Dayton Hamvention 2021 Recap

Dayton Hamvention 2021 "The Gathering" cancelled due to COVID-19

Unfortunately, several setbacks in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic make necessary the difficult decision to cancel Hamvention 2021. Hundreds of volunteers have been working to do everything necessary to bring this Hamvention to the many amateur radio enthusiasts and vendors who support the Dayton Hamvention.

Vaccine distribution both in the United States and around the world is lagging behind what was planned. In addition, the emergence of a more communicable form of the COVID-19 virus increases the potential for further public health problems in the next few months. We make this difficult decision for the safety of our guests and vendors.

Those who had their tickets, inside booths or flea market spaces deferred last year will be deferred again. Those who purchased 2021 tickets, inside booths or flea market spaces will also be deferred. If you desire a refund instead please email tickets@hamvention.org and we will contact you.

Stay tuned for information about a QSO party for the 2021 Hamvention weekend. We are looking forward to the 2022 Hamvention!!!

Executive Committee, Dayton Hamvention 2021

Dayton Hamvention 2022 will be held on May 20, 21, 22 at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. You can visit their website for more info!

Most ham radio events for the first 5 months of this year have been cancelled. However, most of the cancelled ham radio events went virtual and many are saved and can be found on youtube. Things started to open up in June with over 40% of the US population being double vaccinated and the numbers of COVID infections dropping.

Here are a few of the links to the virtual events associated with hamvention:

The Virtual Propagation Summit streamed live on January 23, 2021

The Virtual Contest University forums started at 1300Z, 9:00 AM EDT on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

The Virtual Hamvention Forums started at 1500Z, 11:00 AM EDT on Friday May, 21, 2021.

The Virtual Hamvention DX Hall of Fame Awards was on Ham Nation on May 26, 2021.

There are many more on youtube that can be found with a search on Google.

Val NV9L had a virtual Hospitality Suite on Zoom. Screenshots from this, CTU, Hamvention Forums, and DX Hall of Fame can be found here!

There was an on-the-air Hamvention QSO party starting at 1200Z on May 22 to 0000Z on May 23.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton was sold and now is The Radisson. The contesters are no longer staying there. For the 1st time, starting in 2022, the contesters will be staying at Hope Hotel and Conference Center at Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Ohio which is closer to Xenia, where the Hamvention is being held. There are 265 guest rooms that went on sale at 9:00 AM on June 8th and sold out within a few hours. Contest University will be held here all day Thursday, May 19, 2022 and hosted by Tim Duffy K3LR. This is where the Top Band Banquet will be held on Friday May 20, 2022 and Contest Banquet will be held on Saturday May 21, 2022. Visit contestuniversity.com or contact Tim for more info.

The weather in Xenia, Ohio on the Hamvention weekend was very nice:
Friday May 21: High of 84 degrees F., partly cloudy.
Saturday May 22: High of 82 degrees F., partly cloudy.
Sunday May 23: High of 84 degrees F., partly cloudy.

2021 Hamvention Award Winners

Michael Kalter W8CI and Frank Beafore WS8B, co-chairs of the Hamvention Awards Committee, are delighted to present this year’s amateur radio award selections. Despite our current international health situation, the Hamvention committee elected to continue with its selection of outstanding radio amateurs. Hamvention will be back next year in full force.

Our winners are:

Technical Achievement Award: Dr. Tamitha Mulligan Skov WX6SWW

Tamitha Mulligan Skov is well known as the “Space Weather Woman”. Folks that have seen her space weather forecasting show will freely admit that she is full of energy and excited about her work. She is a real space pioneer.

Tamitha Skov is a credentialed Space Weather forecaster. Her forecasting work as the “Space Weather Woman” is widely known on social media such as You Tube, Twitter, and Facebook. She has been featured in Popular Science Magazine, MIT Technology Review, and on television shows for The Weather Channel and The History Channel. Her weekly space weather video podcast episodes are frequently featured on QRZ.com and she makes regular appearances on other amateur radio-related shows such as Ham Nation on Ham Radio Crash Course (formerly on TWiT.TV) and Space News on TMRO.TV.

She has held a technician’s class license since 2018, call sign WX6SWW, and she specifically became an amateur radio operator to better understand the needs and serve the amateur radio community. Tamitha has taught at Contest University multiple times and has given invited talks for the ARRL, Hamvention, and for many amateur radio clubs across the world.

