Dunstable Downs electronics bootsale (Luton.UK) May 22nd

[mikeselectricstuff]

http://www.ddrcbootsale.org/

[mikeselectricstuff]

I'll be there, selling and giving away lots of goodies!

[Brumby]

... and I won't be there to join in the fun.   

It's a very long drive.

[bd139]

I will be there relieving people of stuff 

[tggzzz]

Any kind of stuff in particular?

[mikeselectricstuff]

Any kind of stuff in particular?

All sorts - bits out of teardown kit, parts accumulated over the years  & never used,lots of stuff that's not worth ebaying but I can't bear to throw away etc.etc....

[Brumby]

Any kind of stuff in particular?

All sorts -
bits out of teardown kit

Check!

parts accumulated over the years  & never used

Check!

lots of stuff that's not worth ebaying but I can't bear to throw away

Check!

etc.etc....

Check!

Must keep SWMBO away from such ideas...!

[mikeselectricstuff]

[bd139]

Wasn’t terrible. Got a couple of HP test gear chunks and some ham radio books destined for eBay 

Newbury next…

[coppice]

I see things in that video that I could have seen in Tottenham Court Road, Edgware Road, or Lisle St in the 1960s as war surplus, fresh from the MoD. Interesting to see them recycled once again.

[tggzzz]

Wasn’t terrible. Got a couple of HP test gear chunks and some ham radio books destined for eBay 

Newbury next…

T'was good to see you and Robert. Maybe I'll even remember your faces

I sold enough crap treasures so that it was cost-neutral including petrol - but I have some more s p a c e now.

Well, that's not quite true. I bought a complete Philips EE8 kit to replace the EE20 I had as a kid, a £1 Griffin and George "turn on the current, Igor" DPDT knife switch for Christmas decorations or whatever, and a £1 probe bag for my second 2465 to marginally increase its sale value.

Apart from that, it looks like Robert and bd got the good stuff. The good stuff appears to have evaporated, presumably to condense on fleabay.

Next is Mendips Microrally. No idea how good it will be since it is up amongst the Pb and Cd mines, but it is too close not to go.

[bd139]

Likewise 

I saw the Philips EE kit. That looked in good condition. Hope you enjoy.

Didn’t get that much of a good haul. But satisfied.

There was a comedic moment where a poor unsuspecting ham purchased an HP 8640B “untested” for £50. A reasonable figure. As they were unburying it, the extent of how untested it was stuck on the top on a bit of paper. I’ve never seen someone look so glum. Output hybrid amp was fluffed and it had mechanical problems. Almost inevitable.

[mikeselectricstuff]

For the first year ever, I didn't buy a single thing...

[Andrewausfa]

There was a comedic moment where a poor unsuspecting ham purchased an HP 8640B “untested” for £50. A reasonable figure.

You mean there were two of us?!!   I bought an 8640B for £40 there, walked 20 yards and found the HP manual with all the mod updates in it for it for £2. Bargain. Both bargains except for the slight issue that the fan goes round but no-one else is at home. Not even any pretty lights. I'm sure it's something simple.....

[bd139]

There were at least three 8640's on that seller's van so hopefully that wasn't you who got the really bad one 

Hopefully nothing nasty with the gears or ECL logic in there or the nice hybrid amplifier. Just thinking of those things put me off the idea!

[Squarewave]

For the first year ever, I didn't buy a single thing...

I've been to two radio rallies this year and also didn't buy a thing. Like many, I hadn't been to a rally as there hadn't been any and during that time it was useful to sort other things in my life out and not come home with any more 'stuff'. This year I went to the Andover and the Dunstable rallies and just really enjoyed seeing familiar faces, walking around, looking at things and just being in that familiar happy environment. I may go to a few more this year and again, probably won't buy anything really.

[bd139]

Newbury was fairly good. Unfortunately some absolute bastard emptied disguised himself as a seller and emptied the place of a lot of decent stuff before anyone got there 

[mikeselectricstuff]

I went to Newbury for the first time in years - maybe I wasn't early enough but seemed like almost all of it was utter garbage.   

[tggzzz]

Newbury was fairly good. Unfortunately some absolute bastard emptied disguised himself as a seller and emptied the place of a lot of decent stuff before anyone got there 

Can you put your hand on your heart and say you've never done that?

No hamfests, no pack drills

[bd139]

I never pretend to be a seller and empty the place first 

I do turn up early though!

[tggzzz]

I never pretend to be a seller and empty the place first 

I do turn up early though!

