Dayton Hamfest

From: Mike <dogas_at_leading.net>
Date: Wed Mar 3 02:30:28 1999

Hi Barry,

I was thinking about attending the computershow in Dayton in a couple of
weeks. You say that there is no flea market. Does that mean that
(classiccomp) systems aren't sold there??? And can I get a general set of
directions to the Hara..

Maybe we can do a lunch between or drink after the festivities

Regards
- MIke

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry A. Watzman <Watzman_at_ibm.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classicmputers <classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Saturday, February 13, 1999 11:31 PM
Subject: Dayton Hamfest


>The Dayton Hamfest is a fabulous show. It is THE LARGEST amateur radio
convention [it's "official" purpose]. The Hara arena is a very good size
facility, I'd guess in the over 100,000 sq. ft. range (perhaps WAY over),
and it's all indoor, heated/air conditioned [not that it works with 35,000
people in the facility], and all commercial vendors, many, many of which are
used computer and surplus dealers (there is lots of new stuff also). It's
about 60%-70% computer, the rest general electronics and communications
[radio] equipment.
>
>The flea market takes up the entire parking lot, in excess of 2,500
vendors. There are many commercial exhibits in the parking lot also, you
will find a number of very large tents (10,000 square feet range each).
Mendelson surplus always has a large tent, and almost every year Radio Shack
[as in Tandy] collects their entire surplus and returned merchandise stuff
from all over the nation and sends it all to a big tent at the Dayton
Hamfest where it is sold for often ten cents on the retail dollar. However
they didn't do this last year, for the first time I can remember, but they
still had a huge indoor exhibit with many items, new, at 25% to 50% below
normal store and catalog prices.
>
>The show is logistically difficult to attend for several reasons. First,
it brings in so many people [over 25,000 plus a large local population] that
poor Dayton, which is hardly a tourist mecca, is complete swamped. You can
forget about finding a hotel at this point, the people who do this show get
their reservations a year in advance. You may have to stay in Columbus or
Cincinnati [both about 70 miles away], fortunately both are directly on an
interstate highway and it's not a bad drive. The other problem is parking,
since the entire lot is flea market there isn't any ! There are some LARGE
fields around the complex that are used for parking, expect to pay $5 to $10
per day, and they are not paved, or very close, which become a real issue in
bad weather. Then there are remote lots with busses, but that's a hassle
also.
>
>The show is May 14, 15, 16.
>
>Here is an alternative, the Dayton Microcomputer association has a twice a
year computer show at the same site. It's just about as large as the
Hamfest, and it's ALL computer. There is no flea market, the parking lot is
used for - surprise ! - PARKING ! It's almost like having 3 Dayton Hamfests
a year, except that two of them don't have the flea market. This year's
dates (it's only a two-day show):
>
>Spring: March 13-14
>Summer/Fall: August 28-29
>
>I plan to attend all 3 events.
>
>
>
Received on Wed Mar 03 1999 - 02:30:28 GMT