- 2024
- Apr
- 29
What I took home from TUSCO 2024
I really didn’t go to this show expecting to buy much, and I didn’t - I spent $30 and brought home these two items:
The audio generator on the left works, but has a messy sinewave output. I’m not sure if this is normal, but knowing some of the other equipment I’ve had from this era - it may be. There are some capacitors in the unit with high ESR, so I may play with it a bit before making further judgement.
The RF generator on the right has an absolutely miserable output, the entire bottom half of the output waveform is clipped off - which I thought was bad. Nope, they apparently overdrove the final amp to the point where that’s the way it worked. It also is overmodulated with internal audio, so this thing was a turd when it was new. I found some suggested fixes, so I may play with it a bit when time allows.
The RF generator was a “Offer I can’t refuse” thing - the guy said take it for $5? Ok, sure!
That’s all - I did want the capacitor checker in my show post, but I restrained myself and someone else picked it up for the low price of $40. Thank you rando for saving me!
- 2024
- Apr
- 29
The 2024 TUSCO ARC Hamfest
This was my second year attending this show. It was maybe just a bit smaller than last year. This show seems to be a lot of “clean out the garage” items in bins, and a bunch of estate sale items from now silent keys. It seems to me that this is the club hangout day, and it’s a nice friendly event. Didn’t take long to tour, but well worth the drive.
Here’s what I saw this year:
This was a table full of items from a silent key. His wife is into radio as well, but not as much as the gent was, so she wanted it all to go away to other homes. Lot of nice radios and 60s vintage test equipment. I took home the EICO signal generator to the left, and a Knight RF generator (not shown) from this table - my only two purchases.
A National Radio “NC-Sixty Special-B” in a blue-gray cabinet. This is a general coverage shortwave receiver, and was in dirty but acceptable shape - even the power cord was that steel gray color! What’s unusual about this is the box is still with the unit. I think this is the first time I’ve seen a National box.
A table with random test equipment and radios. The Heathkit capacitor checker in the center was in really nice shape, and I had to walk away from it - fortunately someone else bought it. I could probably get that, clean it up, and turn it around for double the cash because people seem to be trying to reform crappy old electrolytics with these things instead of just buying good new ones.
Some National radio equipment. You can’t have a show without this stuff, and it was in pretty good shape with good prices.
Items for sale by (I believe) the club itself. I saw some of this stuff last year, the TV field strength meter is kind of cool looking in a sci-fi way but ultimately of little use to me. Nice big EICO generator there in back as well. Just random stuff that probably will find a home when the right buyer walks by.
Here’s the boat anchor portion of our program, these giant HP signal generators seem to show up in a lot of places, and this show was no exepction. The rest of the items were meters, equipment, and audio gear.
This gentlemen was at the show last year and had a similar assortment of odds n ends at good prices. Just random things.
That’s all for this year. I’ll attend next year assuming we’re not afraid of another election year variant cold!
- 2024
- Apr
- 29
If you’re planning on going to the Dayton Hamvention…
You still have time to mail order tickets if you’re in the USA, Canada, or Mexico. All other tickets can be ordered online, but are being held will-call.
Because of the non-promptness of the mail, I’d suggest sooner rather than later!
- 2024
- Apr
- 25
Stuff I brought home from Cuyahoga Falls 2024.
I did it again. Too much stuff, but I’m going to blame some of the sellers for being so congenial about negotiating on prices! (Yah right!)
So, what did I bring home this year?
Fuses.
This vendor had a lot of different values, including a lot of fractionals that will cost you a small fortune if you buy them new, so I picked up some 1/3, 1/4, 15mA, and 1A varieties. What’s kind of cool about these things is Seneca Fuse used to be a Columbus, OH corporation, and one of the boxes is marked as such. The company was purchased by an entity called Russell Enterprises, which appears to have long since gone out of business.
This is a cool little device that didn’t cost much. It’s a primitive hypot-type device that can test for leakage in a circuit. While primarily designed for appliances and other large current consuming things of yesterday, it still works great as a bench voltage monitor. It also performs it’s other functions without issue, so it was a good find - and it had the manual with it. I’m not sure what the leads were for, this device used EICO’s pin plugs. No worries, another set of leads on the bench is always a good thing!
I actually only wanted the AC Voltmeter in this lot, but the seller was really good on the price for all three, so I came home with the AC Voltmeter, a current meter, and the oddball Sanwa transistor checker. The meters are nice dampened movements and work well, but I haven’t installed batteries in the tester to see if it works. Not sure I will, those little handheld device checkers do an excellent job of sorting parts and identifying things for you.
