Dayton Hamvention May 19-21/2006

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VO1ONE

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Aug 13, 2004
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It's that time of year again for the largest gathering of Amateur Radio enthusiasts in the world; the Dayton Hamvention! If you're a ham radio operator, it's like the obligatory trip to Mecca. If you can't find it at Dayton, you likely can't find it anywhere. Radios, parts, computers, satellite stuff, it's all there. Over 500 indoor exhibits from all the radio manufacturers and a 2500+ table flea market so huge that it's difficult to see all of it even in three days time! This draws in tens of thousands of hams from all around the world!

If you're not a ham yet, you're still welcome to come. In fact, you can take your ham radio exam at the hamvention, and buy a radio while you're there. There's special event stations there you can guest operate, forums you can attend including a couple from AMSAT to learn about the latest in Amateur Radio Satellites, and meet hams from all around the world. Even if you just want to pick up some cheap computer/electronics parts, you can do that, too.

The Hamvention is on May 19, 20 and 21, 2006 and is located at the Hara Arena in Trotwood, Ohio near Dayton. Tickets are $20 to get in if you get them in advance, $25 at the door and tickets are good for all three days, indoor exhibits and flea market. You can park in the fields across the street for $8 per day, or park at the Salem Mall (or what's left of it) and take a shuttle bus to and from the hamfest, which costs $8 for all three days, or $3 per day. Hotels fill up very fast; in fact, many make their reservations for the next year's hamfest when checking out from this years! For more information, see:

http://www.hamvention.org

If you can't make it, you can be virtually there by taking the trip online with Tom WA5KUB. He has a table at the hamvention flea market and makes the trip every year from Memphis, TN, and it is all broadcast LIVE on the internet via a webcam, laptop and a mobile EVDO connection! You can also visit is booth and show the wife at home that new 10m dish you just bought so she can get over it before you get back! Check his site out, it's showing videos of prior hamventions right now but come hamvention time this year the helmet webcam will be back on and live.

http://www.wa5kub.com

Hope to see you there! 73,
Mark VO1ONE
 
If I wasnt going to be in the middle of the ocean sailing to the bahamas I would go, I want to go and see some old friends and meet some people from my past including Dan Morgan the former host of the DB1 Satellite Radio show. :)

I hear the Hanvention is a great time and you can come home with some VERY good buys!
 
Scott Greczkowski said:
If I wasnt going to be in the middle of the ocean sailing to the bahamas I would go, I want to go and see some old friends and meet some people from my past including Dan Morgan the former host of the DB1 Satellite Radio show. :)

I hear the Hanvention is a great time and you can come home with some VERY good buys!

This is very true and you get to see new product releases. Every ham should go there at least once in their ham radio life. It's the same as going to the ARRL HQ in Newington,CT at least once.

73
Bob N1WBD
 
n1wbd said:
This is very true and you get to see new product releases. Every ham should go there at least once in their ham radio life. It's the same as going to the ARRL HQ in Newington,CT at least once.

Although if you do go to Dayton, the ARRL does bring the wouff hong with them! ;-)
 
I will be there.. somewhere between the St. Rita's School for the deaf beer trailer (they have Amber Bochs, and support a good cause!) and trying to find some extra sat parts. Being a ham and living 20 minutes away makes it real easy to take that Friday off of work.
 
n1wbd said:
This is very true and you get to see new product releases. Every ham should go there at least once in their ham radio life. It's the same as going to the ARRL HQ in Newington,CT at least once.

73
Bob N1WBD

I pass it almost every day, its about a half mile from my house. :)
 
Scott Greczkowski said:
I pass it almost every day, its about a half mile from my house. :)

I was there last year and got to operate W1AW. Very nice and got my W1AW Operators certificate. :D

We'll be making the pilgrimage again this to Newington. If you get this chance Scott to come to Hosstraders it's easy to get to. I-91 North to I-89 South to Exit 7 well worth the trip.
 
