Flea markets & Conventions

From the Watertown Patch:

“Swapfest is a huge electronics, tools, technology, amateur radio, and gadget flea market held on the third Sunday of every month from April to October in the Albany St. parking garage at MIT. Come buy, sell, or just look at objects as diverse as WWII Enigma machines, motors, power tools, computers, space capsules, and more. Early bird buyer admission starts at 7:00 AM for $15. Normal buyer admission starts at 9 AM for $6 (or $5 with a paper printout of our flyer). Vendors can preregister by the 5th of the month by mailing in our flyer with a check or show up to register day-of for a slightly higher fee. 9 AM-2 PM, but come early for best deals. Bring cash!”

The Northeast HamXposition boasts a cadre of dedicated volunteers who make this convention possible. But we can still use more volunteers.  Your smiling faces and eagerness to help makes a difference to the attendees. From selling tickets, assisting presenters, supervising the flea market, setting up the rooms, handling parking signage, supervising the flea market, and taking it all down and packing it up for next year— you make it happen!

If you’d like to help us at the 2024 Northeast HamXposition, please register at https://registration.hamxposition.org/volunteer/ or contact our Volunteer Chair Barbara Irby, KC1KGS, at kc1kgs@hamxposition.org. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phil Brooks, KA1PXZ, Chief of NEAR-Fest, is pleased to announce that, effective October 4th, 2024, the New England Amateur Radio Festival, known as NEAR-Fest, will be held at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society Fairgrounds and Youth Center located at New Boston NH, approximately 15 miles west of Manchester.

The reason for the permanent change in venue is due to ongoing scheduling conflicts with other events at the Deerfield (NH) Fairgrounds, NEAR-Fest’s home for the past eighteen years.

The hard decision to move the popular New England hamfest was taken by a unanimous vote of NEAR-Fest’s Board of Directors on May 17th, 2024.

In endorsing the decision NEAR-Fest’s Benevolent Dictator Emeritus, Michael Crestohl, W1RC, aka “Mister Mike” commented: “This was inevitable. The Deerfield Fairgrounds is becoming more and more popular with exhibitors and, as a designated agricultural fairgrounds, they have to give priority to agricultural events. We had a fabulous eighteen-year run. I am confident that Phil and Kelley, along with their team, will take NEAR-Fest forward at our new location for many years to come.”

Other than the location nothing else will change. It is still the same NEAR-Fest we have all known and loved since 2007!

NEAR-Fest XXXVI will be held Friday October 4th and Saturday October 5th, 2024 at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society Fairgrounds, located at 17 Hilldale Lane, (Route 13) New Boston NH. GPS Coordinates 42.9842430, -71.6793460.

See you there!

NEAR-Fest (The New England Amateur Radio Festival, Inc.)

PO Box 172, Barton VT 05822 (781) 639-9172

World Wide Web: www.near-fest.com E-mail: ka1pxz@near-fest.com

Mike Crestohl, W1RC, writes on January 27, 2024:

Dear Friends of NEAR-Fest:

Please note this is an updated announcement. Please disregard any other notices you may have read.

Our Spring 2024 hamfest, NEAR-Fest XXXV, will be held on Thursday April 25th and Friday April 26th 2024. There will be no hamfest activity on Saturday due to an unfortunate scheduling conflict with the Deerfield Fairgrounds. We had originally announced that the event would take place only on Friday but due to popular demand and the cooperation of the Deerfield Fair Association we are pleased to announce this new full two-day schedule.

Our 2024 Fall NEAR-Fest XXXVI is scheduled for October 11th and 12th and will be the same as always for the past eighteen years, on Friday and Saturday.

The gates will open on Thursday morning at 7:00 AM for PREPAID TICKET HOLDERS ONLY so you might want to buy your tickets online well in advance starting February 1st 2024 on our Web site, www.near-fest.com, or in March at the Ham Radio Outlet store in Salem NH and at Ross Hochstrasser’s Clock Shop in Whitman MA and get your favorite spot. NEAR-Fest XXXV will end at 3:00 PM on Friday.

Prepaid ticket holders will line up and enter via Gate C as we did in the Fall. They MUST have ALL of their needed tickets and inside parking passes or they will be sent to Gate F. This includes all Campers, RVs, tenters, who MUST also have their overnight camping passes as there will be NO tickets or passes sold at Gate C. Anyone needing to buy tickets or parking passes will go to Gate F and will be admitted starting at 8:00AM. Once the line has entered at Gate C it will close and all others entering the grounds will proceed to Gate F.

