Montana Repair Recommendation
Dear Editor:
We wish to give a big “shout out” to Baker Towing & Repair of Butte, Montana (521 Cobban St.; 406-782-4743). On our trek from Illinois to Idaho in our 2004 Country Coach Magna, we discovered a major problem: a hole in a line of the power steering hydraulic system behind the radiator and just below the engine. Of course, this happened on a Friday morning and the thought of being “down” all weekend entered our heads, but the Baker techs worked on it until the job was completed at a little after 5:00 p.m. They were tremendously polite and thoughtful, very clean, and obviously knew what they were doing.
If you have need of competent service in Butte, don’t hesitate to give them a call.
Cody & Candy Abbott, F38956
Seymour, Illinois
QSL Cards And Ham Radio
Dear Editor:
I read with great interest the article on page 60 of the February 2012 issue of FMC magazine titled “Motor Coach Postcard Collecting.” There are many avenues one may take to enjoy this hobby. I will certainly look for them now. The only problem is to get many dealers and shops to categorize the cards.
I collect postcards depicting my hometown, Centralia, Illinois. Perhaps hundreds of these have been issued over the years. At one time Centralia was the home to Ritchie Brothers photo studio, known for photo postcard views taken all over the Midwest. One of their cards sold for more than $400.
I must take issue with the authors’ mentioning in passing that amateur radio use is not as popular as it once was. After 59 years of ham radio operation, I have collected thousands of QSL cards (confirmation of a contact and exchange of information) from stations around the world. Today it is more expensive than when it cost 3 cents to send a card, so now QSL cards are exchanged electronically via the Web. Also, at the end of 2011 there were 702,392 licensed amateur radio operators in the United States; in 1999 there were 677,056. Listen to any of the ham bands that we operate on and you will hear them busy with chatter. Even the CW (Morse code) bands are still very lively, although knowledge of Morse code is not required to obtain a license.
When emergencies do happen and the police and fire authorities cannot communicate, and the cell phone circuits are either destroyed or overloaded, the amateur radio population steps in to provide emergency communication, be it in the United States or other countries around the world.
For more information about amateur radio, go to www.arrl.org.
Ken Bauer, F299740
W9WGQ
Centralia, Illinois
Texas Fuel Pump Fix
Dear Editor:
While in Texas a short time ago, I experienced a “no start” on my Type A motorhome. I was sent to Lee Hoffpauir Inc. (888-451-2777) in Burnet, Texas. The technicians took a fuel pressure reading and said a fuel pump replacement in the tank was in order. They began work, and 5 1/2 hours later I was on the road.
It must be stated that the professionalism, the regular updates as to progress, and concern for the customer conveyed by the technicians at Lee Hoffpauir rate very high, in my opinion.
Gordon Hildreth, F367865
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
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