I live in Beavercreek...a suburb on the east side of the Dayton area. I can't believe they still have this huge convention in one of the crappier parts of town. I'm sure they go to Hara because it costs less...but they could have had it at UD Arena, Dayton Convention Center...or the nicest place, Nutter Center...just outside of Beavercreek...there is a new mall there, tons of shopping, and new hotels. If any of you have any say in where it goes in the future...you might want to look into that. If you are at Hara...take I-70 east, go south on I-675 until you hit the N. Fairfield Rd exit.
 
fenwah said:
I live in Beavercreek...a suburb on the east side of the Dayton area. I can't believe they still have this huge convention in one of the crappier parts of town. I'm sure they go to Hara because it costs less...but they could have had it at UD Arena, Dayton Convention Center...or the nicest place, Nutter Center...just outside of Beavercreek...there is a new mall there, tons of shopping, and new hotels. If any of you have any say in where it goes in the future...you might want to look into that. If you are at Hara...take I-70 east, go south on I-675 until you hit the N. Fairfield Rd exit.

The DARA club is who organizes the hamvention and they're under contract with Hara for the next couple of years and I believe they plan on renewing it as long as possible. There's been rumours in the past that Hara was being torn down and this year (fill in the blank) was going to be the last hamvention there, but they're just rumours. They've been there for something like half a century. The buildings are crappy, but it's what's inside (and outside) that counts. The parking lot is filled with thousands of flea market vendors. Other centres are used for banquets and forums outside of the hamvention grounds. IIRC, the Nutter Center was used for a contest banquet one year where Joe Walsh WB6ACU (of The Eagles fame) even gave a concert. The shuttle bus parking is at the Salem Mall which is probably torn down by now, but you're not going there for the mall. Parking at a bigger, nicer mall would be hard on the patrons. I don't think anyone cares how many spots are taken up at the Salem Mall, even when it was open.

There's lots of used and new gear, great prices on the new stuff from vendors, and some will say eBay is great for the used stuff, but some radios, sat tv dishes etc are heavy, no shipping needs to be paid at the hamfest, and if you can't lug it home you can pay actual shipping with Mail Boxes Etc on site. Plus, you need to negotiate, haggle! Can't do that on eBay! Keep that in mind when you're pricing stuff. I've even haggled some of the indoor vendors; it can be done!

As for W1AW, last time I was there was 13 years ago. Maybe if I have time on my way down I'll drop by again for some guest operating time and a tour. Would like to see it all again, and get a sneak peek of what's in next month's QST. Also, I need my cards checked for VUCC Satellite ;-)
 
I used to go to dayton every year. Me and my friends got tired of being ripped off by flea market vendors. We went east, the seller went west, and our money went south:(

I still miss it and if some friends were interested I would go. Made LOTS of money over the years buying 3m thermofax machines there. buy for 35 sell for $450:) Trip was business deduction for me.

The group that ran it IMHO got unfriendly to deal with. Like adding tons of fences, making for much longer walks, decreased on site parking when that golf course was built, year I know it wasnt their decision but still it made things worse. Bought a HEAVY 150 poubd item once and guards wouldnt give us 5 minutes to pick it up, we ended up carrying it to that church up the street, bought a dolly just for that:( Vehicle JAMMED on way home dolly was in way.

add the near floods in the parking lot, somehow it always rained for dayton except for that april 85 degree day, got sick at that. then they dont let you inside any part of the building early in the day

Cheap parking was at the dodge dealer across the srreet, get oil changed car spends day close by. nice techs they found and fixed a long term problem no one else could find, I had them look to get me parking spot. Bare wire intermittent ground would kill engine occasionally makng right turn at a certain speed.:( Really obscure trouble they had seen once before!

If you ask me the rent a cops were the BIGGEST factor in our giving up on going, espically that long carry of a scope:(

WE WERE PISSED and never went back!

the rent a cops were generally rude, demanding and uncoperative.

we were customers of the convention but somehow that was forgotten:(
 
I live in Ohio, Been a ham for 13 years, and still haven't gone.
Go Figure.
I must be weird.

Maybe next year... Have to work that weekend.
 
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