Ham Fest Season

November has arrived again this year, and ham radio operator’s thoughts turn to “Ham fest Season.” Up North, Hamfest season is usually the summer time but down here in Florida it starts up when the weather finally gets less than hot and muggy and continues through the “Snowbird Season.” This is not surprising, the population of Florida probably triples in the winter and that applies to the number of ham radio enthusiasts as well.

There are all kinds of “ham fest” in Florida, just as in the rest of the country. Like any “niche” hobby, the places to buy or trade the gear you need for the gear or money you have are few and far between. Thus local and regional amateur radio clubs put on these events for a dual purpose. The club gets to make a little money for the club treasury from admissions and table sales.

The local ham community gets to partake of a large number of somewhat itinerant vendors who sell the devices and components they need in the furtherance of their hobby. Ham fests are somewhat like flea markets in the sense that the vendors often do not have brick and mortar stores. Only the flea market usually sets up in the same place every week and ham fests are in the same place only once or twice a year.

Some of these events get pretty large. As an example, the Orlando Hamcation in February rivals the biggest ham fest of all, Dayton, Ohio. It covers most of the Central Florida Fairgrounds for three days. Hundreds of vendors, big and small come from as far away as Connecticut and California to sell their wares in Orlando. Even the major manufacturers of amateur radios set up expansive booths to show off their latest goods.

Most ham fests are smaller affairs, but all have their place in the scheme of things. The kinds of gadgets and parts that a ham radio operator needs to keep his or her station running are often available nowhere else other than the Internet and who wants to pay shipping charges when you can attend a ham fest and see and touch the parts you need in person.

Another big draw at a ham fest is the “tailgate area.” This is not tailgating like one finds at a football game. In the tailgate area, hams try to sell and look for used gear that they either no longer need or want to buy so they do not have to pay the higher prices for the brand new stuff. Ham radio gear, more than in almost any other hobby, gets passed down or passed on to another ham. The new owner might be a tyro just getting started or an experienced ham who likes making used gear work like brand new. With the cost of certain test gear like oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers up in the thousands for new units, often the only way an amateur operator can afford them is to buy at a local ham fest and restore it to like new condition.

Ham fests have another vital function. They are where ham operators go to talk face to face with other hams they may talk to by radio on a daily basis. Strong friendships are made over the airwaves but sometimes a ham fest is the only time these friends get together to chat “eyeball to eyeball.”

Many hams have and send QSL cards to each other by mail to confirm a radio contact, some also have “business” cards that they refer to as “eyeball QSLs.” There are even vendors at some ham fests that will print up a quantity of either type card for a “nominal” fee. Some hams enjoy making their own cards using the home computer and a printer.

Whether you are new to amateur radio or an old hand, it is important that you make an effort to attend as many of these ham fests as you can. The only way clubs will be able to keep putting them on is if enough people show up to make it worth the while for the vendors to attend. No buyers means no vendors which means no ham fests. If that happens, get used to paying shipping charges for everything you buy and not really knowing what your pal on the other end of the airwaves even looks like.

You can find a list of all the hamfests in your area by going to www.arrlwcf.org or www.arrl.org , both have lists of ham fests by date and location. The arrlwcf site covers West Central Florida and beyond, the arrl site covers all of the country.