[HCRA] HCRA Auction 2003 Recap

[Jim Mullen]

2003 Auction Results

November 2003 marked another successful auction for the HCRA. When the dust
settled, the last of the items auctioned off, the hall cleaned and just a
few leftover boxes were placed in the dumpster it was almost midnight! Over
100 people attended, and the bidding moved very rapidly during the evening.
There was a LOT of items to bid on! As usual, the HCRA auction is a great
place to get some incredible deals on equipment and accessories for your
amateur radio station. Where else could you outfit and entire test bench for
under $100?

The generous donations of equipment benefited the club greatly. Many people
unselfishly marked items as "club donations" but a few deserve special
mention. Chet, W1HGJ offered up a whole carload of test equipment, radios,
ATV stuff and cabinets full of components. Steve, N1PVX donated a beautiful
Drake 2B receiver with speaker and accessories. These two donations alone
probably netted the HCRA well over $300, money that will be a big help as we
get ready for FD 2003! A big 'thank you" from HCRA, your generosity is
greatly appreciated.

The other big event at the auction is the raffle. This year's grand prize
was a Yaesu FT-817. Interest was high and almost one thousand tickets were
sold by the time the drawing was held at 9:30 Friday evening. Rick, N1WGK
from Higganum, CT was the winner of the FT-817. He wasn't present at the
auction and boy did he sound excited on the telephone  when I contacted him
Saturday morning! He purchased his ticket at the Big-E in September. While
speaking  with him he mentioned he's doesn't yet have HF privileges. Now he
has a good reason to upgrade! It was an enjoyable telephone conversation and
I'm sure he will have a lot of fun with his new toy. Second prize winner was
John, Kx1x taking home (well if we had it he would have!) the latest edition
of the RAC Callbook. Winner of the Bencher Power Center was Les, K1DNX.

Without a doubt, the raffle and the auction were both great successes. But,
we couldn't have done it without the support of all the hams in and out of
the area who came, bought, sold or donated and had a great time doing it.
Your interest and enthusiasm are what makes it all happen. A special thanks
to each and every one of you for your support.
So... mark your calendar now for next years big event. It's Friday, November
7th, 2003. Same place, same rules, same free admission. Raffle prize? Maybe
even bigger and better than this year. Stay tuned!

'73 and thanks from everyone at HCRA

Jim, KK1W