THE VERMONT HAM RADIO CONVENTION
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2012
New Location!
Holiday Inn Convention Center
Williston Road at I-89 Exit 14
South Burlington, Vermont
Purchase Advanced Sale Tickets
HAM-CON is sponsored by the
Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont.
We are in a super location which is convenient for everyone
and has all the facilities to make this a first class show.
HAM-CON proudly carries on the Milton Hamfest tradition:
30 Years of Great Hamfests in the North Country!
"and still the best little hamfest in the world!"
|
Pictures of Previous Hamfests!
HAM-CON 2011
HAM-CON 2010
HAM-CON 2009
Milton 2008
Milton 2004
Date: Saturday, February 25th, 2012
Times: 8am until 2pm. General admission opens promptly at 8am.
Location: Holiday Inn Convention Center, 1068 Williston Road at I-89 Exit 14, South Burlington.
Admission: General admission $8. See below for early entry and advance sales.
Information: Phone: (802)879-6589, afternoons and evenings, BEFORE hamfest day. Or,
via Email.
Talk in on the WB1GQR repeater on 145.15 MHz(-600). This repeater is
monitored all the time. On Hamfest day, look for prerecorded hamfest
information and announcements on 146.67 MHz.
Holiday Inn is located at Williston Road and Dorset Street, right at the I-89 Exit 14 Interchange.
From the South, I-89, Exit 14 East. Immediately move to the left lane and make a left at the light into the Holiday Inn.
From the North, I-89, Exit 14 East. Immediately move to the left lane and make a left at the light into the Holiday Inn.
FROM THE SOUTH
From NH and Boston: I-93 North, I-89 North through New Hampshire and Vermont to Vermont Exit 14.
From WMa and CT: I-91 North, I-89 North to Exit 14.
From NY: New York State Thruway or Taconic Parkway to Albany.
Adirondack Northway (I-87) to Exit 20 - Fort Ann. Route 149 12
miles to Route 4. Route 4 north 18 miles to Vermont Route 22A.
Route 22A north 43 miles to Route 7. Route 7 22 miles north to I-189.
I-189 to I-89 to Exit 14.
FROM THE NORTH
From Montreal: Autoroute 15 to border, I-87 Exit 42 to Rt 11 to Rouses Point
Bridge to Vermont. Route 2 South to Route 78 East to Swanton. I-89 South to
Exit 14.
Alternate route: Autoroute 10, Autoroute 35 to Route 133 South to Border. Then I-89 to Exit 14.
FROM THE WEST
The Crown Point Bridge (Connecting VT Rt 17) is OPEN!
The other bridge across Lake Champlain is at Rouses Point.
Winter Ferry crossings:
| Ferry Crossing | Operates | website info |
| Plattsburgh, NY to Grand Isle, VT | 24/7 |
info |
| Essex, NY to Charlotte, VT | 7 AM - 5 PM |
info |
The ferry crossings schedules are subject to adverse ice conditions. Always check their
web sites prior to crossing.
The Ticonderoga, NY to Bridport, VT Ferry is CLOSED for the season!
From Rouses Point area: Northway I-87 Exit 42, Route 11 to Rouses Point. Look for signs for U.S. Route 2 and
Rouses Point Bridge to Vermont. Go 2 miles past Alburgh and go left on Vermont Route 78. Continue on Route 78 through
Swanton and look for I-89 South. Continue on I-89 to Exit 14.
From Plattsburgh area: Northway I-87 Exit 39, Rt 314 to Ferry. (Runs every 15 min, $18 Round trip).
On Vermont side, right on Rt 314 to end at Route 2, right on Route 2 South, 20 miles to
I-89. Go south one exit to Exit 14.
