I was only there today 12-7-2013 from 10.30 am till 4 pm, but I was very pleased by what I saw. and heard. For one thing, attendance was about double from the last 2 Tampa Bay Hamfests, and there were quite a lot of happy tailgators, both buyers and sellers! They finally listened to us, and moved the Tampa Bay Hamfest out of the Bradenton/Palmetto (Palm Ghetto) area! Now, it is back where it belongs, in the Tampa area. For the past 2 years, we have been asking them to not allow buyers into the tailgate area at 7 to 8 am, in the early mornings! This KILLS the attendance of Hams who might have driven to the Tampa area for this Hamfest. Who wants to get up at 4 in the morning, and drive 3 hours down, up, or over to Tampa, only to find all the great tailgate deals already snagged by greedy, local early birds There IS a God! The Tampa Bay Hamfest wisely decided to open the awesome Tailgate to buyers at 11 am (the main hamfest opened at 8 am) The Tailgate Sellers were rewarded by a literal MOB of Ham Equipment Buyers, with cash in hand! The spirits of both buyers and sellers in the tailgate area was extremely positive, unlike past years when everyone was looking for Dr Jim (AA4MD) to put everyone on a Prozac Drip! I had the great pleasure to meet several from the Tampa Bay AM Group, who were there in force. I tried to buy a call sign hat, but they only accepted CASH Money for payments! It was only 15.00, and they would not accept my check, or my Visa Card either! This is IMHO, bullchit! Food was not nearly as good as in years past (I still remember that awesome potato soup from 2011) The Hot Dog was huge, and all beef, but toppings like onions were absent! I was forced to drink Pepsi (I prefer Coke), and it was warm. But, the food in my hand allowed me to sit near a bunch of the Tampa Bay AM Guys, and that more then made up for it! The weather was absolutely beautiful, if just a little hot. I had a wonderful time, all in all, saw many old friends, made some new ones, and even got to "hand deliver" a message from WB2WIK to Warren Elly, W1GUD. I think this Hamfest is well on track to being double in size next year. Two Thumbs Up ! The Tampa Bay Hamfest Fri Dec 6 & Sat 7 - $10 (Plant City Strawberry Festival Grounds) <section class="userbody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px 0px 0.5em; border: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"> <section id="postingbody" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Tampa Bay Hamfest is the largest amateur radio trade show on Florida's west coast If you ever wanted to be a Amateur Radio Operator, find you love electronics or are just looking this will be a great chance to have fun and meet friends. This is the ARRL West Central Florida Convention and Tampa Bay hamfest with over 25 clubs Participating in this ham fest, activities include: a southcars meetup and luncheon. To buy a 6$ box lunch in advance and support the FFA Future Farmers of America: please check contact information at : southcars.com Times microwave will give a Times Microwave lightning surge protection workshop Chuck Skolaut K0BOG is the guest ARRL speaker and headquarters representative. His topic is FAMOUS HAMS. It is about past and present famous hams ranging from kings and queens and much more Ham radio deluxe, quarter century wireless Ass, a qrp forum the Florida am group will have two presentations and so much more will be found at the Tampa bay hamfest. Join us at our new locations Agricultural Show Center 2508 W. Oak Avenue Plant City, Florida 33563 This facility has 21,375' of indoor climate controlled space. Tailgating is located behind the building in the spacious parking lot The Florida Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Council Presents: ARRL West Central Florida Convention Second Largest Hamfest in Florida Agricultural Center Strawberry Festival Ground Hours Friday December 6, 2013 7:00 A.M. Open inside for commercial vendors setup 11:00 A.M. Open inside to all vendors setup 11:00 A.M. Open outside to tailgaters and the public 2:00 P.M. Open inside to public 8:00 P.M. Hamfest closes Day 1 Saturday, December 7, 2013 7:00 A.M. Open outside to tailgaters and the public 8:00 A.M. Open inside for vendors setup 9:00 A.M. Open inside to public 5:00 P.M. Hamfest closes Day 2 need more info http://www.fgcarc.org hamfest flyer pdf http://www.fgcarc.org/pdf/2013FlierTampaBayHamfest.pdf </section></section>
