[Milsurplus] Timonium, a one time great hamfest

Sun Apr 7 18:26:30 EDT 2013

Thank you all for contributing to this thread.

As  I sit in my fairly well-equipped shack, I am looking fondly at a couple
of acquisitions back from the days when Timonium was "the" hamfest of the
year, second perhaps only to Gaithersburg.

I have a really mint HRO-60 that I bought from Timonium, for about $250 with
speaker and four coils.  I also have a Hallicrafters SX-73/R-274 that I
bought for only $55!

This was back when Timonium occupied three full buildings, the entire
parking lot between the three buildings, and even spilled into the adjacent
parking lot near one of the entrances.  I really miss those days!

Now, not only is that fest barely a fraction of its old self, but
Gaithersburg is a distant memory as well.  

I did go to the Richmond Frostfest this year, which wasn't too bad...Are
there any other hamfests that are as good as they were ten years ago?

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Steve Gajkowski
Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 6:00 PM
To: 'Mark K3MSB'; 'Ray Fantini'
Cc: mrca at mailman.qth.net; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Timonium, a one time great hamfest

I think Timonium had a few more people attending and selling this year.  Not
many more, but certainly a few.  The table provided tail gate space was
about 50% full where last year was probably 25%.  Think the numbers in the
old indoor tail gate space was the same..

I think you might have bought the sx-24 from my nephew.. 
As usual, I found that unless you wanted to sell at well below market prices
(not ebay), the stuff only sells to other vendors early in the fest,
otherwise people just reflect on when they had one!! 

It is still nice to meet up with other people, whether you know them or not
to discuss the different aspects of the hobby.  

It would really do the fest activity planners well to locate another
location as the entry and selling prices are at a point that it is only
worth it if you don't have to travel far or have an alternate reason for
being in the area..

I always recall the memory of outdoor tailgating up to the road at the
entrance and having to lug 130 lbs of 32v2 up the hill past the convention
building to stow in the car...

I was happy to see Jeep, n3hvg  Ted, w3pww  chuck w3fjj   Ed, ka3ptx and
others..

Steve, kd3ht

-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mark K3MSB
Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 4:12 PM
To: Ray Fantini
Cc: mrca at mailman.qth.net; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Timonium, a one time great hamfest

Hi Ray --

Yes, the Timonium hamfest gets smaller and smaller each year.   My own
perspective was this year wasn't as good as last year, and I suspect that's
what most people will say.

I did read where the issue with the loss of outdoor tailgating was that the
GBHC was required to rent both buildings in order to have outdoor
tailgating.   They could not make a profit doing such, so they had to go to
one building and no outdoor stuff.   That's what I read from a GBHC post
last year.

Like you I saw no ARC-5 stuff,  but a very restorable SX-24 found it's way
into my car.

If you're going to be at the York Hamfest next Saturday, look me up or ask
one of the volunteers as my club is one of the two that puts on that
hamfest.

73 Mark K3MSB

On Sun, Apr 7, 2013 at 2:17 PM, Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu> wrote:

> Timonium, what more can I say. The people who make the effort to sell 
> there and do considering the fact that you have to unload your car or
truck
> and then relocate along with providing your own table in the cow 
> palace along with the threat of the Maryland Division of Revenue 
> wanting you to have a tax stamp or something like that are to be 
> commended for there effort. Did see about half of the internal small 
> sellers space was occupied. Also saw that the center section had about 
> a third of the tables and booth occupied with commercial vendors and 
> organizations, the other third of the complex where the larger dealers 
> and people who sell consumer crap was about a third full with about a 
> fifty percent mix of electronics and hacks selling socks and assorted
consumer stuff.
>  In terms of military stuff saw two R-390 receivers priced at $650 and
> $600 and a very clean GRC-106 transceiver and amplifier for $400 for 
> the pair, some National receivers and a SP-600 for $600 but not a 
> signal ARC-5 in any forum. Lots of tubes and parts, lots of Ham type 
> stuff and the computer junk was not everywhere like in past years 
> although the only
thing
> I bought was a HP 1631 Logic analyzer. Some people were still trying 
> to sell of old two way stuff but over in the large dealer section 
> where the sock man was there were tons of old Motorola and GE stuff at 
> almost give away prices. Complete Motorola Mitrek systems, radio head, 
> cables all for
> $20 and $30 along with lots of other GE stuff and nothing appeared to 
> be over $40 on the marked price. Looks like the new narrow band land 
> mobile rules have killed off analog radio as it use to be so nobody 
> wants any of that stuff today. The IFR and other service monitors are 
> also dropping in price too, not there but last year I bo  ught a 
> Motorola 2001 service monitor for $250 and remember back when those 
> sold for thousands.
> Now about the ham fest. Ok, I know they have expenses and everything 
> cost money but $9 a head just to get in the door. Then not only do 
> they beat
you
> down for $9 they wont let you in the doors until nine in the morning. 
> They do allow people who buy there ticket online to go in at eight 
> thirty and that only serves to piss off everyone who has to sit 
> outside until nine
and
> watch them go in. Between making it very difficult to sell there, 
> charging way too much and now jerking around people who may have 
> driven three or more hours by making them stand around can see this ham
fest going away.
> Fortunately smaller ham fest at Howard County, Fredrick and York may 
> benefit from the demise of a one time great ham fest. I have to agree 
> that Timonium is nothing like it once was and if anything is moving in 
> the
wrong
> direction.
>
> Ray F
>
>
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