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Lets Get Hamfests up and going again

Discussion in 'Hamfest Reports & Videos' started by KD2UHF, Sep 23, 2020.

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  1. W7UUU

    W7UUU Director, QRZ Forums Lifetime Member 133 QRZ HQ Staff Life Member QRZ Page

    Normally the rules sorta frown on plugs for "for sale items" outside that forum.... but given the sorry state of ham fests, it's a very real fact that just having access to "random fun parts to fiddle with" is indeed an issue that won't change any time soon.

    Your "Pound o' Parts" deal really could put smiles back on more than a few hams faces - just having the fun of opening up a surprise box to see what goodies there are.

    That's what Ham Fests have always meant to me - finding bits and bobs of parts and such for a great deal and bringing them home to find a use on the bench.

    Will we EVER get back to Ham Fests as we all knew them? Maybe someday but not likely 2021 any more than 2020 was... sigh :(

    Dave
    W7UUU
     
    K0UO likes this.
  2. KL7AJ

    KL7AJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks for your indulgence, Dave. :) Desperate times call for desperate measures. HI!
    73, es Merry Christmas!
     
  3. K0UO

    K0UO Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

    Ham-Com is now SK
    That is sad after all these years The team did a great job 73
     
  4. W7UUU

    W7UUU Director, QRZ Forums Lifetime Member 133 QRZ HQ Staff Life Member QRZ Page

    :(
     
  5. KU4X

    KU4X Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

  6. N9LCD

    N9LCD Ham Member

    A lot is up to the Fest organizer. Namely how much $$$ they want to risk.

    I belong to a national organization that had scheduled its 2020 annual gathering for July(?) in Kansas City. When the pandemic hit and travel collapsed, the group was faced with a loss of about $600,000. Fortunately, they were able to transfer all the arrangements to 2023 without a loss.

    The question is: How many organizations are willing to commit a portion of their resources, possibly a substantial portion, to a Fest that may not get off the ground or may turn out to be a losing proposition.

    I'd vote for an outdoors Fest if the sponsor took reasonable steps to maintain adequate separation of vendors
     
    AG5CK likes this.
  7. NC5P

    NC5P Ham Member QRZ Page

    Outdoors is the way to go, at least in theory. The weather of course pays a part and one can expect that some dates will get rained out. There are some informal tailgates taking place here in Texas. One is in Fort Worth. I haven't been so can't say how many show up, perhaps someone can report on the turnout at them. Unfortunately if someone contracts the virus and dies, or is hospitalized the ambulance chasers will look for a club to sue. If not a club sponsored event, then the people advertising it or worse yet the owner of the lot where it takes place. It's hard enough to secure a place to meet, even city parks will turn you down if you don't have one or two million in liability coverage. With Covid there is little chance of any assembly being allowed anywhere without exceptional insurance coverage.
     
  8. KK9W

    KK9W Ham Member QRZ Page

    Here is one in Alabama. Mark me down as going. As shared from an e-mail from the Huntsville ARC...

    To kick off the new year, the Blount County Amateur Radio Club will hold
    Freezefest 2021 on Saturday, January 2 at the Locust Fork High School, 155 School Road.
    Their website is http://w4blt.org. Talk-in 146.700 (PL 91.5).

    It'll be great to kick off 2021 with an actual Hamfest, even if it's a small one. Don't forget to bring your masks and practice social distancing.
     
    K4YNZ likes this.
  9. G6URM

    G6URM Ham Member QRZ Page

    yes same problems here in the UK - most "rallies " as we call them - are in small halls - so that's not going to happen any time soon , there are a few larger " mainly outdoor " events - such as the flight refueling rally , but again don't see much hope of that going ahead this year either with the way things are going on .

    can't say i blame either organisers or site owners as all it will take is one person to pick up covid and sue , and that's that rally or indeed club gone permanently ( yes there are those who would even if they may have caught it else where ) - + here it "tends " to be the older hams who attend - sadly its the "regulars " who are missing each year that tells one you are getting old .

    so lets HOPE these vaccines work - or i think we can say goodbye to rallies / hamfests as we knew them ................... and YES i miss them a lot as they where the few events i like to get out to - being disabled now , i tend to be stuck at home most of the time - but fortunately a fellow ham makes Shure i can get to them - even to the extent of carting my small mobility scooter around in his car
     
  10. KX5ALC

    KX5ALC Ham Member QRZ Page

    I'm a Blacksmith/knife maker. Every one of our festivals have been shut down since February of 2020. All our monthly meetings have been cancelled and all gatherings of any kind have been shelved. It's disappointing, to say the least. I'm new to ham radio, but am looking forward to getting together with other operators to see what this hobby is all about...........and I'm sure hamfests do just that.
     
    K4YNZ likes this.
  11. N9LCD

    N9LCD Ham Member

    I wonder if the Six Meter Club Fest at the DuPage County Fair Grounds is on for Fathers' Day?

    The County is using the building the Club uses as a mass vaccination site.
     
  12. K4YNZ

    K4YNZ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Chris, Alabama is open! We are run by a Mee Maw. Mee Maw knows best.
    Alabama Gun Collectors Association will be having our March show. http://algca.org/
    Birmingham Hamfest....well tailgate this year. March 1. https://birminghamfest.org/ Not to be confused with Bham Hammer Fest!
    Huntsville Hamfest in August. By August most of the state will have both the Covid shot and Cootie shot. So we all should be safe!
    Kind of a far trip. But we do have some guys come down from OK each year for the gun show. Look for our knife/gun show in August. Our club has three a year.
     
    KX5ALC likes this.
  13. KX5ALC

    KX5ALC Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks, K4YNZ.
     
  14. W4IOA

    W4IOA Ham Member QRZ Page

    Yet Walmart and Kroger's are full everyday.
     
    N9LBN likes this.
  15. W4WTS

    W4WTS Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    The Dalton GA hamfest is this weekend....
     
    W4IOA and K4YNZ like this.

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