NATIONAL HAMFEST 2009

A GREAT SUCCESS – WELL DONE

That’s what we have been hearing from you after the first National Hamfest on 2nd and 3rd October. The 2009 event was the biggest Hamfest run by Lincoln Short Wave Club and with the support and assistance of the RSGB, was their biggest event in almost 30 consecutive years of running them.

Civic Parties from Lincoln and Newark cutting the cake at the opening ceremony

After the opening ceremony, carried out by the Chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council and the Mayor of Lincoln, visitors poured into the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall, which was twice as big as the previous venue used. It needed to be because by lunchtime the main exhibitor’s area was very busy. The outside traders were also doing good business just outside the main entrance.

‘There were lots of smiling faces’, commented Lincoln Short Wave Club Chairman Jonathan Whiting, ‘all the hard work of the previous weeks was paying off.’

This is the first time that the Hamfest at Newark had been a two day affair and after a great first day, the second day was marked by extremely high winds which didn’t seem to put off too many people. There were just more coats and woolly hats.

‘The weather may have made some potential visitors stay at home, but we had a full hall on the Saturday’, said Jonathan Whiting.

Major retailers Martyn Lynch & Sons and Waters and Stanton brought a large van load of goodies each and didn’t take too many home.

The smaller traders also did well, with lots of stalls selling everything from connectors to fibreglass masts. There was just about everything there! We hope you found what you were looking for at the right price.

The ever popular bring and buy had almost 200 items booked in and many of the high priced items like rigs moved quickly.

Many of the newest rigs were on show and Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu allowed visitors to have hands on experience of them.

One Hamfest visitor taking a great interest in the rugged portable IC 7200 from ICOM

Some lucky visitors left with great prizes, a Heil headset from Waters and Stanton, a beam in a bag from ML&S, an ICOM-7200 HF rig, like the one in the picture above, and two Yaesu VX-8 VHF/UHF handies.

The event is now going to become an annual event and already we are working on ideas to make it even better next year. We’re looking at the possibility of a series of short lectures, better facilities for the disabled, better catering and an enlarged car boot and flea market area to mention just a few of the ideas under consideration by the organising team.

Make a date in your diaries. National Hamfest 2010 will take place on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd October 2010.

Clive G1BSN – Lincoln Short Wave Club
Event Coordinator

Lincoln Short Wave Club – website

Radio Society of Great Britain – website

Photos provided courtesy of Richard Williams – website