BOXBORO!

[W1DAN]

So...

Who is going to the ARRL New England Convention this weekend? Selling or buying? Forums?

Meet-ups after?

Will be there Saturday. Maybe bring home an NC-173 if I am lucky.

http://www.boxboro.org/

73,
Dan
W1DAN

[W2VW]

I had plans to go but a certain 81 year old building got in the way.

Have a great time Dan!

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I'll be there in the flea market area. Just finished packing most of the Van. It's so tight with "good stuff" that if I tried to pull one box out, it would probably take me an hour to get it back in. I'm also dumping a lot of original manuals, at cheap prices, that are excess to my needs. I think last count there was 4 or 5 cartons of them. Also, bunches of older ARC and AWA magazines. Of course, there will be an assortment of equipment, cheap parts, and even a box of free stuff. I'm bringing my full inventory of Nifty Accessories quick reference guides and mini-manuals since I'll be the only one there that will be selling this stuff and they will all be on sale. Any of my 18,000 plus manuals ordered there will also be on sale and also have free shipping. I'm even bringing a portable generator so that all my "good stuff" can be powered up for that warm and fuzzy full-bodied experience before you take it home. Weather forecast looks great from Friday through Sunday and I can almost visualize the simple decor of the inside of the hotel.

[WA3VJB]

I'll be there in the flea market area. Just finished packing most of the Van. It's so tight with "good stuff"...

Do you remember the time you locked yourself INSIDE your van because of all your good stuff?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I'll be there in the flea market area. Just finished packing most of the Van. It's so tight with "good stuff"...

Do you remember the time you locked yourself INSIDE your van because of all your good stuff?

One of my more memorable moments in flea market activities. Fortunately, now I can afford a hotel room. I gave up sleeping in vans years ago.

[WA1GFZ]

The traffic going back to Ct. was unreal. Bumper to bumper parking lot all the way to RT84. 1-1/2 hour ride up almost 2-1/2 hours to get home.
Yuppies in th ebreakdown lane and typical monkies behind the wheel.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Friday afternoon I was on I290 coming out of Worcester going towards I495 when all traffic came to a stop. Looked like a tanker truck filled with whatever, hit the guard rail several times, flipped on its side, cracked the tank, and was venting whatever was in it. There was also report that it was briefly on fire. Fire trucks, police cars, hazmat types all descended on the area. Eventually three lanes were converged into one. It took 2 hours to crawl about 3 miles. On the way back to NJ late Sunday morning, lots of slow moving volume on both Mass Pike and NY Thruway but no dead stop stuff. Lots of college kids heading back to school this past weekend.

[Steve - K4HX]

Too many people in too small a space. That's the problems with ever increasing areas of the northeast.

[WA1GFZ]

I go to a test house (NTS) down the road from the flea fairly often. I found it faster and easier to stay on 90 and spend the extra 50 cents to avoid 290. I stay on 90 until 495. That was the worst traffic I have ever seen on that section of highway. The exit ramp for 290s was backed up over a quarter mile.

[Burt]

ARRL Boxboro Flex 2012
http://youtu.be/s0bf5wdtL1Y

[W3GMS]

ARRL Boxboro Flex 2012
http://youtu.be/s0bf5wdtL1Y

Very informative video on the latest Flex Burt.  It was interesting to hear a high level overview of the topology.   

Thanks!

Joe, W3GMS

[WA1GFZ]

I was not impressed whth the new Flex. undersized cores in the LP filter. Cheap relays to select LP filters. Final output transformer pretty small.
not worth $7000. There isn't even an TX IMD spec printed in the hand out folders.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I thought it was a great hamfest. Weather held up nice for both days. Lots of people traffic and I got to try out my Harbor Freight generator in earnest. Powered it up around 9AM and shut it down around 4:30PM. One gallon of gas and I still had some left over. Not bad for $90. If I had a dozen of them, I probably could have sold them all. From 10 to 20 feet away, it was hard to hear it running. Spent a great Saturday evening in the hotel meditation room jawing with Flex's Vice President of Sales and Marketing for almost 2 hours. A really fun guy to talk with since neither of us were on the clock. After he left, a guy I worked with at Bell Labs back in the 70's and 80's came in and we rehashed some fun old times until closing. Sunday morning allowed me to wander the flea market and the inside vendor stuff. I didn't go home empty-handed. Although Saturday was all day work, it was a lot of fun, and a number of people stopped by to say hello and even went away with a few things from the tables. I was going to take my camera, but in the rush to get out of here Friday morning, I left it on my desk.

The video looks and sounds great Burt. Every time I saw Burt, his arms were never empty.

