[NJARC] Swap Meet Report.... MAARC, MD - Friday & Saturday til noon.

[John Dilks - K2TQN]

Swap Meet Report....

Well I finally found a Pilot "Wasp" with 4 coils.  It's in very good visual 
condition and I expect all the parts to be in as good condition. 4 coils 
came with it too. (no tubes.) Look-out next NJARC listening contest!

I also picked up 19 Silver Marshal coils. These are the types (131-x) from 
the Around the World Four. I also have that other SM receiver in the 
museum. So now I think I'll probably (hopefully) have the entire set.

Also, there was one of the round tops that insert into the top of the coil 
to indicate the model of the coil and the meters covered. From that one, I 
should be able to make a replicated set. It looks new, so it should scan great.

Weather= Friday was 90% sun and I burned a little. Shopping was brisk and 
well along when I arrived at 9 am. The selling lot was full, so I had to 
park at the extreme southern end. Only one car was farther south than me. 
(I got to get there earlier next time.) Selling was slow. It was overheard 
that there were no WE tubes for sale, said by the audio tube weenies. They 
had a bad day, so they started to pester everyone for 6L6's.

Also over heard was, there's nothing new here - just the same old stuff. 
This was from guys like me that have a bunch already. One guy from the 
office complex next door was real happy though. He has been collecting only 
a short time now, and found several things to take home.

The Friday night auction brought light bidding (cheap$), but there wasn't 
much in quality offered. The bidders all had a good time though.  I didn't 
stay.

Great attendance from the NJ and PA groups, probably in excess of 25. About 
a dozen or so hung around the fleamarket after hours, sipping some strange 
brew out of large red plastic cups that someone brought with them. They 
were last seen under the hood, checking out the motor on some ones 
Rice-Burning car at 9 pm.

Saturday= No rain at 5 am. It rained at 6am and lasted all day. We left at 
11. I gave up the room for a $30 early out charge, gave back two $22 
banquet tickets to the club and told them to sell them again or give them 
away, then drove home. I don't think I was the only one who left.

When we left, there was a bunch of rain-weary radio men hanging out at the 
back door, hoping for a let-up. The hotel opened the dining room for flea 
market sales and a few took advantage of it, setting up. Sales looked slow 
though at the 8 or so tables of stuff.

Contest= The room looked pretty full when I left, lots of activity. I'm 
always impressed on the number of entries and the quality of the entries at 
MAARC. I think their contest draws more participants than the AWA one, 
certainly it is one of higher quality.

Observed during the contest set up= The Jury brothers were bickering as 
usual, on how to assemble their display. (It was big.) They are a gas! 
Others were sprucing up, wiping off finger prints and dusting off their 
displays when we left.

73' John Dilks, K2TQN