Ladies and Gentlemen I am pleased to confirm my discussions with Colt have been successful. Colt Manufacturing Company and Colt Defense, L.L.C. have graciously agreed to provide a tour of their iconic Hartford manufacturing facility on Wednesday afternoon, January 11, 2012 for all ARRL Board members and Officers. If you wish to take the tour, please email me and confirm, so I can give Colt an accurate estimate of the size of the group. While Colt has not confirmed the exact time, it is expected to occur between 1 - 4 p.m. The 50+ year old plant, located on New Park Avenue about a half mile from ARRL headquarters, houses production for Colt's civilian handgun and rifle manufacturing as well as its military production of the M4 and M240B. Whether you are a Colt aficionado or just fascinated by history or manufacturing, you will find it an interesting tour. This may be one of the few remaining times to see all of Colt's production in one place, since Colt has just announced its intention to open a production facility in Osceola County, Florida. This is a privately arranged tour and is not an official ARRL Board function. If you have any questions, feel free to call me directly. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 73 *-----------------------------------------------------* ** John Robert Stratton N5AUS West Gulf Division Vice Director West Gulf Division Legislative Action Chair Office telephone: 512-445-6262 Cell: 512-426-2028 PO Box 2232 Austin, Texas 78768-2232 *-----------------------------------------------------*