A (usually annual) gathering of
old, stinky, unwashed, and severely overweight men (with a limited number of women, usually of the same qualities) where antiquated and largely
useless radio equipment is bought, sold, and traded, usually at exorbitantly high prices.
While some hamfests are useful for finding odd parts and rare equipment, many have degraded in quality over the years and are not worth going to any more.
I was at this
one hamfest in Bowie, MD and this hambone picked up a simplex repeater and said, "Duh, so it records the radio, TTX?"
h4mb0n3-
1: Man, did you go to the Vienna hamfest this year, the
one at NOVA?
h4mb0n3-2: No way, d00d, that hamfest is not as good as it used to be.