The first and third aren quite reasonable. Looking at your "photo" on the left, the second sounds like incompetence or lack of determination 

[bd139]

Mostly lack of places to put the stuff I've obtained at the moment 

[tggzzz]

Mostly lack of places to put the stuff I've obtained at the moment 

So, lack of dermination, then.

Unfortunately I haven't let lack of space put me off.

(BTW, good luck with your move!)

[bd139]

I think inability to play Tetris any further is the issue. On a positive note it stops me buying expensive impractical things like ancient Marconi signal generators. I did however buy a packing trolley after that inspirational effort at Newbury so will see how long that lasts.

Thank you for the good luck. Going to need it 

Oh next one for me is https://mcmichaelrally.org.uk ... 17th July. Usually reasonable. Not as good as Newbury.

[tggzzz]

What's the name of that TV programme where a couple of "professionals" are called in by relatives to help get someone's house in order? I think I'll volunteer myself, and let them convince me my daughter's treasures aren't. But then I remember she will (if they get on with it) be getting her own house soon, and I don't want to miss the pleasure of doing that myself 

I used a packing  trolley to take a box of china a couple of hundred yard from my mother's house to a charity shop. On the pedestrian crossing a wheel fell off, some china tipped onto the road, and broke. Everybody was very patient, and even helped me clear up the shards.

I've never been to the McMichael rally since it would be a 180 mile trip. While I go further to Luton, I couple that with a visit to TNMoC. How does McMichael compare to DDARC?

In the absence of Westrally, my next jumble sale will be Chippenham. Easy for me to get to, but comparatively small.

[bd139]

That would be interesting 

McMichael is a bit variable. Sometimes it's a washout, sometimes good. The last one I bought nothing at but it's not that far from me. I'll probably go for a walk in the afternoon somewhere local and take some photos.

[Zenith]

McMichael has been OK the couple of times I've been there. Chippenham is very small. Newbury has generally been good. I used to like the West of England Rally when they held it at Wobourne Abbey in a field, but it was stopped there and they moved it to Frome.  I really don't like being in a building with a lot of other people in August.

I might make the effort to get down to the Flight Refuelling Rally, as it sounds like one of the better ones.

[tggzzz]

I don't disagree with any of that, except I like Frome Shame it isn't happening this year.

I have found a few nice pieces at Chippenham, but it is small.

[Zenith]

The Cheese and Grain might be a pleasant venue in September, but not in the middle of summer, at least not for me.

The rest of it depends on what's on your shopping list, your luck, and how sharp eyed you are. Anyway, there's another side to it, like bumping into people you know, and chatting with the stallholders about some of the stuff they are selling. Obviously at the smaller rallies there's just less stuff.

There used to be one in Almondsbury, just north of Bristol. It was a bit bigger than Chippenham, but not much. I had a few good buys there but it seemed to throw up a lot of curious things. One year there was a bloke selling off a collection of those little Japanese multimeters sold in the electronics rags in the 60s and 70s.

There's another small rally in Weston-Super-Mare. I rate the small rallies as worth no more than an 80 mile round trip.

Has anyone any thoughts on Flight Refuelling? It's not that far but it's a tortuous route from where I live.

[tggzzz]

Neither the W-s-Mud nor Chippenham rallies are worth going too far; for me they are both within "your" 80mile round trip.

I may go to the Wimbourne rally, and make a day out of it.

[bd139]

I was considering the FRARS one as well. Would drive down to Swanage the night before, spend some time walking on the coast and do some sneaky wild camping overnight then the hamfest.

[tggzzz]

I was considering the FRARS one as well. Would drive down to Swanage the night before, spend some time walking on the coast and do some sneaky wild camping overnight then the hamfest.

Typical hams wouldn't notice the consequence of that. Besides, most of it is in a field.

[Zenith]

Did anyone else go to McMichael?

I found it a bit flat. Nothing on the shopping list. A few fairly tempting items I may regret not buying tomorrow. I did bag a good looking 5Y3GT, which is just as well, because on checking, I'm down to my last eight spares. No £5 piece of junk to take away on the grounds that the Nixie tubes alone are worth that much, and it would be interesting to get it to work anyway.

I blame the heat for dampening my collecting appetite - and the fact that houseroom is in fact finite.

[tggzzz]

Did anyone else go to McMichael?

I found it a bit flat. Nothing on the shopping list. A few fairly tempting items I may regret not buying tomorrow. I did bag a good looking 5Y3GT, which is just as well, because on checking, I'm down to my last eight spares. No £5 piece of junk to take away on the grounds that the Nixie tubes alone are worth that much, and it would be interesting to get it to work anyway.

I blame the heat for dampening my collecting appetite - and the fact that houseroom is in fact finite.

