Shelby Hamfest 2024
General Info
Please be mindful of Construction at Fairgrounds! Stay Alert as Entry Gates May Change!Please do not enter construction zones!We look forward to seeing everyone!
Hours of Operation
Friday August 30, 2024
9:00 AM until 5:00 PM (Buildings & Flea Market)
Saturday August 31, 2024
Gates open at 7:00 AM (Outside Vendors)
Inside Vendor Buildings 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday September 1, 2024
Gates open at 7:00 AM (Outside Vendors)
Inside Vendor Buildings 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location of Fairgrounds
1751 E Marion St, Shelby, NC 28152
Approximately 35 miles West of Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Cleveland County, NC has several points of interest to explore while visiting our county. If you are planning to spend the week camping with us, you may wish to explore some of these interesting places. Click here to see area Points of Interest!
Parking Information
Parking will be behind the fairgrounds. Please turn on Kemper Rd off Marion St and take the First Right onto Ferris Wheel Blvd. You will be directed on where to park. There will be handicap parking available.
Mobility Options are available - Golf Carts are available for rent during the hamfest - Please click here for Mobility Options.
Buy Tickets
Tickets are $10.00 and all tickets bought in advanced will be will call only (meaning to be picked up at arrival at the event).
Buying Early also gets you into a Pre-Registration drawing is AnyTone AT-778UV II (drawing Friday at 1600). Main Prize is ICOM 7300 (On Saturday at 1600). We also have ALINCO Dual Band HTs (model TBD) we are giving away every other hour on Saturday! You do not have to be present to Win these club sponsored prizes. We will ship to the lower 48 states.
*Members of Shelby Amateur Radio Club are not eligible to buy tickets or win prizes.
Talk-In Frequency
Talk-in is on our 146.880 (-), 67.0 Hz Tone Repeater. While in our area check-in to our Nets! Shelby Amateur Radio Club VHF Emergency Net Mondays & Fridays on 146.880 at 8:30 PM; Good Ideas Net Wednesday 7:00 PM on 147.345 (+) & Sunday Night Prayer Net 8:00 PM on 146.880. Our Repeaters can also be accessed by Echolink Node KM4C-R
VE Testing
VE Testing is provided by WCARS-VE, Inc.
Wednesday August 28, 2024 at 4:00PM at the Hamfest Office (Location TBD due to Fairground Improvements) & Saturday August 31, 2024 at 2:00 PM at the Comfort Inn Breakfast Room - 2012 E Marion St, Shelby, NC 28150
Indoor Vendor Buildings
Shelby Hamfest has several indoor vendor options. Goforth Hall & Weathers Arena are indoor options for exhibitors which will keep you and your items safe from weather conditions (Sun or Rain). If you would like more information regarding inside vendor options, please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC or Steve Emory N4SET click here or call 980-295-5151. More detailed information can be found by clicking here!
Outdoor Vendor Space
Shelby Hamfest outdoor vendor spaces are available. There are areas designated as Outdoor Commercial Vendor spaces. These are ideal for those vendors who want to be positioned between the indoor spaces and the Flea Market areas. If you would like more information regarding outdoor vendor options, please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC or Steve Emory N4SET click here or call 980-295-5151. More detailed information can be found by clicking here!
Outdoor Covered Option
Shelby Hamfest has another option for those who want to be able to reserve spaces which will be covered. The Covered area is attached to the Weathers Arena. If you would like more information regarding this reservable alternative to the first come first served outside flea market area please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC or Steve Emory N4SET click here or call 980-295-5151. More detailed information can be found by clicking here!
Flea Market Spaces
These spaces are not reservable and are available on a first come / first serve bases beginning the Sunday prior to the Hamfest. These spaces are located throughout the fairgrounds and surrounded by the buildings and camping areas of the hamfest. There are plenty of spaces available and are usually plenty of spaces to choose from throughout the event. If you need information please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC or Steve Emory N4SET click here or call 980-295-5151. For more information click here!
