THE NATIONAL HAMFEST
Organised by the Lincoln Short Wave Club
in association with the RSGB

Latest..
All Major Dealers now signed up
Largest Amateur Mast comes in from Japan
Free Area for Clubs and Organisations to hold meetings
Great Free prize draws
GB4FUN on site
On demand morse test available on the day

Follow National Hamfest on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/nationalhamfest

It’s a bigger event than ever before, organised by a club that has been running Hamfests for almost 30 years.
Lincoln Short Wave Club has ensured that the new national Hamfest on Friday 2nd and 3rd October is going to be an event to remember.

Whatever you go to the Hamfest for: new gear, second-hand gear, advice or to meet friends, we think we’ve got it covered. Having teamed up with the Radio Society of Great Britain, the club have changed the date of their Hamfest from 14th September. The RSGB will have a large bookstall and information stand at the show and committee members will be very happy to discuss any aspects of the hobby with you.

Keeping it all running smoothly is no walk in the park so the Club has enlisted the help of neighbouring clubs who will be assisting over the two days of the Hamfest. After all there is a huge area of exhibition space at the George Stephenson Hall at the Newark Showground. For those who have visited the Lincoln Hamfest before, it is worth pointing out that the new venue is over twice as long as the previous hall we used.

Measuring 102 metres by 24 metres it comprises two and a half thousand square metres of exhibition space. They reckon that if you wanted to, you could park 114 double decker buses inside it.

Anyway, provided that nobody does park the buses, there will be a collection of the major amateur radio retailers as well as some smaller dealers too. There will be wide aisles so that everyone will be able to take a look at the goodies on the stands. There is excellent wheelchair access to the hall too and blue badge holders will be parked very close to the exhibition hall.

Yaesu, Waters & Stanton, Sandpiper Aerials, Martin Lynch, Moonraker, Lam Communications, Kenwood, JBT Trading and Icom will all be there. Everything from the newest rigs to top antennas and ancillary equipment will be on show.

Instead of a trip to the traders we’ve put them all under one roof so you can compare gear and hopefully get the best deal! More dealers and organisations are booking all the time. As you read this, what is arguably the world’s biggest mast is on the way from Japan. It has already appeared at the Dayton Hamvention in the USA! And it’s for sale! (Planning assistance at the RSGB stand).

The Club is determined to not only provide a wide range of products from a wide range of retailers but also to provide areas where friends can meet. To this end there is a bar and a large café area with lots of tables and chairs and hot and cold drinks and snacks available. It is hoped that many old friends will be able to spend some time together in a fairly relaxed atmosphere and of course you’ll be able to play with your new purchases!

There are a number of organisations taking stands at the Hamfest and they are very interested to meet members old and new. For Radio Groups attending the club has assigned an area for meetings, AGMs etc. It will seat up to 30 and can be booked free of charge in one hour blocks. Details from the Hamfest Manager, Clive (contact details at www.nationalhamfest.org.uk). Morse tests will also be available ‘on demand’ for anyone wishing to qualify for an RSGB Certificate of Competency under the recently introduced 'Morse Proficiency Scheme' check in at the LSWC information desk to book a test on the day and good luck!

As a Club, the Lincoln Short Wave Club is committed to encouraging new people into the hobby, especially the young. The Club offers courses for prospective licence holders and have had a numbers of successes in the last 12 months. That is why there will be a warm welcome for GB4FUN, the mobile communications vehicle operated by the Radio Communications Foundation (a charity set up by the RSGB and supported many Amateur Radio manufacturers and retailers). They think that Amateur Radio is a key way of encouraging young people into science based careers to enhance the national skills base. The Foundation also offers assistance to teachers to promote radio communications and electrical engineering as a career opportunity.

On board GB4FUN, there ample space (7m long by 4m wide) for a number of visitors inside and an array of equipment ranging for straight forward amateur communications to satellite communications and all aspects of space communications. With satellites playing such a large part in our daily lives though communications, TV delivery and even SatNav, most young visitors (and older ones too) find a visit fascinating. Large screens show visitors what is going on at the operating positions even if it is busy inside.

Outside one of the most popular attractions is always the military vehicle display based on the British Army on the Rhine (B.A.O.R). These vehicles are lovingly restored by their owners who will be very happy to tell you all about them. There will also be some military equipment on show in the vehicles too. In previous years contacts have been made all over Europe on the gear installed.

Some lucky folk will be leaving with some great free goodies too. There are great prizes to be won from the latest rigs, handhelds to antennas. Thanks to all the dealers who have offered the prizes for the national Hamfest 2009 and we hope you will be one of the lucky winners.

Some visitors are wondering whether to come to the Hamfest and have a short break in the area. There are many reasonably priced bed and breakfast establishments in pretty locations close to the town of Newark.

The Hamfest is open from 10am – 4pm each day. Tickets are £4.50 on the day (under sixteens free). There are deals for early and bulk sales.

To order online, or find mailing addresses etc, go to www.nationalhamfest.org.uk and follow the link to tickets at the top of the page. That site can also provide many other details.

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/nationalhamfest, where there will be regular updates with the latest info.