[Milsurplus] Milsurplus Digest, Vol 253, Issue 47 - Hamfests and old gear

[Matt P]

Steve, et.al.,

You can put me in the same category as Steve. While some of the newer gear
may be fun to use for a little bit, I'll take someone else's old obsolete
gear that is fairly robust and I know I can fix over something with
custom/proprietary chips that can be wiped out with a nearby lightning
strike. Besides, I prefer the challenge of the troubleshooting and the
satisfaction of getting the old gear back on teh air.

73,

Matt
W2NS


Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 29 May 2025 19:33:20 +0000 (UTC)
> From: "sbjohnston at aol.com" <sbjohnston at aol.com>
> To: "milsurplus at mailman.qth.net" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Hamvention Attendance
> Message-ID: <400776066.2850409.1748547200907 at mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> Interesting observation, Ray.? I agree that the buildings were very busy,
> but I also found the fleamarket to be bigger and more vigorous than in
> recent past years.??
> Newer hams seem to be naturally more attracted to new equipment than retro
> parts and used gear.? There is also much interest in particular modes or
> activities that are relatively new like FT8 or POTA.? The Hamvention
> markets itself to newer hams and lets the older crew go unaddressed
> (probably assuming we will come anyway) but of course we gradually stop
> coming as we age and die.? All this combines to produce the results
> observed.
> I suspect that the interest in old gear may rebound to some degree as the
> next generation steps up.? But one limitation is that the modern gear of
> today is somewhat more difficult to repair, especially for beginners.? Part
> of this is the micro-miniature, surface-mount technology, but perhaps an
> even bigger issue is missing or limited-quality service documentation from
> some manufacturers.? This leads to a greater (but understandable) fear of
> buying used equipment.? And this will limit the hamfest fleamarket of the
> future to some degree.?
>
> This is completely the opposite of my personal approach:? I prefer gear
> that needs fixing!? It is cheaper and more fun.? But I understand that not
> everyone has the interest or those skills.
>
>
> Steve WD8DAS??
>
> sbjohnston at aol.com??
> http://www.wd8das.net/?? http://af4k-crystals.com/??
> --------------------------------------------------------------------??
> Radio is your best entertainment value.??
> --------------------------------------------------------------------??
>
> Mein Ohr ganz nah am Weltempf?nger...
>
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