Donations are accepted. We appreciate the help!
The Miami Valley of Ohio is the destination for ham radio operators from all over the world this week, as amateurs will descend on Dayton, Ohio for the 2010 Dayton Hamvention, one of the largest gatherings of contesters each year.
For contesters, it's the usual busy four days and nights of action, much of it centering on the Crowne Plaza Hotel, home to the Contest Super Suite that is sponsored by some of the big contesting clubs in the hobby and pulled together by people like Tim Duffy K3LR.
The weekend will be capped off by the 18th annual Dayton Contest Dinner. This year's main speaker is former ARRL President Joel Harrison W5ZN.
Whether you are going to Dayton or not in 2010, you can get a look at some of the contest related activities over the internet, courtesy of Duffy's Contest University.
The Power Point slide deck can be found here, while the Potomac Valley Radio Club also has material from a recent webinar for your review as well.
For some contesters, this gathering will be a final rendezvous before the "World Cup" of ham radio contesting takes place in Russia, with the World Radiosport Team Championships, which runs during the weekend of the IARU HF Contest.
Andy Chesnokov UA3AB will be in Dayton making a presentation on the WRTC gathering, while chief WRTC organizer Harry Booklan RA3AUU stays behind in Russia.
"I won't be in Dayton this year," Booklan told radio-sport.net, adding that he is "going to Cyprus for WPX CW with the family at the end of the month."
While the WRTC gets attention in Dayton, so too may the IARU Contest, as European contesters and the ARRL wait for more information from German hams about the log of Team DA0HQ amid charges of "log padding" by Spanish hams.
The current President of the IARU, Tim Ellam VE6SH, recently told the head of the Unión de Radioaficionados Españoles that an extensive report put together by the Spaniards on DA0HQ contacts with other German stations is not being ignored.
"I see you have passed it on to the ARRL and I will discuss the contents of the report with them in mid May," Ellam wrote in an email that was posted on a URE web site.
Meanwhile, the overwhelming number of emails to radio-sport.net continue to call for Team DA0HQ to be disqualified from the 2009 IARU contest.
"A DQ to the DA0HQ 2009 entry and a rule change are required to bring a modicom of integrity back to the HQ section of this contest," said Vic Lindgren G4BYG, one of many hams in Europe weighing in on the DA0HQ log, which has been challenged by the Spanish radio club URE for "log padding".
"Rule violation = DQ!" wrote Csaba HA3LN. "It seems this was not even unethical but rule breaking. The next step will be the "running-on-call-book" style."
Yes, Dayton has a lot of things to offer to amateur radio enthusiasts, whether you are a contester or not!
There is the huge flea market outside that always attracts a lot of attention, with row after row of equipment that might hold a bargain or two for some of us.
You can also go through the Hara Arena for the latest radios, antennas and other ham gizmos that are on display from a variety of amateur radio related businesses.
But one favorite for a lot of folks is that Thursday night gathering at Hooters just off I-75 sponsored by the Society of Midwestern Contesters, which - as you can tell from the pictures here - always brings in a great group of people.
Pictured up top are Scott Neader KA9FOX on the left and Jerry Rosalius WB9Z on the right.
Also having fun in 2009 were Mike Hance K5NZ, Paul Gentry K9PG and a very happy Charlie Wooten NF4A.
As for 2010, snap a few photos at Dayton and send us some of your best pictures to radio-sport.net
