(Continued from previous message)

drives anymore. That 14 hour ride will be rough, but the bus will stop
every few hours to let folks get a snack, stretch their legs, grab a smoke,
etc. Being fully disabled, I'll be able to sit in front of the bus, and I
might have a little more leg room.

  There are several reasons I decided to treat myself to the Huntsville
Hamfest this year:

1) I've never been to it, but have heard a lot about it.

2) Amateur Radio Newsline does their "Bill Pasternak Young Ham Of The
Year Award" presentation...and I might get to meet some of the
Newsline staff.

3) There are a lot of vendors there, although I likely will spend more on
prize tickets and food.

4) The Royal Order Of The Wouff Hong may be done Saturday night at the
Embassy Suites (adjacent to the convention center). I've been through it
twice, and thought I was going to die laughing both times.

  As a side note, there is nothing degrading or vulgar (unless you let your
mind go there), and participants get a very nice certificate afterwards.
You have to be a paid up ARRL member (for the current year, or a Life
Member) to participate. It's a "secret society", but no dues,
officers, or politics...the way a group should be.

5) The D-Star Forum, done by John, WB4QDX. There likely will be several
D-Star hams at the forum. John is the Net Manager for the Southeast U.S.
D-Star Weather Net on Sunday evenings on Reflector 2A, at 9pm Eastern Time.
 We get quite a few D-Star checkins from Georgia and Alabama on that net,
as well as Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and
Texas...but for now, I'm the only one in Arkansas checking in.

6) Eyeball QSO's with hams...and one of my FIDONet BBS connects apparently
lives in the area. The fun thing of the eyeball QSO's is that you make a
mental image of the person you're talking to; but when you finally meet
them, they're not at all like you pictured them to be!!

7) If it's ARRL/VEC doing the license exams, I can assist them with that.
I've been accredited since October, 2007, and have done over 155 sessions
this then. It has been the most enjoyable thing I've ever done in ham
radio.

8) On the way over and back, I change buses in Nashville, Tennessee; where
I have some family (aunts, uncles, and cousins). So, they'll come down to
the station during my 90 minute layover.

9) I get tired of looking at 4 walls in this 960 square foot apartment
(more like a doll house), day in and day out...having been a widower for
almost 9 years now.

  That will likely be one of my last big trips out of state, due to health
and financial issues.

Daryl, WX1DER

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 * OLX 1.53 * Apathy Error: Strike any key...or none, for that matter.
 * PDQWK 2.53 #5


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