Dateline: Dayton, OH

Time: Mid-May.

Location: Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio

Event: The Dayton Hamvention

Why: Because it's there!



For the 13th year, N9QT (that's me) attended the annual Dayton Hamvention--the granddaddy of all radio "hamfests" in the US. 'Tis a 3-day event, complete with huge flea market outside, commercial vendors inside, forums, and fun. This year, for the first time in awhile, the weather cooperated. No rain!



On Thursday afternoon, I hooked up with SATERN's National Director (Major Pat) and his wife (Major Carmella) from Michigan, and a SATERN contingent from Chicago, here in Indy for the two-hour trip eastward to Dayton. We go the evening before in order to set up the SATERN booth, collect our credentials and parking passes, and have a little fellowship before heading for lodging at a University of Dayton dormitory. We hit heavy rain along the trip, but it was over by the time we arrived at the arena. (Heard that there were a couple of fatalities on interstate 70 over the weekend. Saw one of those wrecks last year on my way there. Thankfully, they happened this year when we were already in place.) We ate at a Chinese buffet before leaving for the dorm. Good food and good company.



Getting to the dorm is always a problem for me. The U of D is across the river and up on a hill. I've been there many years--always in different dorms--and I always get lost. The dorms aren't well marked, some of the streets have 2-3 names each, and it just gets frustrating. Once again, I knew there were out-of-state people relying on me to get us there. And once again, I got us lost! (Don't ask me how because I simply don't know!) When we finally arrived, it was dark, the dorm office was up a flight of stairs (as was the rest of the dorm), and the parking lot for the vehicles was down the hill with a lot of steps to get back to the dorm. Ugh! Major Pat has pneumonia and really struggled for breath to get up and down. Major Carmella has been suffering from "shingles" for the last month. I'm not in the best shape. In short, getting our stuff in and out of the HUGE dormitory was a bit of a challenge, but we managed.

Unlike other years, all of the U of D "hamfesters" were put in the same dorm, so my home club guys were on the same floor as my SATERN group, so I was able to visit with both. That was fun for me! The rest of the weekend was a whirlwind of manning the SATERN booth, visiting with folks I hadn't seen since the year before, and shopping at the hamfest. One friend showed up at Dayton for the first time in what? Ten years? And the walls didn't even cave in! (You know who you are, N5CEC!) I didn't buy a thing except for some junk food here and there.

This year's SATERN forum focus was on Haiti. We had three speakers planned, but an addition was made at the last minute: a ham operator from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. My job as forum moderator is to give an invocation (prayer), introduce the speakers, and make sure that they stay on schedule so we vacate the room in time for the next forum. (There is a 15-minute break between forums.) Our Haitian speaker was last on the docket. I knew nothing about Jean-Robert or what he planned to present. He assured me that he had prepared a 15-minute program, which would fit right into our schedule. The rest of the speakers focused on their deployment to Haiti after the devastating earthquake, but Jean-Robert was there and lived through it. The audience hung on to his every emotional word. The dear man broke down a number of times, but he carried on. Then it was time for us to wrap up, but J-R was still going. I let him run overtime by about five minutes...but then the next group burst through the doors to set up for their forum. (When the next group figured out what was going on, they quieted down and listened respectfully.) I got up and stood next to J-R, hoping he'd get the message that it was time to wrap up his speech, but he was still going. Finally...reluctantly...I had to whisper to him that it was time to quit. The audience applauded. I hugged him. We took pictures. Then we retired to the lobby for anyone who might wish to stay to ask questions.

Jean-Robert apologized for his emotions and worried that he didn't do well. He was assured by his Florida escorts--and the rest of us--that he had the audience enthralled. He said that every time he gets up to speak about the earthquake, the horrid pictures of "dead bodies everywhere" and a school of children without food or water keep coming back to him. One of our Salvation Army officers mentioned to him in private that he is obviously suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and needs to talk to someone to help him debrief. I hope he actually gets that help!

Everywhere we went to eat--all seven of us from the SATERN booth--we were greeted by people who sought us out to thank us for the work that The Salvation Army does in the world. At Golden Corral, one Haitian native who now lives in Pennsylvania came to our table to express his gratitude for helping his homeland. I could write a book about the number of times that military veterans have come up to me or others in the SATERN/Salvation Army organization to mention being far from home, scared, and finding The Salvation Army there to offer a hot cup of coffee and a donut without charge. One man who did that was a member of my own home radio club, and he welled up with tears as he mentioned it...something that had happened over 50 years ago!

The weather for this year's Hamvention was quite good. It rained heavily on us on our way there on Thursday. Sunday, on our way home, there were sprinkles, but the rest of the weekend was sunny and not hot. Perfect!

So now the Dayton Hamvention is over for another year. It is exhausting, but fun. I didn't sleep well. (Note to self: next year, bring a fan for night "noise".)

A couple of "funnies":

Funny #1: In trying to connect with the Chicago and Michigan contingents on Thursday, we were all on the 146.700 repeater, trying to meet on the east side of Indy. Major Pat started in on his favorite joke, which I have heard dozens of times: "What do you call a beautiful woman in Indiana? Tourist!" Before he could even get the punchline out, on a repeater that has at least a 70-mile-radius reception, I jokingly told Pat to "stick a sock in it" because the joke is old and worn out. Friday at the Hamvention, a fellow came to the SATERN booth and mentioned that he wanted to meet me because he had distinctly heard me tell someone on the air to "stick a sock in it". I laughed out loud! Were I not so comfortable on the air locally, I wouldn't have done that...but lesson learned. You never know who is listening!

Funny #2: On Sunday morning, I was awake at 4:00 AM. Couldn't stay in bed anymore, so I got up and putzed around my room for awhile, then decided to go outside to check out the weather at 5:00. It was still dark. I took a couple of things down to my car so I wouldn't have to make two trips later. As I approached the steps to go back up the hill to the dorm, here came another ham operator.
ME: Oh, another early bird!
HE: Yeah...I couldn't sleep in that strange bed.
ME: I know. I was awake at 4:00.
HE: I fell out of bed at 4:00!
ME: You fell out of bed??
HE: Yep. Rolled over in that skinny little bed, and PLOP!
I laughed in sympathy. He went on his way to his vehicle and I went back to my room. Bet he had tales to tell when he got home!

So that's my report, and I'm sticking to it.
Haven't done much since I got home. That has to change.
Two nice things though--I saw a red-winged blackbird in the yard today...and a hummingbird! I need to get a hummer feeder out. I love those silly little birds!