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| The Details |
| Getting There |
| Hamfest Events |
| Forums Schedule |
| Vendor Information |
| Lodging Information |
| Restaurant Information |
| History of the Hamfest |
THE DETAILS! |
Date: Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
Times: 8am until 1pm. General admission opens promptly at 8am. Flea market in the morning only.
Location: Milton High School, Route 7, Milton, VT.
Admission: $5. Under 18 years, free. Canadian money accepted at par from Canadian residents, exact change only. Cash only, no checks.
Information: Phone: (802)879-6589, afternoons, before hamfest day. Or,
via Email.
Talk in on the WB1GQR repeater on 145.15 MHz (-600). This repeater is
monitored all the time. On Hamfest day, look for prerecorded hamfest
information and announcements on 146.67 MHz.
GETTING THERE |
Milton is located in Northwest Vermont, about 10 miles north of Burlington,
the largest city in the state. Milton High School is located to the
south of the village of Milton and is halfway between I-89, Exit 17 and Exit 18.
Our Grid Square is FN34kp.
If you have a GPS or are active on ARPS, our exact location is:
44 37 43 North by 73 07 08 West.
Area Map
Village Map
From NH and Boston: I-93 North, I-89 North through NH and VT to VT Exit 17.
From WMa and CT: I-91 North, I-89 North to Exit 17.
From NY: Thruway or Taconic to Albany, Northway to Exit 20. Rt 149 12 miles to Rt 4 North, 18 miles to VT Rt 22A North, 43 miles to Rt 7 North, 22 miles to I-189 to I-89, Exit 17.
AT EXIT 17: Take left at light and go 4.6 miles North on Route 7.
When you into the Milton area, watch for the road to take a sharp turn
to the left and look for the Hannaford Supermarket on the left side of the road.
Milton High School is 1/4 mile ahead on the left. On the left, you will see the sign for Rebecca Lander Drive and the "HAMFEST"
sign just below it. Make a left turn here into parking area of the
school.
From Plattsburgh: Northway I-87 Exit 39, Rt 314 to Ferry. (Runs every 20 min, $16 Round trip). On Vermont side, right on Rt 314 to end at Route 2, right on Route 2 South, 20 miles to Route 7, left at light, 4.6 miles to High School.
From Montreal: Autoroute 15 to border, I-87 Exit 42 to Rt 11 to Rouses Point
Bridge to Vermont. Route 2 South to Route 78 East to Swanton. I-89 South to
Exit 18. Route 7 South 5 miles to Milton. In Milton, road will climb
a hill through the village. After this hill, look for "Milton High
School" on right side of road. Make a right turn into the school, just
after this.
Parking is available in front of the school building. The curb in front of the
school is a Fire Zone and no parking is allowed there. Should the
front parking area fill up, go back out to Route 7, make a left, go
one block, make a left on to Lamoille Terrace (formerly Barnum Street Ext), go 0.2 mile, and make
a left on to Brandy Lane and continue to the side of the school
building where more parking can be found.
HAMFEST EVENTS |
FLEAMARKET
The Fleamarket will run from 8:00 until 12:00 in the cafeterias. There are several thousand square feet and scores
of tables chock filled with goodies. The offerings range from almost new to boatanchors and we can never know what jewels
will show up. The new equipment dealers who plan to be there:
Quicksilver Radio "(Almost) Everything But The Rig":
including Connectors, Antennas, Coax and Power Supplies.
Webster Associates has a variety of ham radio equipment and supplies, new and used.
FORUMS
Forums will run from 8:30 until 1:00 in Rooms D-126 and D-119 down the hallway to the left
just as you leave the flea market area. Details are in the Forums section.
RADIO DEMONSTRATIONS
Great Demonstrations will run 8:30 until 12:00 in and around the Main Lobby.
1. Special Event Station W1V. We'll be ON-THE-AIR and broadcasting to the world on 20 and 40 meters.
But we need help! We need operators - especially new operators. Sign up for a 15 minute slot. Prizes for the
most contests, furthest contacts and most unusual contacts!
2. IRLP & Echolink.
Live connection to the world via our VHF station at the Hamfest!
Stop by and have a QSO!
DOOR PRIZES
We will draw for Door Prizes at 11 AM.
Winners will be posted at the RANV Table and by the Forum Rooms and will have 30 minutes to claim their prize.
Don't leave early, or you'll miss out!
Prizes include: ARRL Handbook, ARRL Antenna Book, Repeater Directory, Subscriptions
to Worldradio.
VE SESSION
The Volunteer Exam Session will be at Noon in the Library. All exams (Element 2, 3 and 4) will be offered. No Morse code testing is offered anymore.
All VE applicants must bring TWO forms of ID, copy of license and CSCE, if needed,
pen, pencil and $14 exam fee. Fee must be exact change in cash. No checks will be accepted.
FCC COMMERCIAL LICENSE EXAMS
Exams for FCC Commercial Licenses (GROL, MROP, etc) will be at Noon. Please bring TWO forms of ID, pen, pencil
and $35 exam fee. Contact examiner at (802) 879-6589 for details.
