You must admit you are powerless to defeat the ‘radio bug’ …

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011 — At a hamfest on Saturday, it struck.

I was walking to one of the buildings on the American Legion Fairgrounds when I looked up and saw her; without making eye contact, she beckoned to me with a silent allure no man worth his selenium rectifier could resist.

She lay there in the mid-morning sun, the curves of her face highlighted by the the contrasting colors she wore. I walked forward but was unable to tear my eyes off her. But alas! — I had to lead the ARRL forum with no time for romance! “I will return soon, my lovely! See you in a hour!”

She said nothing; she didn’t need to.

After my forum was over, I rushed out the door, past the maple tree to meet the gray-cabineted beauty that had captured my eye earlier; to my disappointment, she was gone … and I became reacquainted with the agony of unrequited boatanchor lust … for she … the Hammarlund HQ-129X … was nowhere to be found.

[ROLL CREDITS]

Sorry, you’ll have to indulge me … or maybe those 3 cups of Java I had weren’t decaf after all … but I apologize for this tangent, this tale of Boatanchor Lost. It’s probably just as well, my wife would have killed me … right after the kaniption fit for bringing home “another radio.”

You can blame YouTube for part of my boatanchor desires … I find this wonderful sounding receivers playing up a storm, and it takes me back to the days when I used to love to listen to my friend’s Hallicrafters SX-28. (NOTE TO SELF: Sell the Yaeus FT-450AT and use that money to buy a SX-28A in great condition!).

I avoided going around the hamfest for that very reason …. untreated boatanchoritis. I didn’t want to succumb to it, and the best method is abstanance. It’s just hard to abstain when you’re already surrounded by them!

Enough silliness … a pat-on-the-back for my not bringing home a radio with handles … there’s always next month! 😉

-30-