Outside of her professional position as a research scientist for The Aerospace Corporation, she is currently teaching the art of Space Weather forecasting to meteorologists at Millersville University, and working with the ARRL and HamSCI.org to help create new official education materials for new hams and the ARRL community. She is always seeking new ways to bring an awareness of Space Weather and its effects into the mainstream and hopes to herald in a new era of TV weather broadcasting before the end of Solar Cycle 25.

Special Achievement Award: Wes Lamboley W3WL

Wesley Lamboley was nominated by his peers for his lifetime, high energy support for the science and art of amateur radio. Not only has Wesley supported youth coaching, membership recruiting and technical problem assistance, he always does it with a smile and great humor.

Wes spent 40 years in the Aerospace Industry. He was a technical writer, Electrical and Systems Engineer, manager and wound up in England as an Engineering Liaison for Boeing on a jointly developed tactical radar-guided missile with the Marconi/British Aerospace Corporation. His bottom line has always been that “I love my job, and never worked a day of my life,” adding that at times that was a bit of a stretch.

He truly enjoyed his career, but says, unequivocally, that “I owe most of my success to ham radio.”
Wes was introduced to Ham Radio in 1955, one of his buddies invited him to attend Field Day, and the rest is history. Not only did he get hooked on ham radio, but it provided the spark for a career in electronics. “Many Elmers helped me and I try to pay it forward as best I can, especially for young people.”

Wes also enjoys working with various civic groups and ham radio clubs, getting involved and helping them to be successful.

Wes views ham radio as a catalyst for an adventure! It seems that most aspects of life can be made more interesting by adding a bit of ham radio to the activity. A good example may be the five SWODXA “DXpedition of the Year” plaques hanging in his shack. The real adventure is going to far-off places, but once we are there and enjoying the cultures and landscapes, we get to play radio too!

Amateur of the Year: Angel M. Vazquez WP3R

Angel M. Vazquez is known for being one of the principal support engineers for what was one of the greatest antennas in the world – the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo parabolic dish antenna. Angel’s award stems from his unswerving and diligent support of amateur radio throughout the entire territory of Puerto Rico and extends worldwide.

Angel M. Vazquez was born in Arecibo, PR but grew up in Brooklyn, NY from the age of 2-22.
Graduated from CUNY, Brooklyn campus. Worked at WNYC as a radio engineer before moving back to Arecibo and taking a job at the Arecibo Observatory in 1977. He worked in telescope operations then headed the IT support team, eventually accepted position as Head of Telescope Operations and Puerto Rico Coordination Zone Spectrum Manger. (Current).

He became a radio amateur novice class operator in 1993 WP4MBP. Previous calls held include NP3FU (General) KP3AP (Advanced + Extra). In 1997 he acquired vanity call WP3R.. Angel led the MoonBounce effort from the Arecibo Observatory in April 2010 and multiple special events from the observatory using the KP4AO club call of which he is the president and trustee.
He is involved in and enjoys DX (5BDXCC) and contesting. In 1998 along with longtime friend, Dr. Jim Breakall WA3FET constructed a contest station on a hill owned by Jim just outside the Arecibo Observatory that was active and which won numerous ARRL and CQWW events using his WP3R call including a 10-year ARRL SS streak (KE3Q), until being destroyed by hurricane Maria in 2017.

Angel provided emergency communications every day for 8 weeks for hundreds of families after hurricane Maria leveled the power and communications grids. With the help of the WWROF, generators were provided to needy ham families in Puerto Rico. These efforts earned him Amateur of the Year in Puerto Rico in 2018 and the YASME Excellence Award in 2019.

Has been a VE since 1997 and started the first Virtual/online Bi-Lingual testing program as part of the GLAARG (Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group) VEC.

Club of the Year Award: The Vienna Wireless Society K4HTA

The Vienna Wireless society As always, it is very difficult to choose the club of the year as we receive many deserving club nominations from around the world. The Vienna Wireless society was chosen this year for its 58 years of service to the amateur radio community. K4HTA with its 280 members focus on youth education, public service and promoting the overall growth of radio through the DC area and around the world.

The Vienna Wireless Society was founded 58 years ago by amateur radio operators in the Town of Vienna, Virginia. An ARRL affiliated club, it is now the largest and most active Amateur Radio Club in the Washington, DC area. Our priorities are fostering a fun and inclusive environment, building comradery, and focusing on the key areas of: Service, Education, and Communication.

Our Service work includes providing communications for numerous organizations, including the Marine Corps Marathon, as well as many local events. We are also proud of the services we offer to the amateur radio community.

Our antenna installation team installs, removes and replaces over one antenna per month. We have an Elmer team which encourages and provides equipment to new hams. The club has an estate committee that supports and helps the families of SKs, a sad but important service.

