Tables & Tailgating

Booth reservations are now being taken for the 2024 event.   All booths along the outer wall have electricity available as do many of the booths in the middle of the exhibit hall.  We do not supply extension cords or power strips so you will need to bring your own if you need power.

Tailgating will be on the back row of the parking lot behind the Made in Tennessee Building and along the paved drive alongside the building.  We will have someone outside to guide you to the proper parking area when you arrive.  We will be able to accommodate up to approximately 60-80 total vehicles (tailgating and indoor vendors) in the back parking area.  Tailgate spaces will remain $10.00 each and include one General Admission/Door Prize ticket as well.

Commercial Vendors

Announcement to be made shortly on 2024 commercial vendors.

Be sure to visit our commercial vendors and pick up that new radio, antenna, hat, or those little “odds and ends” you need to make that repair, finish a project, or just sport your call sign on a nice new hat.

Parking

The main parking area for HamQuest 2024 will be in the grass just outside the white fence that runs next to the Made in Tennessee Building.  You will park in the grass, much like when attending the Wilson Co./Tn State Fair.  There will be a walk-through opening in the fence where you will come in at the side entrance to the building.  The entrance will be the main fairgrounds entrance.

Parking for those who have tables inside as well as tailgaters will be in the parking lot directly behind alongside the Made in TN Building.

In 2024 we’ve added handicaped parking on the east and the west sides of the building. Our parking team will assist with available handicapped parking spaces for those in need of them and having a state issued Handicapped hangtag, license plate, or license plate decal.

Once you have entered the main gate, you will need to  turn right at the stop sign in front of the Expo Center.  Turn left just past the side parking area for the Expo Center and you will see the Made in TN Building just inside the white gate.  General parking will be in the grass outside the white fence on the hill on your right.

Talk-in

Talk-in will once again be on the WC4AR repeater (147.105, + offset, TSQL 156.7).  The talk-in operator will make announcements periodically regarding any changes to the which entrance to use when arriving at the Ag Center, provide directions to arriving guests, or to provide any other needed information to our visitors.

We are pleased to announce that we will have t least one of the TN ARRL DXCC Card checkers present at HamQuest 2024. The card checker(s) will be at the ARRL Tables Along with the TN ARRL Staff.

HamQuest 2023 June Update

Tables & Tailgating

our move into the new Made in Tennessee Building at the Ward Ag Center comes a few important changes to HamQuest.  First and probably most important is the ability to have everyone under one roof and in the same room.  This makes it easier for you to see everything we have at HamQuest and no more maneuvering through a couple of hallways or having to go outside to another building to take in all the flea market.  We also now have the much-needed room to continue growing without having to spread out even more than we were in years past.  The 20,000 square foot exhibit hall gives us more flexibility and the ability to easily add more tables as needed.  While not the most important or needed, it also allows us to avoid having to raise our prices, keeping it a very affordable hamfest for even the most frugal attendee with booths $15.00 each (includes one 8’x’30” table, two chairs, and one General Admission/Door Prize ticket), Admission $5.00 for adults (17 years and older), FREE for children & youth (16 years old and younger), and FREE for ANYONE passing their license exam with our onsite VE team including new applicants and those hams upgrading to either General or Extra.

Booth reservations are now being taken for the remaining tables in the exhibit hall area.  As of this writing, we only have 22 booths left (two 8’x10’ outer wall booths and 20 8’x8’ booths in the middle of the exhibit hall floor.)  All booths along the outer wall have electricity available as do many of the booths in the middle of the exhibit hall.  We do not supply extension cords or power strips so you will need to bring your own if you need power.

Tailgating will be on the new paved area alongside and behind the Made in Tennessee Building.  We will be able to accommodate up to approximately 60-80 vehicles in the tailgate area this year without it being spread out and inconvenient to walk through and take in all the great tailgaters.  Tailgate spaces will remain $10.00 each and include one General Admission/Door Prize ticket as well.

