Yup that’s right.  Opportunities to gather with others outside of our Pamlico flock.  If you happen to attend any of these send pictures and any observations.  We will post it on our page and possibly send you a certificate for some free ionospheric reflectivity.

Hamfest

A Hamfest is a convention of amateur radio enthusiasts, often combining a trade show, flea market, and various other activities of interest to amateur radio operators. In the United Kingdom the term rally is more commonly used for amateur radio conventions. “Hamfests” were noted as early as 1924 in the U.S.
Wikipedia

 

N4PRS.ORG at Dayton 2024

On total fluke of nature and a dare, coupled with prospects of free room and board, our “.org” stringer motored to Xenia Ohio for HAMVENTION 2024.  Truly the holy grail of Hamfests all expectations were delivered.  Though we haven’t confirmed the numbers it was expected that over 35,000 attendants would show.  Judging from the looks in the wide eyes (reminding one of deer in the headlights) of local Xenia residents and business people, we believe the estimates were accurate if not understated.   Xenia is a lovely small town southeast of Dayton Ohio.  Here contained is a spacious fairground perfectly suited to host the waves of equipment vendors, seminars, ARRL functions and of course the ubiquitous, endless, outdoor flee market and tailgating.  The one hour trail of vehicles worming through town each day just to arrive at your parking spot was the first test of patience.  After which car spots were to found in the recently bush hogged tall grass covered fields.  This is a massive Agriculture state after all.  Heavy rain and the accompanying mud slogging did not hold anyone down.  Singles, couples, complete families and animal life trudged through the first days opening without pauses.  Foul weather gear, store bought rain coats, ponchos, trash bags etc., could be seen everywhere.  On foot, wheelchair, golf cart, hover board and hundreds of those mobility scooters.  Mud mired or recently freed if it was clean getting out of your car before everything was mud covered from then on.  They even had a special golf cart tow truck which was kept very busy.  You had to be intensely interested in the goings on to put up with all that.  We were.  No one else appeared to hold back either.  Luckily the excess of radio radiation (honestly there was enough radiated power in one spot to recreate HARP) was enough to disperse the rains and clouds to deliver pleasant, however warm weather, for the balance of the show.

Anyone that has ever scanned QST mag would recognize almost each and every vendor displaying wares in the 4 massive exhibition buildings on the site.  Old tech, conventional tech, space age new to the world tech.  All the big guns down to the Mom and Pop Ham cottage industry were on board.  Even with the absence of some seemingly stalwarts of the industry, new producers took their place to make a showing.  It was all there including every conceivable hardware, software, service organization, satellite, doodad, widget, gadget,wire, cable the list was endless.  Almost infinite.  One does not breeze through this in an hour or two.  If you take in any of the numerous forums or meetings as well, you must spend a couple of days if not all three.

Granted the crowd was predominately older.  We aren’t fooling anyone here, it is to be expected.  However we are exceptionally pleased to report a steady stream of younger hams and with intense interest in all things radio amateur.  Very positive energy among this new blood.  Exam sessions we heard were full.  Seminars packed.  Even booths displaying robotics and telemetry to the youngest hamlets were very busy.  Reportedly the vendors were exceptionally pleased with sales too.  We have attended hundreds (no exaggeration) of trade, industry and retail shows.  This Dayton exposition rivaled many.  As a roving scribe one of our greatest take backs were the conversations with fellow amateurs from all over the world.  Did I mention that you could have worked all states and countries from the bench by the food courts?  Such a great feeling to put eyes and ears on folks from all over.  Some from our own QSO’s and many from the world of the internet too.  Pretty obvious that these people are a solid new face of the industry.  We met many of them too.  Oh yaah.  Ducks.  Internet ham radio ducks too.  If you have seen them on You Tube then we probably chatted them up or quacked.

Though we present some photo evidence here it cannot do justice to the scale of this show.  If one has the opportunity to experience this Great Ziggurat of hamfests then you should definitely attempt this one.   We hope you enjoy the pics.  Though we were there to show the flag for PARS and N4PRS.org with honor and bravado it was a bit of a task to repeatedly answer the question “Where the Hell is Oriental”.   Just tell them FM-15.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scenes of Hamfests Past

DAYTON…….2019

Too late now.  Send any pictures or news of club member participants if you can.  We will plan on next year now

 

In the month of May is the big one.  Hamfest of all hamfests.  The annual national convention of the ARRL as well.  DAYTON.   I am told that if one does have the opportunity to attend that you will not be disappointed.   So check it out next year let us know if it’s everything we have heard.

https://hamvention.org/

Please stay tuned as we add events when we hear of them.  I will try and keep them current.  The date of the actual event is contained in the post.

If you have a Hamfest event to post, please send it to us at PARSwebman@gmail.com.  

If you want to search for hamfests in North Carolina or nationwide, use this ARRL Hamfests and Conventions search form.