The AM Forum

For those that keep track of these things, the total attendance for the Dayton 2010 Hamvention was 19,750. Last year it was 18,877.

Also, some enterprising person used some calibrated walking stick, and determined it's 5.5 miles to walk up and down every flea market aisle.

Ham Radio Heaven!

I hear that it should be a pilgramage required of all Hams to go at least once.

Fred

Interesting information!  I would have thought that the numbers would have been down a bit this year.  It seemed that there were many empty spaces in the flea market and the parking lots (fields) seemed to be not so full.  Also, with the economy being in the doldrums, it seems that many would not have been able to make the trip.  I'm glad to see that they are hanging in there and that attendance numbers are even on the upswing.  I wonder if the "eBay effect" is running down a bit and people are starting to return to hamfests?  I have been going to Dayton for 40+ years and it is a highlight of the year.

73,  Jack, W9GT

I'll bet as baby-boomer era hams get older, more nostalgic, and have free time from retirement they will start coming out to the hamfests for one last hurrah. Maybe we are seeing that. There certainly was a good showing and enthusiasm at NearFest this year.

Plus we just went thru a robust one year rally in the stock market/ economy when people generally feel better. However, with the recent declines and poor economic news lately, I wonder if the next few flea mkt seaons will reflect this?

Either way, as Joe/PJP once told me when I was considering going to Nearfest one year, "How many of these do we have left, anyway?"  He was right. Those of us still healthy - get out there and enjoy these fests while we still can. There will come a day when we are looking out the window wishing we had done more... ;)

T

Jack and Tom you are both 100% correct.  Folks (Including me) don't normally think about what we can do until we can't do it anymore.   That's why for one thing, I try to put up the most ambitious antennas I can, because I know there'll come a time when I won't be able to. 

I also thought Dayton looked at least, worse than last year but I guess my perception was off.   Here's what hamfests have going for them over eBay in my opinion: 

When/if you do find something you are looking for, it is apt to be at a lower price (parts especially).   
You get to eyeball it, pick it up, turn it over, and really get a good looksee and not have to completely rely on some on-line description. 
No involvement with UPS.  Especially important if buying a 450TH hi hi. 
Cash and carry. 
If a seller has multiple identical widgets, you can maybe cut a deal for all of them.   
Some stuff that's just too much of a pain to ship may only show up at hamfests.   

Maybe more hams are catching on to these advantages (I hope).

It's interesting that attendance peaked in year 2000 - the orthodox peak in the stock market and economy. The US bull market was roaring from 1997- 2000 as were attendance numbers.   Attendance then hit it's first dip in 2004, within a year of the first big mkt selloff. Later attendance hit it's all-time low in 2008, the year of the recent crash.  Attendance since has rallied anemically in sync with the last year's mkt rally.


The weak attendance from 2003 thru 2007 reflects the fake credit-expansion "fiat" rally in the stock mkt and ecomomy. More evidence the real economic top was in 2000.

So, from the numbers, I'd say Dayton's attendance is closely correlated with the US economy, as one might expect... ;)

T

I wonder where all this free time is once one retires from the conventional "working world". I'm more busy and active now then I was when I trudged a daily 9 to 5 job. I actually go to less hamfests now then I did 10 years ago because of other on-going activities that I couldn't find time to do when I was employed by the "man". Retirement time is not your last hurrah; it's your new time to do all the things you always wanted to do but couldn't find the time to do before. It's not the end; it's a new beginning. Flea markets/hamfests will always be around because it's a quick and easy way to turn your accumulated junk/stuff into cash.

Looks like we were both typing at the same time.

Actually Dayton's attendance peak was in 1993 with an attendance of 33,669. It's been going down even since. Early to mid 90's also brought out all the mom and pop computer vendors. Tons and tons of older computer stuff, as the technology migrated to newer hardware, were been hawked by garage-type vendors. Computer-geek type customers were everywhere. Both drove up attendance. In the past several years, very few computer-type vendors could be seen as one walked the Dayton flea market aisles.

Looks like there are larger cycles than even the US economy for attendance that are more specific to Dayton's attendance.  Things like e-Bay, age of average ham, computer venders, etc, certainly had a big effect. The US economy cycles probably ride on top of them like waves on the main tide... ;)

T

There was no shortage of bodies at Butler...

And, maybe a big one, in 1993, Dayton was held in April. Outdoor types probably love to shop and buy when it's teaming rain, wind, and/or snow showers.

Yes, but did they have money to spend. Lots of bodies and no one buying anything isn't good especially for the vendors. If lots of bodies just want to gather together and bond, they could just hang out at the local Walmart parking lot.  ;D

I seem to remember hi 20's to low 30's when I was a regular there in 85-95 and the computer stuff was minimal. The crowding indoors was ridiculous, havent been back since.

Carl

When it rains during Dayton Hamvention...it is terrible!  Everybody tries to crowd inside and it is so crowded you can't move.  Also the parking areas become mud pits.  We lucked out this year...WX was pretty nice.  When the dates used to be in late April, we saw everything from snow flurries to temps in 80's....never knew what to expect.  This year we dodged the bullet with the weather, really went very well Fri and Sat. anyway.

73,  Jack, W9GT

We have discussed this topic before.  When it was held on the original date circa 20th of April, it might have been chilly and some years even spit snow, while other years it was sunscreen weather, but it almost never rained.  Then for some undisclosed reason, they moved it one week later to the last weekend of April and it poured rain almost every year until they moved it to mid May.  But on those rainy late April weekends, inevitably the locals would say that the previous weekend wx had been nice. It has rained less in May, but even with the new date, it still gets rained on more than it did the original date. Too bad they can't or won't move it back to the original weekend.

Attendance seemed to start dropping off from the low/mid 30k peak right after they started dicking around with the dates.

I liked the May date since I got caught in a mountain blizzard several times in Central PA. I-80 blocked with sideways 18 wheelers and the usual 4 wheeler crowd running slicks. Never saw snow one week later.

Carl

One year at Dayton, when it was in April, we had two days of rain, and on Sunday, temps dropped to around freezing, and we had snow showers. Not a good three days to drive 600 miles to sell stuff.

Or smell packed hams indoors either ::)  Ham radio seems to attract a high percentage of the soap allergic >:(

Carl

some people smell even though they bathe each day. All it takes is some humidity and too many bodies in one place. next time that happens, just imagine if everyone in the room was a wet dog. Then the smell won't seem so bad at all. 8-)

Bathing has little to do with whether or not people smell.

That's more likely related to sinus condition.  But bathing has everything to do with whether or not they stink.

I would suspect that people who stink, don't smell.