those were the good old days when all you really needed was a few simplex 
frequencies, and the, singular, local repeater pair if there even was one.
VHF FM being still a novelty and so on.
I've seen lots of older chrystal VHF rigs with 2 or 3 channels in them...a 
repeater pair, 146.52 and another VHF simplex frequency to move off the call 
channel.
I think Edmonton got it's first VHF repeater in about 1983 or something.
Back in the days when a newly licensed ham actually had to have a real radio 
and build or buy a decent antenna to talk to other local hams...instead of a 
100 dollar hand held with a rubber duck that works all over the city into 
multiple repeaters.
And to think, there were more hams back then than there are now even though 
you had to get your cw, and put up an HF antenna, and all the rest.

73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Marthouse" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: back on the list again


> Back in 1978 when I was first licensed my first rig was a used Drake TR22.
> It had 6 crystal positions, a bullet shaped mic with a coil cord, leather
> caring case and ran on 10 aa nicad batteries.  I sold the radio a few 
> years
> later.  I had since upgraded my 2 meter station to a WE800 from Wilson.
> That was one of the first if not the first portable synthesized rigs for 2
> meters.  I  remember when talking to people on the local repeaters when 
> you
> wanted to go to another frequency the question was whether you were 
> crystal
> or synthesized.  I would guess that synthesized rigs on 2 meters had maybe
> less than 50% penetration into the market at that point.  Those were fun
> days.
>
>
> Dave Marthouse N2AAM
> [log in to unmask]