Author: G.M. Myers
Edition: Model Aviation - 1990/03
Page Numbers: 30, 31, 107, 140
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Radio Technique

George M. Myers 70 Froehlich Farm Rd., Hicksville, NY 11801

Abstract

Alaskan club patches. Alaska reading list. Useful travel tools. Photos: Jacobs Lake flying site (Ketchikan, AK); ARCS, Rainbirds, Yukon RCC patches; Ambroid Glue Box, GOOP, Poly-Zap, JB Weld; George Myers hiding behind the Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35 camera; SR tool kit and TRC Fast Charger.

Alaskan Club Patches and Gifts

A couple of the clubs I met on my trip to Alaska were kind enough to give me their patches, which I will share with you now. Too bad this isn't in color, because some real beauties haven't made practice collecting club patches, but these are special to me.

When you head north, take along something characteristic of your home area. People will be extending courtesies and it's always nice to be able to reciprocate. Your club patch might suffice for the RCers you meet, but how about those who aren't RCers? Alaskans are readers (long winter nights, you know), so books about your home state, local histories, aviation histories, or perhaps a book about the company you work for might be just what they want. Try to bring something personal.

Places and Clubs

Ketchikan — The Rainbirds

The Rainbirds of Ketchikan are the most hospitable people you can hope to meet. Bring a floatplane to fly with them. Ketchikan has some fascinating tourist attractions, Saxman Village and Totem Park among them.

To appreciate the Tlingit culture that produced the totem poles and other artifacts you will see, try the book recommended to me by Bob Andrew of the Rainbirds: The Wolf and the Raven: Totem Poles of Southeastern Alaska, by Viola E. Garfield and Linn A. Forrest, University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-73998-3.

Skagway and the Gold Rush Routes

If you drive a personal vehicle, you must travel north from Ketchikan to Skagway on the "Blue Canoe" (Alaska Ferry). Before you get to Skagway, learn something of the Gold Rush of 1898 and the most famous route to the Yukon gold fields. I suggest Chilkoot Pass—The Most Famous Trail in the North, by Archie Satterfield. Alaska Northwest Publishing Co. ISBN 0-88240-109-2. The only way to travel the Chilkoot Pass (even today) is to walk it, and this is a guidebook for hikers.

Before leaving Skagway, take a ride on the White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railway, built in 1900. It parallels the stampeders' foot trail, still visible from the train decades later.

You will most likely drive from Skagway on Klondike Highway 2, a beautiful road (at least on the U.S. side) following the second most famous route to the gold fields, over White Pass.

Once over the passes, most people traveled to the gold fields on Yukon River steamboats. Examples are still to be found at Carcross, Whitehorse, and Dawson City. Yukon River Steamboats, by Stan Cohen, Pictorial Histories Pub. Co., Missoula, MT, ISBN 0-933126-19-0, gives a good overview.

Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

At the other end of Klondike Highway 2 is Whitehorse, home of the Yukon RC Modelers. Ask at the Honda agency for Dennis Wacker and you will meet some friendly Canadians. Whitehorse has an interesting museum and other attractions. Be sure to see "Frantic Follies" if you pass through in the summer.

Anchorage and ARCS

When you get to Anchorage, go to the Dimon Center, look for the Hobby Hut, and ask for information on the ARCS (Alaska RC Society). They fly from a lovely field on Elmendorf Air Force Base north of Anchorage. Anchorage itself has many tourist attractions; to understand what you see, read James A. Michener's Alaska, Random House, ISBN 0-394-55154-0.

Recommended Reading

  • The Wolf and the Raven: Totem Poles of Southeastern Alaska — Viola E. Garfield and Linn A. Forrest, University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-73998-3.
  • Chilkoot Pass—The Most Famous Trail in the North — Archie Satterfield, Alaska Northwest Publishing Co. ISBN 0-88240-109-2.
  • Yukon River Steamboats — Stan Cohen, Pictorial Histories Pub. Co., Missoula, MT. ISBN 0-933126-19-0.
  • Rails Across the Tundra — Stan Cohen, Pictorial Histories Pub. Co. ISBN 0-933126-43-4. (Good overview of the Alaska Railroad and effects of weather, earthquakes, snowslides.)
  • Trail 42, Pictorial History of the Alaska Highway — Stan Cohen, Pictorial Histories Pub. Co. ISBN 0-933126-06-9. (Shows how the Alcan Highway came into existence in 15 months.)
  • Maple Leaf Rag — Stephen Brook, Vintage Books, Div. of Random House. ISBN 0-394-75833-1. (Recommended if you drive through Canada — helpful background on what you are seeing.)

