MadAnthony goes to Hamfest...

Went to the Timonium Hamfest today with bsom. I didn't sell anything, just went to shop.

All in all, it was a pretty good hamfest. I bought more than I have at previous ones, and it was larger than most other ones I've been to. However, there weren't as many customers as I expected, and there were a ton of empty spaces in tailgate and inside.

There were some big vendors there - companies with huge panel trucks full of stuff, and a tent from the March of Dimes full of stuff from Radio Shack. But as usual, the best deals were from guys selling junk from their basements or small business owners.

I spent more than I expected to, but some of the stuff I bought will probably get resold for a profit.

My haul:
-Panasonic Toughbook P3 (no power supply) - $40 (worked at the hamfest, but doesn't seem to want to go on with my generic power supply) - for those not familiar with the Toughbook, they are the first "ruggedized" laptop, with a metal case and handle, designed for industrial and military applications. They are supposed to survive stuff like falls or being baked in an oven).
-Panasonic Toughbook p1 (no power supply) - $20 (powers up fine with my generic power supply)
-lot of 8 dead IBM thinkpads, with most of the parts missing - $15 (this was probably my least wise purchase, since I was all thrilled with getting rid of my last pile of dead laptops.
-Ammo box $5
-Netgear 15-bit PCMCIA wireless card (new in shrink wrapped box) -$10. I think I might actually get decent money for this on eBay if I end up not needing it - they are hard to find because most cards are 32-bit, but lots of older laptops will only work with 16-bit cards. I sold a used one on eBay last year for >$30.
-3Com 24 port 10mbps hub - free - pulled out of a trash can near the end of Hamfest

Also consumed massive amounts of food. All in all a good day (although it will be better if I can get the P3 Toughbook working)