> What's the actual drive?  Can I hang a normal PC type FDD off here?

Yes.

> I'm getting sick of trying/retrying/inevitably failing with RD disks...
> I've tried 4, and all 4 have failed...  I got a RD33 to work from the ROM
> standpoint, but when NetBSD boots, it can't write to the drive for nothing.
> I get all sorts of errors that look like bad sectors, even though I
> formatted it on the 2K fine...
> I have a couple more drives to try...
> Is there any special mod required (BEsides a new format) to get ex-PC drives to
> work in uVAXen?

I highly recommend that you go read THIRD-PARTY-DISKS.DAT, available
by anonymous ftp from FTP.SPC.EDU, and study it carefully.  This discusses -
in great detail - using PC-clone hardware on RQDX and VS2000 hardware.
In particular, it explores the issue of drive select jumpers in great detail,
and I suspect this may be your problem.

Another possible problem is that you don't have a disk box that has the
front panel "write protect" and "ready" buttons working.  Check that this
switch panel is plugged in properly and is getting power.

Tim. (shoppa@triumf.ca)