Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

There's nothing like being topical, is there? Here are a few words and pictures about something that happened nearly 2 months ago:



It wasn't a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon; driving down from Glasgow in the sunshine and going for a short walk by the sea. In no time at all, I was in Irvine and, after experiencing the bracing sea air, I strolled up to the Magnum Centre, for what may be the last time, to attend the annual Rally. It's just as well I did, as very few others seemed to think it was worth the journey.



I don't blame them. When faced with such a pathetic selection of stalls selling anything from old and utterly useless computer junk to various screwdrivers you'll never use, why on earth would you want to make the trip? OK, so Jaycee was there, and this gave me the opportunity to take my first look at the IC-7000 (nice). Sandpiper was also there (top right in the photo above), and that reminded me that I had bought an HB9CV for 70cm two or three years ago and it was still to come out of its plastic bag to be assembled, let alone tested or used. There was an RSGB stall, but I'd bought some books a couple of weeks earlier at the AGM. There was a guy selling military surplus, but I couldn't think of anything I wanted. Lastly, there was the CSFMG stand and, as I actually had enough money, I joined. Apart from that, I chatted to a couple of the rapidly-diminishing band of Scottish amateurs I know, then, feeling thoroughly uninspired, I decided to go back home. There was nothing else to see.



On the way home, I thought to myself that if decent traders don't go to rallies, people won't turn up. Sadly, if people don't turn up, the decent traders won't bother turning up in future, either. Surely we can't blame computers for everything? Surely we have to blame ourselves for not being sufficiently active? That's it! I've only got myself to blame. I should go to more rallies. I'll look up RadCom when I get home". Well, I did, and I identified a couple of events within striking distance, in places I'd not mind going for the weekend. Elvaston Castle in Derbyshire? Nope. Couldn't make it. York? Couldn't make that, either, I'm afraid. What's next? Well, that'll be Leicester, and I doubt that the reason I couldn't go to Derbyshire or York will have been resolved, so I'll just have to face it: Amateur Radio rallies are going the way of the dinosaur or the British merchant fleet, and it's all my fault.