#hamfest

Two more things from today... though they didn’t both happen today.

First, a friend of mine texted me this morning saying that a local HAM Radio swap meet was happening at the fairgrounds not far from my house, and asking if I’d like to go...

I did.

So, we went up there, and I hadn’t intended on getting anything, though I was keeping my eye out for a working oscilloscope since my current one requires some repair. Didn’t find a working scope, but did chat with a gentlemen there who had this pretty early Heathkit audio generator.

I wasn’t even sure if I wanted it, but he had me make an offer and for the price I asked, it came home with me. I’ll probably restore it at some point in the future when I’ve cleared my bench of a few other things. It’s pretty simple inside, so it should be an easy, fun restoration.

And now the Zenith...

Two weeks ago, our furnace failed during the night. It was pretty cold then, so we called the furnace company and had them come out the next day. The guy showed up around 2:00 and I walked him to the garage where our furnace is. We get out there, and he looks around and asks.. “Hey... do you restore antique radios?”

I do.

Apparently he’d gotten one from a garage sale not long ago and wanted to know if I’d be willing to look at it to see if it was worth restoring. Later the following week he brought the chassis over and after a quick ohm-out with my meter, we determined that the power and output transformers were good, so I told him we could go ahead with the restoration. It’s a pretty cool radio, a Zenith 10-S-160 from 1937. The second picture shows the cool bullseye tuning aid that came with the radio. I think there’s a shadow meter behind there, so when you’re tuned in to a station, the shadow is right on the center of the bullseye.

So... once I finish the Battery Eliminator Kit box, I’m planning to clean up my benches and get back to the Philco 39-45, and maybe start on the Zenith.

CQ CQ CQ - The Dalton Amateur Radio Club will be holding the 2026 Hamfest at the North Georgia Fairgrounds on Saturday February 28. Learn more about the hobby of #AmateurRadio and how you can get involved. Admission is $5, with free entry for youth ages 17 and under.

For those interested in earning or upgrading their amateur radio license, testing sessions will be held at the Yellowstone Steak and Buffet across from the fairgrounds. Exams begin at 1 p.m., with a $15 testing fee. Participants may register on-site until 11:30 a.m. on the day of the event, or preregister at hamstudy.org/sessions/w4drc. Walk-in registration opens at 12:30 p.m.

National Hamfest is back for 2025!

The UK's largest Amateur Radio Show takes place this weekend, come visit our stand to see our latest range of innovative Icom Amateur Radio products, including our major new release!

Click the link below for more details.

$20.00

We're thrilled to be back at the National Hamfest, the UK's largest Amateur Radio Show, held at the Newark Showground on Friday, September 27th, and Saturday, September 28th, 2024. Our Amateur radio team will be on hand to demonstrate our latest range of innovative radio products, including the highly anticipated IC-7760.