For this event only admission per person is $10.00 whether you buy your ticket online or in advance or at the gate. Overnight parking and tent passes are $15.00 regardless of whether you plug into an electric outlet or not. Campers, RVs and overnight stayers will go directly into the Fairgrounds as we will not be using the campgrounds this time. The cost of the pass for RVs, Campers, Motorhomes, etc, is $30.00. All vehicles that remain in the Fairgrounds overnight (after 9:00 PM) will require an overnight parking pass in addition to an inside parking pass for Friday.

Everyone over 21 will need an admission ticket except unlicensed spouses, active duty military, full-time students (with ID) and other valid pass holders.

If you buy something big and heavy in the flea market one of our volunteer staff members will be glad to transport it and you to your vehicle at no charge as we have been doing for many years. As always inside parking for disabled persons is free of charge and they may use a single person “mobility device” as well. NEAR-Fest reserves the right to limit the use of golf carts and “other power driven mobility devices” due to safety concerns and potential liability issues.

Please visit our Web site, www.near-fest.com, or our Facebook page, NearFest NH for any further updates. We apologize for any inconvenience that this modified version of NEAR-Fest may have caused but it is only for this time. We appreciate your indulgence and understanding.

See you at Deerfield!

73,

MisterMike, W1RC

The Falmouth ARA FARA Fest is held annually at the Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational School. The Fest provides and opportunity for local hams to buy, sell, or swap items of interest to amateur radio operators. VE license exam sessions are also held as part of the Fest. Flyers are distributed and available on this site prior to each annual FARA Fest.

The Board of Directors has set the following official guidelines for FARA FEST.

Outside Spaces are $10.00 per space. All vendors will be given a placard to display, bring your own table.

Indoor spaces are $10.00 per TABLE, we supply the table. All vendors will be given a placard to display.

General admission is $5.00, children under 14 free

The New England Amateur Radio Festival (NEAR-Fest) will be held Friday October 13 and Saturday, October 14 at the Deerfield, New Hampshire, Fairgrounds. Besides the flea market, we will have a full slate of forums during the day on Friday. While we encourage everyone to attend the show, the forums will also be available to view on-line for those who cannot be present. The schedule (subject to change) can be viewed at: http://hamclass.net/nearf23.html. Details for viewing on line will appear the day before.

Further details on NEAR-Fest can be found at: https://near-fest.com/.

HamXposition 2023 (a.k.a. ARRL New England Division Convention) is coming August 25-26-27 – less than 30 days away. 

Our forum schedule is now available!    Come visit our website to browse over 100 forums, seminars, and workshops available at the convention.

Two new additions on Friday – an AREDN mesh networking workshop where you will be building your own working MESH node and a NanoVNA seminar – learn to use this small but powerful device to analyze antennas and other RF devices.

Our Friday  DXCC dinner will feature Don Greenbaum, N1DG. Don will present “DXpeditioning with a RIB”. Don will describe the genesis of the “Rig in a Box” (RIB) from the 2018 Baker Island expedition to implementation on C6AGU, FO/N1DG and the recently completed VP6A DXpedition to Ducie Island.

Our Saturday grand banquet features special guest “Chip” Cohen, W1YW, an inventor, scientist, and retired professor. Chip will talk about his amusing background, ‘ham-genuity’, and some the pitfalls and pleasures along that tortuous path of invention.

Come meet some old or new friends and maybe learn something new about our hobby!

Do you know someone who really should get their license?  Bill, WZ1L is back this year with his “Tech-in-a-Day” study course, and as always, VE exams are available.

If you wish to stay overnight, discounted hotel rates are available through August 1st – so there are only a few days left to grab the discounted rate.

Visit our website for all details and to purchase tickets in advance:

https://hamxposition.org

Dinner ticket purchasing closes August 20th.

All online ticketing closes August 23rd.

73,

Bob – K1IW
HamXposition 2023

Forums Fri-Sat-Sun
Flea Market Hours: Fri 12-5, Sat 9-5, Sun 9-1
Exhibit Hall Hours: Sat 9-5, Sun 9-1

The Northeast HamXposition (a.k.a. New England Division Convention) is taking orders for advertisements to publicize your ham club or organization in the upcoming program brochure. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your club publicized to a wide audience of radio amateurs.  [Details]

HamXposition 2023 is coming to the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center in Marlborough, Mass on August 25, 26 and 27. We are actively looking for volunteers to help keep the convention running smoothly. Among the duties –

• Setup on August 24 Ticketing,
• Flea Market and Forum Speaker Help on 25, 26, and 27
• Take Down on August 27

All volunteers are scheduled into two-hour shifts. Those that work two or more shift receive free admission. If you are interested in helping, please visit: https://hamxposition.org/volunteer.html to register.

