Murrell (W9ISP) and I traveled to the Collinsville, IL hamfest held on January 23. Its quite a drive, but we have made the trip for many years. Its the best hamfest within driving distance during the winter months. This year the hamfest was in a new venue. Well, not actually a new venue, but a larger section of the same building.
As you can see, this is a large space, much larger than years past. There were vendors set up in the hallways outside also. Even with the larger space, the floor was VERY crowded at times. This was partly due to the poor vendor space layout in sections of the floor. Overall, lots of space, vendors and gear for sale.
Here are some of the things I found at the hamfest:
The 1″ x 32 TPI air dux coil stock is getting really hard to fine. I picked this one up for a buck. The insulators are for my remote antenna tuner project. I broke the insulator on the tuner box, so for a couple of dollars I was glad to find these.
Bud aluminum enclosures for $.50 each, and a 200 pf Johnson cap for $5. I’ve paid as much as $20 each for these on ebay.
Brand new bag of ty-wraps for $1, and an RF probe for a VOM $1.
Fairly new CB radio for $5. This one I bought to put in the truck, along with this external speaker. I know what you’re thinking, but a CB is sometimes the best method of figuring out why you have been stopped in traffic of the interstate for an hour, etc.
I always find something rare at hamfests. This time I saw this Multi-Elmac PMR-8 mobile receiver in mint condition. I have never seen one of these in person before. It was made by the Multi-Products company in the 1950’s. Its a 9 tube, dual conversion receiver that is extremely compact. Here is a link to W8ZR’s excellent page on the PMR-8. W8ZR PMR-8 Page
The most unusual thing I saw at the ‘Fest was this. A guy was giving away a hard boiled egg with every purchase. This was a new one on me. No I did not take the egg……