I’d like to say that you guys (Girls) put on a very good Hamfest, it is unfortunate that this year it had to be canceled. I have been going there probably for the better part of 20 years, selling and buying. All of my friends who are into radio equipment have found some really good deals there. I must say that you guys have the most diverse Hamfest/swap meet in NJ. Mike Rosen Looking forward to going next year. Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.
On Sep 16, 2020, at 10:14 AM, Kelly Leavitt via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
Not to flog a deceased equine but... Sussex County NJ is home to a great hamfest too.
We have over a thousand buyers through the gates and over 200 sellers. Ann and I usually run the kitchen. We see all kinds of folks.
73 de KE2L
________________________________ From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vcfed.org> on behalf of Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 10:33 PM To: W2HX via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Dave McGuire <mcguire@neurotica.com> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF East Swap Meet - Save the Date - Saturday November 7 (Rain: Sunday November 8)
Butler, PA is in the middle of nowhere and generally consists of an odd mix of farmers and meth addicts, but there's one hell of a hamfest there every year. I too thought hamfests had pretty much died, but then I was very happily corrected! I never miss that one.
Of course, every year at the Butler hamfest I run across constipated old men standing around complaining about how ham radio (not hamfests, but ham radio) is dying. Sometimes I'm in a snarky enough mood to interrupt and inform them that it's bigger than it ever has been, but I usually just shake my head and leave them to their bran muffins.
-Dave
On 9/15/20 9:41 AM, W2HX via vcf-midatlantic wrote: I'll pile on 'cause I'm a ham (don't mess with us! Haha).
I frequently attend NEARfest which is a spring and fall hamfest event in the New England area. I don’t know the exact attendance numbers but if I had to guess I would say "a few thousand" when the weather is good. There are more hams licensed with the FCC today than ever before in history. Over 760,000 in the US alone (according to Wikipedia).
And growing! http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/Ham%20Radio%20Stats%202014.jpg
Worldwide the number is about 3,000,000 (again according to Wikipedia). I wonder how many vintage computer hobbyists exist the world? Maybe we should learn something from the hams.
73 Eugene W2HX
-----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Joshua Abraham via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Monday, September 14, 2020 7:47 PM To: vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org Cc: Joshua Abraham <jarvideo@gmail.com> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF East Swap Meet - Save the Date - Saturday November 7 (Rain: Sunday November 8)
I was right about that, and I was right about hamfests. How many families and kids excitedly go to a hamfest? Swapmeets are incestuous, and that makes communities wither and go extinct.
I couldn't help but weigh in on this. Before making snide remarks such as these it may help to make sure you have actual data to back that up. Hamfests can be rather small and boring but others are MASSIVE coordinated events with large attendance. Most notably, the annual Dayton Hamvention which had an attendance of over 32,000. This event is to hams what VCF is to us vintage computer enthusiasts. The event is hugely successful and they have a full on flea market to go along with it.
Closer to my neck of the woods is the annual Shelby Hamfest, an event that's well more than a few decades old and boasts several thousand in attendance and even offers campground space for the folks they know are traveling far and bringing families along.
Based on these events alone I'd say ham is alive and well and far from extinct.
Personally I think the swapmeet is a fantastic idea and has much potential. -Joshua A
-- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA