[David G4EBT]

I went on Friday, only because John ('60 oldjohn') kindly offered me a lift.

We arrived at 10.30, joined the long queue to get in (despite it having been open for visitors from 9.30am). It was a windswept day - I spent 30 mins browsing the outside, an hour inside, then we were back to the car at 12 noon to have our lunch and head off home. I might have taken a last look at the outside pitches but they were mostly covered in plastic sheets with windswept drizzle doing its worst.

Seems to me that the 'flea market' stallholders are between a rock and a hard place.

Highly dependant on the weather, having to try to recover the high cost of the pitch and travelling costs, but can only charge what people are prepared to pay for their wares, which is next to nothing. I would perhaps have bought up to ten ABS project boxes (new), but they were half as much again as I could by them on e-bay so I didn't bother. I just bought a little vintage transistor tester for a fiver. An impulse buy - had it been any more, I wouldn't have bothered. There were lots of quite dated second-hand HF transceivers and receivers at what I felt were unrealistically high prices and with no provenance. Quite a risky buy for all but the truly technically adept.

In fairness, maybe I'm not typical of the average visitor.

I'm a 'RHINO' - 'Radio Ham In Name Only', licensed since 1974, but not on air since 2003, so not in the market for ham radio stuff.

Indoors, I was nonplussed at the 'business model' of major dealers and whether it's sustainable.

MLS, Radio World, Waters & Stanton et al were all out in force.

I can't begin to imagine how much their 'panoramic' stands must have costs, with pile upon pile of expensive rigs which attempt to entice potential buyers with the promise of being able to 'penetrate the airwaves', 'command the bands', 'winkle out the DX' and 'punch through the QRM'. The stark reality if anyone falls for this hype, is that when they plug it in at home, anyone else using the same equipment, at the same time, at the same location, would achieve exactly the same outcome.

Maybe it's fun for some, but no great achievement.

I was struck by the huge capital cost to the traders, tied up in stocking this 'state of the art - soon to be obsolete' equipment, and the huge revenue costs of transporting it there, staffing and paying for the stand, and either having to staff their normal business premises or shut up shop for three days. And of course, from the total sales value attained at the 'Hamfest' has to be deducted the value of sales which would ordinarily have been achieved had they not attended, so the marginal sales income gained has to justify the marginal costs incurred from attending.

That said, the fact is that they did attend, so it has to be assumed that it was worthwhile and financially viable.

I saw lots of people walking round with bags of bits, but few carrying big boxes, though I did see someone who looked very pleased with himself, carrying a £2k scope bought from the Rigol stand.

I'll be having two tables at the Hornsea Amateur Radio Rally on 13 October in the Floral Hall to have a final clear-out - what doesn't sell goes in the skip. £7.00 per table including the 'trader' and a helper (saving £2.00 entrance each), with power laid on for testing purposes. True, adverse weather may affect attendance levels, but it won't affect the comfort of those who do attend. Just an old style rally as they were in yesteryear.