This post covers my trip to Dayton Hamvention 2010 (www.hamvention.org), FDIM, and 4 summit activations on the way back home.
It was a great adventure. My XYL and I started out for the Four Days In May event http://www.fdim.qrparci.org on Wednesday. It was a long, 660 mile drive from my home in Tarrytown, NY, but I knew it would be worth it. I had already searched for all of the high point value, low effort hills on the route in the hopes of making a few quick activations along the way to Hamvention. Unfortunately we left Tarrytown a bit too late to do anything extra on the 10 hour drive to FDIM, so we decided to activate summits on the way back home.
We checked in late to the hotel that was hosting FDIM. This is the first time I have actually stayed in the hotel that was hosting one of the events, and that’s a great convenience. At the FDIM conferences on Thursday I learned a great deal about antennas and dxpeditions. Late Thursday night the conference hall hosted an array of QRP companies including Hendricks and others. Someone even set up a “ham radio vending machine” Ham Radio Vending Machine | Here KC2JOS bought a pair of cap… | Flickr which sold various mini ham radio kits.
The next day at Hamvention in the Hara Arena(separate location, about 30 min. away, one of my first things to do on my list was to take a look at the new Kenwood APRS HT Kenwood's New APRS HT due out sometime 2010 | The new HT is … | Flickr I also managed to take a most interesting picture of a “Yaesu Spy” inspecting and photographing the new Kenwood HT very carefully at the Kenwood booth…check out the picture carefully and you can just see his official Yaesu exhibitor ticket Yaesu Spy at the Kenwood Booth | Who says industrial espiona… | Flickr
That night at the FDIM events I bumped into SOTA W3 Manager Ed, WA3WSJ W1 & W3 | The SOTA W1 and W3 managers at FDIM 2010 | N2YTF | Flickr
The next day at Hamvention (Saturday), we witnessed the launch of an APRS carrying ballon balloon launch | I tracked the balloon for about 20 miles wi… | Flickr and my friend and celebrity ham Diana, KC2UHB spoke kc2uhb speaks | N2YTF | Flickr at one of the presentations and did a little book signing book signing | N2YTF | Flickr .
Latter that day at the HF pack gathering outside Hara Arena, I watched PY1AHD demonstrate his great Alexloop py1ahd | N2YTF | Flickr , and I decided to buy one. I had been eyeing his loop since last Hamvention.
That night back at the FDIM hotel, we enjoyed a nice QRP awards dinner and I spotted this great hand-embroidered ham radio T-shirt on K5YCM K5YCM | What a great hand woven shirt | N2YTF | Flickr . Later that night Dave, W2VV and I enjoyed working with the loop outside our FDIM hotel, the Holiday Inn W2VV works the loop | N2YTF | Flickr
Sunday at Hamvention was rushed as always with last minute purchases and meetings. I had a long chat with the new SOTA W0 Manager, Steve WG0AT Chatting with WG0AT | Steve, WG0AT W0 SOTA manager and Tom, … | Flickr I also bumped into the QRO backpacking king, with his 500w HF backpack, this time Bicycle Mobile due to a knee injury 500 w backpack | Yes that is a 500w HF backpack portable | N2YTF | Flickr
All good things must come to an end and Hamvention was no exception, so Sunday afternoon after the 2+ hour Hamvention prize giveaway prizes | The end of Hamvention 2010 | N2YTF | Flickr (carried on as the main exhibitors pack up) we made our way to our next stop, Somerset, PA.
Sunday night we slept in Somerset, PA so that Monday we could activate some nearby nearly drive-up summits with high point values. The XYL had specificed that we would not be doing any hikes on this vacation that required tick checks.
First off on Monday was the never before activated http://www.sotawatch.org/summits.php?summit=W3/WE-001 Conditions were pretty nasty with blowing rain and 45F degrees weather. Conditions were fierce enough that my XYL would not leave the car, and this picture was taken at mid afternoon NOT at night or dusk W3/WE-001 | Operating on W3/WE-001 Conditions were not fun..… | Flickr and The First Ever Activation of Marsh Hill, W3/WE-001 - YouTube
Once I had my 4 contacts, (three on the 2m beam and one on the 20m end fed wire), we got off of the hill and had a nice dinner at a local resturant before heading to http://www.sotawatch.org/summits.php?summit=W3/PT-001 for a sunset first time activation of PA’s tallest peak, Mt. Davis. Conditions were slightly improved but were still pretty nasty. With an end fed wire for 20m off of the side of the Mt. Davis firetower I started with HA7UG and had plenty of stations calling. I don’t have a good picture from the summit as conditions were tough, here is a view from the entry to the park W3/PT-001 | Driving into MT Davis W3/PT-001 state park | N2YTF | Flickr
Tuesday I activated another nearby 10 point easy summit,
Hiking in the mountains: tips for beginner hikers - Mountain Day
This was the most enjoyable summit as it was great to be shrouded in mist. I worked HF with an an end fed wire
W3/SV-001 hf | The HF operating location on top of Blue Knob… | Flickr , SO-50 with an arrow
handheld antenna
W3/SV-001 satellite | Made 4 contacts right away on S0-50 wi… | Flickr , and HF
with my new magnetic loop (alexloop)
w3sv-001 mag loop | The Alexloop magnetic loop antenna seems… | Flickr .
Tuesday night we drove to York PA, the self proclaimed “Factory Tour Capital of the World,” and Wednesday we toured the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Factory Harley Davidson Factory Tour | We were not allowed to bring … | Flickr and a nearby commercial cave, Indian Echo Caverns http://www.indianechocaverns.com/
At dinner on Wednesday, I couldn’t resist looking through my GPS files for a nearby easy hill to hit as an after dinner snack, and I came across Hiking in the mountains: tips for beginner hikers - Mountain Day and decided I could have a go at it. Although SV-043 was not as easy as I had thought, I did manage my 4 20m contacts using the end fed wire only about 3 feet off the ground.
We continued home Wednesday night and finally arrived, 34 points richer, at about 2am.
73 to all,
Tom-N2YTF