It has been awhile since I wrote a new post, but I think it's about time to fix that. Just like 20,000 other hams, I returned this week from my first visit to the Dayton Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio. The Hamvention is one of the world's largest ham radio conventions, attracting some 20,000 hams every year to the city of Dayton. This year was the 64th Hamvention and boy does it impress! While there have been rumors and complaints about the dilapidated Hara Arena that has hosted the convention for decades, most attendees simply don't care. We're there for the people, the products, and the knowledge.
On your first trip to Dayton, you'll notice that hams literally take over the city for the weekend. Rental cars, hotel rooms, flights, everything is simply booked solid. You need to plan months in advance. This event attracts hams from around the world, and that is no exaggeration. I was lucky enough to have some hotel rewards saved up so I only had to pay tax on the 2 room suite I booked in Miamisburg.
One thing you'll notice is that you are far from being the only one on the roads around Dayton with crazy antennas on your car. In fact, you'll start to see the antennas on cars some 50 miles outside of Dayton!
When going to Dayton, I didn't have too many things in mind that I needed to purchase. I wanted to go mainly to socialize and experience this incredible event. I also wanted some input from the "experts" on some upcoming projects.
 |
| 100 Watts and a Wire members (l-r) Marty, Mike, Joe, Christian, and myself |
I joined a group called 100 Watts and a Wire (100wattsandawire.com) about a year ago. The group was founded by Christian Cudnik, K0STH. Since joining, it has been a fantastic social avenue for many hams. In Dayton, many of us were able to finally meet and talk about what we were doing in the hobby.
 |
| Ray, N9JA at the Youth Forum. Marty, KC1CWF is at the podium. |
Ham radio accepts people from all walks of life and Dayton is a true demonstration of that. There is no division of race, nationality, age, or gender. We are all there for 1 thing - radio. Where else could 14 year old Marty (KC1CWF) speak in front of a room full of adults without being looked down on? Even Ray Novak, N9JA shared a picture of the great turnout to see Marty. Ray himself represents ICOM America.
Dayton is a place where anything is possible. Want to learn about satellites? You can at Dayton! Heck, there's even a place to try your hand at operating on one while it orbits the Earth! The big thing I wanted to learn about was APRS. Now, APRS has been around since the 1980s. It's nothing new, but there are new products and opportunities coming into play that will change how it is used. What about an APRS satellite that has voice prompts? It's in the works!
Hams are brilliant people. We see an opportunity to improve a gap in communication and we excel at it. Many technologies used by commercial and military markets were developed by hams, simply because they saw an opportunity. This really is the adult version of STEM!
to be continued...