See bd139's comments in the TEA thread,starting with https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg4304410/#msg4304410

[bd139]

It wasn't great. Got some bits as tggzzz pointed out. The usual trader (see TEA thread for discussion about how to dispose of him) snagged all the good stuff before anyone got there. Bastard signs up as a seller, empties the place then leaves without selling a thing.

This for £20 was the biggest win



Just needed a clean up and a couple of minor issues fixing



Kept my mind off the heat this afternoon!

[Squarewave]

I went to McMichael, bought an old Decca KW2000CAT radio and a couple of Eddystone receivers which I'll probably never use.

[Zenith]

I saw some Eddystones. I've got one, but I've never been into them much. I gather there had been some boatanchor action early on, but stuff I've already got too much of anyway.

I got lost and delayed by about 45 minutes so by the time I arrived, all the junk had gone and only the rubbish was left.

[bd139]

I've found you have to turn up half an hour earlier to get the junk. The gold was already gone by that infernal seller that doesn't sell (grey Mercedes estate).

[Zenith]

He really exists does he? I thought he was some mythical figure you joked about, like a gremlin or "The phantom bodger" who's messed up a lot of the stuff that comes our way.

[bd139]

Unfortunately no he really does exist and is not a mythical creature. I was massively pissed to turn up 30 minutes early and see his estate car stacked to the roof with HP kit. He had stuff like HP85 computers, RF signal generators, the lot in there. Just turned up as a seller and emptied the place. Never sold a thing. Leaves when he's emptied the place.

Everyone knows who the phantom bodger is as well. It's the guy who tells you "yeah this doesn't work and I don't know why". He knows why and it's probably because he's been at it with Jesus' hand me down whale oil fired soldering iron.

[George Edmonds]

Hi

From memory this has been happening at Newbury for at least the last five years, actually starts before the grey estate appears, by then he has already been around most other traders during setup time and bought anything of interest, just brings the estate on site to do a collection.

I will no longer go to Newbury as a result, this behaviour is well known to the rally orginisers

G Edmonds

[bd139]

There was a discussion going on elsewhere which concluded on following him home after one, recording his address and then applying the mantra of prevention is better than cure by inserting the contents of a well stocked fruit bowl up his exhaust pipe before the next rally 

[Squarewave]

Hopefully I don't get banned from the rallys, as I turn up in a grey Mercedes Estate! But it's not me!

Perhaps there should be a gentleman's agreement that people shall not sell before the doors open.....I guess this has been happening for years, but the good stuff to someone like this, may not well be the stuff I'm looking for.

[Zenith]

I can't see what can be done about it.

It shades into normal behaviour. At these things legitimate stallholders walk round and pick up things before they open properly. Try outlawing that and enforcing it.

The organisers may not like the fake stallholder/demon buyer, but it doesn't affect attendance. Most are there for a day out; see their old mates, see some interesting junk and have a chat with the owner/seller about it, possibly find a treasure, which could be a valve or a wreck containing the bits they need to fix something they've always meant to do something about, or a manual they've been looking for for years.

I suppose they could "lose" his application and refuse him entry, but such a dedicated and thick-skinned character would soon find a way round that.

I want no part of these dubious measures to constrain him by the application of fruit etc, but if someone found themselves so driven, I could not find it within myself to condemn them.

[bd139]

The only way really to have any honour is do what the BVWS does and that is run auctions: https://www.bvws.org.uk/auctions/

Prices are reasonable as is the process: https://www.bvws.org.uk/auctions/results.php/2022-07-03-royal-wootton-bassett

[Squarewave]

BVWS auctions don't have the buzz of a rally. I have been to them, but even some of the auctions have their sharks. Plus, I'm guessing here, this is only a guess, but the fake seller buying stuff to sell on later is probably buying more expensive items than I'm prepared to buy at a rally.

There's a chap who's been selling at a few rallys already this year, who's been trying to part with a beaten up Yaesu (FT726R I think) for about £350. I'd never buy an item of that value from a rally. There was someone at Andover selling one for £150, less than half the price, but he still took it home with him.

[bd139]

I think that didn't sell because rule one of hamfests is "it probably doesn't work" and rule two is "someone probably fucked with it".

I tend to only buy stuff for the value of the parts on its own.

Edit: I'm not sure what you mean by the buzz off a rally. It usually feels rather like this to me

[Squarewave]

The buzz! Come on, you must get the buzz? Walking around in the sun, chatting to a few people?

The Andover one was great for that, as we took the dog with us, then headed into Salisbury after and put a few pints away and had dinner out in a pub. McMichael was good for that too, plus it's not far away from an epic kebab shop.

