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Old August 24th 06, 01:31 AM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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Default buying stupid in the USA


"mike maghakian" wrote in message
. ..
sometimes people complain when I point out people paying real stupid

prices
for something on eBay.


The reason for that is Hamfests and Swap Meets in general are DEAD.
Finished! Kaputski! Stick-a-fork-into-it! (etc..etc..)
Dayton Included too. I went to Dayton this year after a 5 Year sabbatical.
Fully 1/3'rd of the outside vendor spaces were empty.
Just 5 Years ago this was a rarity and 10 years ago it was downright
impossible.

Why? Reasons are many....aging ham/swl population, SK's, health/travel,
cost
of gas food lodging etc... then again, why drive when you can order new
online
an it's at your door via UPS in a few days?

Ham radio is changing and it is aging. more than HALF the hams I used
to talk with on 75M HF just from 10 Years ago are all SK's. That alone
speaks volumes folks!

E-Bay did not kill hamfests. Hams themselves are dying off and
most of the stuff is ending up on e-Bay where it's a feeding frenzy.
This too will end in a few (10?) Years time also.

In short....Wayne Green (W2NSD) had it right all along folks.

Enjoy the rest of the ride.


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Old August 24th 06, 03:05 AM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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Default buying stupid in the USA

Yep! All them are reasons I have stopped attending Dayton and many other
hamfests.
But ebay is also a contributor. I got some 2m old crystal rigs via ebay and
shipping
cost more than the radios. My last time at Dayton a few years ago it was a
costly
one day ticket (my health not good either) and $8 to park in a handicap
parking spot
that might as well been down at the mall it was so far. I thought handicap
parking
meant CLOSE to the doors. With Gas about $3 a gallon depending on the
wind...
another $100 bucks down the tail pipe. The items for the most part these
days
are "vintage" things that have been to more hamfests than I have or they are
"Like New" and priced as new. Most "Homebrew" projects in magazines and
books these days have little chance of success with the ol' junk box and
requires
a large part of it to be bought and often via mail. "What radio supply
store?"
When you do get to a hamfest the people are rude, bump into you, step on
you,
just same as many drivers on the road have aggressive attitudes. All the fun
of the fest's
has gone as well as a pleasurable drive getting there has gone. And the
total cost
of just going is 1/2 the cost of a new 2m rig. UGH!!

Oh and don't forget other tech'y things like the cell phones that has
displaced a lot
of would be radio operators for maybe contacts with more secure and reliable
contacts. 2m and 70cm not as impressive as it used to be. "What do you
mean,
point the antenna UP?" LOL ;-) My wireless home phone and my computer
has more MHZ than my radio now. ;-(

Maybe it's as well though. Having started in the TUBE days and seeing SMD
parts
now I can't find, or use if I could find them for projects... might be
appropriate that we go
out together in a few years.

Sorry I missed the original post to this thread. Hope it didn't wander too
far...
Have rag chew paper too . LOL

de K4TWO Gary OT
--
emailto:



"bobbbo" wrote in message
groups.com...

"mike maghakian" wrote in message
. ..
sometimes people complain when I point out people paying real stupid

prices
for something on eBay.


The reason for that is Hamfests and Swap Meets in general are DEAD.
Finished! Kaputski! Stick-a-fork-into-it! (etc..etc..)
Dayton Included too. I went to Dayton this year after a 5 Year sabbatical.
Fully 1/3'rd of the outside vendor spaces were empty.
Just 5 Years ago this was a rarity and 10 years ago it was downright
impossible.

Why? Reasons are many....aging ham/swl population, SK's, health/travel,
cost
of gas food lodging etc... then again, why drive when you can order new
online
an it's at your door via UPS in a few days?

Ham radio is changing and it is aging. more than HALF the hams I used
to talk with on 75M HF just from 10 Years ago are all SK's. That alone
speaks volumes folks!

E-Bay did not kill hamfests. Hams themselves are dying off and
most of the stuff is ending up on e-Bay where it's a feeding frenzy.
This too will end in a few (10?) Years time also.

In short....Wayne Green (W2NSD) had it right all along folks.

Enjoy the rest of the ride.




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Old August 24th 06, 04:04 AM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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Default buying stupid in the USA


"Mr Fed UP" wrote in message
...

My wireless home phone and my computer
has more MHZ than my radio now. ;-(
de K4TWO Gary OT


Gary my boy, you just broke the DaVinci Code. :-)

That statement alone noted above speaks sheer volumes for those
educated and or intelligent enough to comprehend
the implications of the same. Thanks for a most refreshing posting.

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Old August 24th 06, 04:17 AM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,053
Default buying stupid in the USA

ole droopy-drawers wrote:

"Mr Fed UP" wrote in message
...

My wireless home phone and my computer
has more MHZ than my radio now. ;-(
de K4TWO Gary OT


Gary my boy, you just broke the DaVinci Code. :-)

That statement alone noted above speaks sheer volumes for those
educated and or intelligent enough to comprehend
the implications of the same. Thanks for a most refreshing posting.