Food Vendors
There are several food vendor booths who are open on the fairgrounds with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch items along with standard county fair staples like funnel cakes and Orangeaid/Lemonaid vendors. If this type of food is not what you are interested in then try one of our many restaurants in Shelby. All are just a short ride from the fairgrounds. To learn how to become a vendor please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC or Steve Emory N4SET click here or call 980-295-5151.
RV Camping
One highlight of the Shelby Hamfest is on-site RV & Tent Camping the week of the hamfest. Campers enjoy fellowshipping with other campers and amateur radio operators and are able to explore the many places of interest in Shelby, NC and he surrounding area. Contact Lynn Winkelman for more information on camping (RV, Trailer & Tent). To request information click here. For more information click here!
Only Area's 5 & 6 Remain (Updated July 2024)
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
Golf Carts & Mobility Info
Do Not contact the club for Golf Cart Rentals Click Here for more information. Please watch and yield to pedestrian traffic. Wheelchairs and Scooters can be used at anytime for handicapped individuals. You can bring your own golf cart but will be subject to the same rules as the rental carts. Golf cart driver must be at 16 years of age and hold a valid state-issued drivers license.
** Golf cart drivers observed operating unsafely will be asked to park their cart for duration of the hamfest.
Accommodations
If camping at the Fairgrounds is not your idea of a good nights sleep, then there are a variety of Hotels & Motels to choose from in Cleveland County and the surrounding area. If you are planning to come out to the hamfest for more than one day, you'll want to make reservations at one of the area hotels.
Click here for a list of some local hotels.
Forums (Saturday)
LOCATION CHANGE - Due to Construction Work at the fairgrounds, and potential rain, forum presentation this year will be conducted in the SW corner of the Dorton Hall Building aat the top of the Fairgrounds.
Look just above the Goforth Hall Building for the one that runs parallel to the roadway. Enter through the lower doors, turn left down the aisle to the lower aisle and turn right.
Forums are Saturday Only - These will be updated closer to hamfest
August 31, 2024 - Forums (check back for any updates)
09:00 AM - ARRL & Division Forum - N2ZZ Dr. Jim Boehner & N2COP Bill Morine
11:00 AM - Some Like it Hot.... A Primer on vacuum tubes and valves by Bill Minikiewicz, W4FSV - Since their invention in 1904, vacuum tubes or valves (as the British call them) dominated 70 years of radio and electronics during the 20th century. Let's explore some o the history, development and theory under the glass envelopes.
12:30 PM - Ham Radio Clock Build Session by Bill Minikiewicz, W4FSV - This build is for adults and easy enough for children, cost for the build is $10.00 each (cash only)
1:00 PM - Ham Radio at 40,000 ft - by Tom Medlin W5KUB - This talk will tell about the trackers they build and how they are able to track it every 10 minutes and plot on the map. They will also talk about their involvement with the shoot down of a pico balloon by the USAF. This talk will primarily focus on tracking small pico ballons going around the world and will also talk about the large weather balloons with cameras and tracking.
2:30 PM - SOTA, POTA and other "OTAs" by KM4BLG - Zach Thompson
Youth Scavenger Hunt (Saturday) Not happening in 2024
Due construction limiting access to areas & due to a volunteer shortage, the Youth Lounge and the Scavenger Hunt will not happen in 2024. If you are interested in helping with these events in 2025, please let us know. To participate you must be under 18 years of age, come to PA stand located outside of Hamfest Office (located in Goforth Hall) at 11 AM. There you will be given a sheet to go on the scavenger hunt. This event will last from 11 AM - until 12:30 PM on Saturday . The scores will be tallied and the winner announced at 12:45 PM. The Hamfest has a prize for the top points scored.
Sunday School (Sunday) Will be held in same place as forums.
Each year at the Shelby Hamfest, hamfest attendees, campers and vendors are given an unique opportunity to attend Sunday School. Our Sunday School Teacher Daniel Edmonson KG4GRN has taught and touched lives for nearly a decade. Be sure to attend Sunday School at 10:00 AM. Same location as the Forums.