[WA1GFZ]

It was great Saturday then the sun came out. Man that tar gets hot

[n1bnc]

This was a good event as there was a bigger turn out than a couple of years ago. I bumped into several people either from AM or other flavors of ham radio. I bought my usual PL259's and headed on to parties elsewhere on the planet later in the day. K1KW seemed very happy with his electric fly swatter!

[W1RC]

I had a good time too.  Saw a whole lot of friends and got to actually just attend a hamfester for a change.

There were plenty of goodies in the flea market.  For a hotel venue the flea market is excellent; always has been.  I picked up another ITT MacKay 3010C marine receiver.  A friend from VT grabbed a Collins 75S-3B with filters for $500.00.  Bought a few smaller items as well.  As Pete reported the WX was FB both days.  In fact it was kinda hot and humid but beautiful especially in the mornings.

One thing I like about Boxborough is the large variety and number of forums.  My good friend, Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF (and NEAR-Fest Director of Operations is the General Chairman.  Ken, WO1N, does a fantastic job of organizing them.  I attended two; Timmy's AM Forum (of course) and Tom Perera's "Disappearing Ham Radio".  Outstanding.  If you're ever at a hamfest and he's giving this one make it a point to attend.

As you may not know Boxborough is held every two years at the Boxborough Woods Holiday Inn and convention center.  It is an official ARRL Division convention.  It has been there since 1978.  When I started going it was held at The Ocean House in Swampscott MA but in 1968 the place burned to the ground just a few weeks before the convention.  

In 2014 it is going to be held in Hartford CT in celebration of the 100th anniversary of ARRL.  

I'll be there.

73,

MrMike, W1RC

[Burt]

In 2014 it is going to be held in Hartford CT in celebration of the 100th anniversary of ARRL.   

I'll be there.

73,

MrMike, W1RC

I will miss that one, I will drive 3 hours to Nearfest but not to Hartford. Hartford in August is like the Sahara plus the ARRL disregards the fact Hartford is hardly in the center of New England

[Pete, WA2CWA]

In 2014 it is going to be held in Hartford CT in celebration of the 100th anniversary of ARRL.   

I'll be there.

73,

MrMike, W1RC

I will miss that one, I will drive 3 hours to Nearfest but not to Hartford. Hartford in August is like the Sahara plus the ARRL disregards the fact Hartford is hardly in the center of New England

Actually, it's going to held in July (17-20). "Hartford is hardly in the center of New England" has nothing to do with it. ARRL was founded in Hartford in 1914 and has maintained its headquarters in the Hartford area ever since.

However, I find it hard to believe the typical Boxboro flea marketers are going to embrace this location. So it will probably roll into a scaled down version of the inside vendor displays that you see at Dayton and with the typical forums. Hardly the type of Boxboro activity that we're use to but maybe they'll setup a flea market area in the underground garage. Downtown Hartford isn't a fun place to drive day or night.

[Burt]

In 2014 it is going to be held in Hartford CT in celebration of the 100th anniversary of ARRL.   

I'll be there.

73,

MrMike, W1RC

I will miss that one, I will drive 3 hours to Nearfest but not to Hartford. Hartford in August is like the Sahara plus the ARRL disregards the fact Hartford is hardly in the center of New England

Actually, it's going to held in July (17-20). "Hartford is hardly in the center of New England" has nothing to do with it. ARRL was founded in Hartford in 1914 and has maintained its headquarters in the Hartford area ever since.

However, I find it hard to believe the typical Boxboro flea marketers are going to embrace this location. So it will probably roll into a scaled down version of the inside vendor displays that you see at Dayton and with the typical forums. Hardly the type of Boxboro activity that we're use to but maybe they'll setup a flea market area in the underground garage. Downtown Hartford isn't a fun place to drive day or night.

What is hotter than Hartford in August? Hartford in July.
It's a good thing the ARRL was not founded in Secucus, NJ or Detroit.
Why screw with a good thing?
Burt

[WA1GFZ]

Hopefully it won't be in Hartford but Newington would be nice.
Hartford is a crap hole except for a few streets in the south end.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Hopefully it won't be in Hartford but Newington would be nice.
Hartford is a crap hole except for a few streets in the south end.

I think I read in the last BoD meeting, it was going to be at the Connecticut Convention Center, http://www.ctconventions.com/

[W1RC]

I think I read in the last BoD meeting, it was going to be at the Connecticut Convention Center, http://www.ctconventions.com/

You are correct Pete.  That's where it will be.  Not my first choice either but the feeling is that the League was founded in Hartford CT (I believe it was West Hartford actually) they want to be near the "Mother Ship".  Whatever, this is where it will be:

http://goo.gl/maps/ccuGE

Right at the intersection of I-91 and I-84.

Hola hola!!!!

73,

MrMike