Dayton, anyone ?

[Barry]

Steve,

The wooden radio in the pic looks like a shutterdial that might have become unloved.

Say it isn't so!

Barry

[WA3VJB]

Group shown hung out this afternoon.
Steve, WB3HUZ; VJB; Bruce W2XR; Todd, KA1KAQ; John, W3JN; Joe WA2PJP.Also seen 'round the fester today, Fran, W3SCC; Al Brown KZ3AB; Terry N4RQ; Charlie K4ICH; Bob WB2FOF; Brown W1NZR, Steve, W8TOW; Jack W9GT; and Ed N3LHB.

[WA3VJB]

I thought I made a wrong turn today when I ended up in the commercial exhibit hall.
But there was still a matter of interest there with the US Tower Display.
The stickers the company offered to place on your lapel were combined with an invitation to partake of some sweets.
Nice touch.

[WA3VJB]

A few more sights seen at Dayton.
Bob Heil, K9EID in "Audio Alley," a sponsored sub-hall in Hara Arena.
Ed, N3LHB, interviewed on Amateur Radio Television as he scores a CY-979.
Representative DX-60 Net banner, signed by the multitudes of loyal fans.

[W1UJR]

Alright, that does it, I am going for sure next year!
Professional duties keep me in Maine this year, even missing Rochester (but will be at the AWA Conference).
Have not been to Dayton since 2000, that's far too long.

Thanks Pete, Paul and the rest of the guys for the photos, esp. the "candy" ones! 
I look forward to more photos and details on return.
Wonder if the new Icom IC-7700 "wonder-box" was on display?
How was the boat anchor ratio, anything of merit turn up?

The weather here has been cold/rainy since Wednesday and I've been stuck here all weekend ->


Well, maybe "stuck" is too harsh a word, isolated is more like it!
Would have really enjoyed the Dayton get-together.
Is it still at the pizza place?
Wonder if anyone though to tape record or video the AM Forum?


73 Bruce W1UJR

[W1DAN]

Paul:

Thanks for all the "on location" reporting!

Now ya just made me feel sad I didn't go......

Boo Hoo....

Have a GREAT time!

Dan
W1DAN

[WA3VJB]

The weather cooperated in hi hi FB WX OM manner Friday and Saturday, but the forecast calls for rain Sunday. No matter, we are packing up and headed home with some good memories and some loot besides.
A full "report" from the participating miscreants shall follow.

[W9GT]

Hey Paul....good seeing you at Dayton!  We had a very brief eyeball QSO, but still a pleasure to meet you in person.  Very sorry that I missed 'HUZ and the rest of the guys.  Also saw that Todd, KA1KAQ had signed in on the DX-60 Net Banner, but unfortunately we didn't get to see him in person.  Steve ' 8TOW and myself must have walked 20 miles between Fri and Sat!  Had a great time and got what we went for, as far as purchases....so it was essentially a successful Dayton trip again this year.

Saw a lot of boatanchors and prices were quite reasonable on many of them.  Can't believe that we saw 3 (or 4?) Collins 32RA transmitters (including the one that you provided the picture of in your post).  I thought they were rare!!!  3- 807s modulated by push-pull parallel 6L6s....100 watts or so....weigh 6 tons.

It was great to see many of the AM crowd again this year, including KA9TOC, W9DWS, WA3VJB, W3SCC, WB2FOF, etc. etc. (I'm old and my mental logbook is failing me).

Ask TOW about the "mouse condominium" found in the Super Pro 110X that he purchased...great looking rcvr on the outside, but more than he paid for inside  .  I got a roll of hard-line and connectors that I needed...took a risk by waiting a day for the price to go down...but ended up with what I wanted...so worked out fine.  Now I can start getting the antenna farm back in service.

Dayton is hanging in there...still a great time....but noticeable drop in vendors inside and outside this year....probably gas prices didn't help.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[WA1GFZ]

What are all those tubes giving Joe that shit eating grin?

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

What are all those tubes giving Joe that shit eating grin?

NIB Fo-Fo hunnerts, Frank. Story to follow, waiting for another pic from Paul before posting.

What a great time!! 

[WA1GFZ]

Todd,
Check your email....Synthesizer fixed but other problems. fc

[WA3VJB]

It is taking forever to get unpacked. Amazing how many little items you can squirrel away.

Here's a link to a video panorama of the fleamarket on Friday. I stood in this same spot 30 years ago and took a series of still frames much the same way. Some changes in the time passed, but still quite the strapping hamfest.

MP4, compatible with QuickTime 6
http://wa3vjb.amham.com/pics/Dayton-Pan.mp4

Dayton is hanging in there...still a great time....but noticeable drop in vendors inside and outside this year.

Jack, that's right, there has been a decline but look at the level of turnout this hamfest comes from. There's PLENTY remaining as the critical mass to keep this fester viable for many years to come.

Trends noticed -- not very much "swag" from the commercial vendors inside Hara arena. They used to give away all kinds of goodies, but I had to ask for a couple of plastic carrying bags. Pete CWA scored a flash drive as a giveaway from one of the private parties several groups had; maybe that's where all the freebies have gone.

Another very surprising change was how little there was in the way of VHF traffic on 52 simplex. I had a commercial handheld, listening in, and there was a squelched silence for minutes at a time as I walked around. Not only would that NEVER be the case in years past, it was typically a strap contest among people on all known simplex frequencies PLUS the odd splits PLUS the repeater output frequencies on pairs not used around Dayton. We had a few pissweak FRS radios on UHF and did fine.Has anyone heard anything from Dean, KK1K ? about the AM Forum and the "AM Dinner" that Bruce asked about, the one at the pizza place. I didn't run across anyone who had been to either.

We had a couple of AM dinners with the folks shown below. Nice time had by all, and a tip of the hat to John W3JN for culinary support and recommendations.

[AG4YO]

OK FINE !!!!!

Here we are enjoying a Ying-Ling beer, eating stashios, and overlooking Deep Creek Lake, Maryland for the night, giving us a few hours' jump on the excursion to Daytron.

Sees ya there

You guys have any Granola or Sushi, Paul?  LOL!  Welcome back and looks like a fun time was had by all.

[WA3VJB]

Jack W9GT said --

Saw a lot of boatanchors and prices were quite reasonable on many of them.

Plenty of boatanchors, indeed, including this hi hi FB Ranger with one of the W4PNT front panel restorations.

Shown are seller Bob, W0YVA and John, W4AWM.

[KA1ZGC]

That's just insane.

$1,500 for a freakin' Ranger? 

Mine was every bit as clean and shiny inside and out with ORIGINAL paint for $200 at the same hamfest last year!

There is not a single transmitter on the face of the Earth that's worth $33.33-1/3 per watt, I don't care how nice the restoration.

Did anyone actually buy this thing?

--Thom
Kilimanjaro Africa One Zulu Goat Cheese

[AF9J]

I'll agree with Thom.  That price took my breath away.  I paid $150 for the one I had briefly back in '95 (I bought it from Radio Recyclers in Milwaukee), and it was in good working condition.  From what I've seen on ePay, nowadays good ones are going for about 400-$500, but $1500?  Ouch!!

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

           WHAT AN EVENT!!!

Thanks to Paul and his expert photography, folks can get a good taste of what it was like to be there from the view of a participant. The report of a Dayton Newbie follows:

The Group: WA2PJP, W2XR, KA1KAQ (newbie). I was extremely fortunate to be accompanied by two AMers who are not only known for their top notch AM stations and first rate audio and signals from Long Island, are also both Dayton veterans. Talk about being in good hands!

The Trip: Vermont to Long Island, Long Island to Dayton. Not counting my end of the travel time, it was 12 hours out due to a wreck and construction traffic, 9.5-10 hours back thanks to lighter traffic and a determined driver. Joe did all of the driving. We offered to help, but he was a man on a mission. Saw an exit for Punxatawney on the way out and had ideas of making a detour to plug one woodchuck for falsely reporting an early spring this year. Dayton was more important.

The Event: Incredible! Truly a sight to behold. People and gear everywhere, two little Icom chickbots in the main lobby, funny story there. I think you could see most of it in one day, although you'd probably miss a lot of the smaller things. There's a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of gear packed into most spots. Also a lot of people to meet, talk with, and so on.

The People: Managed to meet a number of folks known previously through on air or Internet contacts only. W0YVA, AA4RM, K0BS, W4AWM, W5OR, and others. Always great to put a face with the name/call/voice.

Also got to meet Pete, WA2CWA *finally* after all these years. Pete is truly a delightful person, very outgoing and good natured. He let us stash some items there temporarily while we wandered around, promising not to resell them at a loss.

The fun really began when we located the vagabond tent of the HUZman, Johnny Novice, 'VJB and others. Thinking it would be quick and easy to locate them, I was amazed that it was late afternoon before I saw the shape of a 'VJB noggin emerging from a black suburban, which then lead to the main nest nearby. "There was a whole nest of 'em!". Joe and Paul had caught up earlier. Sure was nice to get off my feet for a while and enjoy some cold refreshment. Met Ken K6?, Mike, and another couple whose names escape me. I missed meeting Jack W9GT, Gary K4XK, and a number of other folks. Hopefully next time, if not before?

The Purchases: Being very determined not to buy anything more that I'd only have to move again soon, I did well to last through the first row and a half before succumbing. My first Dayton purchase? A beautiful Audel's New Radioman's Guide with embossed cover and gold leaf binding. Dated 1939, it has great pictures of gear from the early era, along with appropriate information.

It wasn't long after that when I became one of The Eimac Boys(see VJB's post for photo). Talk about good timing - as we walked down the third or fourth aisle, someone notice a sign on the back door of a pickup cap listing NEW 4-400As for $100 each, with new matching chimneys for $25.  Sealed in their original boxes in an enormous case sat a large number of new Eimac-Varian tubes with 88/89 date codes and a few chimneys. The seller had been out roaming around and had just returned for lunch. A quick pow wow resulted in a suggestion from W2XR of a possible 'bulk rate' for buying in quantity. The seller agreed to a price of $150/pair, and the rest is history. We did leave a few for others, but subsequent trips back depleted the stock until only 2-3 remained. So much for not buying more stuff, but deals like that seldom come around.

Most amazing was what I found Saturday: the "square cut" RF ammeter to fit my 300G broadcast transmitter. An odd type and size used by few pieces of equipment and often missing or zorched by lightning, they are said to be made of unobtainium. Upon seeing it, 'VJB stated 'it even has the correct dial scale and mounting hardware'. Not bad for $4! Added to a bag of IERC tube shields and a CQ Classics calendar, that completed my Dayton buying spree.

Socializing: This is the best part of any event like this. Seeing your friends, hanging around together, dinners and so on. We missed the AM Forum (thought it was Saturday!), then ended up going out for dinner with the folks pictured in Paul's shots both Friday and Saturday, missing the AM Pizza gathering too. Johnny Novice generously bought everyone dinner on Friday night, in a nice Italian place near the site. Saturday evening ended at a Tex-Mex place where we met a G3 transplanted to the USA and his wife, after enjoying another excellent meal.

Summary: I arrived home just after midnight last night, about 6 hours from leaving WA2PJP. Having never been to the Dayton Hamvention before, I don't know what I missed, and was therefore not bothered by the current size (or lack thereof) of the present day event. As such, I feel lucky to have attended when I did, with the friends I attended with. Even managed to sign up the first NEAR-Fest speaker while there. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, along with the deals and time with other AMers. It never fails that storytime with 'JN and 'HUZ leaves me with aching sides from laughing to the point of turning purple.

