Hamfests & Conventions

Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will be the keynote speaker at the 2021 Northeast HamXposition. 

The keynote theme is “Growing Amateur Radio.” There is no shortage of new ham radio licensees each year–approximately 30,000. But only a fraction ever become active. Bob will share stories, perspective, and ARRL initiatives intended to develop more active, involved, and engaged radio amateurs.

Bob Inderbitzen is the Product Development Manager for ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio®, and has been on the ARRL HQ staff for 30 years. He advances, with his staff colleagues, ideas that lead to new and improved ARRL membership programs, services, and products. Bob obtained his first ham radio license as a 6th-grader in 1981, and was president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Wireless Association from 1987-90. Today, Bob’s interests in ham radio include HF and portable operating, and station integration-and-control using the Raspberry Pi. He is an ARRL Diamond Club Life Member and a contributor to ARRL’s Second Century Campaign.

Dr. Philip J. Erickson, W1PJE, will be the featured Grand Banquet Speaker at the 2021 Northeast HamXposition (ARRL New England Division Convention) in Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 10-12, 2021. W1PJE will discuss HamSCI’s latest ionospheric science investigations and will also highlight research in his group at MIT’s Haystack Observatory.  The work brings international and national aspects of amateur ionospheric science into the New England realm.

Dr. Erickson is head of the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences group, a Principal Research Scientist, and an associate director at Haystack Observatory, a multidisciplinary radio observatory operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A licensed radio amateur, he is a member of ARRL, RSGB, and TAPR, vice president of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club. He is on the scientific steering board of the Ham Science Citizen Initiative (HamSCI). Dr. Erickson is also a member of the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Radio Frequencies, which advocates on scientific radio frequency requirements and interference protection for scientific and engineering research.

Tickets for the Saturday evening banquet are expected to sell quickly, so make sure to get your tickets online when they are available. The meal will be plated (details in progress).

The Lakes Region Repeater Association announces its 2021 LRRA W1BST Hamfest in Constitution Park, 505 Long Sands Road, Ossipee, New Hampshire, on August 28, 2021 from 8-2 PM.

Tickets are $8 prepaid* and $10 at the gate. Vendors pay $20 prepaid* and $30 at the gate. Vendor gates open at 7 AM.

 PayPal is accepted; go to “Donate Button” on the club’s web site. “First come, first served, as we have limited space.”

Talk-in will be provided on the 147.03 repeater (PL 88.5 Hz). 

No camping.

 
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* non-refundable

The Lobstercon2021! event will be held at Thomas Point Beach & Campground in Brunswick, Maine on July 9-11, 2021. This is the 22nd year that W1REX has hosted the QRP event.

“… I plan on coming up with a few special activities to make our awakening event from this pandemic very special and an event that you will not want to miss,” writes Rex. “If you’ve thought about coming to Lobstercon but never got a round tuit, you had better make this one.”

Billed as New England’s premiere QRP gathering, Lobstercon is a weekend of QRP camping, BBQ eating, operating, socializing, lobster eating, prize winning, and all-round great QRP time. The $50.00 registration fee includes wake-up coffee, juice, cereal, bagels and donuts (if you wake up early enough) and two giant meals on Saturday: a BBQ lunch and fresh Maine lobster dinner.

“Lobstercon lobsters are fresh out of the ocean for less than an hour before they go into the pot. You can taste the difference.” 

For full details and to register, visit <https://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=L21>.

Tim Duffy, K3LR, writes on the Contest Reflector:

Attention Contesters and DXers! Contest-related activities that have previously taken place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel during the Dayton Hamvention® are moving to the Hope Hotel beginning in 2022.

In May 2022, official Contesting activities will be at the Hope Hotel, including four nights of the Contest Super Suite, Contest University, The Top Band Dinner, The Contest Dinner and the KC DX Club CW copying competition. There may be additional related events as well.

The Hope Hotel is an excellent facility, well suited for Contesters and DXers. There is plenty of parking and it is located closer to the Hamvention than the downtown Dayton hotels. The Hope Hotel is adjacent to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Guests do not go through the security gate.

