-=> Daryl Stout wrote to JIMMY ANDERSON <=-

 DS> Jimmy,

 JA>Please let me know. I just checked the MARA Online website and they don't
 JA>have it listed yet. I'd like to get it on my calander ASAP.

 DS>   It's usually the second Saturday in April, which for 2017, makes it
 DS> April 8th.

Going to go ahead and add it as a tentative then...

The Reelfoot Club in Union City, TN has already listed theirs for next year - 

http://www.reelfootarc.com

On the 25th of March. We heard about this one just after it occurred last
year. We actually decided to pursue this HAM hobby (obsession ?) then found
out about Bartlett, THEN found out about Union City. Turns out the local
Crockett County club does the VE for Union City. Vanessa and I have joined
that club.

Oh yeah - the Lauderdale County 'club' in Ripley has very informal
"meetings" - it's more of a supper club. :-) They meet the second Tuesday
at the olympic Steak House there in Ripley. Vanessa and I went down there
two nights ago and met some of the guys in person that I had been chatting
with. No president - no minutes - just a fellowship, and good food, of course.
:-D

 DS>    Most hamfests don't get dates on the calendar (or on their
 DS> websites) until like 6 weeks in advance. However, with all the traffic
 DS> and road construction on Interstate 40 between Little Rock and Bartlett
 DS> (on the east side of Memphis), I'm going to have a hard time convincing
 DS> myself to make the trip...driving or riding.

Yeah - Exit 10 (Sam Cooper/240) has only been being built for what, 20 years
now? LOL

 DS>    My legs go into spasm real
 DS> quick if I'm seated for a long time. I am going down to Caddo Valley,
 DS> Arkansas, northeast of Arkadelphia, for a square dance next month...but
 DS> I can make a stop in Malvern, about halfway there, to stretch my legs,
 DS> and get a snack.

I know we chatted on your BBS about this but I have never square danced! Always
looked like fun, but never tried it. My wife and I used to do a lot of line
dancing though, until I started playing and singing more. Now I spend more time
on stage and less on the dance floor. It's good, as I love to perform, but 
sometimes I just want to go and dance. :-)

 DS>   I really don't know if I'll spend any money on prize tickets at the
 DS> All Arkansas Hamfest in Little Rock this weekend. Weather looks to be
 DS> stormy, so that'll likely cut down on the amount of attendees, as well
 DS> as possible license exam candidates. While that might improve my
 DS> chances of winning, I don't have a bunch of money burning a hole in my
 DS> pocket, as it were. They have some nice prizes, but I've seen a lot
 DS> better at other hamfests. Plus, with antenna prohibitions, RF gear does
 DS> me no good.

It's on my calendar as a tentative, but not sure we'll make it... Speaking of
long drives, they are not as fun for my wife either, and we have plans to
go hear some friends of ours sing at a church about 10 minutes from our house.
I hate to drag Vanessa to Little Rock and her be too tired to go to church
that night...

 DS>   I hate to "air dirty laundry", but I got into a big
argument of sorts
 DS> with the hamfest chairperson. The All Arkansas Hamfest in Little Rock
 DS> is a SMALL FRACTION of what it once was, like it or not.

 DS>   He had said to me a few years ago that "I don't know WHY we do a
 DS> hamfest, as I have a heck of a time getting vendors or workers". Yet,
 DS> the place where they have it, several members are on the staff
 DS> (Catholic High School in Little Rock), so they get the facility for
 DS> free. I seriously doubt they'd do a hamfest if they couldn't have it
 DS> there.

wow - facility for free and built in workers - some people just can't be
happy I think... If it's too much work for him, he should step down and
let someone else take over.

Of course that's easy enough for me to say, not being in the middle of it.

oh - and in the 'dirty laundry' catagory, I enjoyed meeting the people in
Ripley the other night and I've enjoyed working with the people in Crockett,
but why do men have to make it a pissing contest?  I have my own
opinions about people but I don't mention them to people I've just met...

