From the Upper Peninsula of Michigan along the South Shore of Lake Superior ~ Station K 8 L O D
It's the largest of its kind in the U.P.
The 31th Annual Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association
Ham Radio and Electronics Swap and Shop
Well, another swap & shop has come and gone. The best that I can figure is that this was
HARA's 31st annual swap. This year was very successful for us as attendance was up, door prize
donations were great, and there was lots of used equipment for sale. A browse around the arena revealed
a lot of older vintage gear that has been harder to find in recent years. Some of the vintage rigs
noted on the tables were Heathkit, Knight Kit, National, Gonset, Hammarlund, Hallicrafters, Kenwood, and
Yaesu to name a few. Most were well before my time and some I didn't even recognize. There was
also a lot of newer, solid state, gear for sale. And, like most good swaps, lots and lots of parts were
available for the tinkerer.
One especially nice exhibit was put on by
Paul, KB0P. His table included many fine homebrew vacuum tube designs that he and a friend had
constructed that were popular during the early part of the 20th century. We also had representatives
from the ARRL as well as the Quarter Century Wireless Association, both looking for new members. And,
as usual, our old friend Stanley Strangle, K8NYT, had his string of tables filled with great items for
hams. All of the tables were rented and stacked with neat gear.
I'd like to thank all of the volunteers that make such an event possible: John Veiht (N8RSE-Chairman of the
Swap committee), Greg Hanson, KI8AF, in charge of table rental and admissions, Don Ohman, KC8PYD, working the
kitchen, Pat Kohl, KB8PEN, working the door prize table, and the many volunteers that helped with the club
table as well as set up and tear down. Please accept my apologies if I forgot anyone.
Please check the links listed below for the many fine national sponsors of our event and check into their web
sites to see what great products they offer.
Also, many thanks are in order for our local sponsors:
Public Service Garage
Bonanza Restaurant
Trudell Plumbing and Heating
Midway Rentals
Astro UP
Wolfgang's Haus of Glass
Carquest
Northern Michigan Bank & Trust
Chocolay Ace Hardware
Stanley Strangle
Please join us again next year for our
32nd annual Hiawatha Amateur Radio Assn Swap and Shop, the first Saturday in February.
Bill Beitel N8NRG
Hara Swap and Shop Committee
ARRL (Books, Publications, etc) www.arrl.org
Argent Data Systems (APRS, Packet) www.argentdata.com
Cable X-Perts (Coax, Rope, Pwr Cords) www.cablexperts.com
CQ Communications (Ham Magazines) www.cq-amateur-radio.com
Custom Ham Maps (US & DX Maps) www.customhammaps.com
Depiction (Mapping software) www.depiction.com/qst
Donners Store & Country Crafts www.donnerstore.com
(Embroidered Shirts & Jackets, Digital Interfaces)
Elecraft (High Quality Kits) www.elecraft.com
Ham Test on Line (Ham Exam Prep.) www.hamtestonline.com
Hot Press Ham Hats & T-Shirts www.hotpresstshirts.com
Micro Log (Logging software) www.wa0h.com
NCG Company (Antennas & Accessories) www.cometantenna.com
Nifty Ham Accessories (Reference Guides) www.niftyaccessories.com
Nuts & Volts (Magazine) www.nutsvolts.com
N3FJP's Amateur Radio Software www.n3fjp.com
Phillystran, Inc. (Ropes & Guys) www.phillystran.com
Real Nerds (Neat Stuff for the Nerd) www.realnerds.com
SGC World (DSP Speakers, Smartuners) www.sgcworld.com
The QSL Man (QSL Cards) www.qslman.com
Tigertronics (APRS Tracking, Digital, etc) www.tigertronics.com
Bird-Technologies (Test Equipment) www.bird-technologies.com
Water Proof Log Books www.waterprooflogbooks.com
