Well, Oklahoma is kinda known territory for me, I monitor north of the border every time I drive to or from Texas. But up until now, I've shut the mobile scanner off at the state line crossing into Texas. Didn't really have a feel for what was active, and was usually driving through so quickly that there wasn't time to monitor and learn what was what. But this time, since I was staying overnight in Gainesville, I figured it was my golden opportunity to learn more and familiarize myself with the area activity.
The Arlington Hamfest (HamCom) is a great place to see all the vendor's new toys, and pickup stuff that I'd otherwise have to mailorder without being able to touch and exam. But it's the small hamfests like Gainesville, (or up in Oklahoma the Enid hamfest), where you get the good, old-fashioned fleamarket swap meets. Prices are generally reasonable, and it's as much fun to meet and greet as it is to shop. That's why I've driven down the last three out of four years to the Gainesville hamfest. And when I didn't make it last year due to work conflicts, I actually got an email from a Texas ham I'd met previously asking if he'd missed seeing me there! Gotta like that!
Mark S.
PS: Too many webmasters seem to assume that everybody has broadband access. I just read the other day that a survey found that all modes of broadband access have finally passed dialup, broadband is now at 51%. Which, of couse means that 49% are still using slower-speed dialup access (like myself). Something to keep in mind when designing websites. The fancy graphics may be impressive, but alot of dialup users will click away if the site takes more than a minute or two to load. It's generally not worth waiting for. My two cents.
