Ed,   
      
   EV>I did it mostly to have fun watching folks guess if it was worth paying   
   EV>me 50 cents for one of the bags.   
      
     Hams can be some of the biggest cheapskates you'll ever find...but   
   most would prefer to use the word "frugal".  I've seen a lot of these   
   "older computers" at hamfest...both PC's and even Apple and Commodore   
   computers. And, let us not forget the peripherals such as printers,   
   floppy drives, modems, etc.   
      
   EV>The SECOND reason was that my wife asked me to get rid of some of the   
   EV>stuff that I had hoarded.   
      
     Yeah, got to keep the XYL happy.   
      
   EV>I had fun being on the other side of the table once.   
      
     Sort of like when one visits ARRL HQ, and works W1AW...you get to be   
   on the other side of the pile-up.   
      
     On another note, it looks like that data radio may not arrive until   
   sometime next month...so the packet door on the BBS probably won't be   
   activated until sometime in September.   
      
     And, speaking of hamfests, there are 2 hamfests in Arkansas in   
   September...Mena and Little Rock.   
      
     They are still doing remodeling at the lodge at Queen Wilhemena State   
   Park near Rich Mountain...so folks camp out in tents, or sleep in their   
   vehicles overnight. Weather can vary widely from the base of the   
   mountain to the summit.   
      
     I understand they have a "small railroad" (similar to what's at a zoo)   
   with Kansas City Southern equipment, where folks can ride around the   
   complex. It's billed as "the best little hamfest west of the   
   Mississippi"...and it's practically one of the oldest ones...now 45   
   years running. I've never been to Mena, but many folks from the Arklatex   
   region go each year...always the weekend after Labor Day Weekend.   
      
     As for Little Rock, it's much smaller than it once was. While still   
   billed as the All Arkansas Hamfest, it's only on Saturday now (usually   
   morning and early afternoon), and there aren't a ton of vendors (sort of   
   like the hamfest at Hoxie). I do the license exam sessions at the All   
   Arkansas Hamfest (held at Catholic High School...since some of the hams   
   are faculty there, they get the facility for free), and plan to do a   
   demo of D-Star, D-Rats, Packet, and Echolink after the exams.   
      
     The Russellville hamfest is better, and I like to go to the nearby   
   Whattaburger across from Arkansas Tech University afterwards...but   
   there's usually a long wait to get served, as the place is so popular!!   
   It first opened in 1967, and still does a land office business.   
      
     Speaking of Hoxie, I'm glad their hamfest didn't occur last week, when   
   they had that massive head on collision of 2 Union Pacific freight   
   trains...apparently, the southbound train ran a red signal...the 2   
   crewmembers on that one were killed, and the 2 crew members on the   
   northbound train were injured.   
      
   Daryl, WX1DER   
      
   ---   
    þ OLX 1.53 þ What you think of me is none of my business.   
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                                                                     
   --- Virtual Advanced Ver 2 for DOS    
    * ORIGIN: The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org (1:19/33)