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Author Topic: Do we believe them?  (Read 9954 times)

K4CMD

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Do we believe them?
« on: January 14, 2004, 10:34:53 AM »

Saw the ad in QST for my local hamfest, the Richmond (Va.) Frostfest, coming February 22. I visited the website and, in a similar vein to the ad, read:

"NATIONAL AND LOCAL VENDORS with some of this year’s best deals available. See all the latest radio and computer gear. National and local experts can answer your technical questions. Demonstrations of new products from ICOM, YAESU, KENWOOD, ALINCO, STANDARD and more!"

(Um, "Standard"?)

Let's see here. Last year, the hamfest's only expected dealer selling real radio equipment was Ham Radio Outlet, and they pulled a no-show. I was up at HRO last month and they said they won't be coming this year either. Last year's Frostfest, which by the way is also the ARRL's Virginia State Convention, was the first Frostfest I've attended in 20 years where YOU COULD NOT FIND A NEW HF or MOBILE TRANSCEIVER because no dealers were there.

The above ad also mentions "demonstrations of new products from Icom, Yaesu ..." etc. Last year there were no manufacturers present.

I have been a stout supporter of our local hamfest for years and I've been to every Frostfest since I became a ham in 1979. I have been a member of the club that organizes it and have volunteered at the event. I have attended as a vendor several times. I have witnessed the drop in attendance, the computer invasion, and the hamfest's demise into basically a flea market, culminating in last year's piss-poor showing. I've read many of you offering similar observations of hamfests all over the country.

Has the internet caused this? Are too many hams so comfortable behind their keyboards that e-mail and ebay have replaced the fellowship that's a hallmark of our hobby?

I may be criticizing our hamfest, but I'm not going to contribute to the problem. I still enjoy meeting people who share my interests, seeing some faces from last year, and yes, laughing at the stinky guys. So I'll be there. It's just sad that I'll be having to make a 6-hour drive to Charlotte in March so I can find a traditional hamfest with real dealers so I can get the "hamfest price" on the new HF rig I'm shopping for.
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KG4YJR

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2004, 11:20:03 PM »

I heard that instead of the traditional amateur equipment dealers in the coming 2004 hamfests there will be merchants with the largest variety of Elvis paintings on velvet and rugs with dogs playing poker on them but you will have to watch out for the people on the electric scooters who might intentionally run you over if you get in their way to buy something.

73
Dave
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AD7DB

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« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2004, 04:59:36 PM »

I found their website at www.frostfest.com, and indeed the flyer for the thing sure makes it look like something!

One big reason I go to ham conventions is for the technical forums. This one seems rather lacking in that respect. Here in the Southwestern Division conventions we are very fortunate to have a TON of forums to attend at once, with some of the most knowledgeable speakers in the country. Many hams attend it only on Saturday, but Friday night has some hands-on sessions and there are a few on Sunday (the "kiss of death" timeslots, as one speaker put it).

Good luck on this one and do let us know if it really did deliver on their hard sell.
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K4CMD

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2004, 11:02:47 AM »

Sunday too, huh? Nope, this lackluster excuse for a hamfest -- much less a convention -- is only one day, and it's sad to see half the visitors gone and half the vendors packing up by 1 p.m.

Yep, my HF rig is now on its way to a ham in Alabama, sold on ebay this week, and I'll be driving SIX HOURS to Charlotte, N.C., to buy my new Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V Field in March. So sad I'll be forgoing about a half-dozen hamfests that are much closer -- and which used to be very popular -- to go instead to this one, which is one of the few remaining hamfests in the mid-Atlantic that actually will have real dealers and manufacturers' reps.

Maybe, like fashion, the popularity of hamfests will come back around. I pray that after a few more years, people will finally get tired of sitting on their asses behind keyboards all day and finally yearn to go outside, get some fresh air, and meet people face-to-face again.

A man can dream!
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N9AVY

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2004, 01:47:58 AM »

Hamfests have certainly turned into 'flea markets' the last few years. I recently asked one legit ham dealer why he wasn't keeping up with the times by adding Beanie Babies & adult videos to his stock !

Perhaps it's time some serious hams got together in a large public park for a picnic with a bit of 'tailgating'. Anyone who shows up with non-ham stuff should be politely asked to leave. This would be a no-admission, no prizes, no mummified hot dogs, no dealers and no smelly hams affair.

Jerry, N9AVY
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KG4RUL

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« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2004, 10:05:38 AM »

I am getting SICK & TIRED of this "Smelly Hams" label!!!

Have you ever been to a Gun & Knife show? Or a Woodworking Show? Or a Crafts Show? Or just the local Flea Market? Or encountered a guy at a Boat Show wearing a Rolex but, apparently unable to purchase deodorant?

Plenty of Non-Ham, very smelly, people in attendance at these events.

So if you want to use the term "Smelly", append people to that word and NOT just Hams.

Dennis - KG4RUL
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WA2JJH

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« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2004, 05:29:22 AM »

Timonium MD. is like Dayton JR. Always got good delas there.

  Arrive early and enter as a seller for best bang for your buck.

