In reply to G8ADD:
Ah, but how much pleasure the other 25% might garner! Or then again,
Thank you for your encouraging words Brian (aka Magic Dragon). I know Andy likes his crab apples 
Mike G6TUH
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Do you remember the stupid place that the distributer was located ā¦
Believe it or not the subject was discussed the last time I was out activating with Paul. It was so wet on the Friday, I said to Paul that I was pleased we werenāt still driving Minis. Paul reminded of the useless carbon impregnated string used for the HT suppression leads. I eventually got around to using copper leads and in-line suppressors. Obviously I was rather flash as I didnāt stoop so low as to use a rubber glove over the distributor, but actually had a purpose made cover on mine.
As for water getting in, I drove through floods at Dunsop Bridge at the southern end of the Trough of Bowland. The bow wave came over the bonnet, but it kept going. Had to drive around a Land Rover that got stuck! Anyway, the fuel pump died during the evening. Served me right for being so impulsive - I should have gone back and around to Lancaster via Ingleton. Now I avoid floods whenever possible, but had to drive through a few large puddles last time out.
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to G6TUH:
Hopefully 29Mhz AM will fare better!
I gather the current solar cycle peak has been likened to a damp squib which is a shame. Thinking back to 1970 /Cycle 20, 10 watts of AM was all that was required to work the States with 59 reports - QSO after QSO. The rig used was a purpose made 10 watt AM / CW transceiver which received excellent audio reports - unfortunately I donāt recall the manufacturer. Iām not sure whether the same can be said of the quality of audio produced on AM by the transceivers currently on the market, but I suppose itās worth giving the mode a try out.
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to G8ADD:
Not at all, mate - Iām here for the ride!
When I got my call I asked for G8BAC (my initials) to be reserved for
me, but when it came up a few years later I was so used to G8ADD that
I refused it.
Thereās a lot to be said for a good callsign, Brian. When was operating the HF bands as M6MMM, big pile-ups often followed as it was mistaken for a special event call. One morning a couple of years ago, I was working a pile-up on the 15m band using M6MMM. A UK station came up on the frequency telling me that it was impossible to be working the DX I was, unless I was running a linear!
Of course the downside is the the hundreds and hundreds of QSL cards youāll have to deal with 
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to G4OIG:
Hello again Gerald, 1970 is before my time. Started SWLing about 1975 with a FRG-7 then became āofficialā with a BRS number in 1979. My primary radio is the Flex 5000A which produces 100W on all bands from 180 to 6. I fitted a second receiver board onto the F5KA. Primary antenna is a SteppIR vertical which is ground mounted with a very large radial system (3/4 wave on 29Mhz). I have checked the audio output and it seems OK for AM - true test is of course from other stations. I have also checked today tx bandwidth and things like that so see what happens.
Mike G6TUH
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Of course the downside is the the hundreds and hundreds of QSL cards youāll have to deal with
Easy Mike, donāt!
Just donāt reply to any cards, bin any cards you get sent direct and keep the green stamps to spend on radio gear or booze. Works for me.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
Just donāt reply to any cards, bin any cards you get sent direct and keep the green stamps to spend on radio gear or booze. Works for me.
Youāre more Scots than I gave you credit for! Mind you, as my Uni friend Bob used to say - āThe Scots may be tight, but a Bristolian is far far worse!ā
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to MM0FMF:
Hi Andy,
Iāve always been pretty good and reply to cards sent direct, that have green stamps or IRCs and enclosed envelopes.
The Americans send out an awful lot of cards direct and with very few exceptions enclose green stamps or IRCs, so I do reply.
With apologies to Mike G6TUH 
About 6 weeks ago, I worked John WB0VBW in South Dakota, who told me that I would love his QSL card. The card arrived direct and it was a beautiful picture depicting Mount Rushmore. I was almost embarrassed sending out my bog standard WAB card. Ah well, at least the QSO was confirmed.
As for cards via the Bureau, donāt even go there. I received 100 cards last week with another 100 on the way from my M6 call, so heaven knows how old they are. No doubt, theyāll join the huge pile of envelopes sitting in a box which Iāll get round to dealing with one day.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
a beautiful picture depicting Mount Rushmore.
It looks to be better than his QRZ photo. 
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
It looks to be better than his QRZ photo.
:-)))
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to G4OIG:> Do you remember the stupid place that the distributer was located
Hi Gerald I have had a few minis and the first thing I used to do was to make it so the grill could be removed in about 30 secs.Using what were known as Paddy Hopkirk grill buttons.This made access to the distributer the oil filter and the dynamo easy.ATB Geoff
In reply to G6MZX:
Hi Geoff
I had a stainless steel grille fixed by a couple of stainless bolts. As you say, much easier to service the engine and definitely better than what the manufacturer produced. Manufacturers donāt always get it right - as good looking as the later series of Land Rover Discovery is, you have to take the body shell off to change the turbo. I think the designers need to do work experience as mechanics on the vehicles they design.
