Hamvention 2015, Less Than One Week Away!

The largest amateur radio and electronics swap meet on the planet is less than one week away.  Will you be there?

The Dayton Hamvention has been an annual swap meet since 1952.  There were 24,873 attendees during last year’s hamvention alone, that is a huge number of radio enthusiasts in one place!

For those of you interested in using vintage and used test equipment you can find anything at Hamvention.  I built my entire laboratory form equipment purchased here.   It has often been said, ‘if you can’t find it at Hamvention you don’t need it.’

This year Scott Pastor (KC8KBK) and I will be covering Hamvention for Hackaday.  We plan to provide one update after each day of Hamvention summarizing the day’s events.  We hope to see you in Dayton next week!

34 thoughts on “Hamvention 2015, Less Than One Week Away!

  1. On the Thursday before Hamvention is Contest University. Great way to gain knowledge on a wide variety of topics from tower safety to contesting to antenna mechanics to…

    See more at: contestuniversity.com

    1. I managed to make it for the first time in 2012, after having been a ham for 20 years, and living less than 300 miles away. I didn’t make it in 2013, but did go again last year, and may go this year as well.

        1. It was for me, as I got to meet some people that had only been names on emails up to that point. If you’ve ever talked to someone on the radio and they live a long way away from you, going to Dayton is a good time to meet them. Both times I’ve gone, I’ve gotten a ride with local people that were heading down there or I probably wouldn’t have made it.

  2. Hopefully, there’ll also be demonstrations of new ham technology along with the sale of vintage equipment. It’d be great to have an amateur radio system that can store and forward email completely and utterly independent of the Internet.

    1. The two existing systems that I’m aware of can forward via radio if set up to do so in the case of Packet Radio, and if the user specifically selects Radio only when creating the message in the case of Winlink.

    2. There’s PACTOR that’s been around a couple of decades or more. You have to pay the sole-supplier tax for a modem for it though. There are other ways too, like APRS. If it’s ham traffic though, it will need to be in the clear and non-commercial.

  3. Hamvention…. Been going on and off for 30 years. Wright Patterson National USAF Museum… Medelsons Surplus in downtown Dayton … A visit to the local gun range…. I’m going this year with my 2 barely teenage boys. Might as well start them early to this annual Mecca. Having a 2-way radio in the pocket or belt is an obligatory fashion accessory.

  4. [sigh] a disability and the disability income that come along with it most likely will insure I’ll never attend Dayton. Oh well crying in my beer over it waters down the beer and makes it salty. An enjoyable time and safe travels for those who can attend. Also gland an amateur radio operator is covering for Hackaday. Hopefully Hackaday and the amateurlogogictv crew will cross paths increasing exposure for both. http://www.amateurlogic.com/blog/

  5. I have been buying and selling stuff at the Hamvention for over 30 years. It’s a shadow of it’s former glory, Ebay and the ageing out of ham radio operators has taken it’s toll. Combining the Hamvention with a Maker Event would be awesome.
    What if the Maker Faire in NY had 6 acres of open air flea market space?

    BTW.. If you drop by booth 3822, 3821 and mention Hack-a-day on Saturday or Sunday, I’m offering a cold soda (While supplies last), a place to drop you stuff, loan of 2 wheel cart, and free sunscreen.

    My booth will be filled with random crap.

    The stuff I have left over Sunday will be donated to the Dayton Maker Space, unless another maker organization steps forward and offers to haul it from Hara.

  6. Going Saturday with my wife.haven’t been to dayton hamvention since early 90s so it’s going to be fun.this will be my wife’s first visit so i think she will be surprided.

  7. I have some “gigs” to do that weekend. Would love to go and meet up with some fellow HAMs, Hackers, and like-minded folks. Heck, with a callsign like mine (Kilo Cycle Eight Kilo Volt Amps)…I lucked out. ;)

  8. I’m bringing a group of six! This will be my 11th… Bringing one for his second time (N5KH) and one who hasn’t been since the late 1980s (KA9MDP), and three Dayton virgins (N5BKL, N2VIP, and N5BSA).. I think it’s going to be a great year!

    73 DE AD8BC

  9. A question to those who have been. Is it worth the $20 admission? I’m not at all interested in radio, but I am very interested in the flea market. The cost of entry seems awful steep.

    1. I go to the Orlando show, but Dayton is like the Superbowl of hamfests. Heres some examples of crap I’ve collected over the past few Orlando events:
      Tek 465 $50
      Kester 63/37 $3 (almost full roll)
      NASA Ideal wire strippers $5 x 2
      Various HP Lab Power supplies labeled as not working but had the jumpers set wrong. I paid maybe $5 each
      150lbs of NASA/Aviation stainless fasteners $100
      Canvas grocery bag 1/2 full of crimp connectors $20
      Mantis inspection scope $250 (with 4x and 8x lens)
      Variacs $5 to $50 (I think i have 5 now)
      Superior Electric Flexiformer $10 (very cool, non OSHA compliant transformer/ballast)
      Dozens of cool high quality switches, buttons and knobs from surplus military, aviation, and industrial gear.
      ie: 757 landing light switch $2
      Rane TTM56 dj mixer $75 (new)
      WARN Cordless PullzAll $25

      I could go on, and on, and on… I have just as much fun diving through the dollar bins as I do finding deals on the more expensive items. The whole place is eye candy for hardware junkies so $20 for 3 days isn’t too bad.

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