May Near-Fest Reports!

[W1DAN]

QST!

Please add your Near-Fest reports here.

I had a FANTASTIC time Friday May 2! Friend JT WA1TDH and I loaded up my car and arrived on a rainy Friday morning. We were able to sell many of our items, had some great eyeball QSO's and bought a few items, especially a National NC-183D from Grant KC1OMA (thanks for a great deal Grant!), and a rough Collins 75A2 from the Providence radio club. The rain and mist ended around 10AM and the sun warmed the area up by about 30 degrees to 80F.

The 'A2 deal was real fun! In the afternoon I stopped by the Providence Club table and talked with a few of the members, one of who stated "make an offer". I did.... $20. They hemmed and hawed, and when I noted that Natick neighbor Dom N1DM was a good friend (he is a long-time member), they came back with a counter-offer of $25. I tried to stay firm with my initial offer and they replied with "for $20 you also have to take the Hallicrafters SX99 and S108, neither of which work, and we'll deliver to your car!". I said yes, even though this was just a raw deal for me :-).

They loaded the radios onto a golf card and we headed to my car. After chatting with Bill W1LLY and unloading, and was getting ready to leave, another ham wanted my space, and I talked him into buying the two Hallicrafters for $20. This means I got the 75A2 for free!

I bought a few tubes, a couple of audio output transformers. Also an AADE DFD103 frequency display for vintage radios for $20.

I passed on a beautifully restored Collins 75A4 for $275, should have bought that. In these political times also I had a very good conversation with a Canadian ham, and friend JT renewed an old friendship with a ham friend.

Many AM'ers tootled over to the Riverside Tavern in New Boston NH, where I enjoyed chatting with a couple of retired VoA employees. We had a tasty and inexpensive meal and headed home around 8:30PM.

Here are some photos. Below is JT WA1TDH watching my table.

Tell us your story!

Dan
W1DAN

[W1DAN]

Another photo.

Note to admin: I cannot upload multiple photos via the "more attachments" link.

Dan

[W1DAN]

Here is an early National SW-5 receiver that Joe WA3GMS had on his table.

[W1DAN]

Carl WA1KPD pondering the purchase of a National NC2-40D receiver from Ross W1EKG.

[W1DAN]

A Viking 1 with ORIGINAL docuemntation

[W1DAN]

Reelin' in the years

[W1DAN]

Dinner gang. Here's who I know, from left to right. Left side: NE1S's YL (Elaine?), NE1S, Tim WA1HLR (hidden), unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown.
Right side: Unknown, unknown, Grant KC1OMA, unknown, Joe W3GMS and YL Martha.

[W1DAN]

More AM'ers at dinner. Dave WA1SCI, JT WA1TDH, Ross W1EKG, Larry W1TGM, and finally the person smiling may be W1TKO?

Also at the dinner was Bill W1LLY.

If you know of folks in the photos, please chime in.

Thanks!

[W1DAN]

Our host Joe W-3 Good Music Station with a retired engineer from the VoA and another AM'er I do not remember.

Thanks all!

Dan

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Note to admin: I cannot upload multiple photos via the "more attachments" link.
Dan

Are  you using a desktop, laptop, tablet, Ipad, smartphone (Android or iphone), fliphone, or some other gadget?

And, from the left side of the AMfone screen:
I believe the last three lines are important; it indicates version of software. The software running this site is probably not 100% compatible with Android/IPHONE stuff in use today.

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NOTE: On your last three dinner related pictures, it would be nice if you labeled who is who. Many members here who view the pictures may have no clue.
Other then Joe, I have no clue, and I've been on this web site since the beginning of time. Over time people change, people age, etc. etc.










Let me also point out if you have an ATTACHMENT issue, we also have a PHOTO GALLERY (called GALLERY) where you can set up your own directory and post your pictures.  
Once they're there, you can right click on the photo to copy the URL and then using the Image icon or typing bracke[t img]the URL bracke]t[/img (note: the appropriate bracket is embedded in the word bracket]) post the picture in your specific post.
Basically, it's right bracket img left bracket THE URL /right bracket img left bracket
What's nice about this is that you can embed the picture directly into your text if desired.
 

[W1DAN]

Hi Pete!

