This was the first time I’d gone to this show, and - while small - it offered quite a bit of television focused vendors. The usual flea market tat that shows up at hamfests these days was absent, even though the show was free to set up and enter.
I did end up spending about $45 and taking home a few project items which may show up later, depending on what I have scheduled. Regardless, here are the photos I took. I don’t have much to say about them, so there’s no description, just enjoy the glory of old television.
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We did a museum tour as well, and that is well worth the admission price. I highly recommend that if you’re in the area. We didn’t stick around for the auction, while there were a few lunchboxes I’d like to take home I already have examples of them and do not need more.
I wasn’t really taking a lot of photos at this time, the camera on my phone was an absolute potato and could barely focus in full sun - let alone in overcast conditions like it was on the Friday of the event. However, I did get a few and found them again when searching my photo archives.
This was the third year at the Xenia Expo Center, and it was still pretty packed even though rain threatened all day. The day was very cloudy and vendors opened and closed their booths depending on the whims of Mother Nature.
There were a few vendors there that had nothing but (or mostly) console radios. These vendors have faded away as this old stuff sells and stocks dwindle. There’s simply no more out there like there was 25 years ago.
At the time, I was working for a rather toxic flow meter company. I liked the tech, but not the job. This was taken mostly because of my interest in different kinds of flow measurement equipment - and because it amused me that someone just bolted a calculator on to the face.
Last photo is of an interesting military switchboard. It was just an interesting looking piece.
That’s all…there were a few more but they were blurry to the point of uselessness due to the aforementioned poor quality camera.
This was the second year I attended this show, and it was just as good as last year. While the stuff I like is generally going away (there’s just no more of it,) and some of the same vendors show up everywhere - there was still plenty of good things to see. I managed to make it out of there with only $40 missing from my wallet, so I did good.
Here’s what I saw at the show:
One of many signal tracer/R-C analyzer devices. This went home with me.
The good, bad, and ugly of old test equipment makers.
Books are a staple of shows. I took the radio book on top.
One of many overbuilt GenRad products.
A bunch of 2 minute wax cylinders.
A bunch of multi-stage filters with fire bottles.
Portable house fires.
A stack of stuff.
A nice example of a Knight R-C analyzer.
Some nice Lafayette radio gear.
A Craig Language Translator. It has common phrases on the back.
Lots of orange drop capacitors.
You can't go to a show without seeing one of these.
Surprise, radios!
Some average condition Hallicrafters S53 units.
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This unique Stromberg-Carlson floor speaker (cone long gone.)
A stack of stereo stuff.
Test equipment, with “eBay sells it for this!” prices.
Some needlenose went home with me from this stash.
Some Commodore cartridges.
One of many Zenith radios of this type that showed up.
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Next up is the Early Television Museum fall swap meet in October (no idea on this one, I’ve never been there,) followed by MARC@MAPS and finishing the year with the (disappointing last year) Fort Wayne show.
I’ll probably use this year to make some determinations about which shows I want to attend next year. Some of this years’ shows have been smaller than usual, and seeing the same stuff over and over isn’t interesting. Who knows, but stay tuned for more photos from events and next year’s list. Perhaps it will give me a chance to explore some other, smaller shows that happen on the same dates.
There’s a hamfest happening in Cleveland this weekend. I went to this one for the first time last year, and came away impressed with the size and number of vendors. It’s certainly worth your time if you’re in the area, so check it out!
The Cleveland Hamfest and Computer Show
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, Eastland Entrance
160 Eastland Rd
Berea, OH 44107
September 28
8A - 12P
https://www.hac.org/
This was the first year for this show, and had maybe a dozen vendors on the fairgrounds. Turnout was pretty good, there were a number of people coming in during the time we were there.
Some of the vendors were ones you’ve seen from other shows, including some from the recent Findlay show. Because of that, I didn’t take very many pictures.
This nice dual range Weston voltmeter was at the club’s table. I usually pick these up when they’re cheap enough because they’re useful just about anywhere.
I wasn’t sure what this one radio (with the two dials and the center meter) was, but it looked really interesting. I didn’t need a shelf queen. however.
One vendor had a number of tubes for sale for $1 each. I took 20 of them. He also had this box of what we thought were Toyota manufactured tubes, but turned out to be pulls in Toyota spark plug boxes. Fooled us!
There was a handful more of vendors with the usual hamfest things. Overall, it was a nice little local and worth the time for us to go. If they hold it again next year, we’ll probably head over.
Next show is Cleveland at the end of the month. If this one is like last year’s show, it’s a good size show that offered a lot of stuff to see. See you there!
This probably should have been inserted before the Findlay show, as it happened over Labor Day weekend. But I’m a lazy piggy and didn’t get it posted in time, so here it is!
Swappers Day is a general flea market that happens over the Labor Day weekend. By general, I mean it’s all kinds of merchandise - but it started out as a sportsman’s club show, and you still get a lot of firearms and bows being sold. Kind of a strange mix of things.
A lot of general antiques also show up, and that includes electrical gear. However, this is an opportunity to take photos of all kinds of interesting things, and here’s what I saw that caught my eye:
This stuff is getting kind of rare, but cool to see.
As is this stuff…no prices of course. Price it!
I think Coyote was just a masochist, and the roadrunner was his enabler.
A cute mini motobike.
It's like a bike. But for water.
A relative that messed around with the wrong crowd.
