Subj : Hamfests For WX1DER
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Wed Jun 08 2016 06:57 pm

  For those wanting to meet WX1DER, I'll be attending 3 hamfests in 2016:

1) The Shreveport, Louisiana hamfest on August 13.

2) The Huntsville, Alabama hamfest on August 20 and 21.

3) The Little Rock, Arkansas hamfest on September 17.

  First, on the Shreveport trip, I originally was not planning to attend.
However, I did some checking between Amtrak and Greyhound, and the price for
the round trip Amtrak coach and Thruway Bus fare from Little Rock to
Shreveport, was about the same as the Greyhound bus fare.

  However, the reasons I chose Amtrak instead was because:

1) The arrival time in Shreveport would be the same either way.

2) The bus depot was not in the best of neighborhoods (downtown).

3) There weren't any hotels close to the bus depot, and cab fare would've eaten
me alive.

4) With the Amtrak Thruway bus, the hotel I'm staying at (La Quinta Inn And
Suites) provides shuttle service. While it offers only a continental breakfast,
a Waffle House and an IHOP are on either side of the hotel. The room rate for 2
nights was about the same as 1 night from the hotel I stayed at last year.

  So, all I'll need is transportation to/from the hotel and the fairground,
where the hamfest is held. Arrival time is Friday morning, with departure time
Sunday afternoon.

  I couldn't afford the Sleeping Car, and riding the coach on the train was
like riding the coach on the bus, with a little more leg room. I can eat about
as cheaply in getting snacks from the Lounge Car, than going to the Dining Car.

  Second, on the Huntsville, Alabama Hamfest, I'll be riding Greyhound from
Little Rock, Arkansas to Huntsville, Alabama, switching buses in Nashville.
I'll arrive Friday afternoon, and depart Monday morning...staying at the
Embassy Suites, which is adjacent to the Von Braun Convention Center...where
all the activities will be Saturday and Sunday.

  Third, for the Little Rock, Arkansas hamfest, this one is a small shell of
what it once was...and in comparison to both Shreveport and Huntsville, there's
really no comparison. However, it is the one in my home town, and I will be
there to do the license exam session.

  I think the W5YI/VEC does testing at the Shreveport hamfest, and I'm not sure
who does testing at the Huntsville Hamfest. If it's ARRL/VEC, I can assist both
days...the times available depend on the D-Star Forum I plan to attend at the
Huntsville Hamfest. With my doing the testing at Little Rock, it will be
ARRL/VEC.

  So, if you are in the areas noted above, on the dates noted, I'd love to have
an eyeball QSO with you.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER

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