This little meter in a case was probably part of some course offered by NRI Schools, an early “distance learning” company. (Started in 1914 as National Radio Schools, ended in 1999 as NRI - changing tides on the electronics landscape did them in.) While it’s not really of much use, the real Mueller copper clips and other test leads were well worth the price of $3. The device itself sat in a basement for some time, and it smells like it - if I can get the smell to fade, perhaps I’ll find a use for it.
Here’s the odds ‘n ends portion of the program. An apparently new Ford AM radio that I got for a put-in-the-rack project, a B&K Precision LED voltmeter that matches my capacitor checker, and a surprisingly well written TAB book about early microprocessors. I say “well written” because TAB would publish almost anything. Some books were pretty good, but some were literally nothing more than a guy who wrote a book about taping LEDs to various things and called it “101 electronics projects.”
I don’t need more of these, but they were a good price for functional units, and they’re starting to get outrageously priced. These were checked for operation, and will go into storage as parts donors - or perhaps as resale units once cleaned up and re-capped. Who knows?
In all, it was a good show. I didn’t need to drag home some of that stuff, but I did. I’ll see you at the next show this weekend!
- 2024
- Apr
- 15
The 2024 Cuyahoga Falls Hamfest
This show has entered my regular rotation of attended events due to the good variety of items that show up. In the three years I’ve been attending, I’ve never left without some goodies at a good price, including a lot of the test equipment I currently have on my bench.
This year was no different. While certain things (boatanchors) are getting in shorter supply, there’s no shortage of 1960s and 1970s stuff right now - all of which can, for the most part, be easily repaired if need be.
Here’s what you’re waiting for, all of the pictures that I took at the show. The things I brought home will be featured in a future post. Enjoy!
- 2024
- Mar
- 28
April Hamfests
There are two shows I have on my list for April.
The first is the Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club Hamfest. This indoor show usually attracts a good amount of vendors and lots of reasonably priced items. It’s well worth the drive and admission.
Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club Hamfest
Emidio & Sons Party Center
48 E. Bath Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
April 13 2024
8A - 1PM
https://sites.google.com/cfarc.org/cfarc/hamfest
The second is a small show at the Tuscarawas County Fairgrounds in Dover / New Philadelphia. This was a very small show - only about an hour to see it all a couple of times, but again - a good mix of things to see and some good deals to be had. If you’re in the area, this is one to attend.
TUSCO ARC Hamfest
Commercial Building at the Tuscarawas County Fairgrounds
295 South Tuscarawas Ave
Dover, OH 44622
April 27 2024
8A - 1PM
https://www.w8zx.net/hamfest
See you there!
April 27th - these have both passed, next is the Dayton Hamvention!
My complete hamfest list, by no means exhaustive! https://wereboar.com … 1/2024-hamfest-list/
- 2024
- Mar
- 28
Dayton Hamvention is only about 6 weeks away.
It may be close to April Fool’s Day, but it’s not a joke - the Dayton Hamvention is only about 6 weeks away! Break open the piggy bank so you can bring home those treasures, and order your tickets now so they arrive in time, and so you’ll get the discounted rate. They’re good for all three days, and I’ll see you there!
Order your tickets here: https://hamvention.org/purchase-tickets/
- 2024
- Mar
- 24
Pictures from the Scott Antique Market
The Scott Antique Market has closed for the season in Columbus, with the next show happening in November. There weren’t enough things to make a post for each of the past few months, so I’ve consolidated everything from this year into this one post.
The normal assortment of radios, televisions, and other electrical oddities showed up, with a number of just interesting or other neat things.
I did pick up one item that will be the subject of it’s own post, but until then - here are all of the things I found interesting from the last three shows.
- 2024
- Jan
- 15
The Sunday Creek ARF Hamfest 2024
I’d never attended this show, but was pleasantly pleased with the turnout. There were perhaps a few dozen vendors and a packed house of visitors in the old gymnasium of the converted school. Quite a bit to look at, and prices were really good. I managed to bring home some good things for a total of $10, almost spending more on drinks and snacks on the way home! I didn’t think the weather was going to cooperate, but it turned out to be just a bit slushy, cold, and windy.
We wandered the aisles for about an hour, taking some time to stop and look at the old photos on the walls from the building’s time as a school, talking to some of the vendors, and digging through boxes of stuff. Since this is so close and easy to get to, I’ll probably attend next year as well - weather permitting of course!
- 2024
- Jan
- 14
The Sunday Creek Hamfest has come and gone,
And I have to say it was a pretty good little show. The weather wasn’t planning on agreeing on the ride down, but it turned out to be just a skiff of snow and cold, windy weather. There were maybe a couple dozen vendors, and a packed house full of guests to the point where cars had to shuffle so others could leave.
While I only spent an hour there, I walked out with some good stuff as did my fellow show-goer. I’m working on processing pictures, and will post those soon. In the meantime, bask in the green glow of a magic eye from one of the devices I went home with.
