16-18 for SSB, which was great until more truckers moved to channel 19 and bleedover became an issue. All-in-all, it was still a great 23 channel world, and actual CB "ONLY" Dealers began to pop-up like microwave popcorn. These were the days of "wine and roses", and we were unaware of what was just around the corner...
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[TO BE CONTINUED: AT A LATER DATE]
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o was bought out, still offers hand microphones, packaged in plastic; some, in just about any color you want. But where are the classic Plus 3's, Sidekicks, 254's, D104's, etc.? I'm not necessarily talking those specific microphones, but more the spirit of the design that went into making those microphones (a microphone you'd be proud to have on the radio desk in the shack). Thanks to EBAY, you can still pick up the older ones, sometimes still New-in-the-box, but why aren't they still in production today? 
Amateur Radio use, they have been 11 meters dirty little secret since the beginning of time! Occasionally you'll run across a thread related to amplifiers where someone wants others to post some pictures of amps from the by gone days (as well as current models), but usually the postings die off after only 3 or 4 pictures.
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My pick (Drum roll please....) is the Yaesu FT-101 line. I can't remember how many of these I've owned throughout the years, but I do know that every now and then I get the itch to buy another 
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So why do so many people like the 101? I suppose, many years ago, it was the 11m position on the band switch, or maybe it was the "LOOK". It sure wasn't the weight because the FT-101 is one heavy sucker for a rig with a carrying handle! For me, I think it was the simplicity of being "Analog", but whatever it was, the FT-101 began my affair with Yaesu equipment, and it was by accident (er, I meant to say "Act of God")!
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My first HAM rig (a Heathkit HW-5400) was damaged by a nearby lightning strike. Naturally, I took it to the "Fiddler" for repair, and he offered to loan me a 101.
"It's not as modern as your Heathkit", he said, "Maybe 10 years older"
I was still working on getting my code speed up to 13wpm, and didn't want a lapse of time to slow me down, so I agreed and drove up to his shop to pick up the loaner. When I first laid eyes on it, the connection was made! And after the Fiddler showed me how to tune it (it was my first tube HAM rig), I couldn't wait to get it home and try it out. All I can say is that it was the coolest rig I'd ever seen!
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Since then, I've owned the 101, B, E, EE, and EX models, many were complete sets with matching accessories. One accessory, 
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The analog calibration kept you aware of band plan limits - so you knew when you had moved from the CW to the PHONE band, but otherwise, the 101 seemed to bring you back to the days of "Flying Blind", knowing where you were, but
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If you are really into 101's then I suggest that you
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"There is nothing like the glow of a tube rig, in the shack with the lights out!"
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The rig to the right is a Yaesu...can you determine which one it is? My guess is that it would be pretty hard to figure out...(HINT: It's a Yaesu....oh yeah, I already said that)
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So, the 101 started my love affair with Yaesu. Inbetween various "Flavors" of the FT-101, I also owned:
But I always came back to the 101, and the 101 was always the same price range. I'm not saying I didn't like other Brands, for instance an Icom IC-751A was a favorite of mine - it had a GREAT noise blanker, as well as the IC-738, and I still have a 703 in a backpack for QRP operations. But if you look back when the 101's first came out, and compare them to a Kenwood or Icom rig from the same period, I don't believe you'll find as many of the others. Maybe Yaesu sold more to 11m op's....
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FROM: THE "MAIL BAG"
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DAVE H. wrote in after my last column to remind me that not all operators are DX Hunters, and I'd have to agree with him. After reading my previous post, I could see where I was a little one-sided, and there are two sides to every situation. Like Dave, I prefer the local round table of discussion, but there aren't many local sideband users in my neck of the woods.
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So, while everyone isn't selling their rig's, there is some portion that do during low sunspots. I've also found that mid-July through the end of August is a good time to look for a "DEAL" from a desperate HAM-SALE. I think this has to do with the new school year about to begin, and kids asking for a new computer or laptop....or it could just be a coincidence, I just know the best prices are found during that period. In New England, where I grew up with 11meters, things were a bit different: An extra rig or other equipment was sold in the Spring, as outdoor activities would keep you from yakking too much on the radio, but come the end of summer and into Fall, anyone who was short a rig, made sure they had one because winter could be very long.
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DAVE M. WRITES:
Since your getting more photos of 11 Meter HT's, here are a few of mine.
These are McDonald Instruments Model 06-32-75 manufactured in September 1978. They are 5 watt 6 channel radios. The receivers work very well and I have made several contacts standing in the back yard. They are 11 3/4 inches tall, weigh about 5 lbs with the 9 AA batteries installed, and proudly display a 46 inch telescoping antenna. Cool . . . . .
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Well so much for this column - Woody
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to pick up clean sideband rigs at a bargain price! (The only problem with this is that you have to hang onto whatever you buy and wait-it-out). when the band opens up again, the fellows who dumped their SSB rig for a song will be ready (with a fist full of cash) to get back into the game of DX.
These next few months may be a bonanza when you factor in the lack of sunspots along with the approaching holiday season - because you and I know that most radio operators think alike and the first thing to go is the rig, when there is a shortage of CA$H and it's sitting in a corner, just collecting dust......
UPS (IMHO) is the worst of the lot. They are expensive, and seem to take forever to get the product delivered. Usually, they take their time, whereas FedEx seems to bust their butt to beat the delivery date. If an item is brought to the UPS Store, it will be much more expensive.
As mentioned, FedEx seems to go the extra mile. I've found their prices to be reasonable (sometimes GREAT), and their tracking system is better than UPS's. I've had good luck with FedEx Ground as well (both in shipping and receiving).
Now the US Postal Service is my favorite, especially when using their "FLAT RATE" boxes. Granted, you can't fit a Tram D201 in one of those, but for smaller items it's nice to know that you can quote a price, anywhere in the US and it's good (Plus it gets there in 2-3 days). Maybe FedEx should take a note on this one. The biggest complaint I have about the USPS, is their tracking system, if you can call it that. It will let the buyer know that the item has been dropped off, but there is no stop-to-stop tracking for them to see how close or far away their package is. *NOTE - Many vendors use "PARCEL POST", a very slow means of shipping, thinking it will be the best price. I've found that at least 50% of the time PRIORITY is less expensive, and of course, much faster.
