It’s all what you take from it isn’t it, I remember 2019 and I don’t think the crowd was any different on Friday and maybe smaller on Saturday. Never attend on Thursday anyway.  The prices are what they are. Don’t know when there was this magical period of time where everything was any different. Some people think their stuff is gold and others just want to get rid of the stuff. Bargains are out there, I saw them and I purchased some things for a fraction of what they sell for on eBay.

If your there just to buy or sell and it’s all business to you maybe you have a different prospective then I do so I cannot make a real comment on what the value of attendance is to any one individual. All I can say is that I travel ten hours to get there along with spending a lot on lodging food and everything else and this year I did cut out the trip to Fair radio on Thursday but find that I have been regretting it.

Prices may be one thing but I have been participating in the WW2 field radio net and the Cold War nets at the Hamvention for years now.

Last year we had 25 AM stations on the WW2 net and a failure of the Cold War Net due to confusion. The year before that we had 15 AM stations the WW2 net and around 30 on the Cold War net, the last year at Hara we had 22 AM stations on the WW2 net and 40 for the Cold war net and if you go back to 2008 we had 29 AM stations and 27 Cold War (51.0 FM) stations.

This year we had 22 people at the site running BC-611, GRC-9 and newer military and Ham sets on the 3885 AM Net and 27 people using PRC-68, PRC-77, PRR/PTT-9 and an entire world of military radios for the 51.0 Cold War Net.

Tell me anywhere where you find as many people who collect and operate this type of hardware in one place at one time in the world?

In ever increasing amounts I find that more enjoyment can be found with getting together with people of like interest and bringing radios into the field and operating them at events like the Dayton Hamvention or the Red Ball MVPA show at Gilbert and it will always be worth it to me, but if you feel that cost or what you can buy and sell for are most important then maybe the show not for you.

You may be thru and that’s cool, but if you don’t want to stick around and take part and actually use you radio in a net with other people who love this stuff and see no value in associating with the pack at the event then that’s your thing, but for me I am already looking forward to next year.

Ray F/KA3EKH