16th NEW ENGLAND AMATEUR RADIO FESTIVAL
“NEAR-Fest” LARGEST Gathering of Radio Hams in Northeast
Friday 9a Oct 10th – Saturday 3p Oct. 11th 2014
CONTACT: Warren Elly W1GUD Warrenelly@gmail.com 813-924-6096
Near-Fest Web for tickets, camping, exhibitors http://near-fest.com
The next time you use a smart phone remember; radio hams have been sending messages to each other for over a hundred years. Much of the technology used by the social network was invented by Radio Amateurs; the founders of the world’s first social network, nearly a century before anyone ever heard of the Internet. Many hams build their own equipment and antennas and operate “off the grid” using alternate power sources and no Internet.
Known as the “Woodstock of Amateur Radio”, the NEAR-Fest draws thousands of “Hams” and their families from all over the U.S., Canada, even Europe. At Deerfield Fairgrounds they renew old acquaintances, and dig through rare decades-old radio parts along with the newest gear.
NEAR-Fest, a private not-for-profit corporation donates funds to good causes. Says founder and chairman Mike Crestohl W1RC, “we are committed to funding projects that will introduce the magic and wonder of radio to young people with the hope that this will ‘light the spark’ for some of them as it did for us”.
This year NEAR-Fest is funding college scholarships for electronic studies, but we are also matching New England Ham Radio Clubs in raising funds for the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund. The fund is used to represent and protect the interests of Radio Amateurs in the U.S. and abroad. NEAR-Fest will match up to $1000 every year. We also supported the international WRTC competition, held in New England this summer.
World wide there are over 3 million people using Amateur Radio, with a record number, over 750,000 and climbing, currently licensed in the United States. Hams come from all walks of life, from world leaders to taxi drivers, children, and retired folks. And they’ll all be there at NEAR-Fest this October!