[Doug Houston]

I haven't seen what this Gates networker looks like. There were all sorts of variations on the offerings of the various makers. I'm trying to remember what the networker was in the AFN radio station I was in when in the Army reserve. Our console was a Gates, the tables as well, with GE VR pickups. We had a couple of Stancil-Hoffman tape machines; one in a coffin for portability. I was the station engineer, and it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot in those years. We had an Altec 639 mike, and a few E-V 635's. They were originally equipped with the big Cannon connectors, but we switched to the Cannon XL-R types. I've standardized on those connectors myself.

My own mike stash consists of an Altec 639, a few E-V 635's, and a couple other E-v's that I can't remember right here. There are also two RCA 44BX mikes, and a couple other smaller RCA's.

Back in them there days, I bought a new Concertone rack mount recorder. Sort of a poor man's Ampex, possibly. It was OK, but then, the bottom fell out of of prices for Ampex stuff, 7 of the big Ampex jobs, and the Concertone is gone. There is also a couple of Magnecords. I love that stuff. It's not used for anything professional; just for playing around with.....my idea of fun. I wonder if/how you'd add pictures to a message???

Beats sittin' on my mezzanine, watching sports.