Hamfests & Conventions

Mike Crestohl, W1RC, writes on January 27, 2024:

Dear Friends of NEAR-Fest:

Please note this is an updated announcement. Please disregard any other notices you may have read.

Our Spring 2024 hamfest, NEAR-Fest XXXV, will be held on Thursday April 25th and Friday April 26th 2024. There will be no hamfest activity on Saturday due to an unfortunate scheduling conflict with the Deerfield Fairgrounds. We had originally announced that the event would take place only on Friday but due to popular demand and the cooperation of the Deerfield Fair Association we are pleased to announce this new full two-day schedule.

Our 2024 Fall NEAR-Fest XXXVI is scheduled for October 11th and 12th and will be the same as always for the past eighteen years, on Friday and Saturday.

The gates will open on Thursday morning at 7:00 AM for PREPAID TICKET HOLDERS ONLY so you might want to buy your tickets online well in advance starting February 1st 2024 on our Web site, www.near-fest.com, or in March at the Ham Radio Outlet store in Salem NH and at Ross Hochstrasser’s Clock Shop in Whitman MA and get your favorite spot. NEAR-Fest XXXV will end at 3:00 PM on Friday.

Prepaid ticket holders will line up and enter via Gate C as we did in the Fall. They MUST have ALL of their needed tickets and inside parking passes or they will be sent to Gate F. This includes all Campers, RVs, tenters, who MUST also have their overnight camping passes as there will be NO tickets or passes sold at Gate C. Anyone needing to buy tickets or parking passes will go to Gate F and will be admitted starting at 8:00AM. Once the line has entered at Gate C it will close and all others entering the grounds will proceed to Gate F.

For this event only admission per person is $10.00 whether you buy your ticket online or in advance or at the gate. Overnight parking and tent passes are $15.00 regardless of whether you plug into an electric outlet or not. Campers, RVs and overnight stayers will go directly into the Fairgrounds as we will not be using the campgrounds this time. The cost of the pass for RVs, Campers, Motorhomes, etc, is $30.00. All vehicles that remain in the Fairgrounds overnight (after 9:00 PM) will require an overnight parking pass in addition to an inside parking pass for Friday.

Everyone over 21 will need an admission ticket except unlicensed spouses, active duty military, full-time students (with ID) and other valid pass holders.

If you buy something big and heavy in the flea market one of our volunteer staff members will be glad to transport it and you to your vehicle at no charge as we have been doing for many years. As always inside parking for disabled persons is free of charge and they may use a single person “mobility device” as well. NEAR-Fest reserves the right to limit the use of golf carts and “other power driven mobility devices” due to safety concerns and potential liability issues.

Please visit our Web site, www.near-fest.com, or our Facebook page, NearFest NH for any further updates. We apologize for any inconvenience that this modified version of NEAR-Fest may have caused but it is only for this time. We appreciate your indulgence and understanding.

See you at Deerfield!

73,

MisterMike, W1RC

We’re pleased to announce that Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, will be the invited guest speaker for the Northeast HamXposition / ARRL New England Division Grand Banquet on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

Tamitha is a new kind of weather forecaster for our modern world. As we become more reliant on technology like our cell phones, GPS (GNSS), and other satellite services (and our use of the Amateur Radio bands) we find we are more susceptible to the effects of Space Weather. Just like terrestrial weather on Weather can Earth, Space be as mild as a rainstorm or as wild as a hurricane.

WX6SWW will show you in non-science jargon how this new kind of weather impacts your daily life. You will never look at the Sun or the Earth in the same way again. After all, Space Weather is just like the weather in your own backyard, it’s just a little further up.

The New England Amateur Radio Festival (NEAR-Fest) will be held Friday October 13 and Saturday, October 14 at the Deerfield, New Hampshire, Fairgrounds. Besides the flea market, we will have a full slate of forums during the day on Friday. While we encourage everyone to attend the show, the forums will also be available to view on-line for those who cannot be present. The schedule (subject to change) can be viewed at: http://hamclass.net/nearf23.html. Details for viewing on line will appear the day before.

Further details on NEAR-Fest can be found at: https://near-fest.com/.

Mark your calendars for the Nutmeg Hamfest / ARRL Connecticut State Convention, October 8, 2023, at the BestWestern Plus Hotel, 201 Washington Avenue, North Haven, CT 06473.

Gates open 6:00 AM for Tailgating and Inside Vendor Setup

New!  Earlier opening — Building open 8AM to 2PM for the general public

Talk-in  147.36 R, +600, PL 162.2

General Admission $10.00, Under 12 free

Tailgating $15.00 per space

Inside Tables $25.00 each — $20 if paid by 9/10/23

For complete information, visit https://www.nutmeghamfest.com.

Welcome to the Next Chapter: The QSO Today Academy

“Once upon a time, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we introduced the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo. Six fantastic Expos later, it’s time for a shift. A shift towards learning, innovation, and connection in the world of amateur radio. Welcome to the QSO Today Academy!

“Mark your calendars for our first event on September 9th and 10th, 2023, where our journey towards a new era of amateur radio exploration begins.”  [Full story]

Fall Brookline Vintage Electronics Swap Meet

Location: 32 Proctor Hill Road, Brookline NH 03033

Saturday September 30 2023, 7:30 am – 12:00 pm

Admission 7:30 – 10:00am: $5.00,  10:00am – 12:00pm : FREE!

Free onsite parking. Food available for purchase inside the hall. 

Sponsored by: New England Vintage Electronics Club

For more information, see http://www.nevec.org