Thursday, December 24, 2015

Amateur Radio Hamfests and Swap Meets

A local hamfest can be a great place to find electronic components and maybe even the inspiration you need to move forward with your own electronic adventures. These swap-meets are always a great source of new and used electronic gear of all types. You may discover far more than just a great bargain on that hard-to-find piece of amateur radio equipment. 

One of the clubs in my area, the Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Association, holds an annual swap-meet and ham festival. Their hamfest flyer states that it is a source for "electronics, amateur radio, shortwave, CB, computers, trains, airplanes, and just about anything with electrons in it!"

I have seen a variety of robots roaming around the grounds at more than one hamfest. You just might find those droids you've been looking for!

Search the ARRL Website for local Hamfests using this link

When driving to a local hamfest location, you will know you are in the right place when you see a parking lot full of cars that are covered in antennas!

The tables are filled with components, gadgets, and equipment from hobbyists, tinkerers, and usually a handful of commercial outlets. If you wish, you can rent a table and sell or swap some of those items that may be gathering dust on your workbench or in your ham shack.

You might be sitting on a goldmine in parts and supplies and not even know it! Someone is probably looking for exactly that item you are no longer using.

If you are interested in Amateur Radio (aka "ham radio") then one of these events is truly the place for you. Most hamfests will offer an opportunity for new hams to take the tests required to get their FCC license. This is also a time when current hams can complete any testing required to upgrade their license to a higher operating class. This is often referred to as "VE" or Volunteer Examiner testing and there can be a nominal cost associated with processing the paperwork required to submit your application and your test results to the FCC. All you need to do is ask and someone will be more than happy to assist you.

Plan to start your day early if you want to get the best deals. Most of the hamfests that I have attended usually close up shop shortly after noon. By then, the majority of the best finds have long since walked out the door. However, this can also be a great time to offer your preferred bid on that special something you've been drooling over should it happen to still be sitting there. Just stop and ask! Sometimes sellers would rather let something go at a lower price than to have to pack it up and bring it back home. This means, "don't give up if you think you might get there too late."

There is also often a small entry fee associated with these gatherings and refreshments are normally made available. You may even be automatically entered to win a door prize just for showing up! The proceeds of a hamfest generally go to support the local Amateur Radio club that is sponsoring the event. These monies are used to purchase and maintain equipment and facilities that are made available by club members to other amateur radio operators for absolutely no cost. A ham's radio equipment is always at the ready to serve the public during times of disaster, severe storms, and life-threatening emergencies.

An example of equipment that is open to other hams and ready to serve the community is something called a "repeater" station. This topic can be an entire blog post all to itself. For now, think of a repeater as a radio based "social network" or chat-room server. It allows a group of people using modest radio equipment (often just a 5 watt handheld radio) to communicate with each other over greater distances than could be covered using their handheld radio alone. Some of these systems offer an "autopatch" option which connects amateur radios to the commercial telephone network. Increasingly, these "repeaters" will use the internet to "tunnel" to locations around the world allowing hams to communicate with one another across the globe while using only modest radio equipment and short range frequencies.

Most of the time these stations are open for use by hams to reach out and talk to one another about general topics. At times, these resources are also used to support community events such as marathons, bike races, and art festivals. Amateur radio operators will use their own personal equipment along with these repeaters to coordinate operations at these special events. Sometimes during severe weather watches, warnings, and alerts you can hear "weather spotters" reporting what they see. Often during emergency situations these repeaters will be closed to general use and will be dedicated to emergency communications and search and rescue operations.

Get on the air, find a hamfest, and build something today!

Thank you for visiting. Keep coming back.

73,
KC7ZXY
Donald Watkins

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All photos and images by KC7ZXY

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