Useful Gear I Took

So, what did I find useful on my trip to Alaska? Here's some of the things:

Ni-Cad Battery Charger

  • TRC charger (old TRC unit). It charges Ni-Cad packs containing from one to 10 cells with no change in special adjustments.
  • The unit contains a peak-detecting charger. Just hook up your battery pack, plug it into a 12-volt battery (or the cigar lighter in your car), push the button, then wait about 15 minutes. I used it to charge my one-cell glow-plug battery, a two-cell electric razor, three- and four-cell flashlights, five-cell photo strobe light, eight- and nine-cell transmitter battery packs, and my 10-cell vacuum and laptop computer packs. I provided my own set of special plugs to make the peculiar connections.
  • (TRC is the manufacturer; I couldn't find the address. Maybe someone who knows will see this and write to me.)

Adhesives

  • The Glue Box offered by Ambroid contains epoxy, fabric glue, styrene glue, vinyl glue, cellulose cement, and the old orange-colored Ambroid beloved by many.
  • Other adhesives I carried: GOOP (clear silicone adhesive), Goldberg Super Jet cyanoacrylate, JB Weld (two-part epoxy filled with powdered steel), Poly-Zap, 60/40 rosin-cored lead/tin solder, and a package of Stay-Brite silver solder. Add a sewing kit and there just wasn't anything I couldn't stitch or bond together short of metal welding.
  • Sources: The Glue Box, Ambroid Company, Lowell, MA 01853; GOOP Adhesive & Sealant, Eclectic Products, Inc., Carson, CA 90745; JB Weld, J-B Weld Co., P.O. Box 483, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482; Poly-Zap, Pacer Technologies, Campbell, CA 95008; Super Jet, Carl Goldberg Models, Inc., Chicago, IL 60651; Stay-Brite silver solder and Stay Clean flux, J.V. Harris Co., 10930 Deerfield Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45242.

Tools

  • SR Batteries tool kit: contains SAE and metric hex wrenches as well as cross-point and regular screwdriver bits in a nifty box with a ratchet drive and screwdriver-type handle. The bits fit into an electric screwdriver, and single replacement bits are available. (SK Batteries, Inc., P.O. Box 287, Bellport, NY 11713; tel. 1-516-286-0079.)
  • Wen portable tool kit #2336: contains a drill motor, Dremel-type grinder, saber saw, and soldering iron, all of which plug into the cigarette lighter 12-VDC receptacle in your car. They look like "toy tools" but work like 110-VAC tools. I had no trouble cutting 1/8-in. plywood and drilling 1/8-in. holes in Ford van body parts.
  • Portasol butane-fueled soldering iron: worked well for me.

Camera

  • Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35: O-ring sealed against dust and moisture, corrosion-resistant yellow plastic exterior, and will float in water. Accepts DX-coded ASA 100 to 1,000 35mm color print film, has pushbutton-selected internal 35mm and 50mm lenses, automatic film advance/rewind, and autofocus. Nearest focus point is five feet with the 50mm lens; a focus-hold feature is built into the shutter button. Tiny built-in flash. Size: 2.6 x 3.1 x 5.8 in., under one pound. I bought it for weather resistance and durability; it can be operated with one hand. (Available at local camera stores.)

Light and Power

  • 12-VDC fluorescent light that plugs into an automobile cigar lighter: handy for reading and working. I put strips of Velcro on the back so it sticks to the interior cloth of my van (headliner, seat backs) and comes off easily. The unit draws 0.6 amps (compared with the van's interior lights at 2.4 amps) but provides plenty of light. Using the fluorescent light extended the run time of my auxiliary RV battery by several hours.
  • I carry a separate deep-cycle RV (12-V) battery in my van to operate the refrigerator, lights, and other items. Total capacity is about 70 amp-hours; the refrigerator alone can exhaust it in about 17 hours. Substituting the fluorescent light for the van's standard interior lights can let the battery last about 15 hours instead of 11. The RV battery is independent from the battery that starts the van. I won't give a specific manufacturer for the light, as I have seen similar units at K-Mart, Radio Shack, etc.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.