A guest post by Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
I had the pleasure of attending the annual Voice of Aladdin Amateur Radio Club’s Columbus Hamfest this past weekend, on Saturday, August 4, 2018. The Columbus Hamfest is a smaller, local or regional hamfest but every year when I attend I’m pleasantly surprised by the presence of a really nice variety of fine used gear available at the event. This year was no exception.
I made snaps of some of the fine old “boat anchors” and some of the not-so-old stuff available at the hamfest. (And I must apologize for the flaring evident in some of the photos. It seems the lens in my MotoE4 smartphone is prone to flaring in direct sunlight—somehow, up this point I had not managed to discover this.)
![Realistic DX-160](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_03.jpg)
Realistic DX-160
![Central Electronics "Multiphase Exciter Model 20-A" transmitter](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_04.jpg)
Central Electronics “Multiphase Exciter Model 20-A” transmitter
![Yaesu FT-101EX transceiver and accessories](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_12.jpg)
Yaesu FT-101EX transceiver and accessories
![Collins R-388/URR receiver](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_13.jpg)
Collins R-388/URR receiver
![Drake R8 receiver](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_14.jpg)
Drake R8 receiver
![Johnson Viking Ranger transmitter](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_05.jpg)
Johnson Viking Ranger transmitter
![A selection of MFJ single-band QRP (low power) CW-only transceivers and a vintage Heathkit SWR bridge](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_06.jpg)
A selection of MFJ single-band QRP (low power) CW-only transceivers and a vintage Heathkit SWR bridge
At the event, I hadn’t noticed how many of the vintage receivers were made by Hallicrafters.
![Hallicrafters "Sky Buddy"](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_02.jpg)
Hallicrafters “Sky Buddy”
![Hallicrafters HT-32A transmitter](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_07.jpg)
Hallicrafters HT-32A transmitter
![Hallicrafters SX-101 receiver](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_08.jpg)
Hallicrafters SX-101 receiver
![Hallicrafters SX-111 receiver](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_09.jpg)
Hallicrafters SX-111 receiver
![Hallicrafters SX-99 receiver](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_10.jpg)
Hallicrafters SX-99 receiver
![Heathkit DX-100 (bottom) and Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitters](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_11.jpg)
Heathkit DX-100 (bottom) and Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitters
And while not a radio, this is certainly vintage and is very pretty—and it was for sale.
![1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_15.jpg)
1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)
![1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_16.jpg)
1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)
![1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)](https://swling.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ColumbusHamfest2018_17.jpg)
1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)
Ironically, the truck has NO radio.
Eric, thank you so much for sharing these excellent pics! That hamfest had a healthy amount of boat anchors.
That ’66 Chevy really brings back memories. Thanks for taking the time to take a photo of the dashboard. I learned to drive a manual transmission in my dad’s 1966 Chevy truck–identical to the one in your photo save my dad’s had a fleet bed and was white. That brings back some memories!
Cheers,
Thomas
The radio sitting atop the DX100 is not a receiver, but a Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitter.
I used one of those in the early 70’s when getting into Ham radio. It’s also quite heavy, weighing over 80 pounds. It was retired after I upgraded to a transceiver several years later, but I still have the HT37 stored in a closet!
Thanks, Charles. I’ll update the page!