Quote:
Originally Posted by G6Tanuki
One annoying thing I find is that in recent years quite a few of the remaining large traders have stopped attending rallies; in times past I would happily order something the week befor a rally, paying by cheque and saying "Can you take it to the Picketts Lock/Granby Halls/Belle Vue rally and I will pick it up there?".
The likes of Western Electronics, SMC, Stephens-James, Amateur Radio Exchange etc got several thousand quid out of me over the years, and I preferred an in-person collection rather than entrusting a £500 transceiver to a courier... [had bad experiences with Securicor!]
These days the big traders seem to stay at home. Sign of the times perhaps?
|
With the demise of Picketts Lock / ones in Hertfordshire & Kemptom / Epson, there doesn't really to be any large ones around London area any more, that the larger expensive new-equipment traders / manufacturers / Martin Lynch etc. would have often been at. I did go to Rainham & CATS ones once, a few years ago, but were rather-smaller than I'd expected.
The large 2-day Fri/Sat Leicester one at the Granby Halls, moved to Donnington and then even further North to Newark to become 'National Hamfest' there (kind of merging with a previous one, held at Newark).
- I had heard the indoor tables were rather-expensive for many traders, although maybe not so much of an issue for larger ones.
And there were still a few major manufacturers there, last time I went in 2019 - But maybe more Test Equipment ones like Rigol(UK) / Siglent & Vann Draper distributor of various makes.?
Although it seems that ML&S (as have Youtube video of it) & RadioWorld (as features on their website) were there back then. But not many seem to have a list of rallies they will be attending, any more.