The AM Forum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2_A9K1-R_8&feature=youtu.be

Over a third of a century ago.....

Everyone was very tall back then.

It's amazing how similar the fairgrounds like today. Some familiar faces in there! Thanks for sharing.

The 1983 AM scene - Notice how fast everyone talked and the immense, young energy. The parties would last past 3AM until the guards told everyone to stop. Families sleeping in trailers would complain of the noise all night. There were fires, beer and the smell of MaryJane. Lots of motorcycles. High risk lifestyles. The AM group was like a mob scene with familiar faces - and many I'd never seen before.  Gawd, what a time that was! Many times I was happy to sleep on the ground under my truck and wake up in a muddy rain puddle.

Nowadays... well, a lot has changed. Lots of old white guys with great memories in their hearts. 7PM dinner at Johnsons and then to a safe bed at the hotel.

T

" happy to sleep on the ground under my truck and wake up in a muddy rain puddle. "

Must have been the mind expanding catholicons.


klc



Those aren't pillows!

Well the Middle Ages weren't so bad.  Sue and I slept in a decent hotel only at Timmonium. The rest of the time was in the back end of the van on an air mattress with the back gate cracked for air.  ;D
How I wish I could still.
Cigars, Foster's big cans and guitar faurty was fun.  Hanging out before the dogs took over at Howard county was fun too.
Gathersburg pre-cowboy rodeo was pretty much the most fun, pig requisitions and all.

Ooh, gotta run. --big storm outside right now. Better disconnect the wires.

Here's the early morning AM operating position at the 2000 Farfest (Bowie, Md). I'm at the operating position with Rick taking a break behind me. If you look real close in the background, you can see the fog rolling in. Most of us probably only got a few hours of sleep in a vehicle that weekend.

(http://www.amwindow.org/pix/jpg/farfest00/pete.jpg)

The very moist air first settled on VJB's camera lens:

(http://www.amwindow.org/pix/jpg/farfest00/fog.jpg)

 

Good lookin' and still sort of skinny guys, don'cha know.  ;D
Jeeze, hard to believe 17 years ago already, halfway between '83 and now!

That was the fester where the Penske truck was out in the parking lot next to 'A' gate and loaded with Millen parts I think.

And oh yeah, see all the rigs on the back table? It was show and tell when we all brought our rigs and homebrews with speeches and posters in some cases.
I'll see if I can dig up some pix.

Meanwhile, stuffs a bit rougher out here this AM.

Here's a shot of a set of tables taken early on Saturday. At Bowie we had a covered version of the "AM Corral" which was great.

(http://www.amwindow.org/pix/jpg/farfest00/normjoe.jpg)

Here ya go; your "show & tell":

(http://www.amwindow.org/pix/jpg/farfest00/rick813.jpg)

Back when we all "wore a younger man's clothes" - Who said that  :D

Piano man?


klc

Certainment.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/billyjoel/pianoman.html

Well we ain't that maudlin, ...yet.

Tnx Pete fer the reminder of my 813 shoebox rig.  Still have it.  Of course the 811s modulator and power supplies were separate and much larger.

TNX Norm for posting this.  One thing really struck me on the film:  the average age of most of the people are about 30 years younger than a video taken today. 

BTW...the guy early in the film with the dollar bill joke....is that QUIX?  ;D ;D Too much fur to tell.

BTW also....TNX Norm for running that fester for 30+ years with you other partners.

~ps

Hi Pete..
Thanks for the kind words.  It was indeed a different world back then when we didn't mind sleeping in the car with the seat reclined back, or on the ground or in a pickup truck bed.  And we could stay up all night and never run out of things to say or something to drink. I used to carry a 3 by 5 card around all year, folded in my wallet and write down a list of the things I was looking for at the next event so I wouldn't forget.  Now, if I need some electronic component, I go online, click and the brown truck brings it a couple days later.
We couldn't recreate that event again in this century, but it's fun to look back and remember.  I believe the videographer is Scott  WA1MYQ, and that indeed is Steve -QIX with that terrible pun.  Looking at the video quality, what was an armload back then isn't as good as the video on even the cheapest of phones we tote around now in our shirt pocket.
It was fun doing the Hosstraders with Joe and Bob, but it's even more fun now, going to a hamfest and wandering around with my hands in my pockets and not having a worry in the world.
73 de Norm W1ITT

Yes, mucho Tnx too.
Great '83 vid. Is there any relatively easy way to reformat the vid. to widen it?
Perhaps with an iPad or destination local computer programming if programming the original at source  is too unwieldy?  Does YouTube have an embedded format choice?
I've noticed several of these similar from others where vertical is too high.

Ahhhhso  it WAS the great QIX as I suspected.... :D

Glad you still enjoy going to it........and yes I still have a list when I go to the event.  Gawd these days its a must with CRS setting in. ;D ;D

Looked at it again...Tim's NoVAH...I think he still has it...maybe a lawn ornament now.  The antenna seemed longer than the limits allowed....I think he got stopped a few times over that....

And the sheriff.... its been a while since we had the law at our fester....we must be mellowing out in our old age.

Near the end...in a watch cap...Mr. Mike?

Cheers!
p

At 7:33, yes Pete - looks like Mr Mike (VE2FW then?) with Chuck, then WA1EKV. Thought it was the 'FAF at first glance.

Tom & Norm - you really stirred up past memories of my Hosstraders visits! I recall the first time I sold in the late 80s. Dad let me use his Ford Ranger with a cheapie aluminum cap over the back bed. I slept in back with a sleeping bag and hunk-o-foam. About 3AM just after finally falling asleep I awoke to what sounded like a truckload of marbles being dumped on the roof! Turns out it was a typical NH gullywasher passing through, with those big ol' raindrops pounding that aluminum cap mercilessly. Fortunately it didn't last long.

Another time I recall crawling under someone's large box truck, a U-Haul or whatever. This time I woke up to the engine starting. Never woke up and moved so fast in my life. Turned out they were just running the heater to warm up the cab.

Tom, having also gotten wet a few times sleeping on the ground I eventually figured out how to scout the high ground so if it rained, the runoff went away from me.

Getting a car with seats that reclined far enough to sleep seemed like a luxury. Until the time 'PJP invited me to use the extra bed in his hotel room. That was the end of sleeping outside.

Somewhere I still have my big hand lantern used for Friday night shopping at the 'fest. It used one of those big batteries with the screw terminals. I remember some of the food vendors stayed open late, so you always had some islands of light scattered around the otherwise-dark grounds.

TNX Mike for the video.  I noted in this video and another on youtube from a year later....that the fester encompassed all of the fairgrounds from Gate B to gate G.  Or so it appeared because I cannot recall 8) 8).   Today we use just half of that on the gate G side.    Hopefully we can keep that filled

Great job with your team on Nearfest, still the fester in the northeast.

C U soon.

~ps

Tnx Mr Mike,  enjoyed that one too.
Brrr, in the earlier shots, global warming cool-up fer sure.

And I especially enjoyed the underlying video at 4:23.
"Pink 'n Black Attack at a well stocked bar in hotter times or clime."

subtitled, "Life at the Underpants Bar."
 That one looked like a lot of coed fun.