Mobile to Fixed in 30 Seconds

I threw the ARC-5 station in the vehicle for a trip to see my mom in upstate NY. This is a trip basically northwest through NH, Vermont, over Lake Champlain at the Canadian border and then down RT 11 in NY State for a couple of hours. Basically it is a 6 Hour trip. I timed the trip up on Thursday so I could work a few between 4PM and 6PM which is basically the only time in the evening that a PW mobile can be heard. I did work several stations including Timmy on his TCS.

I knew that the big MRCA (MIlitary Radio Collectors Association) meet in Gilbert PA was this weekend, so I decided to time my return for first thing Saturday so I could try to check in to the Old Military radio Net on 3885 which starts at 5AM Eastern.

Well sure enough, stations were heard on the ARC-5 from Central Florida and Texas - the band was LONG... they could not hear me.

Finally a PA net control station Jeep copied me at 6:15 AM when I was just about to Malone NY and I was heard pretty much until I got into Vermont for about an hour of the net.

The net closed and I was in the Lake Champlain Islands just about halfway between Alburg and Swanton VT, a very tight stretch with lots of water on each side when the cars engine just slowed down and stalled at about 50 MPH. THE RADIO NEVER QUIT BY THE WAY.

A motorcycle and a big truck were following me but everybody is very careful on that stretch with no shoulders and I managed to signal the motorcycle that I was thumbs down and hit the flashers and basically coasted until I saw a lucky break - a pull off! I landed it with no power and killed the radio gear. 30 seconds later a trooper arrived and he called AAA for me (now this is pretty remote). 15 minutes later a flatbed tow arrives. 30 minutes later I am drinking coffee at his shop. He says that it is the fuel pump and I would need to pick up the car midweek. He then takes me to his house which is near the shop (nice digs and a big hunter, he was showing me some of his vehicles and guns), we get into his truck, transfer the gear, and he drives me to the rental place 30 miles south in St Albans VT. 10 minutes later I am back on the road headed south in my rental car. All this time he has not even checked my AAA card or asked for a Credit Card. So I gave him the AAA information and my info and he gave me his.

You have to love Vermont.

Mike WU2D