AARC

Three weeks from today (Friday, 25 April) the doors open at the 57th Hamvention®.

I am driving to Dayton this year. Brenda, Ryan and I will depart on Wednesday, 14 May around 2:15pm.

• We’ll be monitoring 146.520 and 146.430 along the way.
• Not sure if we’ll stop for dinner or pack some food and drive through to Dayton.
• We’re staying at the Homewood Suites in Fairborn (about 8 miles from Dayton on the east side).
• On Thursday, we plan to visit the Air Force Museum and generally goof off.
• The three of us will be participating in the Saturday morning Hamvention exam session.
• We plan to depart Dayton on Sunday morning not later than 0900.

If you're going to Dayton, have a safe trip and hope to see you there. Here are a dozen random thoughts in no particular order of importance. If you have any questions about Dayton, I'll try to answer them. aa3rr@verizon.net

1. The Hamvention is located at 1001 Shiloh Springs Rd, Trotwood, OH (NW of Dayton, west of I-75 and south of I-70)

2. Hamvention Hours of Operation - Note the different times each day!

a. Friday - 16 May

• Flea market: 8:00am - 6:00pm
• Inside exhibits: 9:00am - 6:00pm

b. Saturday - 17 May

• Flea market: 8:00am - 5:00pm
• Inside exhibits: 9:00am - 5:00pm

c. Sunday - 18 May

• Flea market: 7:00am - 1:00pm
• Inside exhibits: 8:00am - 1:00pm
• 1:00 p.m. Prize Drawings: unclaimed hourly prizes followed by main prizes.

3. Hamvention features. In addition to the 2500+ outdoor exhibits and the 500+ indoor exhibits, the Hamvention offers:

• Amateur Radio license exams (Friday at 2:30pm; Saturday at 9:30am and 1:30pm) on a walk-in, first come, first served basis.

• Amateur Radio-related Forums (All three days). Visit the Hamvention website below to see the list and schedule of the various forums. The popular Youth Forum has been moved to the 3:00-5:00pm time slot on Saturday. www.hamvention.org/hv2008/forums/grid.htm

4. Indoor exhibits. Visit these portions of the Hamvention website for a list of participating vendors and their location (Booth #) inside.

• www.hamvention.org/hv2008/exhibits/ExhibitorList.htm

• www.hamvention.org/hv2008/exhibits/boothlocations.html

5. Parking. www.hamvention.org/hv2008/accommodations/parking08.htm

• Free parking is available from the Salem Mall (about 3/4 mile west of Hamvention on Shiloh Springs Rd on the right and behind the Sears store).

• There is a pay shuttle ($8 for 3 days or $3 per day per person) from the Salem Mall to the Hamvention and the trip takes about 3-4 minutes. Shuttles operate between the mall and the Hamvention all day at 10-15 min intervals. The shuttle ticket is good all day.

• Pay parking is available in a grassy field across from the Hamvention for $8 per day. If it rains, the grassy field can become a quagmire.

6. Weather. Check the weather forecast (www.weather.com) along the I-70/I-68/I-79N/I-70 route 1-2 days prior to leaving for Dayton. I usually check these cities along the route and if there is rain I adjust my plans/schedules as required. Check the Weather Channel on TV before you leave and during your visit in Dayton for the trip back home.

• Maryland - Frederick and Cumberland
• West Virginia - Morgantown and Wheeling
• Ohio - Columbus and Dayton

7 Pack light. Unless you’re going to something formal or even semi-formal, you’ll be fine with shorts/jeans and T-shirt/polo shirt and perhaps a light jacket. Check the forecast for Hi and Lo temps and pack appropriately.

8. Consider taking a small backpack to carry a snack, bottle of water, etc. You may want to get a “mobile folding file cart” from Staples, Office Depot, K-Mart, or Wall Mart. They are great for carrying the free samples and stuff you buy instead of hanging onto plastic bags and eventually losing the feeling in your fingers. Here’s a link that shows an example: www.officedepot.com/a/products/987304/Office-Brand-Mobile-Folding-File-C...

9. Streaming video on the way to and during the Hamvention. Whether you are going to Dayton this year or not, you may find this interesting. Some guys from Memphis, TN broadcast live streaming video during their trek to Dayton and during their stay. In addition to the video they have audio and a chat room. They usually set up in the flea market once they arrive at the Hamvention. You can see some of the action at: http://wa5kub.com. The site currently has video from last year. Check it out.

10. Meeting friends. During the Hamvention we usually meet friends and family periodically in the seats behind the ICOM booth in Hara Arena (the old hockey rink).

11. If you’re not going to Dayton, check out the streaming video. Maybe you'll see someone walk by that you recognize. Start making your plans to attend the Hamvention next year.

12. After Dayton, Field Day is only 40 days away!! There are very few good reasons for not participating in one of the two Field Day activities sponsored by AARC and AARC Jr.