Interesting, but relatively poor shape.
I took the Stewart unit home.
We had no idea what this was, just…trippy.
But they were everywhere this year.
Yeah we all had one of these.
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Not much else to say about this one, but more shows on the way!
The Findlay Radio Club Hamfest is usually a pretty decent show. It’s been shrinking somewhat over the years, which is unfortunate, but there seems to be a lot of ‘fests in Ohio these days. Perhaps that, and the general aging of the population / equipment getting older and not having more made is starting to affect who and what shows up. No idea, but this years show was probably about 2/3 of the size of the first one I attended years ago. I may put this one on every other year or so…
That’s not to say there wasn’t good stuff to see, I usually bring home way too many things from this show and this year was no exception. There was plenty of good stuff to see, and it was still well worth the trip.
I did notice that prices seem to have come back down again, after the exuberance of the first half of the year. They’ve come down a lot, to the point where I noticed a certain piece of equipment that would make a good economic indicator. More on that later!
Regardless, it was a lovely day for the show and I took a number of pictures of interesting things:
A (Sears) Silvertone Battery Checker.
Chinese bootleg Blu-Ray discs from years past.
The big rigs still show up in great numbers.
I almost took the AG-9 home, but it was damaged.
A big 'ol boat anchor Majestic.
A relatively rare clock model.
The hotdesk scanner! Hot!
Just off the boat from Japan.
This was only a buck. These were built like tanks.
It's so cute.
A couple of interesting radios.
Multiply your Qs here.
It's too bad this meter was smashed.
An early personal radio.
A bunch of interesting broadcast receivers.
The S-38s are cheap again.
I took this wattmeter home.
It's a mini phone!
A collection of old phones.
Tube testers.
If you say that wrong you get in trouble.
A 150VAC Weston meter. I took it home.
That's a cool Zenith radio.
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There are a couple more shows this year before the season wraps up, including a new one in Pennsylvania that I’m going to check out. Stay tuned, and I’ll see you there!
I’d never been to this show, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turned out to be a good local, a long row of vendors with some more in a building. We ended up wandering around for a couple hours, looking at everything twice. A few odds ‘n ends went home, including some freebies, so it turned out to be a good trip.
Prices at this show were variable - some were selling things for more than new, others had what I could consider to be accurate prices. Unfortunately, the down in the dirt prices of a few years ago seem to be gone. Hope you got what you wanted then!
This is what I saw at the show:
A clear cased counter. Quite cool.
Obligatory Heathkit equipment, getting rarer.
Multimeters, multimeters everywhere.
Some military piece.
A really good condition late model 260.
This guy had a couple of good looking radios.
Do you need your performance checked?
Benny looks a bit high.
The radio on the top was given to me with a “Do something with it.”
The pencil tube in a radiosonde.
A couple of antique radiosondes.
These were decent enough speakers.
The name of the former owner is engraved deeply.
What we go to shows for.
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A very nice tube tester and some radios.
This guy was selling Weston lab meters cheap.
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This will probably be a show I go to if there’s time, seeing as it’s about 2 hours away. Next show is the Findlay hamfest, which is always a good show (assuming no rain!)
I’ve never been to this show, so I can’t really say what it’s like - but it’s not that far so I’ll take a trip and see. If there’s anything good, I’ll have a lot of pictures for you. It’s at the Clermont County Fairgrounds in Owensville, which is a suburb somewhat to the east of Cincy proper.
Cincinatti Hamfest
Clermont County Fairgrounds
1000 Locust Street
Owensville, OH 45160
August 9
8A - 2P
Admission: $10 (you can pre-order tickets)
https://cincinnatihamfest.org/
See you there!
8/11 Update - I did make it to the show, it was a little one but I still saw some good stuff. Pictures coming ASAP.
The show in Columbus, Ohio is always a surprisingly good one. Other than the few years that it threatened rain, it’s always presented a very good selection of things to see, and a lot of vendors. This year was no different. Prices at this show were what I would consider more reasonable, so it was easy to spend a few bucks.
I limited myself to a few small items and some books, but there was plenty for everyone. Here’s what I saw at the show:
Some big boatanchor.
This guy was selling a lot of good books cheap.
The random things we go to shows for.
A Hallicrafters “Super Defiant” w/speaker.
I think it launches the missiles.
A random Hallicrafters and some stuff.
Something homemade, covered with screen.
A portable explosion inna box.
A RCA multi-tap isolation transformer.
Probably deaf as a post when it was new.
Lots of meters. I didn't buy a voltmeter.
Another one of those monitor scopes.
A Sencore Mighty Mite tube tester.
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The Weston meter was lovely.
Just don't take the guy's table.
I took the Olson transistor supply home.
One of GenRad's many specialty devices.
A Pan American “Tropical” receiver.
An interesting Heathkit supply.
Another deaf as a post radio.
The Hamfest Special table.
A few better grade radios.
And some better better radios.
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A big, ancient lighting rheostat.
And a couple of these.
You need to see at least one of these.
Some small scopes.
A couple of small speakers from the 'shack.
Just a bunch of stuff.
A station-station telephone setup.
One of Heath's “Lunchbox” testers.
A tiny Tek scope.
A power supply for tube devices.
A meter in a rotor housing.
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The next show (this coming weekend) is Cincinnati. I’ve never been to that one, so it will be interesting to see what it’s like.