Commercial Vendors

We will have five commercial vendors at HamQuest 2024 offering a wide variety of new ham radio equipment, accessories, and novelties.  The commercial vendors planning to be at HamQuest 2024 are:

• TN07 Engineering (TN07.com) – Eagleville, TN
• William Perry Company – Louisville, KY

Be sure to visit our commercial vendors and pick up that new radio, antenna, hat, or those little “odds and ends” you need to make that repair, finish a project, or just sport your call sign on a nice new hat.

Parking

The main parking area for HamQuest 2024 will be in the grass just outside the white fence that runs next to the Made in Tennessee Building.  You will park in the grass, much like when attending the Wilson Co./Tn State Fair.  There will be a walk-through opening in the fence where you will come in at the side entrance to the building.  At this time, we anticipate that all visitors will come in through the main gate at the Ag Center, just as in the previous years.  If there are any changes to this plan, we will send out an email to the HamQuest Newsletter subscribers and post it both on our Facebook Page and Web site.  Please monitor for any changes to this when arriving by tuning in to our talk-in station.

For 2024 we’ve over doubled our of handicapped parking spaces for those in need of them and having a state issued Handicapped hangtag, license plate, or license plate decal.

Once you have entered the main gate, please watch for and follow the signs pointing you to the HamQuest Parking area.  You may also call in to the talk-in station for directions.

Talk-in

Talk-in will once again be on the WC4AR repeater (147.105, + offset, TSQL 156.7).  The talk-in operator will make announcements periodically regarding any changes to the which entrance to use when arriving at the Ag Center, provide directions to arriving guests, or to provide any other needed information to our visitors.

We have the following minimum table availability at HamQuest 2024: 5 8’x10′ booths along the wall with easy access to power and 18 8’x8′ booths throughout the exhibit hall floor some with easy access to power as well. All booths include on 8’x30″ standard rectangular banquet table, 2 folding chairs, and one admission/door prize ticket. To reserve your booth, please email reservations@midtnhamquest.com. Please let us know if you have any special requests/needs such as near power outlets, assistance due to disability, etc. and we will do our best to make sure your needs/accommodations are met.

The 2024 HamQuest General Information Flyer is now available for download. Please feel free to download it and share with your club, group, and anyone interested in ham radio. To download, simply click the “Download 2024 Flyer” button on the right hand side of the web site page.

2024 HamQuest table availability is on a first come first serve basis. We’ll make every effort to accomidate your wishes. For reservations use one of the following media reservations@midtnhamquest.com or e-mail Bill Uthoff at KK4WU@bellsouth.net Please be sure to include the following information:

• First and last name
• E-mail address
• Call Sign (if any)
• Telephone Number
• How many tables you want
• Special requests (near a power outlet, next to a particular person or group, handicapped accommodations, etc.)

We have completed the move to a new platform to manage our Newsletter/HamQuest Updates e-mails. If you were still subscribed to our e-mail list as of 9:50 AM 3/24/2023, you should have received an email to confirm your subscription to our HamQuest Newsletter. Anyone who had previously opted out through the Mailchimp system and known bad addresses were not imported into our new mail list.

If you had previously opted out or simply no longer wish to receive the latest information on HamQuest, you can simply not confirm your subscription and you will not be added back to the list.

If you wish to continue receiving e-mails from us about HamQuest, please follow the instructions in the confirmation e-mail you received and you will receive our Newsletter and important updates.

The 9th Annual Greater Nashville & Middle TN HamQuest will take place on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Once again this years HamQuest will be in the NEW made in Tennessee building at the Wilson County Fairgrounds. We will be inside the newest building at the fairgrounds, the Made in Tennessee Building is a 20,000+ sq. Ft. Exhibit hall. HamQuest vendors, commercial and private alike, will be located under the same roof and in the same room in wonderful air conditioned comfort. With this move, we are bringing back one of our original features, “Club” tables. Amateur radio clubs, service groups (ARES, AuxComm, etc.), and other similar groups with a focus on Amateur Radio and its various aspects can purchase a table at a reduced rate of $5.00 per table which will get you one table, 2 chairs, and two passes. No sales will be permitted at these special rate promotional tables. We still have a lot of work to do in preparation for our second year in this new facility. We’ll be publishing our table layout on this web site as soon as possible. The attached flyer hits the high spots such as contact info, times, etc.. Please feel free to pass on to your local clubs, nets, etc.