Yesterday, four of us, including Rick, KA8BMA; Tom, KC8YHM; Tom, W8TAM; and yours truly drove down together to the Findlay Radio Club’s annual hamfest. Well, Rick drove, actually. The rest of us just rode with him. :)
This is usually a pretty good hamfest, as Findlay is in a good location. It attracts folks from the Cleveland area, Southeast Michigan, Indiana, and southern Ohio.
First, a story
Back in 2008, I ran for Great Lakes Division Vice Director. The elections take place in the fall, and the Findlay Hamfest is a prime place to do some campaigning. I thought I had the election in the bag, so I got lazy and didn’t drive down to Findlay that year.
Well, when the votes were counted, I found out that I had lost by 13 votes! Boy, did I ever kick myself for not going to the Findlay Hamfest. I still think that if I had gone in 2008, I would have won that election. I certainly could have convinced 14 hams there to vote for me.
Even though I’m no longer interested in being an ARRL board member, I try to make it a point to go to Findlay. I think that I’ve only missed one since then. The 2015 edition of the Findlay Hamfest was a good one. I didn’t buy a lot, but had a lot of fun.
Bargain keys
We left the Ann Arbor area just after 6:30 am, and got to Findlay just after 8:00 am. I made all of my purchases within 15 minutes of arriving. My first purchase was an aluminum chassis for a buck, then I found a guy selling a couple of Bencher BY-1 paddles (see right) for only $45 apiece.
I bought one of them, and mentioned to the guy that he probably could get more for them, if he wanted to. I then wandered inside to see what some of the dealers had to offer.
It hit me, though, that I should probably go back there and grab that second one before he raised the price. So, within about five minutes of buying the first one, I purchased the second one as well.
Why, you might ask, do I want two BY-1s? Well, I buy keys like this in order to pass them on to newcomers to CW. I’ve perhaps bought and sold a dozen paddles to guys who have gotten interested in CW, but aren’t sure about buying a new paddle, and yet are uncertain about buying a used one. I resell the paddles for exactly what I paid for them, and they know that if they buy it from me, they’re getting a decent paddle. I think that I already have takers for both of the BY-1s I bought yesterday.
A couple near-misses
I almost bought a couple of other items, but resisted the urge. One guy had an Autek antenna analyzer for $65; another had a Hallicrafters S-120 that he wanted $30 for.
The Autek was a pretty good deal, but the vendor packed up before I had a chance to get back to him. That’s OK, though. He lives near me, and if he still has it, I can get it from him. The Hallicrafters was a radio that I had as a kid. It would have been fun to have, but honestly, I’d probably hardly ever use it, even if it was working.
Study guides on sale
One notable event was that the Findlay Hamfest marked the first time that my study guides were on sale at a hamfest. Bill, N8ET, of Kanga US, purchased some of my study guides and was selling them along with all the other books he was selling on Sunday. I didn’t get a sales report, but when I stopped to say hello, Bill did say that he’d sold some copies. Thanks again to Bill and the folks who bought my books.
Meeting and greeting
I get to meet a lot of great hams as a result of my blog and my study guides. Findlay was no exception. One of the guys that I got to meet face-to-face for the first time was Dave Sumner, K1zz, ARRL CEO. We’ve swapped e-mail in the past, but this was the first time I got to shake his hand.
A light lesson
Just before I left, I got to looking at the lighted magnifiers being sold by EAE Sales. EAE Sales is at nearly every hamfest around these parts, and he carries just about every kind of soldering tool that you can imagine. When I asked, the proprietor gave me a five-minute crash course on how to choose a magnifying light. That will be the subject of a future blog post.
Overall, all four of us had a blast. Rich bought a National NC-98, the receiver he used as a Novice, and Tom snagged a Viking Matchbox with an SWR meter for only $100. It was well worth the drive, and I look forward to doing it again next year.
Doug - KM4FWM says
If you have any other beginner keys, please keep me in mind. Not much worthwhile on ebay and I’m a bit afraid to buy used from unknown sources.
I’m still working on learning to receive CW, but will be in the market for a beginner key fairly soon.
Pretty good tips: https://www.eaesales.com/bruces-tips/bruces-rules-of-soldering/
Dan KB6NU says
OK, Doug. You’re next on my list.
Ed B. says
Give one Bencher to our buddy Prem??? Please?
Dan KB6NU says
One has his name (callsign?) on it. :)