SPECIALTY TABLES IN THE FLEA MARKET
WHERE IS EVERYTHING LOCATED?
Find out where all hamfest activities are by printing our handy hamfest maps in Adobe PDF format.
2008 FORUMS |
Due to illness, Ed Hare W1RFI will not be able to attend this year's Hamfest. Please note changes to the
8:30 and 9:30 Forums below.
This year's Forum Theme: HF Stations and Operating.
Milton has the finest collection of Amateur Radio Informational Forums in the North Country. There is something which interests every amateur operator. Stop in on the forum and learn a whole bunch of new stuff. The forum times are tight, so plan your schedule in advance for best results!
Check out the forum location map!
| TIME | ||||
| 8:30 | Official Observer Program | |||
| 9:00 | ARRL Forum | |||
| 9:30 | Peter I DXpedition | |||
| 10:00 | Africa or BUST | |||
| 10:30 | Making QSO's: Setup & Operating | |||
| 11:00 | Silent Key Club | |||
| 11:30 | Contest Forum | |||
| 12:00 | Field Operating | VE Session | ||
| 12:30 |
VENDOR INFORMATION |
Vendors can elect to take advantage of early entry (6:30) through the back entrance, or normal entry (8:00) through the main entrance.
Because too many vendors were reserving tables and not showing up, we will reserve tables only for setups larger than 4 tables. We have found that vendors who arrive early will usually have no trouble finding adequate room to set up. There is still no charge for tables.
Get a sneak preview of the Flea Market Area by downloading the Milton Hamfest Flea Market MAP in Adobe PDF format. The location of all tables and services are approximate. Not all tables will be available.
We ask that vendors take all unsold merchandise away at the end of the day.
The Milton Hamfest makes every effort to help our vendors do well at
the show. Please let us know how we can help you!
LODGING INFORMATION |
Here are local phone numbers of various motels in the Burlington area. There are no motels in Milton. Great salvage yards, but no motels. This list is information from the phone book. It does not imply any recommendation on the part of the Milton Hamfest, although it's probably a safe bet that the roof doesn't leak at any of these lodgings.
I-89 exit 16 Colchester (10mi) Fairfield Inn 655-1400 Hampton Inn 655-6177 Motel 6 654-6860 Rt 15 Colchester (12mi) Days Inn 655-0900 Handy's Suites 655-6000 I-89 exit 14 - Williston Rd (12mi) Anchorage Inn 863-7000 Best Western 863-1125 Comfort Inn 863-5541 Doubletree 658-0250 Ethan Allen Inn 863-4573 Hawthorne Suites 860-1212 Holiday Inn 863-6363 Ho-Hum Motel 863-4551 LaQuinta Inn 864-4638 Sheraton Inn 865-6600 Swiss Host 862-5734 Downtown Burlington (15mi) Hilton 658-6500 Marriot Courtyard 864-4700
EATERIES |
Milton is not a culinary destination, so there is not a wide assortment of eateries available. There are a few places near the Hamfest. Many more restaurants are located in South Burlington, about 12 miles away.
At the show, Milton Project Graduation will provide Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Coffee, Bagels and Snack Items all morning in the lobby.
All of the eateries are south of the Hamfest. Make a right turn after leaving the Hamfest.
| Eatery | Type | Distance | Side of Road |
| Lucky Wok | Chinese | 0.1 | Left |
| Subway | Subs | 0.2 | Right |
| Zachery's | Subs/Pizza | 0.2 | Right |
| Hannafords | Supermarket | 0.2 | Right |
| Dunkin Donuts | Donuts | 0.4 | Left |
| Dave's Pizza | Pizza | 0.4 | Left + 0.2 miles |
| McDonalds | Fast Food | 0.5 | Right |
| Milton Diner | Diner | 1.7 | Left |
HISTORY OF THE HAMFEST |
The Milton Hamfest started in 1983 as the "Northern Vermont Electronics Show." It was conceived by WB1BWV, WB2JSJ and others as a way to get Vermont hams together for swapping equipment and socializing during the long winter. The original show was held in the exact place it is held today. The admission back then was $2. The philosophy of the Milton Hamfest has always been to bring hams and experimenters together for learning new things and having fun. The hamfest has always been organized and run by a tiny group of volunteers, who, like everyone else, pay admission!
The hamfest started with humble beginnings and an attendance around 150. Today, the hamfest draws around 500 people, which is a sizable number considering the small size of Vermont. Attendees come from Vermont, Northern New York, Quebec and New Hampshire. A few come from Southern New England as well.
Over the years, some changes were made which we hope will keep the hamfest a great one. After many years of being an independent show, Milton is now sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont (RANV), and is the ARRL Vermont State Convention. We have worked hard to bring in more Forum Speakers and live demonstrations. The Forum program at Milton is the best you find at a small show.
It is the goal of the Milton Hamfest to keep attendance levels stable
and even show some growth even though hamfests all over the country have
been declining in attendance over the last couple of years. We cannot do
this without YOU! Please make every effort to join us!
Read the article about the 2001 Hamfest in the
Burlington Free Pree
Keep checking back here for new information.
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