Columbus Hamfest - Saturday, Local Hamfests in General
Today is the Columbus Hamfest at the Aladden Shrine on Stelzer Rd on the East side of Columbus. It is a pretty small event compared to Hamvention, or even the Mansfield Hamfest.
Last year the main attraction was the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency's communications trucks. They are pretty well outfitted with all kinds of radios, computers, satellite communications, etc. They really are mobile command centers.
However, and this doesn't just happen here, the attendance seems to be going down hill at all these local events, at least here in Ohio. There are a couple schools of thought on the reasons but I think the biggest one is the local hamfests seem to be getting more and more boring. It is a catch 22 though - the less people that come the more boring they get, and the more boring they get the less people that come.
There really aren't any key events at the Hamfests that draw attention. Take the Dayton Hamvention for example. This is one of the largest Ham radio events in the world, not just here in the US. There are big-name vendors there like Icom, Yaesu (Vertex Standard), Kenwood, Flex Radio, Palstar, M2 Antennas, MFJ, Alpha Power... and on and on and on. There are interesting forums with well-known speakers on hot topics. All of this is on top of what seems to be the theme of the smaller hamfests - the flea market out back is the largest of it's kind, bar none. There are plenty of vendors inside selling parts - radio parts, computer parts, you name it. The sheer mass of the event is really hard to comprehend - it takes a lot of work to see the scope of the whole event in the three days it happens every year.
At the local hamfests, at least from what I have seen at the ones here in Ohio that I have gone to, they are all flea-market events. If you aren't trying to find a rare part for an old tube radio, a 20-30 year old crystal HF radio, or an old two-way radio out of a taxi cab there really isn't a whole lot to see or get. Granted, most hamfests have at least one vendor that has a new parts selection - SO-239 connectors, adapters 3/8"x24 antenna mounts, etc. If you are in need of parts like that Hamfests are a good place to look for a good deal on that sort of stuff. For the most part, like a buddy of mine said, it seems like a giant garage sale.
I don't think most hams are in to the whole "garage sale" theme. We want to see the new developments in ham radio technology - the new radios, the new antennas, the new computer programs, etc. We want to speak with knowledgeable people about products - the engineers, product managers, etc. Amateur radio is a technical hobby and thus we are technical people. We want to learn more and we are entertained by the new developments and speaking with those associated with such developments.
The local hamfests, at least the ones I have seen outside of Hamvention, just don't provide the excitement and cool'ness that attracts crowds. That is somewhat of a shame. Though I am sure not all hamfests come with the same atmosphere, there are probably others all over the country,and the world, that have some excitement and are more of a show.
I think a few ideas that could help the local hamfests gain back some of the attendance is to provide more activities that the attendees can take part in - not just wonder around looking at junk. Some kind of interesting forum may be good - a talk on ARES activities, repeater networking, incoming D-Star systems, IRLP, etc. Maybe someone giving a talk about home-brew gear would be neat. Or, antenna theory - nearly all Hams like some aspect of antennas. Our radio communications would never work if it wasn't for an antenna to put our RF where we want it (well, maybe not the neighbor's TV - whether you can justify that being "the right place" or not HIHI).
Another idea might be some kind of building class. There are tons of hams that like to build things. Whether it is a CW keyer, an audio filter, or something more elaborate like an Elecraft radio I am certain this would draw people. Granted, a building class would be expensive (and is - take Four Days in May for example).
How about bringing in a demonstration, class, or forum on Alternative Energy? There is a whole site/online community over at Otherpower.com. I know alternative energy - whether it is solar or wind - is of interest to the amateur radio community as well.
There are ways to improve on the local Hamfests. It does take a lot of effort and cooperation in planning. I don't think attracting the big name companies is likely, but that isn't all that will bring people in. Having an interesting attraction, not just the people selling stuff, is the key to doing so. The trick is to find something that the local ham population would be interested in other than "stuff".
