MSE....

Any chance we could talk you out of getting a J Pole, and instead getting a name brand vertical of some type (Diamond, Comet, etc).  They are much, much better designs, with coax decoupling and gain that are far better than a J Pole.

Some like J Poles due to simplicity and ruggedness, but have real issues with decoupling the feed line (eg. need coils of your RG-8 at the base), so why even mess with it unless you have a compelling need for a J Pole specifically?

Good luck.

 

Amen, Norm.  Too, the same people who complain about 6 or 7 AM for deals will also complain about price inflation on eBay, which is 24/7/365.

Meeting up with friends, attending forums, talking with (not talking down to) your ARRL regional rep....well, that goes all morning and into the early afternoon.  
 

Yep, it is what it is.  

Too, how many hamfests does one attend over the course of a year, such that planned 6 or 7 AM arrival times are this huge impact on his quality of life?    They're usually on Saturdays, so an early start means an earlier back home time to enjoy the rest of your day with your family.  

Nobody is telling you to get there at the crack of dawn, either.....you can get there whenever you want.  In reality, the complainers just want to be part of the best deals at 9 or 10 AM.  

Interesting how the author also started another thread about using $35 in gas travelling to/from a hamfest as a metric about whether or not the effort was worth it.  So, $35 max for gas, and a 10 AM start....what's next, limiting the prices for the SOS, doughnuts, or fried pork tenderloins?  Whine, whine, whine.

  

VEY,

You're giving way too much thought to this.  I'll echo how the previous replies read.....the selling price of a radio is what the market will bear.  One reason you're seeing so many examples of high priced equipment is because they haven't sold by the time you've walked by.  Fair priced gear that's in great shape goes very quickly.  It's not a "disservice" to the hobby at all....it's just people being people.  Hasn't changed in 37 years of hamfesting for me.  Also, licensee numbers aren't dwindling at all.  In fact, they're higher than ever.  I might suggest getting some time as a ham under your belt before drawing such dire conclusions about the state of things.  While you're at it, just relax and enjoy.

 

I guess this isn't the thread to see who might be going to Friedrichshafen this year?

LOL!  Yep, he's got that right.  Also, the parking lot at the now-defunct Salem Mall usually has some beauties parked there.  ARES/Skywarn/REACT urban tactical assault first responder machines.  LED light bars have been the latest craze for them.  You'll probably see an "Interceptor" or two as well.....owned and operated by that fringe who dig watching the traffic slow down when they get on the highway.  Don't think there any forums on how to do that, though.

Excellent point, I totally agree.  Probably has something to do with a waterfall not telling any lies.  In SSB, "you sound tinny, you sound overdriven", etc are qualitative, but a wide PSK signal is there for the whole world to see.

 

LOL!

Ah c'mon....the sewage volcano cascaded the funk down into the flea market. The vendor's area stayed dry.  Well, until the people from the flea market came walking in. Ewwww...

Yep.  Did you catch that review of DX Engineering on another thread where the guy slams them because they have a $20 minimum for online orders?  DX Engineering....probably one of THE finest ham radio vendors in existence today, and this guy rails on them for not allowing minuscule ordering.  What can you even get for less than $20, and still make it economical with shipping?

Good grief.

   

NYY...

Thanks for hanging in there.  LOTS of silent, happy customers do appreciate you guys staying in a thankless, very low-profit line of business.

Sorry you have to also deal with the rest.

Paul,

I've seen anecdotal examples like that just about every single time I've been in an AES, HRO, or R&L.  Some of the most idiotic things that a person could ever imagine are on full display at your friendly ham store.  The counter employees do a remarkable job of refraining from saying "you can't fix stupid"....not that some of these moron customers deserve that restraint because many are also just plain malicious.   

I don't know how you do it, I really don't. 

Best,
Brad, K9MHZ

Very well put Clint, thanks.

And yet, we have a continual parade of silly people with an axe to grind over the dealers for some utterly bizarre reasons.  In the military, it's called crapping in your own messkit.  

No you don't.  But the "advice" above to not use them seemed pretty definite in your mind.  Also saw that you don't like R&L, either.  Too much "dust" there, eh?

Wow, how weird.    WB8"NUT".....LOL.

Yep, I for one absolutely disagree.

I can only give an anecdotal report of my last visits to AES in Milwaukee over the course of a week in Feb.  The phone rang constantly with hams ordering items.  The counter help was so frazzled with all of the activity, they had to let the phone ring just to get to the customers in the store.  I don't know what AES you're describing, but it surely wasn't the AES I saw doing business.