W8EMV - Whiskey Eight Echo Mike Victor

Hamvention 2024 trip report

A trip report from Hamvention 2024 while it's still fresh in the mind.

The ARROW bus from Ann Arbor was a success thanks to AC8TO who stepped up as cruise director. It was nice not to have to drive. We assembled at 430a in Ann Arbor, and stopped in Toledo on our way to Xenia. The bus was full enough to pay its own way.

This was my first visit to Hamvention but likely not my last. I described it to my family as 1 part technical conference, 4 parts trade show, 5 parts county fair and 10 parts flea market. The flea market covered the entire infield of the track (a horse track? there was a smell of horse). I wouldn't say that the quality of the goods was much different than other ham fests I have been to, but there was a whole lot more of it.

Nothing beats seeing things in person and talking to folks who are knowledgable about the products they represent.

I didn't buy anything, but I did come back clutching literature from Elecraft for their KX2 and KX3. The thought of having an HF radio compact enough to put into a backpack and take on my bicycle to the park is pretty compelling.

Looking forward to going back next year!

Fun things to do with radio that are "not real ham radio"

If you enjoy any of these parts of the hobby in the presence of a purist, you'll get the dismissive reply that these are "not real ham radio".

• Digital voice modes. DMR, D-Star, YSF etc get rejected because they use the Internet to interconnect repeaters.

• Packet radio, because there are computers involved.

• CB radio, MURS, FRS because you don't need a ham license.

• Digital data modes. FT8 is ruining the hobby, real hams use morse code or maybe RTTY.

• APRS, because there's an APRS-IS internet interconnect and you don't need a radio to participate.

• Satellite communications (!) because they involve the use of repeaters. (Repeaters in orbit! But still repeaters.)

• Shortwave listening, because if you're not transmitting it's not really ham radio.

• DX listening through remote receivers like KiwiSDR. (The internet again, and radio only counts if it's your wires and not someone else's.)

As originally posted to https://mastodon.radio/@w8emv/112396500981498241

Thanks to contributors: Chris P., N7KOM, VE2UWY, Imogen, KR1ST, croyle, WD9EWK, VE3QBZ, N6UTC, Ian, AC7KY, W1RCP. Special thanks to K8BYP.