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to G8ADD:
I know I am late coming into this diacussion but applying the āWhat would the Martians make of our languageā rule:
1)āMust get over to the Welsh Highland Railway sometime to
have-a-look-see at the ex SAR ones thereā - Search and Rescue locomotives??
2)"ā¦to watch them thunder around the bend and into the station before going for one of the SOTA summitsā¦" - you will tell me next that there is already a railway up Snowdon :o))
3) AM is still looked upon as a ādamn neat ideaā
73
Barry GM4TOE
(Bored out of his tree looking after the emporium!)
In reply to G8ADD:
In reply to 2E0YYY:
With apologies to Brian, for topic devaition ā¦yet again
Not at all, mate - Iām here for the ride!
When I got my call I asked for G8BAC (my initials) to be reserved for
me, but when it came up a few years later I was so used to G8ADD that
I refused it.73
Brian
When Anne my XYL passed her morse in the mid eighties upgrading from her Class B we reserved GM4VHF in bags of time with the then RA or was the MPT? They did not notify us that as to it having been pre-booked so looked good for Anne to be issued with it. Months later I was working from home and I received a call from a nice young lady from the RA/MPT stating that G4VHF was unfortunately reserved (it was eventually issued to a āsaidā VHF/UHF āGā contest group - me thinks there was a bit of underhand dealing going on - even in those straight laced civil serpent days??) and would my wife like an alternative as she was about to issue the next in the sequence which were at the end of the 'Uās. Thinking quickly I asked for G(M)4USA - taken! G(M)4USB - taken, so with the girl āhangingā on the phone I thought - Iāve always been impressed with double letters in suffixes when sending CW and hark back to my introduction to CW NFD as a young SWL/Logger and Alastair GM3AXX (Walt you may have kent Alastair?) on his vibro-plex and the nice ring it had on CW. So asked if UXX was taken - nope - done deal. So Anne & GM4UXX were partnered. And as stated great on CW.
Now interestingly at that same first Field Day Ken GM3SSB (Now an EI) was the other station (remember we used to have and A & B station) - a paradox in the suffix which is great on the key. Try it!
And finally. Anneās car registration - A4UXX. A present from me about 15 years ago. Nothing like keeping UXX in the family - hi!
And finally finally. Before Anne retired when she turned up with her new car and registration her colleagues couldnāt work out what it represented, then one said āhow romaticā! Anne was puzzled and asked what she thought it meant? Her colleague replied āAnne 4 U Kiss Kissā. Nothing like an alternative on a theme! And she never did let on what it the letters really stood for - hi!
73
Jack(;>J
GM4COX (doesnāt sound so good on the key but Iāll live with it - hi,hi!)
In reply to GM4COX:
UXX - nice, almost in waltz time (start off the beat!)
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G4OIG:
ā¦ and plenty of room for a rig!
Yes indeed! Modern cars are lacking in that respect.
I well remember GM3KJFās mobile rig in 1958. He had a Vauxhall Cresta with a bench seat and steering column gear change. The 19 Set was mounted on the floor between the driver and the passenger. Itās accompanying power unit was in the boot. He put out a massive AM signal on 80m!
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G4OIG:
my father had a company car as Regional Sales Manager for a
printing ink company and that was usually a Wolseley 1500, though one
year we did have an Austin A55. I can recall some of the number plates
to mind.
My Dadās first car was a black Austin A40 (Mk 1), MVY861. He bought it from Yorkshire Insurance, where it had been a company car, hence the āVYā Yorkshire registration.
His next car was a black Rover 90, MAG308. He drove nothing but Rovers for the rest of his life.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G3NYY:
My car has a section in the handbooks saying that any radio transmitter installed must have less than 10W RF output. More than that an the car loses type approval and the various gizmos may malfunction.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to G3NYY:
His next car was a black Rover 90, MAG308. He drove nothing but
Rovers for the rest of his life.
Mmmm! I had a Rover 80 for many years, 872 MTE. Four cylinder engine based, I believe, on the Landrover diesel block, so it had massive big end journals, and would take a lot of punishment. Iāve had it on the ridge of Stiperstones (via a track up from the West), and on Brown Clee (via the track up to the radio site) and the ridge of Long Mountain. Long before SOTA, for 4m contest purposes. Probably ran a bit of AM - just to keep on topic!
It was possible to work on every bit of it fairly easily. The transmission tunnel unbolted, allowing the gearbox to be removed from inside the car, though it was something of a monster with the Overdrive unit - I did it once to replace the clutch.
I had a variety of mobile rigs - plenty of room in front of the bench seat, and the handbrake being by the driverās right hand helped too!
Adrian
G4AZS
In reply to G4AZS:
Mmmm! I had a Rover 80 for many years, 872 MTE
I wonder if it came from the same dealer as my Rover P5B Saloon (3.5L V8) which was MTE 934G ?
Andy
MM0FMF