From Crown Point area: Northway I-87 Exit 28, New York Route 74. Go North on New York Route 9N. (DO NOT go into
Ticonderoga or follow signs for Ticonderoga Ferry, as this is closed for the season). Continue on 9N for 11 miles and
turn onto New York Route 17. Take Crown Point Ferry. Continue on Vermont Route 17 East to Vermont Route 22A. Go left
and take Route 22A North. At Route 7, go left and continue North on Route 7. Take I-189 to I-89 North to Exit 14.
PARKING
We have plenty of free parking on site!
We have instituted advanced sales to save you money and to make the admission process smoother.
We strongly recommend all vendors use advanced sales.
Admission at the door
- General admission is $8. Doors open for general admission at 8:00.
- Early admission is $15. Doors open for early admission at 6:00.
- There is no charge for tables. Tables are first come, first serve. Come early!
- No admission charged for those 12 years and younger.
- Canadian money accepted at par for Canadian residents with driver's or ham license.
Advanced Sales Admission
- Advanced sale general admission is $6.
- Advanced sale early admission is $12.
- Advanced Sales close February 19.
- Tickets must be purchased though our Paypal system on-line or at a club meeting.
- Print out your receipt and present it for your ticket.
Purchase Advanced Sale Tickets
FLEAMARKET
The Fleamarket will run from 8:00 until 2:00. There are scores
of tables chock filled with goodies. The offerings range from new to boatanchors and we can never know what jewels
will show up. The new equipment dealers who tentatively plan to be there:
| KJI Electronics |
Carries all major pieces of equipment from Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Alinco, Ameritron, Vibroplex, MFJ. |
| Webster Associates |
A variety of ham radio equipment and supplies, new and used. |
| Dave Schneider |
Dave is the "Connector Guy" with a seemingly endless assortment of connectors and adapters for every need! |
| |
| Granite State Antennas |
Dealer for the Cobra Ultra Lite and Larsen Atennas |
FORUMS
Forums will run from 8:15 until 1:00.
Details are in the Forums section.
RADIO DEMONSTRATIONS
1. Special Event Station W1V. We'll be ON-THE-AIR and broadcasting to the world on 20 meters.
We need operators - especially new operators. Sign up for a 15-30 minute slot.
2. Software Defined Receiver. Plug a small box into your laptop and it is transformed into a full function short wave
and amateur band receiver. Come see how this is done!
HAM-CON CLOSING CEREMONIES!
This is the place to gather after the goodies have been bought or sold, after the forums and after lunch.
Starting at the conclusion of the last forum (around 12:40), the closing will be a brief activity featuring entertainment, announcements, acknowledegements and the
(ta-da) the announcement of door prize winners. The closing ceremonies will take place in the flea market, allowing
ample room for all to attend. Make sure you set aside time for this event!
DOOR PRIZES
Door prizes will be drawn at the Closing Ceremonies at 12:30 in the Flea Market area.
No more worrying about missing the drawing while attending a forum. BUT..... you must be present to win!
And you must be present to witness our outlandish closing ceremonies!
VE SESSION
The Volunteer Exam Session will be at 1:00 in Forum Room 1. All exams (Element 2, 3 and 4) will be offered.
All VE applicants must bring TWO forms of ID, copy of license and CSCE, if needed,
pen, pencil and $14 exam fee. Fee must be exact change in cash. No checks will be accepted.
FCC COMMERCIAL LICENSE EXAMS
Exams for FCC Commercial Licenses (GROL, MROP, etc) will be at 1:00 in Forum Room 1. Please bring ID, proof of citizenship, pen, pencil
and $50 exam fee. Contact examiner at (802) 879-6589 for details.
SPECIALTY TABLES
- RANV TABLE Located in the Forums Lobby
This is the nerve center of the Convention. Come here for all things related to the Convention and RANV.
- Hamfest Information
- RANV Information
- Join or Renew
- Door Prize barrel
- Vermont Amateur Radio Directory
- Copies of past RANV Newsletters
- RANV FLEA MARKET TABLE Located INSIDE the Flea Market
New this year. Bring your stuff for sale and we will try to unload it for you.