That has long been common knowledge to those of us who noticed the
downhill slide of radio receiver quality when the Volume knobs became
larger than the Tuning knobs.




mike
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Old August 24th 06, 06:34 PM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 102
Default buying stupid in the USA

"Mr Fed UP" wrote in message
...
My last time at Dayton a few years ago it was a costly
one day ticket (my health not good either) and $8 to park in a handicap
parking spot
that might as well been down at the mall it was so far.


I believe the admission prices at Dayton are largely driven by the "going
rate" for the Hara Arena; renting large spaces like that is *quite* expensive.
The prices are certainly not high compared to similarly sized non-amateur
conventions I've attended.

The handicapped parking largely seems to be an issue because *so many* people
request it these days; it's impossible to have literally 300 handcapped
parking spots *all* close to the door. I agree that you're probably better
off parking in a handcapped spot at the mall and riding the shuttle bus.

I believe that for hamfests to continue being successful, they're going to
have to concentrate more on educational seminars, demonstrations, and events
(transmitter hunts, contests, etc.) rather than just a swapmeet.

I think it's a often sign of trouble when any organization seems to spend an
inordinate amount of time worrying about their own numbers rather than just
engaging in what it is that brought them together in the first place and
letting the membership numbers drive themselves. Ham radio (or at least the
ARRL) seem quite preoccupied with membership levels...

My wireless home phone and my computer
has more MHZ than my radio now. ;-(


:-) Yeah, I know what you mean. To some degree FCC regulations have held
back the development of amateur radio, but on the other hand the number of
amateurs out there who could successfully *design* or even *assemble*
something similar in complexity to a cell phone is miniscule.

Maybe it's as well though. Having started in the TUBE days and seeing SMD
parts
now I can't find, or use if I could find them for projects... might be
appropriate that we go
out together in a few years.


Parts availability today is, in many cases, far better than ever before.
Mouser and DigiKey are real treasure troves of inexpensive RF parts, you know
in the click of a mouse what the stock status is, and they deliver quickly.

---Joel Kostad


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Old August 26th 06, 09:47 PM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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Posts: 182
Default buying stupid in the USA

bobbbo wrote:
"mike maghakian" wrote in message
. ..
sometimes people complain when I point out people paying real stupid

prices
for something on eBay.


The reason for that is Hamfests and Swap Meets in general are DEAD.
Finished! Kaputski! Stick-a-fork-into-it! (etc..etc..)
Dayton Included too. I went to Dayton this year after a 5 Year sabbatical.
Fully 1/3'rd of the outside vendor spaces were empty.
Just 5 Years ago this was a rarity and 10 years ago it was downright
impossible.

Why? Reasons are many....aging ham/swl population, SK's, health/travel,
cost
of gas food lodging etc... then again, why drive when you can order new
online
an it's at your door via UPS in a few days?

Ham radio is changing and it is aging. more than HALF the hams I used
to talk with on 75M HF just from 10 Years ago are all SK's. That alone
speaks volumes folks!

E-Bay did not kill hamfests. Hams themselves are dying off and
most of the stuff is ending up on e-Bay where it's a feeding frenzy.
This too will end in a few (10?) Years time also.

In short....Wayne Green (W2NSD) had it right all along folks.

Enjoy the rest of the ride.


The various "free flea" ham events that pop up here ins S FL are well
attended. They are short and sweet events opening at the crack of
dawn and ending by noon. Stuff for sale is a mix of old radios
from the 50's through the 90's (with a few WWII boat anchors here
and there), lots of computer crap (who wants pre-pentium stuff these
days?), and a few tube vendors. Also the usual guys just cleaning
out their junk boxes. Why pay to go to a big ham fest when you
can show up at a freebee? I usually don't find any real big bargains,
but I do bump into old friends, chew the fat, and usually take home
some needed parts for a project.

Maybe the flea markets at the big
shows are lean because all the sellers have dumped their stuff at
the free fleas? It is a pain to have to load up, set up, hang around
for two long days and then pack it all back in and go home. With
the free fleas you just open your trunk throw a blanket on the floor
or open up a folding table or two. 5 or 6 hours later, (not too
long a drag) you pack it up and go home. You'll take less stuff
to sell, and maybe have to go to a few free fleas to get rid of it all
but somehow it seems like less wear and tear on the old body.

I still like to go to one big hamfest a year though, just to see what
the big vendors have come up with.
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Old August 27th 06, 08:29 PM posted to rec.ham-radio.swap,rec.radio.amateur.homebrew,rec.radio.boatanchors,rec.radio.shortwave
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Posts: 8
Default buying stupid in the USA

My biggest gripe is that the SAME guys show up selling the SAME old crap
that you have seen for the last 4 or 5 years now and the all think that they
have stuff made out of pure diamonds. If the rest of us don't buy their
overpriced crap then prices would come in line with reality. (getting off
soapbox now...;-)

Chris



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