George AD5CQ submits the folloinwg successful ham radio event report for his volunteer efforts on November 15-16 at the George Ranch:
Once again, I volunteered at the George Ranch Texican Market Days to demonstrate what Morse Code was like in the late 1800’s. The event was for Friday and Saturday with setup on Thursday. The weather was absolutely perfect from the blue skies and gentle cool breeze. Friday was primarily for school children which arrived in extended Conestoga Wagons (school busses). As in the past there were a lot of school children all arriving together in sizable groups. I was grateful that nobody wanted to try and beat the time limit for how fast they could disassemble a straight key. This year featured a telegraph sounder mounted in a wooden sound director. I was fortunate to have found it at a hamfest in San Antonio. Almost everyone was surprised to hear the difference that the wooden housing made versus the open sounders on the table.
Two of my displays were very old telegraph keys and sounders. One other key was from the early 1900’s and one was Japanese replica of a J-38 key.
I also had a modern Kent key and an MFJ code practice oscillator with key. Eager fingers pounded the keys as if they were in a speed sending contest. I also used my Elecraft transceiver to demonstrate the difference between listening to a sounder versus individual dot dash tones produced by the transceiver. Most of adults understood the benefit of listening to dot dash sounds rather than clicks from the sounders.
My station is located in a small house behind the Davis mansion. This house is called the Cook’s Quarters and is a small two room building with two fireplaces. You can see a glimpse of the Davis house outside the right window in the picture with me. This year I took myself on a tour of the Davis mansion because I have never been inside that building. Wow, it was fabulous. Ladies, you would certainly enjoy seeing this house. I have included just one of the many pictures I took while walking through each one of the many rooms.
This year I was joined by two young lady volunteers that helped the children create a Morse Code bracelet using different colored beads for the dots, dashes, and spaces. They setup their table on the porch just outside my door. They spent many hours stringing beads and tying knots. This was a very big hit for the kids. In between my “shows” I would help pickup lost beads that had no way to climb back up onto the table. One of the young ladies named “Dixie” brought her harmonica and skillfully played all kinds of music from Christian to pop to movie shows. She was GOOD! It was a joy to hear her play in between floods of school children. I am hoping that she can return next year.
Another new attraction this year was an early 1900’s Temperance Movement. They setup their station in the other half of the Cook’s Quarters. Periodically they collected a group of children and trained them on the Temperance Movement, gave them signs and proceeded to march near the Davis mansion shouting and making noise about how bad it was to drink alcohol. Maybe next year I can get a video.
Another attraction this year was a baseball game between two early 1900’s teams. Most of them wore uniforms from that time period. They all played with no baseball gloves which must have made them a genuine antique show (ignore the tinted sun shades and smart watch). The baseball game was played in the field across the road from the Cook’s Quarters.
Make your plans now to come out to see me next Fall at the George Ranch Texican Market Days.
