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

 DS>   Several years ago, some of the VE's swore that they would NEVER serve
 DS> at a hamfest again, because they ended up being tied up for the entire
 DS> hamfest, and MISSED everything.

I'm not active anymore (due to my current boss) but I understand that
ompletely
as it applies to the Tennessee Technology group. They (we) hold a "summer
institute"
tech conference every summer in a different part of the state. It moves from
school district to school district. I hosted it at MY school the last time I
as
able to go and of course I went to ZERO break out sessions because I was
unning
around the whole time keeping things going. :-)

Let me clarify - it wasn't JUST me, but the 'core group' spends time and energy
organzing and running it and it cuts in to the experience. When it's held in 
other parts of the state, though, it turns into more a conference for me and
I'm able to network with people and vendors, attend sessions, teach a session
or three, etc.

Again, though, another story completely, but I haven't been in SEVERAL years. I
actually got permission to go this year, as it was in Memphis, but then my boss
bumped a summer project UP a week on me. I mentioned it was the same time as
he
conference but he said no - this was more important. 

So, that's the last time I'll 'plan ahead' to attend anything business related.
:-(
I miss my friends there... I'll still continue to plan to hit as many hamfests
as
I can and gaming/comic book things I can though. :-)

 DS>    If that wasn't enough, they were
 DS> literally "begging and pleading" for VE's...and that's
what prompted me
 DS> to work to upgrade from Technician to Amateur Extra...which I did in
 DS> less than a month with HamTestOnline back in the summer of 2007.

WOW! Cool! My wife is Tech only, as she is only interested in local
communication
as it applies to weather spotting/chasing. I went for General so I could do HF
as well. I didn't go for Extra yet because the question pool is/was changing,
but
now I'm thinking of going that route. Then, I think, I won't have to think
bout
WHAT HF I'm using - I'll be legal all across. :-)

The local club - Crockett County - CCARS - 
https://www.facebook.com/Crockett-County-Amateur-Radio-Society-123665484377523/?fref=ts

is big into VE work. They did the testing at Union City this year (see last
message)
and I wouldn't mind 'giving back' in that regard as well, so that's another
reason
to go for Extra...

 DS>   Plus, it's in the fall, and there are several who also are college
 DS> football fans; they likely would rather go to the game than to the
 DS> hamfest. Others have said that "there's so little there anymore,
 DS> they're in and out in 15 minutes".

Not a football fan here. Only time I went to games was in High School on a date

night and then when our son was in the band. :-)

 DS>   Besides the testing, I'm going to do a non-traditional
"demo". At the
 DS> Shreveport Hamfest, the Warnings Coordination Meteorologist from the
 DS> National Weather Service in Shreveport, had a JEOPARDY! template
 DS> (PowerPoint) on his laptop, with WEATHER as the main set of categories.
 DS> So, after looking around, I found one with single Jeopardy!, Double
 DS> Jeopardy!, and Final Jeopardy! -- with weather for Jeopardy!, then ham
 DS> radio for Double and Final Jeopardy!

Very cool! Sounds like Shreveport might be good for weather info? Of course by
August 2017 I hope we're already active...

 DS>   Of course, you can't win any money, but it's a fun quiz deal that you
 DS> can do with weather and ham radio.

Nice. :-)


... Almost had a psychic girlfriend - she left me before we met.
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