HVRA 2023 CONVENTION
From the Vice President—
Half a year has passed since the 2022 Convention and planning is under way for the 2023 45th anniversary event. This should be a great opportunity to clear off your shelves of those un- wanted items and acquire new treasures We are not anticipating a large amount of estate items, so the auction should really open up for the membership. As has been the case for so many years the event is to be held at the Houston Marriott North on March 10 and 11, with a swap meet on Sunday morning, March 12. Room rates are $95 per night, plus all imposed taxes and fees. Reservations can be made from now until mid–Feb 2023.
Click Here To go to the Marriott Website. or you may call 281–875–4000 and mention the HVRA Convention
Once again the auction process will be organized by President Joe Gernand and the Old Equipment Contest by Tom Taylor— their dedication is greatly appreciated. Joe will be needing extra assistance with the auction since he’ll be carrying the duties of President as well, so please step up to help. As in past years, Bill Werzner, past president, is planning to take on the task as “Auctioneer”. Duane Bradley, former station manager of KPFT Pacifica Houston, has accepted to be guest speaker at the banquet. Featured manufacturer this year is RCA, so be sure to pull out your nicest RCA sets, whether they be battery sets, transistor radios, or CR–100 color TVs, and enter them in the contest. Jeff Heller has agreed to give a Friday morning technical presentation related to RCA—his presentations are always entertaining and informative. The convention registration form is attached to this issue of the Grid Leak, so please feel free to fill ‘em out and send ‘em on in.
Click here for the 2023 Registration Form you can then fill out and mail in.
If you have any questions concerning the Convention, Old Equipment Contest, Auctions or Marriott Hotel Reservations, please contact me at 713–517–8722 or britfaml@juno.com.
Lewis Brittain, Convention Chairman
HVRA Vice President
VINTAGE EQUIPMENT CONTEST CATEGORIES
CATEGORIES
1. WIRELESS/SPARK EQUIPMENT
2. CRYSTAL RECEIVERS AND RELATED CRYSTAL EQUIPMENT
3. BATTERY RECEIVERS (1920s)
4. WOOD CATHEDRALS, TOMBSTONES, AND CONSOLES
5. WOOD TABLE RECEIVERS (TUBE)
6. NON–WOOD TABLE RECEIVERS (TUBE)
7. PORTABLE RADIOS (TRANSISTOR AND TUBE)
8. “MODERN” ELECTRONICS, 1980s TO THE PRESENT ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT AND ELECTRONICA (EXAMPLES INCLUDE VINTAGE COMPUTERS, MODERN RADIO EQUIPMENT AND RECENT UNIQUE ELECTRONIC AND COMPUTING ITEMS)
9. SCRAP YARD/FABRICATED RADIO (WORKING—MUST BE HEARD 10 FT AWAY) ** see below for more information.
10. MISCELLANEOUS VINTAGE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT (EXAMPLES INCLUDE TELEPHONES, TELEGRAPH, SCIENTIFIC TEST EQUIPMENT, ELECTRICAL DEVICES, TELEVISION)
11. KIT RADIOS AND EQUIPMENT (AT LEAST 10 YRS. OLD)
12. HI–FIDELITY EQUIPMENT
13. AMATEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT (AT LEAST 10 YRS. OLD)
14. MILITARY ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS
15. REPLICAS AND VINTAGE STYLE CREATIONS
16. FOREIGN RADIOS
17. SPECIAL CONVENTION THEME: RCA AND ALL ITEMS CARRYING THE RCA NAME
18. COMPONENTS (INCLUDING VACUUM TUBES)
19. OPEN DISPLAY
QUESTIONS? CONTACT TOM TAYLOR 281–229–2970 or ihcrally@yahoo.com
**
Scrap Yard Radio
A local AM transmitter will be provided in the room for this category. At least one tube must be in powered use for signal handling within the exhibit. For safety sake an arbitrary B+ boundary of less than 90 volts DC is declared. Any line AC voltage must be protected from accidental contact by the designer, any user, a judge or any other human fingers. The finished exhibit will be a working group of components or assemblies producing transmitted audio that can be understood at least 10 feet away. A winning exhibit will appear as if it shouldn’t work and offer the most creative scheme for transmitted audio production from a speaker. The goal here is for you to learn, show your creative prowess and have some fun. Orderly appearances, quality parts or precision workmanship are not necessary. In its simplest form this might be a detector followed by a solid state amplifier board. Both solid state or hollow state assemblies are accepted. Detection or amplification can be provided by a component or an assembly using for instance one or more tubes pieced together via dead bug, terminal strips, PCBs, or hot wired out of a chassis.
2023 Auction Items
This is only a partial glimpse of some estate items that will be offered by the club itself. There will be approximately 150 lots of estate items to choose from. As usual you just never know what will show up for action. We have had a lot of vintage Hi Fi and vintage computer items run thru our auctions. If the past repeats there will be something for everyone if your into vintage electronics of various types.
click on an image for an expanded view.
