Timonium Hamfest Review

Today was the first hamfest of the season that I have attended. I made the trip with another local ham and setup a tailgating spot to offload some extraneous gear that's been laying around the shack here.

Timonium is a very well run affair, and the organizers do a wonderful job at keeping things going. It's usually a very well attended hamfest, and this year seems to be also.

However, things are not what they used to be. When I go to a hamfest now, I expect the usual overpriced retailers, at least one made-in-China doodad booth, and MFJ or an MFJ distributor. This year, the junk-to-ham-gear ratio was the worst I have seen anywhere. Broken computer parts, ripped speakers, etc, littered the tailgate area, with only one or two exceptions. The bargains have also seemingly gone, with the little radio gear actually there, being sold at close to eBay prices. $750 for a modified R390A with "extra" front panel details (putting it nicely)....and many more wonders like it ("But they go for $1800 on eBay!"). I wouldn't argue for a fully restored, factory fresh R-390A. A working, unmolested R-390A can be had for $400 to $500 easily on eBay. There are 2 that completed this weekend for $400 and $500 respectively. Both working, both without the "extra" features. This is just one example of insanity this year. Here's a hint - if you drill holes in the front panel of a collectible, add knobs and switches where there weren't any, you have made your radio practically worthless unless someone wants to buy it for the "features" you added.

Ham radio isn't dying, contrary to the people that regularly cry wolf in QST, CQ, QRZ, etc, but hamfests are. Hamfests are dying because it's all about people who aren't connected to our hobby, trying to make money from junk that should go into the dumpster, and hams trying to charge for "time and labor" on rigs they're trying to sell. Whatever happened to doing it for the love of the hobby? To sell unused items from your shack for a reasonable price so that someone else can actually make use of it?

My first hamfest was in 1987. There were kits, people would walk up to you and talk with you when you were looking at something and tell you how good, or how bad it really was. People would offer advice, and be happy to tell you if they were selling something and someone else was selling the same thing cheaper. It was more about a day out, meeting people and helping other hams, than it was an exercise in how much money you can make in one day.

Last year I noticed that the best deals and gear I saw, were at the smaller hamfests, like Kimberton PA, and BRATS hamfest, for example. There were real radios from $2000 new KenYaeIcom bench queens to $80 workhorse, daily use boat anchors.

I think tailgaters and vendors should be asked what they will be selling at a hamfest, and the real junkers turned away. Half the time the stuff gets left on the ground as they drive away so someone else has to clean it up anyway. Just a thought....not like anyone listens to me anyway, hi hi