Ham Radio 360: Hamvention Day One Review

*Ham Radio Podcast Special Edition Show*

Day one is officially in the books for Hamvention 2017. A new look with a familiar feel in an all new Venue…and it was really a good day!

Vendors were swamped and so were we. The Workbench Project Boards are a Hit, and our booth was very busy all day long! We hope you enjoy the interviews we snagged today during the show!

We love the opportunity to see our listeners and friends face to face and today was AWESOME! Thanks for making today the best first day of Hamvention for the HR360 Team!

A Special Thanks to all who participated with us, please give their links a peek!

Listen Link Here



Show Notes Here

Total Mast Solutions
Hobby PCB
SatNOGS
Vibroplex
BridgeCom Systems
Comms To Go
NorthWest Digital Radio

These Rocking Sponsors helped make this happen!

Autodesk

MTCRadio.com

Elecraft

Packtenna

Airspy.us

thank y’all for listening and sharing! See Y’all tomorrow!

73,

Cale/K4CDN

 

I just got back. Good times, it was like Woodstock with all the mud... but good times.....

 

Well, I'm sorry but we did not have a good time. I'm not trying to complain but would just like the organizers know. We checked out of the hotel Saturday morning and headed home.. I know and understand that it was the first year here and they will try to make improvements. and I also know that they probably worked very long and hard putting it together, and I thank them for all they did.. No air-conditioning was a big thing for us just not enough places to rest and cool off and it seemed like the flee market was more scattered out and this required more walking through a grass field (not fun) and my friend was on a scooter chair. just to much outdoor stuff .. I'm really trying not to sound ungrateful but I don't plan on returning until there is a better location.. and I hope they will move it because I really enjoy Hamvention...

 

I didn't go, but I watched some of the W5KUB broadcasts and participated in some discussion in the chat room. Additionally, and moreover, I have a friends who are vendors and travel all over the country to hamfests and other venues, not necessarily ham radio. They were in one of the tents. They reported that the tents leaked (all over their merchandise). The tents were dark and poorly lit. They had to run out and get tarps to cover their goods because of the leaky tents. The runoff from the tent, ran off under their booth, thus causing them to be in puddles the whole fest! This is horrible for a fest the size and scope of the Dayton Hamvention. I sure hope the sponsors do something. Again, from the video we saw, the flea market area was a mud pit and people with walking issues and those on scooters did not have a pleasant time getting around.

 

I agree the weather did dampen(sic) the Hamvention.
The tents were unbearably hot, I felt sorry for the exhibitors who could not leave their posts.

Rain is predictable for the event, I cannot remember one when it didn't rain, but the intensity of it on Friday made things really bad I cannot hold the organizers responsible for that.
Considering the fine job the pickup trucks did of chewing up the grass on the infield of the track, maybe the fairsground owners might take advantage of the situation by installing agricultural drainage tile when they plow, grade and reseed it.
There are others who also bugged out Friday as evidenced by the empty spaces in the Flea Saturday morning, and even more left just after the downpour around noon on Saturday. Sunday Morning there was a slight drizzle, which ended around 8am, the infield was so chewed up I didn't attempt to enter it. There was a slight breeze that made the tents okay but by then many of the smaller exhibitors had vanished.

However with the resources available to them (mostly volunteer), I believe that DARA did a great job for a first time, at a new location, and I am, sure that lessons will be learned from it. I applaud their efforts. I plan to go back again next year even if reason dictates otherwise.


73's
Graham
VE3GCX/VE2NTC

 

I'm thinking it is time to move totally out of OHIO and move the the hamfest more to the middle of the country so the entire country does not have that far to travel. I would also suggest the SouthWest. Low Humidity and not a great chance of rain. Where I live would be perfect. Albuquerque has a fair ground that is very large and in door space as well. This time of year it is not very hot and the humidity is low as is the chance of showers. Currently the Temp is 77 degrees and the humidity is 21% and it is sunny. Why put the hamfest in a part of the country and is a long trip for folks in the west. Centralize it and get much better weather and no rain and no MUD.
Ae8o
Tom

 

To AE8O, Tom,
An Ohio club doing a hamfest in New Mexico? Makes as much sense as a club from your area doing one in Ohio. Think before you type. Did I go? Not financially feasible at this time. Did I want to go? Sure I did!! But I would have expected some rough edges, being it was their 1st time in a new venue. But I'd bet a dollar to every donut hole in Xenia that a bunch of those rough edges will be smoothed out this time next year!! Way to go, DARA!! Looking forward to being there next year!!

Gene Smith, N8BUS
Logan, Oh.

 

I think a better bet would be Louisville KY at Freedom Hall Expo Center. Where it is big enough to house all vendors and the flea market inside where it is air conditioned.

 

I'm not in a scooter, but if I was, I'd be looking at conditions and the site I'm going to prior to deciding whether it was worth it. Perhaps it's been convenient in the past and the assumption was that there would be similar access... if I ever need one, I don't think I'd put that on outdoor event organizers, rather I'd assess the venue before I decided to go (sorry, that may be repeating the same thing twice).

If the weather had held off, would the grounds have been more amenable to scooters? Or is the overall site just that un-accomodating?

 

If another Ham Radio club wants to put on a show, There ya go.
Who says it has to be DARA to hold a swapfest?
Any clubs/anybody willing to Put up Or Shut up?
There are other days besides the middle of may available to hold a swapfest ...

 

All in all with a new venue, I believe the Hamvention went well. Two things however, have straw available for the mud problem. After all it is a fair ground and should have that resource. Second, much better lighting in all the buildings and tents. I actually quit looking for items for this reason. Air conditioning was not a problem for me, however, I understand it is for a lot of folks. There should be a place for these people to relax and cool off. I will be back next year for my 48th time.

Bernie K8BDW

 

We enjoyed the event. Overall it went pretty well for the 1st time at Greene County Fairgrounds. If they had spaced the Flea Market vendors around the actual race track on not the grassy infield they would have avoided the sloppy mud hole that developed. If they had made Fairgrounds Rd. one-way only for the weekend it would have facilitated better traffic flow. The Dayton Expo Center at the Dayton Airport might have been a better location (close to the airport and I75/I70 intersection).

 

I dunno! I went into the stands for refuge when the short (25 minutes) BIG one hit on Saturday, and we were staring at a river running along the track. Trade one problem for another...

I quite frankly had a GREAT time! I was able to see the latest and greatest stuff, score a few bargains in the boneyard, and see friends I only see face-to-face once a year. The mud -- well, I was able to wash that off of my shoes.

 

You know, this is an excellent suggestion. I wonder if DARA considered it?

Bernie K8BDW

 

from the looks of all the complaints,guess I didn't miss much.