Category Archives: Hamfests

HamExposition Postponed Until Nov 6-8

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I hope this messages finds you safe and healthy.   After long consideration, the convention committee has decided to postpone the 2020 convention to the week of November 6 through 8. 
 
There are several reasons for this, the first and foremost is the health and well-being of our attendees.   In addition, there are many logistical problems with holding the convention in July, even under the most favorable conditions of the pandemic emergency being over by then.
 
1. We believe it is unlikely that the state’s ban on large gatherings will be completely lifted by the end of July.
 
2. Even if it were, we believe attendance will be severely impacted due to lingering (and quite appropriate caution).
 
3. Almost all of our exhibitors are unwilling to commit to anything prior to June.
 
4. The convention is subject to penalties for cancellation.  The penalties increase as we get closer to the convention date.  By moving to November, we move out the schedule on these penalties.  This will allow us to reassess the viability of the convention in early August.  By then we will have further insight into  prevailing conditions.
 
5. The November weekend was the only one available to us – and could be lost to another group if we did not act on it.
 
We know that many look forward to attending each year, and have probably grown weary of all the cancellations of events like these.  However, given the reality of the situation, we believe it is in everyone’s best interest to postpone.
 
 
Stay safe & 73,
 
Bob – K1IW
Chairman
Northeast HamXposition 2020

NEAR-Fest XXVII Status Report

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The big question for the last several weeks has been: Is NEAR-Fest XXVII scheduled for May going to be canceled? The answer sadly now is yes.
 
On March 26th the NH Governor issued Emergency Order 17 which is a “stay-at-home” advisory in effect from Friday, March 27th through Monday May 4th 2020. This Order cancels all gatherings over 10 persons during that time period. This obviously includes us.
 
Henceforth NEAR-Fest XXVII will be known as the “one that didn’t happen”. Now that that has been decided for us we first will need to determine what the financial impact of this will be. Some hard decisions may have to be made. I shall be in touch with you all soon to let you know what we will need to do going forward.
 
In the meantime we all need to keep ourselves and our families safe and healthy throughout these unprecedented and challenging times. This means as much isolation as possible. But remember, amateur radio is the original “social distancing” so stay home and play radio.
 
The NEAR-Fest staff and management thank you for all your support for the past 14 years and we look forward to serving the amateur radio community for years to come.
 
73,
Mister Mike, W1RC Benevolent Dictator

Algonquin ARC Hamfest

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The Algonquin Amateur Radio Club will be holding its annual hamfest at 1Lt Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School at 25 Union St. in Marlborough, MA.  The hamfest is very popular among hams in both the Eastern MA and the eastern portions of the Western MA ARRL sections.

The hamfest will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  General admission is $5 and includes a chance at the $200 Cash Door Prize.

An amateur radio exam session will be run at the hamfest at 9:00 AM for those how wish to get licensed or upgrade.

Vendors may reserve 6 foot tables at the hamfest at $15 each if purchased by February 7, 2018 ($20.00 each accepted at the door if space is available).  Vendors may arrive at 6:30 AM for setup.  For more information or to reserve a table, contact Tim Ikeda KA1OS at 1-508-919-6136 before 9:00 PM or email fleamarket@n1em.org.  A mail in order form is also available on the bottom of the hamfest’s official flyer.

Talk in will be on the MMRA Marlboro repeater system: 147.27+ (pl 146.2).

WMA Section Manager Ray Lajoie KB1LRL is planning on attending the hamfest.

Hope to see you there!

2020 Northeast HamXposition: New Venue and New Date!

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Northeast HamXposition 2019 General Chair Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, wrote to convention vendors and exhibitors on January 23, 2020:
 
To all our vendors, past, present, and (we hope) future:
 
Northeast HamXposition at Boxboro, the New England ARRL Division Convention, is now four months behind us. The 2019 show went well.  The gate remained steady. Attendance at the banquets, forums, and flea market was solid, and there were many smiling faces. We have a formula that works well.
 
So now it’s time for us to raise the bar.  Some big changes are coming to the Northeast HamXposition.
 
The biggest is a change of date and venue.  Going forward, the Northeast HamXposition will be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Rd., Marlborough, MA, on the 4th full weekend of July.  This year, the dates are July 24, 25, and 26.  Reserve that weekend – we have it nailed down for the next 5 years at least.
 
Why change?  There are several reasons:
  1. The Royal Plaza has considerably more parking, and plenty of flea market space.  It’s a nice, clean, large, and up-to-date venue
  2. The Boxboro site was having trouble making commitments to us for the adjoining parking lot.  It was only a matter of time before we found ourselves, on short notice, without sufficient parking.
  3. The Royal Plaza has an adjacent Trade Center complex.  While we won’t need to use it this year, we want to have enough expansion space that we can hold a National Convention some time in the next few years
  4. The Boxboro facility is, frankly, a getting a bit timeworn.
  5. The Royal Plaza has other adjacent hotels, as well as numerous restaurants and other shops – far more than the Boxboro location
  6. Unlike the current convention, the 4th weekend of July doesn’t conflict with the September VHF contest
 
We’re scrambling to update our forms and procedures.  I’ll be sending out another message shortly, as soon as these are all in order.
 
Please reserve the date, July 24-26.  We would love to see you there!
 
73,
Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF
Northeast HamXposition vendor chair

Fall 2019 NEAR-Fest

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NEAR-Fest

The next New England Amateur Radio Festival will be Friday and Saturday October 11 and 12.

NEAR-Fest is an international event run by and for all radio hobbyists and enthusiasts, including hams, short-wave listeners, scanner buffs, vintage/antique radio fans, etc. NEAR-Fest is held twice annually, spring and fall, rain or shine, at the Deerfield Fairgrounds, Deerfield NH beginning on Friday at 0900 and ending Saturday at 1500 hours.

