Hamvention Saturday got off to a rousing start. By late morning the aisles in the indoor exhibitor areas were crowded to the point where movement was difficult at best.

ARRL Member Forum
Among the first forums of the morning, the ARRL Member forum was filled to capacity. After an introduction by Great Lakes Division Vice Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, Ohio Section Manager Frank Piper, KI8GW, discussed issues of local and statewide interest.

ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, spoke on a number of topics, but in particular stressed the new ARRL Second Century Campaign and the need to ensure that the organization remains strong well into the future. To emphasize the point, and its relevance during the upcoming ARRL Centennial, she said, "While the past may excite us, it is the future that inspires us."

ARRL Chief Executive Officer Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, brought the audience up to date on the status of ARRL involvement in national and international regulatory issues. While discussing a potential threat to our allocation at 76 GHz, he stressed the fact that even such sparsely used amateur spectrum deserved a vigorous defense. "The 76 GHz band may be of little interest to most hams today, but we need to preserve our microwave allocations for technologies we can't even imagine today and the future amateurs who will use them."

First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, stepped to the podium and presented five challenges to the audience:

1. If you don't belong to a local club, join today. If you belong to a club already, actively support it.

2. Help inactive hams get on the air. Give assistance to new amateurs to help them use their privileges effectively. Volunteer time to help elderly hams who are no longer able to maintain their stations.

3. Recruit as many new amateurs as possible.

4. Recruit as many new ARRL members as possible.

5. Donate to the Second Century Campaign.

Indoor Vendors and Fleamarket
Saturday crowds were attracted to a number of new products including the Zeus-1 15 W software defined transceiver from SSB Electronic; the bhi DTNA-10 amplified base station noise-canceling speaker; the ICOM IC-7100 transceiver with a remote control head and touchscreen; several new antenna analyzers and other new items from MFJ and a couple of clever products from NCG/Comet: A low profile VHF/UHF magnetic mount mobile antenna and a wireless remote SWR/Power meter that can be installed at the antenna feed point. Watch for the Dayton Hamvention new product roundup in the August issue of QST.

The fleamarket saw quite a few browsers and shoppers. The rain held off and the overcast helped make conditions pleasant. The most active fleamarket vendors were the ones selling hard-to-find components.