The Scott Antique Market - November 29th and 30th, 2025.
The Scott Antique Market is happening Thanksgiving weekend. Not a hamfest, but enough electrical goodies show up there to make it worthwhile, and it's fun to look at (and wonder WTF they were thinking) a lot of the other items that appear. The event is free, but the venue does charge a parking fee. See you there!
Scott Antique Market
Ohio Expo Center
717 East 17th Street
Columbus, Ohio 43211
Saturday November 29th: 9AM - 6PM
Sunday November 30th: 10AM - 4PM
An Eico 145 Signal Tracer - Part 4
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2024/04/29/an-eico-145-signal-tracer-part-4/
Part 4 of this series is just some basic cleanup on the unit. It's torn apart, we may as well toss all the handles and knobs in the cleaner.
I'm not going to do a full restore on the cabinet, there's no need - I like the "I've seen stuff" look. Check it out on my project page.
My 2026 Hamfest and Show List
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2025/11/13/my-2026-hamfest-and-show-list/
With 2025 coming to a close, I find myself thinking about each show I attended this past year, and which ones I want to go back to. While the first answer is “all of them!” - I think I’m going to cut back some this year. The smaller shows are cool, but I started seeing the same vendors and the same items over and over. This will give things a chance to cycle through.
So - instead of 15 hamfests, I think I’ll probably drop back to 8 or so. There may be a few others in there - Athens, OH and Clearfield, PA, but those will depend primarily on “if I feel like it,” and perhaps Fort Wayne if 2025’s show turns out better than 2024.
Check the link for what I'm attending this year.
Photos from the 2025 MARC Hamfest
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2025/11/12/photos-from-the-2025-marc-hamfest/
This show, held at the MAPS facility in North Canton, Ohio, seems to have “the stuff we want” - piles of radios, tables of things, and generally a good selection set up the way you remember shows being. This year was no different, and - while the show itself is of moderate size, they sold out every table. The museum exhibits that you can view while at the show are kind of cool, too.
I didn’t pick up much at this show, some parts and a book, but there were a lot of things I would have liked to have. They have to stay where they are, however - I have enough projects for now!
Check out the link for what I saw at the show.
The Fort Wayne Indiana hamfest - November 15th and 16th
https://www.acarts.com/hfmain.htm
The Fort Wayne, IN hamfest is happening this weekend.
This is a show I’ve been attending for some time. Last year was, unfortunately, a lot smaller than normal. Not sure what was going on there, but I’m waiting to see how this year’s show goes before I make plans to attend in 2026.
Fort Wayne Hamfest
Allen Country War Memorial Coliseum
4000 Parnell Ave
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
November 15 16
Opens 9AM
Admission is $10, the venue charges $8 to park.
See you there!
An Eico 145 Signal Tracer - Part 3
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2024/04/21/an-eico-145-signal-tracer-part-3/
It's time to order parts for the Eico 145 Signal Tracer.
The benefit of modern parts is that, in general, much better parts are available for low cost. Everything from higher voltages to tighter tolerances are available at a cost that the original builders could only dream of. That doesn't mean you need to go completely nuts, but there's no reason not to pick good stuff.
Check out my parts selections and critique of those parts in this post on the Eico 145's rebuild process.
HAMFest 2025 by MARC
https://mapsairmuseum.org/events/hamfest-2025/
There's a hamfest happening at the Military Air Preservation Museum hanger in North Canton, Ohio this weekend. This was good local show last year, and the included museum admission was quite the bonus. If you're in the area, it's well worth the time to visit.
Photos from The Early Television Museum 2025 Fall Swap Meet
The Early Television Museum's fall swap meet happened this past weekend. I was quite pleased with the targeted vendor turnout - a lot of (surprise!) Antique television stuff with a bit of #hamfest gear, and none of the tat you normally see these days at shows. The museum itself was also an electronic wonderland and I highly recommend it if you're in the area! Check out my photos of the event on my project page.
Early Television Museum Fall 2025 Swapmeet - Hilliard, OH
https://www.earlytelevision.org/2025_swapmeet.html
The Early Television Museum in Hilliard, OH has a fall swap meet happening this weekend - Saturday, October 18th from 10A - 2P.
I've never been to this, but I've been wanting to visit the museum. A good opportunity to do one last show outside and visit a local attraction I've wanted to see for some time.