We have spent almost two years working on this project and we believe you will enjoy the change of venue.

Room reservations will be taken by the Hope Hotel starting on Tuesday June 8, 2021 at 9 AM EDT. Do not call them before that time. You can get room reservations by phone only. If you try to book on line you will see that there are no rooms for those dates. Every room in the Hope Hotel has been blocked for Contesters and DXers for Hamvention week.  Starting Tuesday June 8, 2021 at 9 AM EDT, you can call 937-879-2696 and ask for a reservation in the Contest University 2022 room block. There is no minimum night commitment. The room rate is $143 per night plus tax and that includes a hot buffet breakfast each day of your stay. The room rate is the same for a single queen, two queens or a single king with a pull out.

If you have 2022 reservations at the Crowne Plaza (now the Radisson Hotel Dayton) you can contact the Radisson  at (937) 224-0800 to cancel and obtain any refunds. The Radisson is aware of the venue change for our activities.

Please spread the word to all Contest Club reflectors, etc.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday night, May 18, 2022, for the first night of the 2022 Contest Super Suite at the Hope Hotel.

https://www.hopehotel.com/ 

73,

Tim K3LR

For the Contest Hotel Committee

Bob DeMattia, K1IW, writes:

HamXposition September 10, 11, and 12, 2021 at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, MA

You’ve probably heard by now that all COVID restrictions in Massachusetts are lifted as of May 29, and the state of emergency is lifted as of June 15.

What this means is we are a go for HamXposition 2021!

Phil, K9HI, our forum chair has already begun seeking out guest speakers – You can sign up to be a speaker here: 2021 Early Speaker Signup.

In the coming weeks, we will be enabling volunteer signup, and will begin announcing program details, so come visit this website often.

Online ticket sales will begin on August 1.

Discounted room rates of $99 are available now by calling the hotel directly – (508) 460-0700. Tell them you will be attending the HamXposition. This rate is only available through the local hotel phone number and will not work with their online reservation system or their national reservation number.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Bob DeMattia, K1IW
President, FEMARA

ARRL New England Division Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, has approved the application from organizers of the Northern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club to host a sanctioned ARRL hamfest in Adams, Massachusetts (Western Massachusetts Section) on August 22, 2021. 

ARRL New England Division Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, has approved the application from organizers of the Hermon Hamfest in Hermon, Maine, to become a sanctioned ARRL Hamfest.  The event, sponsored by the Pine State Amateur Radio Club will be held on June 5, 2021.

For additional information, visit <https://n1me.org/home/hamfest_2021.php>.

KU1U and W1SK write on the Maine ARRL Members List on February 27, 2021:

The Maine Virtual Hamfest is 1 week away! SATURDAY MARCH 6, 2021, 9 AM to 4 PM Eastern.

If you have not yet registered, please register now so we will know how many people will be attending. You can go here to register: http://mainearrl.org/MVH.

Talks will be via Zoom and are limited to 500 people.

There will be other rooms available using FreeConferenceCall.com which allow up to 1000 people per room. FCC will have video conference rooms for “Eyeball” QSOs and a Swap/Buy/Sell room for people to showcase items they want to sell.

There will also be an IRC webchat in the room #mainehams for people who might be mic/camera shy.

We understand this hamfest is taking place during a major contest weekend. We wish that we could have had it on another date, but the fester was moved once already and to ask our keynote speakers to move a third time did not seem fair. To all of the contesters, we wish you luck in representing the State of Maine well in the contest.

We will be recording the talk sessions for those to view at a later date in case you are not able to attend the hamfest.

There will also be a phone call-in option for those who may not have the ability to get online. Phones numbers will be shared this week on various nets. We kindly ask that you use only one option per conference room since tuning in via the web AND calling by phone will take up 2 seats in the limited seating available.

We look forward to “seeing” you next Saturday between 9AM and 4PM. Please visit mainearrl.org for more information, click on the hamfest button at the top which will take you to the Maine Virtual Hamfest website. If you have already registered, please do not submit duplicate registrations.

73 DE KU1U and W1SK
Cory and Joe
Maine Virtual Hamfest Co-Chairs