Thanks. From what I've been able to gather, most of the focus has been on receiving high speed digital modes (HDTV, GMSK, and 802.11 spread spectrum). I think I'll go ahead and take the plunge after the first of the year (looking to build a new PC anyway, and not interested in Vista, so this is a good reason to switch to Linux anyway).
Did a quick google search on Mr Garbee and came up with this page...
http://www.gag.com/~bdale/Which is a good thing since he lives somewhat nearby.