(Photo: Tony KC6QHP testing out his 47GHz amateur radio. Remember this post? All that work paid off, the radio works!)
Last month I cashed in some airline miles and finally got to visit some old friends and spend some time in beautiful Southern California. Some long-time readers of the blog may remember the last time I did something like this in 2009.
While I was there I visited my good friend Tony in Los Angeles, and we went on a tour of surplus electronics and swap meets that we called Surplus Summit 2012.
All of the surplus stores mentioned here are listed on the Surplus Electronics wiki page, which is continually being updated and expanded. (Do you know of a place to find surplus electronics in your area? Add it to the wiki!)
If you want to see more scenes from Surplus Summit 2012, there are lots more photos from my trip on flickr.
Here are a few highlights from our tour:
C&H Surplus, Duarte, CA
C&H is the best surplus electronics store I have visited since The Black Hole in Los Alamos. Test equipment, weird scientific stuff, motors, gears, components, the works. The owner, Rick, is a nice guy with a good sense of humor. This place is awesome and a well worth a visit.
(Note: C&H is only open Thursday-Saturday.)
W6TRW Swap Meet, Redondo Beach, CA
This swap meet has been around forever is held on the last Saturday of every month, rain or shine, even if that Saturday falls on Christmas, etc. Get there early, the swap was hopping by 8AM.
This is an amateur radio swap meet but there is lots of computer stuff (too much!) and general electronics.
All Electronics, Van Nuys, CA
Not that many people realize that All Electronics has an actual retail store in Van Nuys. It’s small but fun to visit. Not everything in the catalog is out on the shelves, but there are also some big things that probably won’t ever make it in the catalog.
APEX Electronics, Sun Valley, CA
I visited Apex in 2009. Lots of stuff, much of it junk, but there a few interesting odds and ends. I hear that these guys supply the film industry with a lot of props.
That’s it for LA. Stay tuned for Surplus Summit Part Two: San Diego next week!
