The AM Forum

It is with a heavy heart that I bring this news. Ray was not an avid AMer but did enjoy classic tube gear and wheeling & dealing very much. Many folks who've attended Hosstraders and later NEAR-Fest will recall Ray and his wife Betty/KC1YW selling loads of good stuff from their tables set up next to their motorhome and later a smaller camper. Ray had a plethora of gear ranging from tubes to oddball connectors, tools, Collins, National, Hallicrafters and more. Betty became known as the Orange Drop lady, being an original employee of Sprague and later staying on when Ed Sawyer and Perry Browning bought out the plant t form SBE and continuing to produce ODs until recent years. Ray and Betty sold bags upon bags of excess OD stock.

Ray was first licensed as K1HDB in the 1950s and was a true 'old skool' radioman who forgot more in a night than many of us will ever know. He helped me take down and move my first tower in the mid 80s and gave me anchor bolts for the new base. When we picked up a 40ft EZ-Way crank up tower later, Ray fabricated a new hinge pin for it which is still in use today. We made frequent trips from VT to NH to visit HRO, EEG, and numerous other long-gone surplus dealers. He sold me many rigs and thousands of tubes over the years and helped me move many heavy rigs. In fact, it was Ray and his pickup that made it possible to get the "Antique Shop KW-1" home in 1988. When I was bogged down studying for the Advanced class license and trying to figure out current-leading/lagging-inductor questions, it was Ray who introduced me to ELI the ICEman.

I could go on for pages. He had an interesting career and life, far moreso than a couple paragraphs can do justice to. His obituary is posted here: https://www.timesargus.com/obituaries/allan-r-machell/article_c31d7a79-3920-5066-917b-06b40835454b.html

Attached are the only photos I have of Ray - the first taken (I think by Jen) the night we hauled a BC-610E from his place to mine, and another along with my dad from the night of the 300G Tipping Party which was taken by Mr Mike/W1RC.

He is greatly missed. There will never be another like him.

   Sad to say, but I never knew his name, though I visited his Nearfest table many times over the years, and I certainly remember Betty, the "Orange Drop Lady".
   It's obviously a well worn cliche', but "they don't make 'em like that anymore," is all too true.