 DS>   Some have said that "I'm allowing too little time for
license exams".
 DS> Well, to me, with only 3 vendors (1 embroidery and 2 radio dealers),

Who are the radio dealers? We bought our mobile rigs from Ham Radio World,
I think it is... 

Nope - Ham World Inc. - http://hamworldinc.com - J.T. - met him at Barlett
and bought two study books from him. Saw him at Huntsville and he remembered
me. Shopped at his booth - did some comparison shopping but found his prices
AND his helpful attitude more appealing so I dropped over $600 CASH at his
booth. VERY pleased with him and his company. Bought two TYT TH-7800 dual
band mobile rigs (and the antennas & mounts, etc.). Planning to get a third
one and a PS for 'in the house' use, especially this winter. I need to figure
out an antenna system, though. I'm told I can use a Diamond 770, just like I
have for mobile, in the attic, but penetration of the roofing (not metal,
just plywood and shingles) might be limited. BUT I don't have to worry about
lightning. :-)

Anyway - thought of building a J-Pole, but when I do get to see him again
I'm going to talk to him about it.

 DS> that's not big enough to justify longer exam times. He had on the
 DS> website that testing was in a 90 minute window...when the truth was
 DS> that the hamfest opens at 8am, but I don't start testing until 9am, to
 DS> give folks a chance to "look around" first. If I do have enough
 DS> Volunteer Examiners (VE's), I'd start at 8:30am.

That's a good idea (look around time).

 DS>   However, the cut-off time for walk-ins and re-tests is 9:30am (with
 DS> an early 8:30am start time, that gives an hour)...and because it can
 DS> take 30 minutes to do the exam and the associated paperwork...not to
 DS> mention another forum following in the same room...that's why I have a
 DS> "shortened test time". The website still notes
"testing from 9am to
 DS> 10:30am", but they FINALLY added "you must be in the exam room by
 DS> 9:30am".

Yeah, I saw that. Didn't realize it was a forum room as well.

 DS>   When I told him that I'd send any complainers to him because of
 DS> the discrepancy on the website and the fliers that'll be on the exam
 DS> room door, he said "do it". I'm tempted to tell the
complainers "to
 DS> really tell him off". So many have said that "this
hamfest is a joke".

:-(   Makes me think even more about not making the drive...

 DS>   A few years ago, when I went to Ham Holiday in Oklahoma City, I was
 DS> helping with the exams, and while they had a longer exam time (that
 DS> hamfest was MUCH BIGGER bigger with vendors, etc.), one candidate
 DS> showed up less than 20 minutes before we had to be out of the room,
 DS> wanting to take the exam. The VE Team Liaison REFUSED his request, and
 DS> the candidate went ballistic.

It's a no win situation... If you had taken his money and told him he only
had 15 minutes he wouldn't have been happy. If he could whip through the 
test in that time, no problem, but not likely...

 DS>   I want to avoid anything like that this weekend...but for all the
 DS> trouble I had this year, I think this will be the LAST Arkansas hamfest
 DS> I attend, or do anything with.

Hate to hear that, espescially with it RIGHT THERE (I don't know how close to
home it is, but it's the same town at least).

 DS>   The others are too long a drive or ride to make (or I have a schedule
 DS> conflict that weekend), and my legs go into spasm. In the future, the
 DS> ONLY hamfest I will attend will be the one in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Is it bigger than Huntsville? That's a long way, but might be a good weekend
getaway for Vanessa and myself...

I just looked up the website for it, but can't tell just by the pictures - 

http://shreveporthamfest.com

 DS> With a 5 1/2 hour Amtrak train ride from Little Rock, Arkansas to
 DS> Longview, Texas...then a 1 hour Thruway Bus ride from Longview, Texas
 DS> to Shreveport, Louisiana...that's about all I can handle anymore. While
 DS> I can't move around on the bus (it literally has seat belts in it), the
 DS> train has no such seat belt restriction, and I can move around, if

We have talked of taking a train ride 'out west' before, but looked into the
prices - holy moly! 
... Oklahoma: Our Tornadoes Go To F6!!
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