Last update 24 AUG 2012
|
|
Last update 24 AUG 2012 |
|
The Military Radio Collectors Association, organized in 2000, is intended to bring together people with a genuine interest in the subject. It is an outgrowth of the Old Military Radio Net that meets every Saturday at 05:00AM (prevailing Eastern time) on 3885KHz in the 75-meter amateur band.
| QUICK LINKS: Subscribe to our email reflector. Moose and Squirrel Net | |
MRCA Fall Meet, 21 - 22 SEP 2012 West End Fairgrounds, Gilbert, Pa. In conjunction with The Red Ball Transport Meet The Military Radio Collectors Association will hold its 2012 annual meet at the West End Fairgrounds, Gilbert, Pa. The event will, once again, be held in conjunction with the Red Ball Military Transport Annual Show. Activities will include equipment displays, on-the-air operation, and formal presentations. The Site: We have comfortable indoor space for displays and presentations. Please bring your own chairs and display tables. There is ample outdoor space for tailgating. Primitive camping is permitted on site. Well-kept bathrooms and hot showers are available. You’re welcome to show up early Friday and stay over until Sunday AM. Fairground management is concerned about risks associated with hanging antennas in trees. To keep our tree mounted antenna exposure to the minimum please plan to bring appropriate supports if you intend to erect a vertical or a skywire. GPS: Use "Fairground Road, Gilbert, PA." Coordinates of our building: 40.911045°N 75.430707°W Equipment Displays: This is the place to show off some of your prize pieces to an understanding public. Signage identifying your equipment is really helpful and educational. There will be an organized, walk-around, “show-and-tell” following the formal presentation session on Saturday. Deployment of operating radio stations is encouraged. Tactical Field Radio Exercise: On Friday afternoon we will once again be sending long range reconnaissance comm teams to a number of remote sites. Saturday morning's activities, following a MRCA breakfast, will include a short-range field radio team deployment in the local Gilbert area. Saturday afternoon there will be a short range net with HT (BC-611 and MAB type radios) and back-pack radios. This is a great opportunity to use all our low power field sets as intended and should be lot of fun (charge up your batteries!). Presentations and Forum: A formal presentation session will be given at 11 AM Saturday, and will be followed by “show-and-tell” highlighting HF pack sets, field radios and spy sets. Tell us about your radio! Tailgating: Selling is encouraged at anytime during the meet. Due to our arrangements with the Red Ball Military transport group we cannot permit any vehicle related parts or items to be sold in our swap meet area. Radios, military electronics, and accessory items only. NO EXCEPTIONS. FAIR WARNING: Over the years, the swap meet has devolved into a very much secondary activity for MRCA. Red Ball Military Transport: The Annual Rally is the military vehicle version of a hamfest. Many restored vehicles are on display, and there is an extensive swapmeet often including radio items. Fees and Registration: $5.00 MRCA Participation fee, $5.00 General Fairgrounds Admission fee and a $5.00 Swap Meet fee (for sellers only). Children under 12 are free. Event Co-chairmen: Dale Gagnon, KW1I, kw1i@earthlink.net and Al Klase, N3FRQ, ark@ar88.net EARLY ARRIVALS: If you need to come on Wednesday or Thursday for setup, print out this GATE PASS, and bring it along. | |
| K4CHE's Coverage of Gilbert 2012 |
| RADIO NETS | The Old Military Radio Net - Saturdays: 05:00 Eastern - 3885 KHz AM - Sundays: 21:00 Eastern - 3570 KHz CW |
| The Moose and Squirrel C-LRRP Net - Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday - 12:00 Eastern 5371.5 KHz USB | |
THE Antique Wireless Association RTO Net - Thursdays: 19:30 (Eastern) 3832 USB +/- QRM | |
| 40-Meter USB Group - Central USA - Daily: 02:00 Z - 7232 KHz USB - then QSY 3996 KHz USB | |
| MRCG - Western USA - Saturdays: 09:00 (Pacific) - 3985 KHz AM - Wednesdays: 20:00 (Pacific) - 3996 KHz USB |
Suggested Frequencies:
75 Meters: 3885 KHz - Primary AM frequency for short, medium, and log range at MRCA and other events.
6 Meters: 51.0 MHz - Primary FM frequency.
COMMENTS: Military sets operate "wide-band" FM. There is a dicotomy between the early sets that used noise squelch and more modern radios that use 150 Hz tone squelch. I.e., if you call on a PRC-10, a PRC-77 user won't hear you unless his squelch is disabled.
6-meter FM "ham" sets can interoperate with the militaqry rigs, but transmit audio will seem weak due to the lower deviation, and receive audio is likely to be distorted do to the higher deviation from the mil sets. Many ham radios support 151.4 Hz tone squelch, however the frequency tolerance of the tone transmitted on the military sets might not be close enough, and the transmitted 151.4 is likely to be too low in deviation to "break squelch" on the military sets.
2 Meters AM - We have not settled on a single frequency:
144.25 MHz (Several MRCA folks have URC-4 pilot's survivals set crystaled here.)
144.36 MHz (Used by WWII aitcarft. There are crystals floating around.)
144.45 MHz
H.F. Packset Freq's:
1996 KHz, 3996 KHz, 5403.5 KHz, 7296 KHz, 14.342.5 KHZ, 18.157.5 ALL USB
 | K4CHE's Photo Coverage of the 2010 Gilbert Meet | |
| K2WI's Videos from the 2009
Mini-Meet at the Evans Signal Laboratory |
|
"Distributed" Photo Coverage of Gilbert 2009:
Let us know if you have more pictures.
|
|
Contact Us via E-Mail
