I attended Belton HamExpo this year for the first time since March of 2019. This is the premier swapmeet for Central Texas and has been for many years. It is a twice a year event and typically gets a pretty decent contingent of both indoor flea market vendors and tailgaters. Belton to me is always a very nostalgic event as I grew up going to the hamfest with my Dad who is now Silent Key. I wasn't really in the market for anything this year, I did pick up a Swan SWR-1 because it is a cool looking meter. It was $5 for a bit of decor on my shelf. I mostly stood around chatting with folks, both old and new friends. Several from the Central Texas DX & Contest Club were there and it was good to see them in person since our meetings have been virtual for awhile. It was nice to meet the San Antonio Digital Amateur Radio Club folks in person, I catch them on the K5UUT fusion machine here locally from time to time. Since I don't buy a bunch of stuff at ham fests the face to face meetings is the real value. I have a raw photo dump from the event here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kj5t/albums/72177720302604991 Any other QRZ folks there?
Thanks for posting the photos. I enjoyed the hamfest. I have been attending for quite a few years. A buddy and I try to get tables inside most of the time. It is one of my favorite events. James WD5GWY
Thanks for this post/ it's renewed my interest in going back to Belton. I haven't been there since 2019 either. Many of the guys I talk to on 40 and 60 m are in Central Texas and it's a great time to eyeball QSO 73 from, The K0UO " Rhombic Antenna Farm" 2 miles of wire in the Air & On the AIR daily
Belton was the first Hamfest I've ever been to. I took my son with me, and we had a great time. We picked up some older dual-band FM mobiles to install in our cars, and one of the outdoor tailgaters gave my son an old Kenwood TM-75a handheld to use after he passes his test. I'm already considering going back in the Spring. I really liked the gear on display, and felt like I came away with some fun radios to play with.
I made to Belton. Picked up a LDG tuner and a Comet AA. Had a great time looking at all the stuff and talking to folks. Mrs. Boss held onto my wallet to keep me from buying too much stuff. KJ5CTX
Belton is my favorite hamfest. Been going and buying and selling for close to 15 years or more. Nice people. Always something new to see. And new people to talk to. Looking forward to the next one in the Spring. James WD5GWY
