[AMRadio] hamfest?

[D. Chester]

I remember one of the best small hamfests I ever attended, in Chattanooga, 
TN back in the early 80s.  It was an outdoor affair, held in a parking  lot 
on campus at the University of TN @ Chattanooga. It was strictly a flea 
market affair; I don't recall any commercial vendors, and the whole thing 
was outdoors.  But they divided it into two distinct sections.  The main one 
was the ham radio flea market.  Loads of  parts and goodies and not too many 
plastic radios, computers, ad nauseam.  The other section, which had a 
barrier put up to clearly divide it from the main ham radio part, was an 
artsy-crafty type of  flea market, primarily designed to cater to the 
spouses and kids who came along with hams who attended the main event.

They even had a live rock band playing during the event.  Mostly mellow 
stuff, no heavy metal, grunge or hip-hop.  And the hamfest was right in 
front of the university cafeteria, which was open during the event.  Plate 
lunches consisting of real food at affordable prices, not typical hamfest 
slop.  The down  side was that it was in April, and the weather was a little 
too chilly for outdoor comfort.  The other down side for me was at the time 
I was a short on money, and had to pass up several items I would have taken 
home otherwise.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and looked forward to returning the following year. 
I thought it was a great idea, and that they had hit on something that would 
become notable as a  way to conduct a  hamfest.  Unfortunately, they 
changed the venue, and the next one was held indoors in a gymnasium or 
exhibition hall with no tail-gating outside, and became a typical indoor 
hamfest with a lot of plastic radio junk mixed in with non-radio items, but 
few goodies that weighed more than what one person could comfortably carry. 
I never went back to another one.

Don k4kyv
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