73 DE MIKE
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K4CMD

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2004, 12:29:03 PM »

Hey, I'll call 'em like I see 'em. And if I see 'em at gun shows, then I'll go to egun.net and call 'em smelly mercenaries. If they're at a garden show I'll call 'em smelly horticulturalists.

Wherever the shoe fits, that's what they are!

:)

Please note I didn't say ALL of us fit this bill ...
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K4CMD

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2004, 12:34:42 PM »

ALL RIGHT! My local hamfest finally started posting the vendors who'll be attending on Feb. 22! Among no major ham radio dealers and about a half-dozen large computer stores, we'll have Jones Marine Service and ...

SUE'S JEWELRY JUNCTION!

Maybe I can get a nice rhinestone string tie so I can look like a smelly ham too!
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AC3P

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2004, 10:38:03 AM »

Last month (Jan.) I attended the BARC Mini-fest at Timonium. It's put on by the same club that sponsors the Hamboree and Computerfest in March.

The Mini-fest is a yearly event that serves as a thank-you to the supporters of the March event. The admission was free as was table space. Everything was in one building.

The ratio of non-ham to ham gear was the opposite of what you find at most hamfests today. More transceivers, less computers.

There were no major vendors, but plenty of people brought there used goodies to sell.

A great time was had by all. Some good deals were made and this seller was pleased with the results.  I also bought a few things too.

This event reminded me a lot of the old Calvert Hall Hamfest of the 1970's that was the predecessor of the "Dayton Jr." held in Timonium in March.

Deals were made, lots of eyeball QSOs going on. It was a good event.

73

Frank

 
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K7VO

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« Reply #10 on: February 29, 2004, 05:47:27 PM »

Well, I went to Frostfest and I must say this post did them a disservice.  HRO has been replaced by Communications Headquarters out of Wilmington, NC.  They had quite the spread.  I saw a brand new FT-1000MP Mk.V go out the door, for example, so there was no shortage of new gear.  I bought a small antenna tuner from them and a friend bought a Heil footswitch.  I asked them if they had a good day and the response was an enthusiastic yes.  They'll be back.  HRO's loss is Communications Headquarters' gain.

Oh, and Frostfest was very good this year.  Well worth the 2.5 hour drive from home.

73,
Caity
K7VO
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K4CMD

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2004, 09:52:54 AM »

I (the originator of this thread) was there, actually with a table, and I sold everything I brought. This year WAS a turnaround for the Frostfest, slightly. And since I know most of the staff, we talked about it and they agreed that this year was a breath of fresh air.

HOWEVER ...

ONE retailer does not a hamfest make! The Frostfest used to have several, i.e. Delaware Amateur Supply, HRO, Communications Headquarters, Virginia Ham Radio Supply, and a few others. Part of the fun of going there to buy a new rig was seeing what the retailers did to outdo each other's prices. That doesn't happen when one retailer has the monopoly position. Also, if you were there, then you saw how the place is set up, with the entrance in the middle and all the retailers on the front left side as you walked in. Well, up until two or three years go, retailers also occupied all the space in the right front of the Showplace too. And you might have noticed that about half of the booths over where Comm HQ was were actually private, flea-market guys. So if you compare this year's Frostfest with one, say, five years ago, this one had approximately one-fourth to one-third of the retailers as five years ago -- and keep in mind this year was better than last year!

All in all, I'm not complaining. There were more people in attendance this year, and people were buying stuff. Blame last year on terror and people still reeling from 9/11, which was only a little over a year ago at that point? Maybe. I dunno. It was good to see people out having a good time.

Whatever the case, I still think the club was very amiss to advertise that "major manufacturers" would be there. None were. They also claimed that "national retailers" (with an "s") would be there. One was. They also claimed we'd see lots of new equipment demonstrations from Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Alinco and Standard. We didn't see any. And I won't even mention that Standard got out of the business half a decade ago.

Oops, I just did.
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KZ1X

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Do we believe them?
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2004, 03:24:44 AM »

Well, I have to say that the Frostfest is one of the BETTER hamfests within driving distance of me!  I always get some good stuff there.  This year, I bought 300' of Andrew FSJ4 Heliax for $185, brand new, and a 13A 13.8V power supply for $20 ... and that is just 2 of the deals.  Communications Headquarters was there (a commercial Icom/Kenwood/Yaesu dealer from Wilmington NC) as was Omega Electronics (the old Amp Supply people), The Wireman, RadioWorks, The RFC, and plenty of others.  I didn't see too much of the beanie baby cr*p flea-market stuff, although the computer tables were many and just as stupid as usual.  Steve's Hamfest Rule #1:  never buy anything at a hamfest that you couldn't get just as easily elsewhere for about the same price.  That one and only rule keeps the cash in your pocket for real deals, like the VXL5 connector I bought for $20.  It also precludes the weird (to me) practice of buying a new rig at a hamfest, since you could just as easily have ordered it from any dealer, charged it, not paid the admission fee, and saved the sales tax.  New rigs are not so much cheaper at hamfests anymore so it's not worth it buying them there.
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