Hamfests in the ’90s (A Memory)

I don’t remember my very first hamfest, but I do remember what going to hamfests in the ’90s was like. Some of these memories have probably blended together over the years, but the feeling of going to them has stayed with me.

I didn’t get my amateur radio license until 2002, but my dad and mom got theirs in 1994 and 1995, respectively. That meant we went to a lot of hamfests throughout the mid to late ’90s. They were family outings. Mom, Dad, my brother, and I would pile into the car early in the morning and spend the day wandering from table to table.

At that point in my life, I wasn’t nearly as interested in the amateur radio side of things as my parents were. I was always looking for the computer tables. I remember seeing a Tandy 1000 RL for sale one year. It was similar to the RLX we had at home, almost like its little brother. I know I wanted it, but it was well out of my price range.

On a couple of occasions, my parents even set up a table to sell some of the ham gear we no longer needed. One time, my brother and I set up our own little table next to theirs to try to sell our baseball cards. We didn’t sell a single one. Looking back, we probably had them priced way too high.

Another time, someone actually asked if we’d sell our family dog, Sparky. She was a black Lab mix and had come along with us for the day. My parents politely declined, but I think they even made one or two more offers trying to get us to give away our family dog.

One last memory that has always stuck with me is seeing someone with what had to be 30 TRS-80 Model IIIs spread out on a tarp on the ground. Seeing that many of the same computer in one place seemed unbelievable to me. I had already spent a little time with a Model III after my dad brought one home from work in the mid ’90s, so I knew exactly what they were.

It’s funny how things come full circle. Back then I was looking for old computers while my parents were looking at radios. Today, I’m still doing the same thing.

-James