It was down for sure. 25% maybe. Fuel prices has a lot to do with it no doubt. Over $500 from Florida to Ohio and back.
Definitely down. probably 50-60% of historic attendance. Fuel prices, Covid concerns, and continued rainy weather and mud likely caused the lower attendance...not to mention the 2 year pause. The flea market opened Friday at 9AM and there was lots of rain the early morning prior -- so it was wet and mushy to start. It sorta dried out on Friday and Saturday was hot and humid. The flea market died promptly at 3:30PM on Saturday when someone announced a thunderstorm that never quite hit Xenia area directly. Most flea market vendors packed up and headed for home. Those folks did not come back for Sunday flea market - too muddy, much colder weather, etc, As for commercial vendors, I didn't see a Kenwood display at all. I also did not see as many smaller indoor vendors. Ten Tec was there only to not lose their vendor spot in the future , but they had nothing for sale and no news on any restart in ham radio due to the supply chain / chip shortages that impact their ability to deliver any new product. Overall it was a nice time / good restart and hopefully it grows in future years. there was no big traffic issues this time. but the mud remains a problem. they should set up vendors on the sand-covered horse track ... at least it drains when it rains. The food trucks were way over priced. But the toilets mostly worked. Hotels were mostly over priced dumps, but the restaurant choices for evening meals were all really good. overall I would give it a B / B-
The flea market seemed to be reasonably populated on Friday, and as was said Saturday people rolled out with the threat of rain. There was for sure lightning, but no direct hit. Sunday was slim pickins out there. The mud wasn't too bad to deal with, though sometimes it was unclear which way to go to avoid it. Given that the one section of the flea was a horse racing track that basically became a mud moat for a bit. Personally I wasn't impressed with the flea market - nothing really that was priced below eBay top pricing save for boxes of dismantled junk, cordless phones, etc. Very little to even be bothered to haggle on IMO other than icom and anytone equipment. Most of the sellers seemed like they were the kind of people who were going to pack up and cart things to the next fest and could care less if anything was sold. Hotel was fine full of hams, saturday night they were renting to the graduates and hooligans. Food was fairgrounds type stuff as expected for that type of facility. As a first timer, without some specific project in mind the flea market was a bust, and now that I've seen the expected vendors, I'm not sure what the annual draw would be. Nothing really negative to say about it, fine event for what it is.
I watched several live feeds on YouTube and I noticed those eBay-level flea market prices, too. So I guess I didn't miss that much after all.
I found a few good deals, but just as many (if not more) overpriced rigs. This happens at every fest, not just Hamvention. Several overpriced Atlas 210/215's and I think about 3 or 4 KWM-380's for over 2000 bucks haphazardly positioned on tables with other junk leaning or sitting on them. People price an item like it is gold, but then display it like they don't give a crap about it. That does not give me much confidence. On a plus note, I did find an Amp Supply (Tokyo Hy-Power) monobander for 10 meter SSB and an Azden PCS2800 for 10 m FM. Both somewhat rare and at a good price. I should be ready for cycle 25 now.
I was not overly impressed at Hamvention this year. (Somewhere around my 20th). There didn't seem to be the 6 deep at HRO like in the past. There also wasn't a lot of sales pricing that I could see. Icom is still holding onto that $1300 price tag for the 705, no discounting allowed. Even DXE's $50 off a $500 purchase didn't apply to it. Flea market was mostly Motorola or Macom equipment both of which have no use in rural Iowa. Other stuff like other's have said was at E-Bay pricing. I see they announced 31,367 attendance. I'd have to guess that number came from tickets sold. How many no shows were in that group? I know of at least one, my buddy from CA had his flight canceled at the 11th hour and he couldn't find another flight that was reasonable. Lastly, did anyone notice on the prize drawing screen numbers were listed only for the current hour drawing. Did they change how it works and I missed the memo? Or was there a secret spot with all the numbers on a piece of paper?
I was there, in the flea market. I was glad the food prices were better than Orlando. Thursday attendance was sparse, probably due to the early morning rain and chilly temperatures. Friday Flea Market was very busy; I would guess 90% plus Flea Market spots were occupied. Saturday I would estimate 75-80% of the flea market spots had sellers in them. Sunday I did not attend, cool and rainy forecast, I headed to visit Mom in FN32 instead of going back to Florida.
I attended on that Friday. We carpooled up in two vehicles, visited the VOA museum and grabbed a steak dinner on the way home. It really felt great being at Hamvention again and spending time with friends. I felt like the flea market vendor attendance was down some from 2019. Lots of overpriced stuff, but I have found if you have cash you can often negotiate down to a more fair price. A few sellers obviously treat it as show and tell, with no interest in selling at anything close to fair market value. You see them at every swap meet though, so I just learn to ignore their tables. I did score some nice LS-3 Signal Corp speakers for a few millitary radios that I am restoring, plus a backpack full of parts. Kenwood was not there, but I heard rumors they are exiting the amateur radio business. Overall it was a fun time.
Mixed bag this year, has lost some of the luster for me. My first DHV was in 1985. Have setup in the flea market from '85-'98, and every year held since the move to Greene County Fairgrounds. Flea Market on Friday <50% (i counted) of the spaces within the track were actually occupied with vendors having merchandise. Vast majority of vendors with flea market spaces outside of the track were setup. The Courtesy Parking on the outer rim of the horse track was almost completely filled. I believe many paid their $75/space to obtain the Courtesy Parking pass and early admission. Saturday number of vendor spaces occupied about the same, though less vehicles parked in the courtesy parking. As other reviewers pointed out, bargains few and far between. Many vendors had their gear and equipment at or above eBay asking prices (let alone actual sold prices). Several even looked up prices on their phones to show me. It is the vendor's decision to establish and set their prices, I respect that. For me, I just say thank you and walk away. I know many of the vendors either by name/call or simply having seen them at multiple venues. Most play the circuit at various hamfests. There were a few non-circuit vendors who just came out for a day, cleaning out their shack/garage/basement. Club set-ups were a mixed bag, prices and quality varying though certainly bargains could be found if one looked. This CY I've attended many hamfests including Hamcation, Charlotte, Raleigh, Nearfest (Deerfield NH), various local OH and MI, and others. DHV has lost some luster for me because experiencing these hamfests - at much lower cost, far less hassle, broader spectrum of sellers and buyers, etc. the attraction of DHV is less appealing, and becoming more so. The hassle - every year since at Greene County I've experienced 'issues' with my spaces. One year had spaces outside the track along the fence near the vehicle entrance - pedestrian traffic was not permitted (where the previous year pedestrians were able to access). Security and DHV staff blocked access - which included blocking access to ~9 spaces along the fence - frustrating that I had to initiate conversation with DHV in their white trailer and move my setup to another location. This year Friday - DHV queued up flea market vendors outside the track and did not permit entry to almost 0700 (0600 was the published time in their rules, on their website, and in previous years). When we asked their staff were told the time was 0700 - even when showing them the printed rules. Saturday we were still queued up and had to wait until ~0620. There is almost always something one has to deal with at DHV in my experience. Hamcation by contrast is a wonderful experience for a vendor/tailgater. Very friendly and helpful staff, very laid back, none of the queue stacking/waits, etc. In closing, the best aspect about DHV - meeting with old friends, and making some new acquaintances.