See you there!
The Early Television Museum
5396 Franklin Street
Hilliard OH
Saturday, October 18th, 10AM - 2PM
Free admission to the swap meet for customers and vendors, bring your own table.
An Eico 145 Signal Tracer - Part 2
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2024/04/07/an-eico-145-signal-tracer-part-2/
I've decided to give the front panel parts of the Eico 145 Signal Tracer a bath before proceeding. While not terribly exciting, it does make things nicer in the end - and since they're off, why not?
An Eico 145 Signal Tracer - Part 1
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2024/03/24/an-eico-145-signal-tracer-part-1/
I’ve decided to give this Eico 145 tracer a new lease on life and put it into service on my test bench - but to do so will require replacing the bad parts. Which ones? Pretty much all of the passives aren’t any good at this point. The device itself isn’t the cleanest example of it’s kind, with lots of battle scars. Paint and rust decorate the front panel and chassis, and input jacks have been added to the front.
This part is a "What needs to be done to bring this back to life for the next 50 years" post. Check it out on my project page.
An Eico 145 Signal Tracer - Part 0
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2024/03/17/an-eico-145-signal-tracer-part-0/
Next up is an Eico Model 145 signal tracer. This device, one of many types made during the 1950s-1970s, is a simple replacement amplifier for use in troubleshooting devices. You can follow a signal through a unit, listening to that signal for distortion - or disappearance. They varied from simple amps like this unit, to complex devices that offered ways to substitute output transformers and other circuit components.
The Eico 145, as mentioned, is a simple amp unit, and as such, is an easy rebuild. This first part of the rebuild series is an executive summary look at the inside of the unit and some general musings on what needs to be done. We dive into the unit later, going from old, to stripped, to new over the course of the series. Check it out on my project page, and stay tuned for some more hamfest pictures!
The Cleveland Hamfest - Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea, OH - Sunday September 28th
There's a hamfest happening in Cleveland this weekend. I went to this one for the first time last year, and came away impressed with the size and number of vendors.
It's certainly worth your time if you're in the area, so check it out!
The Cleveland Hamfest and Computer Show
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, Eastland Entrance
160 Eastland Rd
Berea, OH 44107
September 28
8A - 12P
The Heatkit AF-1 Analog Frequency Meter, Part 11 - Wrapup and final thoughts.
The Heathkit AF-1 is completed and working. There's not a whole lot to say about this rebuild, but I've put down a few thoughts as well as created a list of all parts of the story.
Check it out on my project page.
The Heatkit AF-1 Analog Frequency Meter, Part 10 - Final assembly and test.
All of the parts in the Heathkit AF-1 - including potentiometers - have been replaced. Now it's time to see how well the device works.
Does it work? Yes....
We're right back to that magical "it works for a given value of it works."
The Heatkit AF-1 Analog Frequency Meter, Part 9 - Testing the rebuild.
Now that the Heathkit AF-1 has been mostly rebuilt, it's time to do a little testing. Check that out on my project page.
Photos from the 2025 Cincinnati Hamfest
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2025/08/13/photos-from-the-2025-cincinnati-hamfest/
This was the first time I attended the Cincinnati #hamfest. It was a fairly small show with a single (long) aisle of vendors and some more in a building. Still, there was plenty to see and I took home some small items. Check out what was there on my project page.
Photos from the 2025 Columbus Hamfest
https://wereboar.com/projects/index.php/2025/08/04/photos-from-the-2025-columbus-hamfest/
The #hamfest in Columbus, Ohio is always a surprisingly good one. Other than the few years that it threatened rain, it’s always presented a very good selection of things to see, and a lot of vendors. This year was no different. Prices at this show were what I would consider more reasonable, so it was easy to spend a few bucks. Check out what I saw on my project page.
The Heatkit AF-1 Analog Frequency Meter, Part 8 - Rebuilding the rest of it.
There's not a whole lot more to replace in the Heathkit AF-1, so let's just go ahead and do it.
The Heatkit AF-1 Analog Frequency Meter, Part 7 - Rebuilding the filter.
Now that the power supply is working, it's time to start rebuilding the rest of the Heathkit AF-1. I'm going to start with the filter section, since that's the main workhorse portion of the device. Check that out on my project page.