- Service for RANV Members Only!
- Limit of 10 pieces per person
- Weight limit of 35 lbs per item, total 100 lbs
- No boat anchors, computers, printers, monitors, etc.
- Sellers provide a manifest of all items, condition and price
- Unsold items go home with owner!
- TECHNICAL TABLE Located in the Forums Lobby
Test equipment to provide basic measurments along with free technical advice.
- Basic measurements only: voltage, power, sensitivity, deviation
- No repair services
WHERE IS EVERYTHING LOCATED?
These layouts will be changing a lot so keep checking back for the latest information!
The forums schedule will be published in January. Here is the forum information from last year so you can get an
idea what types of forums will be presented.
HAM-COM will have the finest collection of Amateur Radio Informational Forums found at any small convention! There is something which interests every amateur operator. Stop in on the forum and learn a whole bunch of new stuff.
The forum times are tight, so plan your schedule in advance for best results!
The forums will run in two different rooms. Forums will run from 8:15 AM until 1:00 PM.
Forum Room 1 is just to the left of the Flea Market. Forum Room 2 is 150 feet down the hallway past the pool.
Forums in Room 1 will generally start around the top of the hour and Forums in Room 2 will start on the half hour.
Forums will conclude in time for attendees to attend the Closing Ceremonies, which will be held in the Main Ballroom.
Make sure you get to the forums on time. They will not wait!
FORUM ROOM 1
8:15
CONTEST FORUM
Al Frugoli KE1FO
Start out the morning right with the Contest Forum, scheduled early for a great DX run into Europe! Learn some of the tricks and techniques used by contesters to work more stations. If you are not a contester, stop by and learn how to be a better operator. This forum is also the local Vermont meeting of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC). Hosted by Al Frugoli KE1FO, YCCC Northern Vermont Coordinator.
9:05
EME - BOUNCE SIGNALS OFF THE MOON!
Bob DeVarney W1ICW (NEW!)
For many years, hams have bounced VHF and UHF signals off the moon which allows worldwide communications on bands like
2 meters. Such stations consisted of monster antennas, big amps and super sensitive receivers. Today, with the advent of
weak signal software, hams with modest stations can successfully bounce signals off the moon and work stations all over
on VHF and UHF frequencies. Find out how this done and how much fun it can be! Hosted by Bob DeVarney W1ICW.
10:05
THE DOCTOR IS IN!
Joel Hallas W1ZR
The “Doctor is In” column in each issue of QST is very popular with readers. It accepts Amateur Radio questions from readers and provides short and, hopefully, helpful answers. While the items in the magazine are just a fraction of all that are received, they are selected with the hope that they will be useful to multiple members of the community who hadn’t yet thought to ask them. A live “Doctor is In” session works the same way. Bring your questions — technical ones are best.
We'll have a high tech hookup to have Joel remotely answer all your questions.
11:00
LAUNCH YOUR ANTENNA INTO SPACE (OR INTO A BIG TREE)!
Bob Allen KB1FRW
You’ve got an 85 foot high tree begging for a great wire antenna. But how do you get the antenna into the tree? Bow & arrow? Slingshot? Rock and string? Climb? (I hope not). Instead, Bob will show you how to construct your very own Compressed Air Pneumatic Cannon which will launch weighted tennis balls and a line over any tree you can imagine. The forum will discuss such things as construction ideas, important safety practices and how not to wind up on a Homeland Security terrorist list. Hosted by Bob Allen, KB1FRW.
12:00
K4M MIDWAY ATOLL DXPEDITION 2009
This is a recently released DVD documenting the 2009 K4M DXPedition to Midway Atoll in the Pacific. The K4M operation lasted a week and netted 61,000 QSO’s. The video features the setup and operation as well as scenes from the historical island, where the famed Battle of Midway took place. This movie will be repeated at the March RANV meeting.
