Dave Heil wrote in message ...
Brian Kelly wrote:


Cincinnati, like Rome, is built on seven hills. There are a number of
other hills on the Kentucky shore. Most of 'em have radio towers. I
operated from four spots during my days in the area: As WB4KTR/8, I was
a block off the U.C. campus on top of the hill in an area called
Clifton. I had no tower but was able to put a mast on top of the three
storey commercial building. I moved across the river to Fort Thomas in
'74 and operated from atop the hill in that town with a tribander on a
40' push-up mast. Site three was in Mt. Airy, across the road from a
nice, quiet 1600 acre city forest. I used a 60 foot tower there.
Finally, I moved to the west side of the city to Cheviot.

Jeez. Didja ever get to completely unpack??

That same 60
footer was used there and was then hauled around the world. There are
still tower bases for that one in the ground in Botswana and Tanzania.
The tower stayed in Dar es Salaam. The embassy now uses it for a
repeater antenna.

"World's most traveled tower". Foggy Bottom did pay you for the tower
when you left it with 'em right?

In a tale similar to yours, we came back to the U.S. from Helsinki in
the late 90's and ended up with a Pontiac Grand Am. I was underwhelmed
with the underpowered, poor-handling beast.

I gave up on Detroit iron 20 years ago and I haven't run across any
particularly good reasons to go back.

Naw, all stock. I stop using the performance tires when the factory
rubber gives up the ghost. It doesn't matter which tires I buy, the
twisty, hilly roads hereabouts make certain that I get only about 25,000
miles on them as the outside corners get worn down.

I have some West Virginny time under my belt, I understand the "hills"
and the driving condx. A month in the coal mines in the Bluefield area
working an accident expert witness job was one of my "tours". Very
different part of the world when it comes to driving. And everything
else for that matter vs. here. Not a place for timid or anal drivers.

monster Freightliner Classic into the rear end of my nice little Geo
and "reconfigured" a bit of sheet metal . . Back to the Benz shop . .
red body, green trunk deck and the rest is still in primer.

It'll fit right in here!

Heeee!

Just be careful you don't end up with a deer
pasted to the front of it.

I'm tuned, we have monstrous herds of the things close at hand right
here, we do some *serious* deer-ducking too. At 60 mph on four-lane
divided highways.

Dunno if I can trust it to make Wheeling & vicinity and back or not
but I'm seriously mulling that prospect come the warmer winds of the
days ahead. I figger if I gotta thumb it back home on the PA tpk. I
might as well do it when it's warmer.

I have a half side of beef in the freezer, your choice of beverage, a
comfy guest room and plenty of radio gear. If you talk 'EY into coming,
you guys can fight to see who gets the futon in the shack overflow room.

He gets the back deck, I get the guest room.

I keep wondering how she'd "restyle" N2EY's Southgate 7 contraption .
.

I see it in a National 60's blue wrinkle cabinet with satin stainless
panel. There'd be no miniaturization with plenty of room for mods.

OK, so it would be about the size of a steamer trunk and it would need
castors to be able move it about . . details, details . . don't bore
me with stupid details, "I'm a concept guy . . "

I understand, now that you've 'splained it to me. We could use a
four-foot rack, turned on its side. That's going to be one expensive
stainless panel.

This is gonna be a class radio, right up there with the IC-7800, cost
in NO object.


I'd have to say
that the RME-69 has it beat.

You got a 69 too??!

Yeah--with 5 and 10m converter, and also from the same era an FB-7 and
an SW-3.

Boy that's a real keeper, lotta WW2 history wrapped around that one.

I'm partial to the 75A4 myself, I had one for years which had the
W2VCZ front end mods. Best 160/80/40 RX out there until rigs like that
later 940s finally came along.

Great receiver though the current pricing is too rich for my blood.

Mine suffered a horrible demise, I doan wanna hear what they're worth
today!

and the 51S-1 for general coverage.

THAT's the one Collins rcvr I'd love to have. I have a meatball S3-B
but I'm gonna dump it. Needs a power cord. Which is a minor pain in
the butt job, need to dredge up a chassis plug.

Talk to me!

Eventually. Bigger priorities are looming for now.

I'm gonna spend a few hours running with the big dawgs this weekend as
a reality check, third op at the N3RS baby multi in the ARRL CW DX
blast. Haven't done one of these for a quarter century, this is gonna
be UGLY.

Dave K8MN

w3rv