In the area of Education, we offer licensing classes, workshops, and four educational programs a month at our meetings. These efforts help us reach out to youth, one of our major areas of focus. We record and archive these programs for use by the community at large. They cover a wide range of topics, from volcanoes to HF propagation to Smith Charts. We also offer workshops at our own regional hamfest, called Winterfest, which now hosts the Virginia Section Convention of the ARRL.

Communications is a major focus for us. Our two repeaters support a number of communications efforts, including local EMCOMM networks, and Presidential Inauguration security. We host five nets each week, including our latest which is about having fun with “wild and wacky” digital modes. We enjoy working together as a club in contests like the NAQP and Field Day, where we have finished in the top five in our category for several years.

We love to have fun with amateur radio, and we hope we are helping amateur radio and the community at large at the same time.

NCDXC, the Northern California DX Club, announces its 2021 award recipients. From K6MKF, Mike, NCDXC Secretary and 2021 Awards Chairman, they are:

2021 DXer of the Year - Paul Ewing, N6PSE
2021 Member of the Year - Art Rizzi, N6MFT
2021 Less Nuhn NN6K Public Service Award - George Williams, N6NKT
2021 Dr. William H. Myers W6OL Award - Mats Strandberg, RM2D

VP2VB DANNY WEIL MEMORIAL DXPEDITION RECOGNIZED IN 2021
The 2020 VP2VB Danny Weil Memorial DXpedition was organized to bring the Danny Weil story to today's amateur radio community. The group focused on low bands to Japan and Europe, and skillfully utilized CW, FT4, and FT8, achieving more than 5000 QSOs on the 160 & 80 meter bands, including 335 QSOs with Japan. We are pleased to acknowledge receipt of the JIDXM (Japan International DX Meeting) 2020 DXpedition of the Year Award, presented to teams and individuals making an outstanding contribution to the DX community. Congratulations to the VP2VB Yasme Memorial Expedition Team; Adrian KO8SCA, Martti OH2BH, Niko OH2GEK, and Sandro, VE7NY.

K5GS, Gene, notes that the GDXF Trophy for the best DXpedition of 2020 goes to VP8PJ, South Orkney Islands.

The Intrepid-DX Group is pleased to announce the recipient of the annual “Intrepid Spirit Award”.

This year’s award goes to a notable DXer Johannes Hafkenscheid 5T5PA, who was very active while living and working in Mauritania throughout 2020. This award is to recognize Johannes’s outstanding efforts to activate Mauritania during the Covid-19 Pandemic. We recognize Johannes’s unselfish act to activate this challenging and much needed entity on behalf of a grateful Global DX Community. During 2020, Johannes made 35,000 contacts and made a total of 192,514 contacts during his years of activity from Mauritania. It is for these reasons that we honor him with our Intrepid Spirit Award, presented at the International DX Convention, on May 16th, 2021. This “Intrepid Spirit Award” is made in memory of our fallen friend and member, James McLaughlin, T6AF, who was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan in April, 2011. The award is intended to recognize and honor those individuals or teams that boldly activate rare entities where their own personal safety is secondary to their pursuit of providing contacts to the DX Community. While we do not encourage DXers to go into harm’s way, we recognize that circumstances sometimes require that and we recognize those Intrepid Dxers with the Intrepid Spirit Award.

Announcing: 2021 Inductees to the CQ Amateur Radio, Contesting and DX Halls of Fame Amateur Radio Hall of Fame Welcomes Six New Members; Two Each to DX and Contest Halls of Fame

(Sayville, NY - May 20, 2021) - The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame honors those individuals, whether licensed hams or not, who have made significant contributions to amateur radio; and those amateurs who have made significant contributions either to amateur radio, to their professional careers or to some other aspect of life on our planet. This year, we are inducting six new members, bringing to 339 the total number of members inducted since the hall's establishment in 2001.

Formal inductions to the CQ Contest and DX Halls of Fame are being conducted online once again, as a result of the COVID-19-related cancellations of the Dayton Hamvention® and associated contest and DX dinners. CQ World Wide DX Contest Director John Dorr, K1AR, led the Contest Hall of Fame induction at the conclusion of Contest University's online seminar on May 20, while CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck, N2OO, will conduct the DX Hall of Fame induction on May 26 during the "Ham Nation" podcast on the Ham Radio Crash Course YouTube channel.

