[Boatanchors] Hopkinton/'Hosstraders' hamfest report (long)

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

Well, another spring installment of Hosstraders has come and gone. Gates
opened Friday morning but apparently Friday was a bad weather day(wind
and snow??), so just as well I didn't arrive then. Having just returned
from the Boulder/Denver area on Thursday required catching up on sleep
anyhow.

Saturday was absolutely a beautiful day, both weather-wise and
radio-wise. Unlike most other years in recent memory when it was rainy
and cold, Saturday was probably in the high 60s/low 70s with bright
sunny skies and a light breeze. Just wonderful.

Now for the deals. This was definitely a 'fest where you could've done
well with a wad of money! I'm sure many of the best deals went on Friday
morning and later in the day, but here are a few of the things I saw and
couldn't buy(ran out of $$):

- National NCX-1000 transceiver w/original manual and many extra parts,
modules, spare finals, in excellent shape....seller also had NCL-2000 in
same condition w/manual, spare rig for parts, spare finals - He was
asking $1K for all, but would've taken less. Someone bought the NCX-1000
but the amp went home with him, no idea what he sold the rig for.

- TG-5 portable telegraph sets, complete w/canvas bags, nice shape -
$100 ea., 2 for $150. No idea what these are worth, but they sure were
nice.

- Johnson 'Speed-X' bug, excellent condition. Sold for $5, buyer stuck
it on his table for $100 and took it home.

- Pair of R-390A receivers needing work. One was intact but missing the
IF deck, other appeared complete but front panel was off and knobs were
missing(all the parts may have been there, just too much stuff and too
many people around to see). Both panels had tags, one Stewart Warner,
one Amelco. Good condition overall, $150/obo for the *pair*.

- Johnson Valiant II, fair-good condition but a bit ratty looking. $95

- Collins 75A-2 w/312A-1(?) speaker/light. Sold fast, no idea of price,
speaker looked like new.

 - box-o-microphones, several old D-104 crystal mics w/stands, Shure
444, Old Turner crystal mic(CX?) w/stand, several others(8-12 total)
priced individually, entire box sold for $150

- Small (275w?)Johnson Matchbox, no meter, good condition, $85 sold for
$75

- National NC 300(I think), very clean, $300, think this might have sold
to Gary WZ1M for $150. Gary?

- Hallicrafter S-40, kinda scruffy but restorable, sold to an OT(who's
name and call escape me atm) for $10

Saw a lot of SX-101s and many, many other items which I either missed or
forgot due to the trauma of not having enough money to buy. I did manage
to snag the following:

- C-43 ARC-5 receiver control box for 2 HF and one VHF receivers,
excellent shape, $25 bought for $20. I now have the AAF
version(BC-944A?) available if anyone is interested. Saw a few chopped
up command sets too, nothing I wanted or needed, though.

- two large Millen plate caps, 25� ea.

- Johnson Messenger II early 2-way w/original manual, cord, mic, exc.
condition, $15

- ACE V(Crosley) 1-tube regen, nice condition w/label inside lid,
missing 4 of the 5 knurled binding post screws but otherwise complete,
$30 (anyone have spares?)

- BC-348Q, excellent face and innards, clean conversion to 115V on
dynamotor plate, easily reversible, cabinet painted bright blue and
ventilated with nickel-sized holes! $50 (Hey - I can find another
cabinet!  Couldn't resist the overall great condition and it works!)

- Johnson KW matchbox(the huge one) w/meter and sensing unit, VG overall
condition, few very small chips/scratches in the cabinet but not bad,
$100

- Really nice receiver cabinet - this is one of those 'couldn't pass it
up' deals, it had a piece of test equipment inside for testing the
breakdown voltage of insulation. Cabinet is one of the nice looking ones
with the rounded corners and perforated cover(maybe a BUD?), looks like
the one housing the spook R-390A next to Les on a previous cover of ER,
which is precisely what I wanted it for(just remember that imitation is
the sincerest form of flattery, Les!). It was the end of the day and my
money was gone though, so I hadn't planned to buy it. Seller obviously
anticipated my lame 'too heavy to carry' excuse and launched a
pre-emptive strike of "Gimme $5 and you can use my hand truck". What a
LOWDOWN, sneaky trick! It's now in my garage.

Fellow BA /AM /MIL Surplus buddies seen: Dale, KW1I in his nicely
restored military jeep containing the R-392 and T-195(working) set up;
Gary, WZ1M (thanks for that knob!); Tim, WA1HLR acquiring more 'stuff';
CCA newsletter editor Mr. Mike, W1RC just wandering and shooting the
breeze with us; Joe, WA2PJP who always has some interesting stories
about audio gear; Warren, NY2H with a very focused look and only
carrying a bag with him(I suspect he'd made several trips back to his
vehicle already, though); Richard 'Doc' Prester, WA2IFS who I met for
the first time; John KB1AMA with a big smile and a front seat containing
a very clean KWM-2A/PM-2 and complete S-Line he'd managed to grab up,
and many others as well.

 It was a great day on Saturday full of sunshine, socializing, and good
deals. If you've never been, you really should try to make it up either
this October or next May. The new location at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds
is very much like the old 'Deerfield' fairgrounds, very similar
characteristics. This is the second time I've gone as a buyer and not a
seller, and it's nice to be able to roam freely. Hope to see some of you
in the fall.

73 de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