Category Archives: Hamfests

2011 Dayton Hamvention

Posted by jeff on May 23, 2011 No comments

Hey all, just got back in from the 2011 Dayton Hamvention. This year was an absolute blast and I would say attendance was much higher this year.

For our 2nd excursion to Dayton, we left on Wednesday morning to make the early Thursday morning start to Contest University (CTU) coordinated by K3LR. If you have never been, I highly recommend attending CTU. Much information is to be had as well as networking with fellow contesters but here and abroad. The material was fairly technical, although it applied directly to my operating methods and will hopefully help me work towards optimizing my time contesting. For the price ($50~$90) it was well worth the experience. More information including webinars are on their site http://www.contestuniversity.com/

Since Dave (NB3R) scored us Flea Market vendor spaces, we had to make the 7:30AM cutoff to get in the area to park. All three days consisted of 5AM wake-up calls, which I seemed to have no problem doing at Dayton.

More updates and photos to come later tonight.

73
–jeff
N3QO

A new extra in the ranks

Posted by jeff on April 4, 2011 No comments

This weekend Laurie and I visited the Trenton Computer Festival where there was some hamfest-like activity in a computer dominate show, but there were a few interesting things. It seemed like a typical computer show, flashing lights, techno music playing from cheap computer speakers and questionable software being sold, but there were some talks on various computer and amateur radio topics. One of the talks I sat in on was presented by two members of the Packrats VHF club on VHF communications.

While I sat in on the discussion, Laurie took her Extra exam, which I’m glad to report, she passed! Obtaining her Extra has been something she’s been working towards on and off over the course of the last year, bringing her up with the top ranks of amateur radio operators, more importantly being a woman with an Extra class amateur radio license. While she awaits the update to the FCC ULS (Universal Licensing System), she’s scoping out vanity callsigns.

While I’m on the topic of Amateur License exams (VE sessions), something that has been a big concern of mine has been the way these VE sessions have been carried out. When Laurie went to take her exam last year at the Wrightstown Hamfest (2010), the session ended up being loud and disruptive with people talking during the exam. Unfortunately she found that the Sunday session at this year’s Trenton computer show was almost just as bad.

I do believe the ARRL has set guidelines on how a VE session should be operated, of which one being a suitably quiet location for someone to take their exam. When I took exams with the Lehigh Valley Amateur Radio (LVARC) and Delaware-Lehigh Amateur radio (DLARC) clubs, sessions were run professionally and in environments appropriate for taking exams. Just something to keep in mind for VE’s running their own exam sessions.

Timonium hamfest 2011 and antenna work

Posted by jeff on March 28, 2011 No comments

Another Timonium hamfest has come and gone.
Buyer turnout seemed pretty good, vendor turnout was slightly thinner than last year, although there seems to have been more tailgating than years past. Most likely due to better weather. I didn’t see too many capital expenses being made although I heard someone talking on the local repeater net saying he sold an entire silent key’s vintage Collins station. Laurie got a chance to use her new HT, which I was sure she really enjoyed keeping up with everyone. No large purchases this year, simple odds and ends and new antennas for our HT’s, but we got a chance to meet up with the 1900 guys from as far out as Pittsburgh and South NJ. Overall another successful hamfest! Can’t wait till next year!


View at Picasa The 1900 Group. Timonium Hamfest 2011


View at Picasa Laurie and I. 2011 Timonium Hamfest.

The following day, Laurie and I made some adjustments to our 2 meter stack by adding a tilt-over base which allowed me to change the polarity on the cubical quad. Now I can get into N2KEJ’s repeater in South Jersey.