FORUM ROOM 2
8:30
TURN YOUR LAPTOP INTO A SHORTWAVE RECEIVER
Gene Risi W1EBR
Software Defined Radios (SDR) are becoming all the rage. Plug a small box with antenna into your computer and presto! It becomes a high performance shortwave and amateur band receiver. This forum will focus on the inexpensive Soft Rock receivers – how to build them and how to connect them to your computer. Then we’ll look at details on what software to use and how to use it to hear almost anything. After the talk, the Soft Rock receiver will be demonstrated at our demo station W1V. Hosted by Gene Risi W1EBR.
9:30
MICROWAVE FORUM
Paul Wade W1GHZ
No, this isn’t a forum on how to cook dinner in the microwave oven! The microwaves are the frequencies above 1000 MHz, typically starting on the ham 903 MHz band and going up from there. And yes, you can indeed work other hams on those frequencies – lots of ‘em! But only if you are using the right type of equipment and antennas and carefully pick your operating location. This forum will be a survey of the frequencies, propagation characteristics, equipment and antennas found on these very high, but exciting frequencies. Hosted by Paul Wade W1GHZ, QST Microwavelengths Contributing Editor.
10:30
VHF MOUNTAINTOPPING
Mitch Stern W1SJ
Location is everything! If you find yourself in a poor location, simply load all your stuff into the car and head for the highest mountain! Mitch has been doing this for 20+ years, twice a year in the June and September VHF QSO Parties. He’ll give you details and insight on how to erect 11 antennas on 8 bands all by yourself, how to keep all the equipment running for hours on end and how to deal with all sorts of strange weather patterns. He’ll also cover topics like what to when you think you are all alone on the mountain and you meet up with a big critter who decides that you are on the dinner menu! Hosted by Mitch Stern W1SJ.
11:30
ARRL FORUM
Join with our ARRL Director, Vice Director and Section Manager as they detail the state of amateur radio in 2011. The ARRL holds its semiannual meeting in January, so there will be all sorts of things to report on. The first half of the forum will be informational and the second half will allow ample time for questions and discussion. Hosted by Tom Frenaye K1KI, ARRL New England Division Director.
1:00
VERMONT ARES ROUNDTABLE
This is a a great opportunity for members of the Vermont Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) to get together and talk about the state of emergency preparedness in Vermont. And if you are not a member of ARES, it is a great place to find out about this important organization and how to join up.
12:40
HAM-CON CLOSING CEREMONIES
in Flea Market - Main Ballroom
We will all get together for a brief 20-30 minute gathering to meet and say goodbye until next year. We will be treated to a show depicting the humorous moments of the year past, prize giveaways, acknowledgements and the (ta-da!) door prize drawing! Afterwards feel free to stay and shop in the Flea Market and chat with friends!
1:00
EXAM SESSION
in Forum Room 1
Testing for amateur and commercial FCC licenses. Bring $14.00 exam fee ($50 commercial), two forms of identification, any CSCE’s, pens and pencils. Don’t forget to study!
2011 Forums At A Glance
| TIME |
ROOM 1
|
ROOM 2 |
| 8:00 |
Contest Forum (8:15) |
|
| 8:30 |
Laptop Shortwave Receiver (8:30) |
| 9:00 |
Bounce Signals Off The Moon (NEW!) (9:05) |
| 9:30 |
Microwave Forum (9:30) |
| 10:00 |
The Doctor Is In! (10:05) |
| 10:30 |
VHF Mountaintopping (10:30) |
| 11:00 |
Launch Your Antenna Into Space (11:00) |
| 11:30 |
ARRL Forum (11:30) |
| 12:00 |
K4M Dxpedition (12:00) |
| 12:30 |
|
| 1:00 |
VE Session (1:00) |
VT ARES Roundtable (1:00) |
| 1:30 |
VENDOR OPTIONS
Vendors can elect to take advantage of early entry (6:00) or normal entry (8:00).