I tend to have a purpose when I go and I never spend a lot. Those two Eddystones and the Decca didn't break two figures, so that's alright even if they don't work. A brief check showed that there was nothing missing from them.

[tggzzz]

I think that didn't sell because rule one of hamfests is "it probably doesn't work" and rule two is "someone probably fucked with it".

I tend to only buy stuff for the value of the parts on its own.

That's why prefer to show my decent stuff working, which needs a 'lectric supply. No, I'm not going to power my decent stuff from a car battery and a modfied sine wave inverter!

Even so, I think £150 would be the upper limit for something you could flog at a hamfest. Unlike sproglet, it is strictly cash for me. I don't have smartphone so can't use these newfangled payment machines that are commonplace in farmers markets etc.

[bd139]

The buzz! Come on, you must get the buzz? Walking around in the sun, chatting to a few people?

The Andover one was great for that, as we took the dog with us, then headed into Salisbury after and put a few pints away and had dinner out in a pub. McMichael was good for that too, plus it's not far away from an epic kebab shop.

I tend to have a purpose when I go and I never spend a lot. Those two Eddystones and the Decca didn't break two figures, so that's alright even if they don't work. A brief check showed that there was nothing missing from them.

Not really a buzz at hamfests. It's nice to chat with a couple of regular forum folk on occasion however. I tend to drag one or both of the eldest two kids with me now as they can carry stuff and it only costs me a McDonalds breakfast or lunch for the services. Although sitting there in Andover McDonalds with a cold McPlant after Newbury was an all time low. It reminded me never to move out of the city...

If I want a "buzz" I go out hiking with a group I'm a member of and end up completely hammered in some seaside town with a bunch of similarly single middle aged women

As a member of the TEA thread my objective is twofold:

1. Obtain test gear. Just because.
2. Snag any usable parts for considerably less money than Farnell would screw me for.

[bd139]

I think that didn't sell because rule one of hamfests is "it probably doesn't work" and rule two is "someone probably fucked with it".

I tend to only buy stuff for the value of the parts on its own.

That's why prefer to show my decent stuff working, which needs a 'lectric supply. No, I'm not going to power my decent stuff from a car battery and a modfied sine wave inverter!

Even so, I think £150 would be the upper limit for something you could flog at a hamfest. Unlike sproglet, it is strictly cash for me. I don't have smartphone so can't use these newfangled payment machines that are commonplace in farmers markets etc.

It's strictly cash here too for tax reasons 

Agree with showing stuff working. I've seen your excellently presented goods pre-covid at Harwell

[Squarewave]

I loved the Harwell Rally, shame they've not done it for a while. I remember the one in 2018 I bought a vintage Advance pulse generator for £5, some great big modular thing. I stored it back then and have never seen it since. Maybe one day I'll do something with it.

[bd139]

Yeah that was a reliable one. I got a Tek 2445 I think early in 2020 just before Covid that worked for £80 which I was happy with.

Oh and a whole bag of VHF PA transistors.

[mikeselectricstuff]

BVWS auctions don't have the buzz of a rally. I have been to them, but even some of the auctions have their sharks. Plus, I'm guessing here, this is only a guess, but the fake seller buying stuff to sell on later is probably buying more expensive items than I'm prepared to buy at a rally.

BVWS also have a rule about not selling before opening, but impossible to enforce, stuff just gets put aside.

The problem at rallies is most people are there just to get rid of stuff easily, not necessarily at the highest price, so will happily take the first offer.

[Zenith]

The problem is having a dedicated professional buyer, who's worked out what's needed to clean up, at what's basically a relaxed social scene for enthusiasts. Yes, some people have their eye to business and a lot of the stuff probably winds up on ebay, but he's taking it to a different level. You have to ask questions, because this can't be much of a profession.

I've been to a BVWS event as a stallholder, and there was a lot of inter-stall action before people were let in. The auction was mainly a load of domestic stuff, old tellies, domestic radios and like that. I'm sure there was some test gear. Just the place to go it your idea of an RF sig gen is an Advance H1. It may have changed, that was a long time ago. Professional valve dealers latched onto it. People going there to cop a pair of PX4s for their 1930s radiogram, hoping to get them for £20, perhaps going as far as £30, found they were bidded out of sight. These valve dealers may not have been entering into the spirit of things, but they weren't doing anything wrong.

I also went to the bashes at the NEC. You could pay £15 extra to get in before the crush, which I did, and snagged some bargains. If you have stalls, it's hard to avoid the problem of the bogus stallholder, who's really a buyer.

