Kevin,
I can relate with your experiences.  Same thing happened to me several years
ago.
Jeff lives just south of me  about 10 miles or so. ts 440's should go for
about $400 to $500 with the tuner.
I have a 450s and are happy with it for now, that 570 does look like another
good rig.
Frank K8JN

----- Original Message -----
From: Nathan, Kevin <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: field day


> Hello,
>
> Actually, my field day experience with our local club was a bust.  I had
> some inkling from past fiascos with this club that there was some
prejudice
> toward those of us with disabilities but pretty much had it confirmed at
> this event.  When we moved up here last year, I was too busy moving into
our
> house to work field day so was looking forward to going to the site and
> pulling my weight this year.  However, when I got there it was very
obvious
> that only a certain select group of people had access to the radios and I
> certainly wasn't one of them.  I struggled on 6 meters with an Icom 706
with
> the tuning rate set to light speed and managed to put five Q's in the log
on
> 6 including British Columbia and Oregon but after two hours I got fed up
> with the garbage and went home.
>
> It was interesting because one of the privileged few had told me she
hadn't
> heard anything on 40 meters so, when I went home, I ripped off about 50
Q's
> on 40 in about 45 minutes in every part of the country.  I understand
later
> that they were following me around the band.  I am not running any kind of
> super antenna on 40 right now, just a G5RV, and I didn't run the linear so
I
> hope I gave them a little bit of a clinic in contesting.  I don't mean to
> sound like I'm bragging but I was really fed up with their attitude and
> disorganization after this experience.  I will continue to manage our
local
> Sunday night 2 meter net but that will probably be the extent of my work
> with this club and I very well may let my membership lapse after this
year.
> I belong to the Western Washington DX Club and they seem to respect my
> operating skills much more than these local folks do.  I will probably do
> their field day site next year.
>
> For Jeff, I would like to comment on the 440.  I had one and it was very
> accessible.  I used the tuner the same way everyone here has described but
> my tuner failed at least twice in the fifteen years I owned the rig.  The
> big problem with them now is that they are getting expensive to repair
with
> respect to what they are worth and they have been far surpassed by today's
> technology.  If your friend paid $700 for one, he got ripped.  They should
> be available on the market for $500 or less.  Also, the VS2 speech chip is
> getting harder and harder to find.
>
> Take care and 73 to all.
> Kevin, K7RX
>
> Kevin Nathan, Independent Living Coordinator
> Dept. of Services for the Blind
> 3411 S. Alaska
> Seattle, Wa 98118
> Voice:  (206) 721-6450
> Cell:  (206) 604-4767
> Toll Free:  (800) 552-7103
> Fax:  (206) 721-6403
> Email:  [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: JEFFREY MICHAEL KENYON [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 03:18 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: field day
>
>
> Hi everyone, I was just wondering how everyone's field day went?  Mine
> that I went to today was my first one, and I used both the club's call of
> K8BYI, and my own call of KC8OLO.  It was hot, but I made lots of contacts
> on 40 20 15, & 10 meters.  It included California, Connecticut, and the
> carolinas, and New York, and Virginia and West Virginia and Texas.
>         I got to use a Kenwood TS440 HF rig, and was impressed with it,
> but I here it is really expensive.  Does anyone own one, and how well does
> it work for someone who is blind?