How are the hamfests in your area? Are there any of you that have such attractions that make your hamfests interesting? Write back and let us know!
Last year the main attraction was the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency's communications trucks. They are pretty well outfitted with all kinds of radios, computers, satellite communications, etc. They really are mobile command centers.
However, and this doesn't just happen here, the attendance seems to be going down hill at all these local events, at least here in Ohio. There are a couple schools of thought on the reasons but I think the biggest one is the local hamfests seem to be getting more and more boring. It is a catch 22 though - the less people that come the more boring they get, and the more boring they get the less people that come.
There really aren't any key events at the Hamfests that draw attention. Take the Dayton Hamvention for example. This is one of the largest Ham radio events in the world, not just here in the US. There are big-name vendors there like Icom, Yaesu (Vertex Standard), Kenwood, Flex Radio, Palstar, M2 Antennas, MFJ, Alpha Power... and on and on and on. There are interesting forums with well-known speakers on hot topics. All of this is on top of what seems to be the theme of the smaller hamfests - the flea market out back is the largest of it's kind, bar none. There are plenty of vendors inside selling parts - radio parts, computer parts, you name it. The sheer mass of the event is really hard to comprehend - it takes a lot of work to see the scope of the whole event in the three days it happens every year.
At the local hamfests, at least from what I have seen at the ones here in Ohio that I have gone to, they are all flea-market events. If you aren't trying to find a rare part for an old tube radio, a 20-30 year old crystal HF radio, or an old two-way radio out of a taxi cab there really isn't a whole lot to see or get. Granted, most hamfests have at least one vendor that has a new parts selection - SO-239 connectors, adapters 3/8"x24 antenna mounts, etc. If you are in need of parts like that Hamfests are a good place to look for a good deal on that sort of stuff. For the most part, like a buddy of mine said, it seems like a giant garage sale.
I don't think most hams are in to the whole "garage sale" theme. We want to see the new developments in ham radio technology - the new radios, the new antennas, the new computer programs, etc. We want to speak with knowledgeable people about products - the engineers, product managers, etc. Amateur radio is a technical hobby and thus we are technical people. We want to learn more and we are entertained by the new developments and speaking with those associated with such developments.
The local hamfests, at least the ones I have seen outside of Hamvention, just don't provide the excitement and cool'ness that attracts crowds. That is somewhat of a shame. Though I am sure not all hamfests come with the same atmosphere, there are probably others all over the country,and the world, that have some excitement and are more of a show.
I think a few ideas that could help the local hamfests gain back some of the attendance is to provide more activities that the attendees can take part in - not just wonder around looking at junk. Some kind of interesting forum may be good - a talk on ARES activities, repeater networking, incoming D-Star systems, IRLP, etc. Maybe someone giving a talk about home-brew gear would be neat. Or, antenna theory - nearly all Hams like some aspect of antennas. Our radio communications would never work if it wasn't for an antenna to put our RF where we want it (well, maybe not the neighbor's TV - whether you can justify that being "the right place" or not HIHI).
Another idea might be some kind of building class. There are tons of hams that like to build things. Whether it is a CW keyer, an audio filter, or something more elaborate like an Elecraft radio I am certain this would draw people. Granted, a building class would be expensive (and is - take Four Days in May for example).
How about bringing in a demonstration, class, or forum on Alternative Energy? There is a whole site/online community over at Otherpower.com. I know alternative energy - whether it is solar or wind - is of interest to the amateur radio community as well.
There are ways to improve on the local Hamfests. It does take a lot of effort and cooperation in planning. I don't think attracting the big name companies is likely, but that isn't all that will bring people in. Having an interesting attraction, not just the people selling stuff, is the key to doing so. The trick is to find something that the local ham population would be interested in other than "stuff".
How are the hamfests in your area? Are there any of you that have such attractions that make your hamfests interesting? Write back and let us know!
posted by Steve at
11:06 PM
1 Comments