Thanks for chiming in and trying to help. I am using a Dell Lattitude 5330 laptop running Windoze 11 Enterprise version 23H2. My browser is Microsoft Edge version 136.0.3240.50. As Adobe Flash was deprecated in 2020, this browser does not support it.

On the photos, I also do not know many of the hams who attended the dinner, and we did not do a "round robin" introduction. Maybe folks here can help. I just added comments with the names of those folks that I know.

Wish you could have joined us.

Thanks!!
Dan

[KD1SH]

   Thanks for the report and the pictures, Dan. I may have seen you at some point during the fest, but as usual, it dissolves into a blur of frenzied running around. Regardless of whatever great deals I may come home with, I always regret the missed opportunities to meet fellow AM'ers. There's just so much to see and do in so little time.
   I did spend some excellent time talking to Larry, NE1S, and his wonderful wife, and Ross, W1EKG. Spent some time with Grant, KC1OMA (who did have some excellent gear on his table) who lives just a few towns away from me. George, W1LSB; Larry, WA1LGQ; Joe, N1VIV; Mark, WA2FXM, who was set up right next to us; Phil, W2PHL; Carl, WA1KPD; and Mark W1TKO, as well.
   Came home with what appears to have been a home-brew modulator, nicely built and complete with a fine-looking Thordarson T-21M62 mod transformer.  It uses a pair of 1625's, as evidenced by the Sharpie markings on the bottoms of the sockets. It might be fully functional as-is, so I'll give it a chance to redeem itself before I part it out.
   Also, and this is a bit embarrassing, what I originally took to be some sort of home-brew transmitter. All open, other than what I figured must be the VFO enclosure, and impressively well built for home-brew. Single 6146 final and a pair of 6L6's for the modulator. No knobs at all on any of the shafts, but Sharpie markings on the front of the chassis (which made me think it was home-brew) to show the band-selector choices and such. It was going for only $2, so I couldn't resist, figuring it would be a fine parts-donor, and honestly, I didn't spend a lot of time looking it over; just put it in my cart and kept going. On closer examination, this morning...here's the embarrassing part...it's a Ranger! I have a Ranger, and been inside it quite a number of times, of course, so I'm embarrassed that I didn't recognize it for what it was! I'm thinking that maybe I'll give it a good going-over, and try powering it up sometime. If it works, maybe I'll pass it along to someone who'd like a "skinless" Ranger, rather than parting it out.
   Also picked up some Gates BC-1T parts from a guy (apologies for forgetting his call) who had essentially the complete BC-1T innards spread out on a tarp. A Viking Challenger followed me home, too. Always wanted to check one of those out, especially since it's got 6-meters. A very nice looking (and free!) Multi-Elmac AF-68, also with 6-meters, rounded out the day. I've seen many in far rougher shape sell for more (but never less). My regret now is having gotten rid of a matching power supply for it several years ago, when I figured I'd never use it. Oh, well, I can easily kludge one up someday.
   When all was said and done, it was a fine Nearfest, despite the sometimes fickle weather. Thanks to the entire Nearfest crew for making this excellent event possible!

[Carl WA1KPD]

I had a good time too. Set up with Gary W1PG and sold a lot of stuff.

Good running into a lot of friends.
Dan W1DAN
Chris AJ1G
Bill KD1SH
Joe W3GMS, where we did a Lafayette 6-meter converter to 6-meter converter swap (long story).
Ross W1EKG -Bought a Swan 270 in nice shape from him and seriously considered that NC-240 D. Love that radio.
Also saw
Jerry K1GUP
Jim, WA2MER
Doug KB1MHD
Larry NE1S
Gerry K1GUQ   
Jerry W1ZV
Joe WA2PJP
Jerry W1ZB
Adam KB1YTN
KB1IAW Paul
And many others.
WX Fri. morning was damp with 2 short showers. It then cleared up and got quite warm.
Good time and thanks to all that make it happen so smoothly.

[Jim/WA2MER]

I'm sitting right next to Timmy, and the guy directly across from me sitting next to GMS is my friend Bob, KD2ZKI. He's a relatively new ham I'm Elmer-ing, and who hopes to get an antenna in the air and pick up some gear this Spring.

It was nice running into old friends and meeting a couple of new ones. Staying true to my resolve to not bring any more equipment home until I finish the projects I already have, I brought home only two new PL-259 connectors. I hate to come home from a hamfest empty-handed.

Can't wait for Sussex.