The program of activities and events at NEAR-Fest is extensive; a huge outdoor electronic flea market, three buildings full of commercial vendors, forums, technical seminars and symposia, demonstrations, exhibits, displays, licensing examinations, special events radio stations, a “jam session”, good food, fellowship, fun and general mishigoss. NEAR-Fest is the largest event of its kind in the Northeast and has once been described as the “Woodstock of Amateur Radio”.

NEAR-Fest typically attracts attendees from the six New England states, NY, NJ, PA, MD and other states as well as from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada. Some attendees travel great distances; one gentleman from Los Angeles has attended fifteen events and in 2010 one radio amateur traveled from Greece to join us for the fun. It is a perennial attraction for many hams in the Western MA section.

Hope to see you there!

Northeast HamXPosition 2019 This Weekend

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Visit the ARRL booth at HamXposition
The ARRL New England Division Convention
Boxborough, Massachusetts
September 6-8, 2019 (exhibit hall open Sat & Sun only)

  • Join ARRL or extend your membership and get a FREE gift.
  • Meet ARRL staff including Convention and Event Coordinator Eric Casey, KC2ERC and Ally Flynn, KM3AF, of ARRL’s Lifelong Learning Department. Learn about the ARRL Education & Technology Program, and opportunities to support, and participate in, the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.
  • Explore the entire convention: forums, indoor exhibit hall, flea market, youth activities and more.
  • Attend the ARRL Forum presented by New England Division Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, Saturday 1 PM.
  • Print or save this email reminder!
  • For more information, go to www.hamxposition.org

Error in QST Convention and Hamfest Calendar

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Steve Ewald, WV1X, Supervisor, ARRL Field Organization Team writes:
 
We want to let everyone know about the error in the September QST Convention and Hamfest Calendar.  There will not be a hamfest in Windsor, Maine, on September 22.   The Windsor hamfest was already held on July 27.   
 
Thank you very much.

HamXposition at Boxboro / ARRL New England Division Convention

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HamXposition at Boxboro
The ARRL New England Division Convention
September 6-8, 2019

Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center,
Boxborough, Massachusetts
www.hamxposition.org

  • Top-notch Forums and Talks all three days
  • Large Exhibit Hall & Flea Market: Sat 9 AM to 5 PM & Sun 9 AM to 1 PM
  • Major prize drawings
  • Friday DXCC/Contesting Dinner featuring special guest Adrian Ciuperca, KO8SCA
  • Saturday Grand Banquet featuring Dan Barstow, KA1ARD, Senior Education Manager for the International Space Station National Lab
  • Ham Radio Bootcamp, designed to help newly licensed Technician and General’s to get on the air and use their Amateur Radio license
  • Post banquet fun – movie night – open mic storytelling – jam session
  • Jazz Band for Sunday Brunch
  • ARRL VE Exams
  • Tech-in-a-day™ license study course, $5 fee for materials and snacks
  • W1N special event station. Reserve your time at www.hamxposition.org/special-event-station

…and more!

Amateur Radio Exposition for Young People presented by the Nashua Area Radio Society, September 7th and 8th. This exposition will include many hands-on activities, videos, and displays about amateur radio and wireless communications, including:

  • Software Defined Radios
  • High-Altitude Balloons
  • Portable and Mobile stations
  • Emergency Communications
  • Fox-hunting

Purchase your tickets today online at www.hamxposition.org

HamXposition @Boxboro – Online Ticketing Open!

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The doors are open on our online ticketing system. Please visit our website to find out more about out 2019 program and to purchase your general admission, flea market vendor, and Friday and Saturday dinner tickets!
http://www.hamxposition.org

We still need about forty more volunteers to help out on 2 to 4 hours shifts. Receive a $10 lunch voucher for each day you help out.

To volunteer, please see our simple 30-second signup at:
http:///www.hamxposition.org/volunteer

And if you are interested in being a forum speaker, please see our speaker
signup at:
http://www.hamxposition.org/forums-and-classes/speaker-signup

NEAR-Fest Spring 2019

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The Spring 2019 edition of the New England Amateur Radio Festival will be May 3 – 4, 2018.

The NEAR-Fest is an international event run by and for all radio hobbyists and enthusiasts, including hams”, short-wave listeners, scanner buffs, vintage/antique radio fans, etc. NEAR-Fest is held twice annually, spring and fall, rain or shine, at the Deerfield Fairgrounds, Deerfield NH beginning on Friday at 0900 and ending Saturday at 1500 hours.

Admission is $10. Persons under 18 and over 80 are admitted free of charge upon presentation of government-issued ID. Inside parking is available for $10 and includes a “reasonable amount of flea market selling space” for PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS selling their own personal property. Commercial vendors must register and pay applicable fees. If you are wondering if you are a “commercial vendor” you probably are. One complimentary inside commercial space is available for clubs, estates and other “non-profit organizations” on an “as available” basis.

Overnight camping, trailer and RV hookups are available. Three food vendors provide meals and snacks at reasonable prices. The Deerfield Community Church ladies serve up a breakfast that has to be consumed to be believed. Angelino’s offers hamburgers, steak, sausage submarines and other great “fair food” specialities and Patty’s Polish Kitchen menu features wonderful “Mitteleuropa” cuisine. No one goes hungry at NEAR-Fest.

The program of activities and events at NEAR-Fest is extensive; a huge outdoor electronic flea market, three buildings full of commercial vendors, forums, technical seminars and symposia, demonstrations, exhibits, displays, licensing examinations, special events radio stations, a “jam session”, good food, fellowship, fun and general mishigoss. NEAR-Fest is the largest event of its kind in the Northeast and has once been described as the “Woodstock of Amateur Radio”.

We look forward to seeing you at NEAR-Fest.