The Dayton, Ohio area has been enduring a plague of rain for the last several weeks, but on the first day of Hamvention the ever-present clouds were replaced with blue skies and warm temperatures. As a result, the famous Hamvention flea market was abuzz with activity. Items for sale ranged from vintage ham gear to military surplus.

Inside the Hara Arena complex, dealers and manufacturers were swarmed by eager shoppers. Seeing all the money changing hands, you'd never know there was a Great Recession taking place just outside. The Kenwood TH-D72A handheld transceiver, equipped with a built-in TNC and GPS receiver, drew considerable attention, as did the new Ten-Tec Eagle transceiver and 1225 HF wattmeter kit. WinRadio debuted their WR-G33DCC “Excalibur Pro” software defined receiver with coverage from 9 kHz to 50 MHz.

Hamvention forums were well attended. The Antenna forum, for example, was standing room only. See a brief video segment recorded at the ARRL Field Day forum here.

The ARRL Expo area drew large crowds throughout the day. The Friday morning highlight was a visit by astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC. He met with the ARRL staff and the representatives from the various international Amateur Radio societies that were also exhibiting at the ARRL Expo. Doug spent a couple of hours at the Expo signing autographs and posing for photographs.

Steve Ford, WB8IMY