It was great. I highly recommend it for all AMers, and hope to go again one day.

[WA3VJB]

Nice writeup, Todd.

Yeah that's Ken, Kilowatt 6 Full Carrier, first shot below, quite appreciative that you turned him toward those IERC tube shields for $2- ea. You don't find them that cheap that often.

It was my first time meeting him and Mike Corbett, November 9 Monster Carrier, and good company to have along. Corbett is the definitive dealmaker.  I spotted a couple of new in box frequency counters, of a model I paid $35 for about ten years ago on closeout. Good metal case, decent accuracy, BNC whip antenna.  The guy wanted $35 each, and turned down my $20 for one of them. Mike, standing next to me, with the connection perhaps unbeknownst to the seller, offered him $50 for the pair. Thus set up, he took the money and the deal was made.

But wait there's more.

Within about 10 minutes of getting back to the JN/HUZ & Company tables, Mike puts these two New in Box frequency counters on the table, and along comes a fellow who says how much?

Geez, I dunno, I paid about $50

says Corbett, and the fellow says OKAY I WILL GIVE YOU $90 for the pair.

And yet another satisfied custoomer strolls away.

Pete/CWA, second shot below, counts out the reasons why ManualMan is the definitive place for all your manual needs. Customer, off camera, is nodding vigorously seconds after the sale has already been made.

That's that on that.

[KA8WTK]

Just a few shots from Dayton.....

Paul seems to be meditating on low priced boatanchors.

A buch of the guys, including FOF!

Someone who claimed to know JN.

[KA8WTK]

One more shot of a T-shirt seen around the "AM Corner". I wonder who that could be???

[W1RC]

I am glad to read that Dayton still lives.  It sounds like you guys had a blast!  I am particularly pleased that Todd was able to finally make it to "Radio Mecca".    Brown W1NZR refers to the month of May as "Radio Ramadan" with good reason! 

Sorry I couldn't make it but after spending six weeks deeply engrossed in helping to produce NEAR-Fest at Deerfield  there's no way I could even think of going away for a week.  My wife puts up with a lot but there's a limit.

Last time I was at Dayton was in 2000. Don't know when I'll have the opportunity to go in the foreseeable future.  It's nice to read the reports and see the pics.  Thanks, guys and see you ALL at NEAR-Fest II in October.

73,

MrMike, W1RC

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I don't even remember you being there at my tables on Saturday. I do remember Sunday and the video camera. I was soooooo tired on Sunday afternoon when I got back to the hotel, I turned on the PC to read my mail, and while it was downloading, I fell asleep in the chair for an hour.

I have to admit that this Dayton was one of the best I have attended. Not that I can home with some exotic flea market item (I actually didn't buy anything in the flea market) but everyone I spoke with, seemed to be in a festive and positive mood. Between the day's activities and evening activities, I have never laughed so many times in my life.

And Paul said: Trends noticed -- not very much "swag" from the commercial vendors inside Hara arena. They used to give away all kinds of goodies, but I had to ask for a couple of plastic carrying bags. Pete CWA scored a flash drive as a giveaway from one of the private parties several groups had; maybe that's where all the freebies have gone.

Yep. Most of the "free" stuff is distributed at various dinners or hotel gatherings of various groups. You take your "free" stuff to places where you can generate the best bang for the buck. And the flash drive was 1 Gig. I also came home with some Tiffany wine glasses  as a drawing prize. A lot of guys using HT's there, now use 1296 or 440. 2 meter HT's were too much of a problem.

Wife got gifts including an Icom T-shirt, Yaesu hat and a pair of these:

[KB2WIG]

               "Most of the "free" stuff"   =   swag     

 klc

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Looks like Joel, W1ZR, ran around and shot a number of photos of some of the "new" stuff being displayed at Dayton.
For the story and the pictures, go here:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/05/23/100/?nc=1

This one comes in different colors to match your shack decor.


The tubes must be underneath the other stuff.