Mohle and Eller decide on a Friday night in May that the weather is right and notify all members and quests who have registered that the tour is on. You will be informed of the meeting place and time for Saturday's departure. Some years we go to Eastern Washington and some Western Washington, it depends on where the sun is. Interested? Contact Tom Mohle at guacamohle@att.net or Tom Eller at tbeller@nwlink.com Participation is optional, so why not take a chance? You may get a sunburn out of it! Your TR will definitely thank you.
by Jerry Lloyd
A.
Because Smoky and the Bandit is my favorite movie.
B.
Because I want to drive a big truck when I grow up.
C.
Because you get to meet people that talk in numbers.
D.
Because I like to lean out the window and yell, "what are we doing?"
E.
Because it provides fun and safety when on tour with Tyee.
OK, so you and I both
picked A, big deal! Now lets talk about why we like to promote the use of CB
radios on tours with the club.
Imagine 10 - 15 cars
driving along the highway in a nice tight group and one of the drivers just
remembers that they forgot to fill up with gas that morning. How are they going
to communicate?
Or the group pulls into a
small town and is looking for a place to eat lunch. How does the group decide
to pull over? Part of the group gets caught at a traffic light. How does the
group discuss strategy to stay together? I can think of dozens of situations
over the last few years that I have toured with Tyee that would have been a
total zoo without the communication tool provided by the CB's. OK, it was still
a little bit of a zoo, but…
Other reasons include
safety. During a trip of this length, on a daily and sometimes hourly basis,
the CB comes into play to aid in passing other cars with safety. Another nice
benefit, is that another driver in our group my spot a problem with your car
that you may not be aware of or point out traffic hazards coming up. Another
nice aspect of having everyone with CB radios is the ability to work through
traffic.
So, I have made the pitch
about the why, now for the how and how much! CB radios, like many other
electronic devices have gotten smaller and less expensive with time. You can
buy a radio now that is half the size and probably half the price of what they
were ten years ago. To outfit your car, I would recommend three pieces of
equipment: the radio, an antenna and a remote speaker.
I visited the Radio Shack
in West Seattle, to review what is currently on the market. What John Goodwin,
at the West Seattle, Radio Shack recommended as a minimum was the $59.00 radio,
the magnetic mount antenna at around $30.00 and when you are driving with the
top down you will certainly need a remote speaker placed between the seats. The
remote speaker runs $14.00, and I neglected to use one on my first trip. So,
the first town we stayed in had a Radio Shack and after checking into the motel
off I ran to make sure I got to the Radio Shack store before closing time.
Some little hints:
1.
Put something thin and soft under the antenna magnet to prevent your
paint from getting rub marks.
2.
The radios can be quickly removed, so do so at night!
3.
The radios do not have to be "installed", I just set mine against the
tranny tunnel.
4.
Be sure that you select a model of radio that allows you to plug in a
remote speaker. Trust me!
5.
You can run it off of a cigarette lighter or hardwire it! I recommend a
hot wired, cigarette lighter.
The dynamics of a large
group traveling together are hard at best, but the CB at least makes it possible
to communicate as a group, without the radio, the image of leaving one of the
kids behind at the gas station comes to mind! And besides we can use it to
B.S., tell war stories and lies about previous tours…..
See you on Channel 26,
over and out
Jerry Lloyd a.k.a.
SUNEDAY