Anyone going to the Dayton Hamfest?

I'm in Flea Market spaces 9323 and 9324. That's in a mud free zone called the front lot, which is right outside the buildings.

I got there around 1 PM today for some prearranged tube trades. I traded tubes I don't need to Stan for tubes he isn't selling well.

I should be there all of Friday and Saturday, weather and mud permitting. I left early on Saturday last year when the mud got too deep to walk through.
 
not that I would have gone had it been open given the virus.

I had not decided yet. I generally spent the entire time outside and bring my own food, but you can be killed by one wayward sneeze, so the discision has been made for me. Kinda wish I went to the Orlando hamfest, but it's possible that the virus was there too, and I would have spent some time indoors there.

George, it just occurred to me that I have been reading your signature for considerably more than 5 years..

Uh, I guess it's time to make up a new one. That one just popped into my head during a Star Trek marathon on TV. Right now my wife has been watching the TV news idiots non stop.....no intelligent life there.
 
OK, it's that time again. Finally, after a two year absence the Dayton Hamfest is on again. My swap meet tickets appeared in my mailbox a couple weeks ago. I was planning to be at the Orlando Hamfest in February, but a death in the family cancelled those plans at the last minute. Barring another unexpected event I will be driving west on May 19 for setup day. Anyone else going?

I will be in Flea Market spaces 9323 and 9324. That's in a mud free zone called the front lot, which is right outside the buildings. There is an asphalt road right in front of me with plenty of mud free walking or junk hauling space leading to the parking lot and indoor hamfest buildings.

I often get asked two common questions. The obvious, "What is a hamfest?" and "Why would I go to one if I am not interested in ham radio?" Here is my short answer:

Hamfests are gatherings of people who are usually interested in ham radio, survival radio, and often general electronics, and sometimes computers and maker boards. There are large meetings called forums to discuss radio related topics from general to very specific. There are large, usually indoor, sales floors full of ham radios and other ham radio related equipment. Then there is the flea market or swap meet. This is where I spend most of my time even though I am an Extra class ham. It is also why I have been to hamfests yearly since the late 1960's. What do you find at the swap meet at a hamfest?

Stuff, lots of stuff. The rules at Dayton read. "Flea Market spaces are for the purpose of selling or trading amateur radio, electronic or related equipment or supplies." There is also a list of non permitted items that make sense, Guns, Porno, pirated software..... So what does that allow, and what will I see there?

Like any gathering related to a specific hobby, you will see some extreme and often strange examples just walking around. My friends and I have a running count of how many antennas can be seen on one vehicle. I think the current count is 18. Pictures from my previous Dayton trips can be seen in posts # 80 through 84 and #87. I scraped this picture from the web somewhere many years ago, 2011 I think. Miss AntennaHead was a common fixture at Dayton for several years. You might recognize the blond guy walking the other direction on the left side of the picture. There is a picture of my haul from the Orlando hamfest several years ago. The bag and box are both full of tubes.
 

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