I've also been to a Radiophile auction years ago. It was a silent key sale of the estate of a very dedicated collector. There was a huge amount of stuff. Some of the lots were far too big. There was a palate of AR88 spares, including NOS O/P transformers. The professional auctioneer got fed up and started to bundle things together, offering them to previously successful bidders for the same price. A valve dealer outbid everyone on a lot of 25 NOS 5Y3GTs. I was glad I went there because I scored some real bargains. I came away with the feeling that it hadn't been entirely satisfactory.

To cut an already overly long post short, I don't see how radio rallies can be turned into auctions. It's not what they are about. It's a shame the Demon Buyer takes the gloss off it for some of us, but there we are.

[Zenith]

I loved the Harwell Rally, shame they've not done it for a while. I remember the one in 2018 I bought a vintage Advance pulse generator for £5, some great big modular thing. I stored it back then and have never seen it since. Maybe one day I'll do something with it.

I liked Harwell. It was early in the year and it was perishing cold. I never bought anything significant there, but it was enjoyable.

There was one in Worcester where I bought an RA17 for £27, and there was another good one in Wythenshawe? (South of Birmingham). I never thought much of Drayton Manor Park, which was huge.

[Squarewave]

The last Harwell I went to, was the 2020 one which was the last one they had, the wind was howling, attendance was at an all time low, we wasn't sure if it was a combination of the horrendous wind and the other issue coming up at that time. Hopefully we'll see it back, but with two years absence, the hall might well have other ideas.

[tggzzz]

I tend to drag one or both of the eldest two kids with me now as they can carry stuff and it only costs me a McDonalds breakfast or lunch for the services. Although sitting there in Andover McDonalds with a cold McPlant after Newbury was an all time low. It reminded me never to move out of the city...

It was nice to meet your sproglet at Newbury; she seems a good person

If I had know she was so easily satisfied, I'd have tried to raise her expectations    Yup, I'm a troublemaker, and have a tendency to explicitly point that out.

One time I chose not to point that out involved some Brethren preaching on a city street corner. I talked about the Bible and related some of its teachings to the kid's experiences. Eventually the adults, um, grown ups, um, supervisors became worried they were listening to me and, gasp, thinking - and huddled the kids away for re-indoctrination. Most satisfactory; I like to think I saved some people that day.

[bd139]

Causing trouble is appreciated on that level at least. That was purely for sustenance based on the uninteresting selection of stuff that was found on Tripadvisor in Andover. We weighed up going to Ivy Cafe in Richmond but I don’t think either of us would have made it there alive 

Have had similar run ins with the local JW. They stopped knocking after I gave the associated child soldier my copy of The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Fingers crossed you did indeed at least kick off some introspection.

[tggzzz]

Causing trouble is appreciated on that level at least. That was purely for sustenance based on the uninteresting selection of stuff that was found on Tripadvisor in Andover. We weighed up going to Ivy Cafe in Richmond but I don’t think either of us would have made it there alive 

Have had similar run ins with the local JW. They stopped knocking after I gave the associated child soldier my copy of The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Fingers crossed you did indeed at least kick off some introspection.

Needs must, I suppose 

With JWs, I use the unpublished backstory as to what lead to Yasmin Gibson becoming the first "home alone" mother. Last time their comment was "that shouldn't happen". Well, yes - but it did. (I knew Yasmin when she was a toddler and I wasn't much more).

The last time some evangelical turned up on my doorstep, I used phrases like "Don't trust me, look at the Bible". The youngster was last heard asking her mother in an incredulous voice "does the Bible really say that?", with the mother not answering. The world became an infintesssimally less bad place

[Zenith]

Last time I had JWs come round I was doing something round the back. They asked me if I thought aii these bombs and rockets going off and killing people were terrible. I said no, I thought they were great. I'd worked on three missiles and the company I worked for now supplied major components for several missiles, which I listed, and the development systems needed. The only time I had doubts was when business was slack, which wasn't often.

They were dumbstruck and walked away. I don't believe they expected such unrepentant wickedness.

That was about 20 years ago. They haven't been round since. I think I was blacklisted.

[bd139]

It's definitely possible to get on a blacklist. Blissful it is too 

Perhaps I should start my own cult. "Have you heard the good news? You can get it on 145.5MHz FM if you buy this Baofeng HT off me for a one off price of only £200!" 

[Squarewave]

Anyone here at Chippenham today? Usually a good one, though I couldn't today.

[tggzzz]

Anyone here at Chippenham today? Usually a good one, though I couldn't today.

I went... https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg4331617/#msg4331617