VENDOR EARLY ENTRY
- Available 6:00-8:00 only
- Admission: $15 at door, $12 in advance
VENDOR NORMAL ENTRY
- Available 8:00 until end of hamfest
- Admission: $8 at door, $6 in advance
- Tables first come, first served
We will reserve tables only for setups of 4 tables or larger. There is still no charge for tables.
Tables are NOT guaranteed.
We ask that vendors take all unsold merchandise away at the end of the day.
HAM-COM makes every effort to help our vendors do well at
the show. Please let us know how we can help you!
The Holiday Inn is our Headquarters for HAM-CON.
They have reserved a block of rooms at a special convention rate of $95 (normal rate is $119).
Why not stay the night and spend a leisurely weekend at HAM-CON?
Reserve early, as this deal will not be available past early February 10th.
Book Directly Online with Holiday Inn or
Call them directly at: 802-863-6363
Here are local phone numbers of other motels in the Burlington area.
This list is information from the phone book. It does not imply any
recommendation, although it's probably
a safe bet that the roof doesn't leak at any of these lodgings.
I-89 exit 14 - Williston Rd
Anchorage Inn 863-7000
Best Western 863-1125
Comfort Inn 863-5541
Doubletree 658-0250
Ethan Allen Inn 863-4573
Hawthorne Suites 860-1212
Ho-Hum Motel 863-4551
LaQuinta Inn 864-4638
Sheraton Inn 865-6600
Swiss Host 862-5734
Rt 15 Colchester (1mi)
Days Inn 655-0900
Handy's Suites 655-6000
I-89 exit 16 Colchester (2mi)
Hampton Inn 655-6177
Quality Inn 655-1400
Motel 6 654-6860
Downtown Burlington (2mi)
Hilton 658-6500
Marriot Courtyard 864-4700
Harper's Restaurant, located on-site will be open until 11 AM only for breakfast items.
There are many, many food locations nearby, within 1/2 mile!
Williston Rd:
| Westbound (same side) |
|
Eastbound (across street) |
Moe's Southwest Grill
Chicken Charlies
Leonardo's Pizza
Burger King
Silver Palace
Quiznos
Zachery's
|
|
Friendly's
McDonald's
Al's French Frys
Marco's Pizza |
Dorset St - University Mall:
Applebee's
IHOP
|
Mall Food Court
Dunkin Donuts
Fortune Cookie
McDonalds
Quiznos
Samosaman
Sbarro
Subway
Taco Bell
|
The Milton Hamfest started in 1983 as the "Northern Vermont Electronics
Show." It was conceived by WB1BWV, WB2JSJ and others as a way to get
Vermont hams together for swapping equipment and socializing during
the long winter. The admission back then was $2. The philosophy
of the Milton Hamfest has always been to bring hams and experimenters
together for learning new things and having fun. The hamfest has always been organized and run
by a tiny group of volunteers, who, like everyone else, pay admission!
The hamfest started with humble beginnings and an attendance around 150.
Today, the hamfest draws around 400 people, which is a sizable number
considering the small size of Vermont.
Attendees come from Vermont, Northern New York, Quebec and New Hampshire.
A few come from Southern New England as well.
Over the years, some changes were made which we hope will
keep the hamfest a great one. After many years of being an independent
show, Milton is now sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont
(RANV), and is the ARRL Vermont State Convention. And in 2009, we moved it to a Convention facility.
We have worked hard to bring in more Forum Speakers and live demonstrations. The Forum program at HAM-COM
is the best you find at a small show.
It is the goal of the HAM-CON to keep attendance levels stable
and even show some growth even though hamfests all over the country have
been declining in attendance over the last couple of years. We cannot do
this without YOU! Please make every effort to join us!
Read the article about the 2001 Hamfest in the
Burlington Free Pree
What Else??
Keep checking back here for new information.
Back to RANV Home
HAM-COM
FEBRUARY 25, 2012
Last updated: January 3, 2012