![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon/lol.gif)
I skipped the hamfest this year as I don’t use the CB radio anymore, but thought I’d look him up as I remember his name and he got his ham license in 2013 or so I think it was. Hamfest was today, hence I thought about ol Lonestar. I went in 2022 and did not see him, they canceled the Hamfest in 2020 for the virus crap as I recall, or maybe 2021.
Anyway, RIP Joe (EBRIGHT, JOSEPH), his handle was Lonestar, in Columbus Ohio. Call sign KC8YPD which you can see a photo of him. He died March 4th 2020. RIP, and thanks for the cool radios and microphones to tinker with over the years.
My skip numbers, 621, I got from the first CB radio which I purchased from him for I think $40, a Royce 1-621 base station in the year 2000. Already had extra channels in it, went down 40 channels, and like 16 channels above 40 or something like that. I remember he had a post it note on it that said "keep both switches down". I had no idea what that meant at the time.
There was a group of guys that would use LSB on 27.625 I believe it was, and had Buckeye Skipper numbers, that was the group, I forget Joe’s, but I recall him using a Buckeye Skipper number. I never tried to join this as one of the main guys was kinda an *****, sorry to say, so I did not participate up there very often, that guy would get angry with newer people coming on and did not want newer people in it. Actually, when I bought the pair of Cobra 2000 GTL's from Joe, I just happened to turn on the radio (hadn't had it on in a few years) and heard him on the Buckeye Skipper channel and stopped in to say hello to him, we chatted for a bit and he mentioned the Cobra's he was selling in case I knew anybody interested.
I believe pretty much all of the old timers that were on the radio when I started have since passed. RIP White fang, Birdman, Montana, Pappy, Little Red, Baltimore Kid, and countless others I sadly can’t think of, but man I remember the fun and how packed the CB band was in the late 90’s / early 2000’s, there were a few channels going day / night. I bought my Maco V5/8 from Little Red, he would buy them in bulk and sell them locally, paid I think $90 for it back then. I spent much of my teen years and 20’s chatting with these guys day / night. So RIP guys, it was a lot of fun, wish I could go back to the radio back then. All the best.