The 2021 CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame inductees (listed alphabetically) are:

Archibald Doty, W7ACD (SK),
Engineer, inventor, researcher into efficient radial systems for vertical antennas and pioneer of college radio; co-founded what is now WESU at Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1939, the second-oldest college radio station in the U.S.; also served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II.

Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF,
Founder of HAMSci (Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation), a collaboration between radio amateurs and ionospheric scientists; organizer of the 2017 Solar Eclipse QSO Party, which also served as a research project on the effects of a total solar eclipse on HF propagation.

Lorin Hollander, WA1PGB,
World-renowned classical concert pianist who has performed with virtually every major philharmonic orchestra in the United States, along with many others overseas; heavily involved in music and arts education and in relationships between music and medicine.

Christopher Imlay, W3KD,
ARRL Counsel and General Counsel from 1982-2018; represented the League before the FCC on a wide variety of issues, including PRB-1, now enshrined in FCC Rule 97.15 b), that requires state and local regulations to reasonably accommodate amateur radio antenna structures.

Cathryn Mitchell, M0IBG,
Academic Director of the University of Bath Doctoral College (UK) and recipient of the 2019 Edward Appleton Medal "for pioneering research in tomography and data assimilation revealing a completely new perspective on Earth's ionosphere in response to extreme space weather."

Admiral Charles "Chas" Richard, W4HFZ,
Commander of USSTRATCOM, the United States Strategic Command, one of eleven unified commands of the Department of Defense; served previously as Commander of U.S. submarine forces and Director of Undersea Warfare at the Pentagon.

CQ DX and Contest and Halls of Fame
The CQ DX and Contest Halls of Fame honor those amateurs who not only excel in personal performance in these major areas of amateur radio but who also "give back" to the hobby in outstanding ways. The CQ DX Hall of Fame was established in 1967 to recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to DXing and DXpeditioning. This year, we induct two new members.

The 2021 CQ DX Hall of Fame inductees are:

Jacky Calvo, ZL3CW/F2CW,
A veteran of the French Air Force and the International Committee of the Red Cross, with postings that took him (and his ham station) to a dozen countries around the world; a participant in more than two dozen DXpeditions and WRTC (World Radio- sport Team Championship) competitions from 2010-2018 and is a team leader for 2022.

Francesco Valsecchi, IK0FVC/HV0A, who has regularly activated Vatican City for the past 30 years using HV0A and other call signs, as well the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) as 1A0KM. Along with fellow operators. Francesco has logged more than 300,000 QSOs for the two tiny entities, averaging roughly 10,000 contacts per year for hams around the world.

The CQ Contest Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to the art of radio contesting.

The 2021 CQ Contest Hall of Fame inductees are:

Robert Wolbert, K6XX,
A "renaissance man" of contesting, advancing the state of the art in designing amateur equipment at Elecraft, a participant in more than 1100 contests over 35 years and a many-time winner (he is a 9-time recipient of the Jim Maxwell Memorial Trophy for the highest-scoring California single-op unassisted station in the ARRL DX CW Contest); member of the organizing committee for the first WRTC in 1996 and a team leader in 2000 and 2014; has authored many articles for amateur contesting publications, presented at multiple conferences and is a longtime member and leader of the Northern California Contest Club (NCCC).

David A. Pruett, K8CC (SK),
Author of the NA contest logging program as well as a log-checking program and host of many multi-multi oper- ations from his Michigan contest station over 30 years; longtime chairman of the Michigan QSO Party; former editor of the National Contest Journal and longtime member and leader of the Mad River Contest Club.

2020 / 2021 Silent Key List read by K1AR at the virtual Contest University

W1AX, VE1OP, W3JTV, F2MA, UA0LCZ, KN4Y, HP1AC, W3NQN, N6GD, W5FU, N3ED, NP2L, ZP6CW, SP3DOI, W2YE, W3GNQ, K1DC, N8PR, PY0FF, VK6HZ, K6JAT, KM1C, K8SIA, W1BX, ON4UN, K1DQV, K2FL, K6RV, DL9GFB, K8CC, WF5E, OM3PA, OK2ZW, K2PLF, NT0V, VO1SA, E51GC / ZK1CG, N4NO, HC2SL, W1MA, K0CS, W6XD, ER4DX, JF1IWL, W1UF, K3UOC, K4SSU, OZ4FF, OZ1BTE, I4EAT, HA8EK / HG8C, E77W, HA3UU, EK7DX. K1PT. WA2WVL, XE1ZW, K6VNX, W4NL, W8HO.

CQ Hall of Fame, DX Hall of Fame, Contest Hall of Fame info courtesy of CQ Communications, Inc

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