Hamfests & Conventions
ARES, POTA “Go Box” Show and Tell at Nutmeg Hamfest, Meriden CT, October 13, 2024
Douglas Sharafanowich, WA1SFH, writes on the ct-ares mailing list:
WHAT: ARES and POTA “GO BOX” Show and Tell
DATE: Sunday, October 13, 2024
HOURS: 8:30 am – 10:30 am
WHERE:
NUTMEG HAMFEST 2024
Maloney High School
121 Gravel Street Meriden, CT 06450
Open to ALL Hams
A Perfect excuse to “Get Organized” to “Go Portable”!
– Make Portable operations less of a hastle and chore.
– Eliminate the last minute hunting for gear before leaving.
– Banish the frustration of not having what you need at the operating site… because it is still back at the home QTH.
Note: For many hams on a budget, their “Go Box” does “double duty” as their Home Station.
The “Go Box” is probably the best way to organize your radio equipment for those times when you want to (or need to) “Grab-‘n-Go” for Portable Operations such as:
– Public Service Events
– ARES Drills/Exercises
– Real World Disasters
– Parks On The Air activations
– Day Trips to: the Park, Beach, Woods, or… the In-Laws.
– Weekend Get-Aways
– Vacations
Don’t Have a “Go Box”? BUILD ONE!
You can build/assemble your own “Go Box” in less than one day, and it will probably better than my Proof of Concept example.
See: www.ctaresregion2.org/forum/prepared-to-go-go-go
BE CREATIVE!
Your creative design and build may be exactly the thing that get someone else to build his own “Go Box”… or modify their existing “Go Box”.
BRING IT!
Come with your “Go Box” to the Nutmeg Hamfest for Display, Judging, and Awards or Show & Tell
AWARDS
– Best ARES VHF/UHF “Go Box”
This will include Voice and Digital/Data capability (Winlink, “Classic” Packet Radio)
– Best ARES HF “Go Box”
This will include Voice and Digital/Data Capability (Winlink/HFVARA)
– Best ARES VHF/UHF/HF “Go Box”
This will include Voice and Digital/Data capability for each radio as appropriate.
(VHF/UHF Winlink, VHF/UHF “Classic” Packet Radio, Winlink/HF VARA)
– Best POTA 100w (max) radio “Go Box” *
– Best POTA QRP “Go Box” *
* Where POTA “Go Box” includes: Cases, Backpacks, Camera Bags, etc.
Entry DETAILS @
Want to Help Out at the Biggest Ham Event in the Northeast?
The Northeast HamXposition boasts a cadre of dedicated volunteers who make this convention possible. But we can still use more volunteers. Your smiling faces and eagerness to help makes a difference to the attendees. From selling tickets, assisting presenters, supervising the flea market, setting up the rooms, handling parking signage, supervising the flea market, and taking it all down and packing it up for next year— you make it happen!
If you’d like to help us at the 2024 Northeast HamXposition, please register at https://registration.hamxposition.org/volunteer/ or contact our Volunteer Chair Barbara Irby, KC1KGS, at kc1kgs@hamxposition.org.
[See also: https://hamxposition.org/2024/07/23/meet-hamxposition-volunteer-chairperson-barbara-irby-kc1kgs/]HamXposition Photographer Sought
Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:Good Morning All,
I am looking for someone who will be at the 2024 Northeast HamXposition closing ceremony where the raffle prizes will be drawn to take pictures of the winning person of door prizes.
If you are available, please contact me.
Many Thanks,
Larry, W1AST
K9HI Presentation at ARRL Maine State Convention & Hamfest, June 15, 2024
ARRL Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, attended the Maine State Convention & Hamfest in Augusta, Maine, on June 15, 2024. He assisted at the ARRL table and co-presented at the ARRL Forum with Maine Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP.
Temples presented a special door prize at the ARRL Forum—a 100th anniversary hard copy edition of the ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook to lucky winner Timothy Tracy, KC1CMX, Carmel, Maine.
