A couple folks asked for a report on how Shelby was, so here goes . . .
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First off, the weather was outstanding.? High in low 80s, sunny skies, and a nice cool breeze almost all day, Friday and Saturday.? It was a little warm standing in the sun, but in the shade it was like the boneyard was air conditioned!? I spent most of my time wandering the boneyard (and maybe 10 full minutes inside all of the inside exhibits combined, and half of that was wasted.)? But Charles and I sat in our shade and enjoyed a pretty day.? Sort of, well, nice day for a funeral.
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I couldn¡¯t find any attendance numbers (other than that at it¡¯s peak in the 90s attendance was around 10,00), but it seems to be tapering off each year.? A reasonable number of flea market vendor setups, and there were lots of things available¡ªpower supplies, rotors, CW keys, antenna tuners, and mostly older radios (the most modern I saw were several TS-2000s and an IC-746).? There was the normal Shelby collection of amplifiers by brands like ¡°Ass-Kicker¡± for a kilowatt on 11m.? But very few folks were walking around shopping in boneyard.? I doubt there were 200 people there other than the vendors and SARC folks, maybe not even 100. ??Only one food vendor was open, with service as slow as molasses in January.? But there wasn¡¯t nearly enough demand to make it worthwhile for a second one to open up.?
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The covered area outside the building where Wireman sets up has been paved, but there were only 3 or four tables in there.?
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The vendor support has all but disappeared.? In the air conditioned Goforth Hall, there was one vendor (Km4MPH Sales out of Chattanooga) plus one booth making hats and badges.? ARRL had a table, and the rest were flea market guys.? Ham Source (out of Birmingham) and Quicksilver Radio, both of whom were there the last few years, were gone.? Almost nobody in the long, white, non-airconditioned barn.? Vendors seem to have given up on Shelby, like HRO, ICOM, and MFJ did over the last few years.? I don¡¯t know why, but I suspect it¡¯s because attendance isn¡¯t enough to make it worth their while.?
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My sense is that Shelby Hamfest is circling the drain.? SARC seems to be sitting idly by and watching this event sink.?? If they are doing anything to get vendors back, I can¡¯t see it.? Quicksilver¡¯s web page said they would be there, and I thought I saw the guy Friday mid-day, but they were never set up and selling.? Not sure what happened but it can¡¯t be good news.? The hamfest web site has a long list of vendors, apparently anybody who has ever been there in the past umpteen years.? The vast majority were not there this year, including most of the ones in bold print.? Maybe they think by lying about how many vendors are coming they can boost attendance??? Not a? particularly good plan.? SARC seems to following the game plan of the Atlanta Hamfest.? If this event moved to Dallas, NC now, I¡¯m not sure the businesses in Shelby would know or care.? And the way its spiraling down faster and faster, I don¡¯t think it will be long before it¡¯s hospice time.?
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Sad to see.? I have a lot of fond memories of Shelby Hamfests past, and I really, really would like to see it regain it¡¯s former self.? But I¡¯m convinced now that ain¡¯t going to happen, and I don¡¯t need to go anymore to watch it die.? I¡¯m done.? Huntsville is the new Shelby.?
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OK, rant over.? Sorry.? ?
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Dave UW
