HAMCON 2011 - 9/10-9/12

[hmfigueroa]

I will likely be there early Saturday morning I want to catch the following talks, especially those in bold.

• 9:00 AM Ham Radio via Arial Repeater, Want to see what the kids are up to
  10:00 AM Work Hawaii on 2M SSB via Tropo
  11:00-2:00 PM Vendor Area
  2:00 PM Quik Deployment Antennas for Field Day or Emergency Communications
  3:00 PM The Art of Field Day Video
  4:00 PM Buddipole

I may go on Friday, but depends on work.

I may go on Sunday morning for the Baker to Vegas Talk

[cruiserlarry]

I'm not sure if I can make it or not....I'll keep my eye on this thread to see when folks are going. I'd like to check out the vendor booths. So far, seems like Sat afternoon btwn 1-2pm is the general consensus, so I'll see how my plans go...

[cruiserlarry]

Well, I missed going to HamCon 2011 - but I know several folks from OAUSA were there...so inquiring minds want to know what cool new stuff was on display there

Any HamCon reports ???

[SP Jon M3]

Well.. Here are a couple things that interested me..

One was the new Elecraft portable HF radio, the KX3. This radio has basically the same DSPs as it's big brother the K3. The radio was is 3.4”H x 7.4”W x 1.7”D and puts out 10watts with the internal power supply. There's also an optional internal antenna tuner available and an external 100w PS. I was told that the external PS was approximately the same size as the radio. The KX3 also has the option for an internal rechargeable battery pack. They claim you can get a good day's use out of one charge. The radio should be available by the end of the year.

Elecraft KX3





The next was the Tech Talk on Quick Deployment antennas. Here they demoed several antenna types and deployment methods. But there was one in particular that caught my eye. This was a new way to erect an antenna mast. Makes it seem a whole lot easer than the masts we were dealing with during field day. I found a QST magazine video on a HAM setting up the mast completely solo in 15 min! Link below. There's a full article with diagrams on the deployment of this mast in the June 2011 QST magazine on Page 30.

QST Mast setup demo

They used mast sections from The Mast Company.



The tripod can be ordered from Barans Military Surplus

[DaveK]

Never having been to a Hamcon in the past, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was terrific. There was something for just about everyone in the vendors showroom and there was a huge variety of tech talks that also had something for just about everyone.

As Jon mentioned, the tech talk on antenna construction proved to be a gold mine when it came to ideas that will help us for field day next year. It was also a source of great suggestions for anyone who is interested in quick set up of remote location antennas.

After seeing the Elecraft KX3, I know of at a least 2 OAUSA members who will be sporting a new rig by the end of the year.

As a teaser, there was a tech talk by the makers of the "Buddy Pole" antennas, with several videos of their DXpeditions, using their antennas and the new KX3.

Bottom line - well worth the $20 admission!

(Dinner at the Redondo Beach Brewing Company wasn't bad either!!)