HamXposition 2023 is coming August 25-26-27.

In addition to our popular outdoor flea market, we will have a range of inside exhibitors, as well as a first notch set of speakers offering forum and presentations about many aspects of ham radio.

Come meet some old or new friends and maybe learn something new about our hobby!

We are very pleased to announce that the Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS), will be returning to present Amateur Radio Exposition at HamXposition. This exposition will include many hands-on activities, videos, and displays about amateur radio and wireless communications. NEScitech will also be providing hands-on experiences geared toward children and young adults.

On Friday night, Don Greenbaum, N1DG, will be headlining the DXCC and Contesting dinner. On Saturday morning, ARRL president Rick Roderick, K5UR, will deliver his keynote address. On Saturday night, at the Grand Banquet inventor and scientist Chip [Cohen], W1YW, will talk about his amusing background, ‘ham-genuity’ and some the pitfalls and pleasures along that tortuous path of invention.

Tech-in-a-day study course and VE exams are available.

Online ticketing is available now. If you wish to stay overnight, discounted hotel rates are available through July 25th.

Visit are website for all details and to purchase tickets in advance:

https://hamxposition.org

73,

Bob – K1IW
HamXposition 2023

Doc Kinne, KE1ML / M7RCK, writes in Boston ARC’s “The Sparc,” April, 2023:

One of the things that the pandemic truly robbed from amateur radio operators was the ability to congregate and get together. Yes, we could (and did!) get together via radio and computer, but somehow we hams like to see each other. For me one of my best experiences after talking to someone on the air for a period of time is to finally physically meet them, and usually mentally be forced to say, “Wow! You are nothing like how I pictured you!” It continually amazes me how much of a mental picture we build up of people only to have it just completely changed by reality.

One of the best ways Boston hams got to do that in the summers was the Flea at MIT. Taken down by the college during the pandemic, the Flea at MIT returns again this year on the 3rd Sunday of each month from April to October at the Albany St. Garage between Main Street and Mass Ave in Cambridge.

Famed for having nearly anything electronic or…nerdy…over the years objects both big and small can be found at the Flea, including, one time, famously, a Gemini test capsule.

The only question I’ve ever had was where I’d ever put it! See w1mx.mit.edu/flea-at-mit for more information.

Skip Youngberg, K1NKR, writes on the Algonquin ARA mailing list:

The New England Wireless and Steam Museum in East Greenwich, Rhode Island is having a Yankee Tune-Up on July 22, 2023. Come trade and sell your antique radios, vintage electronics and ham gear.

The entire museum will be open as well for your viewing pleasure. 

The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold its annual Winterfest on January 21, 2023 from 9 AM until 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Route 18, in Whitman. A VE testing session for Tech, General, and Amateur Extra will be conducted at the event. Raffle Prizes include four high power HTs and gift certificates.

Admission is $5; tables cost $15. Checks for tables can be mailed to:

Whitman Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 48
Whitman MA 02382

For vendor information, call: 781-523-5010 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/WF/2023Winterfest_hasPayPal.html.

Allen, WA1BEE, writes on January 18, 2023:

 

NOTICE

 

Change of location of the Whitman WinterFest 2023

 

Was in contact with Ross, W1EKG, today. Due to an unexpected situation, a move had to be made.

 

The location is the Tri-Town Masonic lodge, 38 Franklin Street ( RT27 ), East Bridgewater, MA, 02333

 

The Algonquin Amateur Radio Club will hold its Marlborough Flea Market on February 18, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the 1Lt Charles W. Whitcomb School, 25 Union St., Marlborough, MA. Talk-in is on N1EM/R 446.675 – (PL 88.5). Any COVID-related updates will be carried on the AARC website at http://n1em.org.

A VE session will be held beginning at 9:00 AM. General admission is $5. Vendor tables are $15 before February 10, 2023, or $20 at the door if space is available. Each table includes one admission.

For more information, email fleamarket@n1em.org or visit https://www.qsl.net/n1em/AARC_Flea_Market_Flyer_2023.pdf.

Mike Crestohl, W1RC, writes at 6:35 AM on October 14, 2022:

Don’t let the weather scare you.  The rain is moving north and by noon it should be gone. Tomorrow (Saturday) it is supposed to be sunny.

C’mon up!

73,
MisterMike, W1RC