Robust Lineup of Vendors and Speakers at the 2024 Northeast HamXposition
Northeast HamXposition Press Release ROBUST LINEUP OF VENDORS AND SPEAKERS AT THE 2024 NORTHEAST HAMXPOSITION June 1, 2024 For more information, visit: <https://hamxposition.org/> https://hamxposition.org Plans are shaping up for the 2024 Northeast HamXposition and New England Division Convention on August 22-25, 2024 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. This year's convention will be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road W, Marlborough, MA 01752. This venue is located off of I-495 on Route 20 west. It offers many amenities and lots of nearby family-friendly attractions and dining options. The festivities kick off on Thursday evening, August 22 with entertainment provided by nationally known comedian Juston McKinney. Seating is limited to 250 people. Tickets are just $35, and also available as part of the "Convention Plus" package. Join your fellow hams for a delicious DXCC/Contest Banquet on Friday night with Yuri Onipko, VE3DZ, as he recaps his 50 years of DX and contesting activities and shares his operating experiences from a variety of locations around the world. Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, will present the keynote on Saturday morning. Steve leads ARRL's Education and Learning Department. He has a passion for youth outreach, and works constantly to find ways to engage more youth in wireless technology and help teachers ELEVATE their STEM programs. The Saturday evening Grand Banquet will feature special guest Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW. Known as "Space Weather Woman" in social media, Dr. Skov forecasts and analyzes space weather processes - in the heliosphere and exosphere. Several new vendors will have their wares on display at the convention this year: FlexRadio, Elecraft, and SteppIR Communications Systems. We'll also feature Halibut Electronics, Club Gear Online, Reliance Antennas. Remote Ham Radio, VE2DX Electronics, Gold Medal Ideas, AG Custom Gifts, and others. New for 2024 is "Mini-Contest University," based on K3LR's popular Contest University. CTU has been featured at the Dayton Hamvention since 2007 and has been presented in 15 countries to over 10,000 participants. Mini CTU is a series of contest-oriented talks and presentations offered at HamXposition all day Friday. HamXposition is pleased to offer a Parks On The Air (POTA) track featuring presentations designed for both newcomer and experienced POTA operators alike. There will be a functioning portable station operating on the hotel grounds designed to show beginners how to "chase" POTA contacts. In addition, an actual POTA activation will occur in a nearby state park following the prize drawing and closing ceremony. This year, volunteers will staff a special "Get On The Air" station, W1XPO, to mentor and assist newcomers in making their first HF contact. Our popular EmComm track will be back for 2024. Veteran emergency communicators will share their knowledge and experience to help others to "up their game." In addition to talks and presentations, convention goers will get to see operational emergency communications vehicles on display in the parking lot. As always, the Northeast HamXposition will feature a robust flea market, open to tailgaters on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No major convention would be worth its salt without great prizes. Along with hourly drawings, we're pleased to announce that one lucky person will receive the grand prize-an Icom IC-705 QRP all-in-one transceiver. Second prize will be a Xiegu X6100 QRP HF/6m transceiver. The third prize will be an Icom ID-50A VHF/UHF/D-Star handheld. Tickets can be purchased in advance by visiting <https://ticketing.
hamxposition.org/> https://ticketing.hamxposition.org . The ARRL Diamond, The National Association for Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, ARES, ARES logo, National Traffic System, NTS, and NTS logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of American Radio Relay League, Inc. Parks On The Air and POTA are registered trademarks belonging to Jason Johnston, W3AAX. (c) 2024 Northeast HamXposition(tm) - <https://hamxposition.org/privacy-policy> Privacy Policy
NEAR-Fest Moving to Hillsborough County (NH) Fairgrounds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phil Brooks, KA1PXZ, Chief of NEAR-Fest, is pleased to announce that, effective October 4th, 2024, the New England Amateur Radio Festival, known as NEAR-Fest, will be held at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society Fairgrounds and Youth Center located at New Boston NH, approximately 15 miles west of Manchester.
The reason for the permanent change in venue is due to ongoing scheduling conflicts with other events at the Deerfield (NH) Fairgrounds, NEAR-Fest’s home for the past eighteen years.
The hard decision to move the popular New England hamfest was taken by a unanimous vote of NEAR-Fest’s Board of Directors on May 17th, 2024.
In endorsing the decision NEAR-Fest’s Benevolent Dictator Emeritus, Michael Crestohl, W1RC, aka “Mister Mike” commented: “This was inevitable. The Deerfield Fairgrounds is becoming more and more popular with exhibitors and, as a designated agricultural fairgrounds, they have to give priority to agricultural events. We had a fabulous eighteen-year run. I am confident that Phil and Kelley, along with their team, will take NEAR-Fest forward at our new location for many years to come.”
Other than the location nothing else will change. It is still the same NEAR-Fest we have all known and loved since 2007!
NEAR-Fest XXXVI will be held Friday October 4th and Saturday October 5th, 2024 at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society Fairgrounds, located at 17 Hilldale Lane, (Route 13) New Boston NH. GPS Coordinates 42.9842430, -71.6793460.
See you there!
NEAR-Fest (The New England Amateur Radio Festival, Inc.)
PO Box 172, Barton VT 05822 (781) 639-9172
World Wide Web: www.near-fest.com E-mail: ka1pxz@near-fest.com
2024 Northeast HamXposition to Offer “Mini-Contest University”
From The ARRL Letter, May 23, 2024:
The Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention announced a major addition to its program for 2024. The event runs from August 22 – 25, in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and will feature the Mini-Contest University (mini-CTU), based on Contest University. Contest University has been featured at Dayton Hamvention® since 2007 and presented in 15 countries to over 10,000 participants. A series of contest-oriented talks and presentations will be offered at HamXposition on Friday August 23. More information is available at hamxposition.org.