This past weekend I attended Hamcom 2011 and the ARRL National Convention. My trips to Hamcom in the past have been limited to getting out there early Friday morning and touring the flea market and visiting the vendors. This year, the Radio Scouting guys had set up a booth to promote the various ways to integrate amateur radio with Scouting. I supported the effort by providing printed materials and then helping ship back the booth materials to the fellows that created it for use, first, at the Dayton Hamvention.
While there on Friday, I attended a number of seminars. A key one covered the aspects of 501(c)(3) organizations and introduced me to a person who can help with those tasks. I’ve recently taken on the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association and discovered several areas that need to be cleaned up as it moves forward, among them the registration with the IRS. This is yet another ham radio adventure…
I also attended presentations on a DXpedition to Nicaragua and learned about rental ham shacks in those countries. I also attended a very interesting presentation on an early ham expedition to the Arctic in 1923! I actually went to the wrong presentation but was too tired and too interested to move. It was a fascinating story both on the research required to develop the story, soon to be a book, as well as the story itself.
I also attended the Lone Star DX Association Dinner. I counted about 200+ in attendance. It was good food, great companionship with other ham radio operators, and the keynote speaker presented all the aspects of the VP8ORK DXpedition to the South Orkney Islands, in the Antarctic. A QSL card from VP8ORK was delivered by the post office the very next day! I had worked them on 30 meter CW running 10 watts.
I was really impressed with the crowds and the interest in Radio Scouting. I was particularly impressed with the dedication by Leland Fellows, N5DGH, and several others in manning the booth. I got to meet many hams that had participated in the 2010 Jamboree K2BSA operation. I was also able to spend some time chatting with Kay Craigie and Dave Sumner at ARRL. We’d worked together recently on the ARRL and BSA Memorandum of Understanding. I also spent some time with Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, who was the key driver behind the MOU and chairman of the 2010 Jamboree K2BSA operation.
It was a great event and I was delighted to help with the Radio Scouting booth.
