Bushie, I think you need to invest some effort in this to make progress. If you watch Bob's advertisement closely, you should know when it stops appearing, meaning either he's sold the machines or he's given up. At that point if you phone him, you can see if he can help you.
Bob doesn't much care for pointless conversations or people who waste his time rather than clearly and concisely, offer him something he wants. If you just keep that in mind, I think you'll find him a helpful, knowledgeable guy - that is certainly my view of him.
