Dayton Hamvention® has always been a signature event in the amateur radio year for DX Engineering—a chance to meet, greet, and talk shop with hams from every spot on the globe. If you’ve never managed to make the trip to the Buckeye State for this hamfest of all hamfests, you owe it to yourself to carve out the time at least once in your lifetime.
Headquartered near Akron, Ohio, DX Engineering has a long history of supporting this annual gathering which unfolds every May only three hours down the interstate in Xenia, Ohio.
The entire DX Engineering team, hauling truckloads of ham radio equipment and bringing along a combined 1,000-plus years of experience, will once again be making this annual pilgrimage for this celebration of the world’s best hobby—last year attended by a record 35,877 enthusiasts. This year’s Dayton Hamvention will be May 16-18. Get complete details here.
As Dayton Hamvention has grown from its first event held at Dayton’s Biltmore Hotel in March 1952 (attended by an estimated 600 people), so has DX Engineering. What began as a provider of specialty antenna parts has expanded to become a leading worldwide retailer of absolutely everything for ham radio. Summit Racing Equipment, the worldwide retail leader in aftermarket high-performance auto parts, acquired Oregon-based DX Engineering in 2000, launching a relationship that has fueled the amateur radio company’s growth over the last 25 years.
The Summit Racing/DX Engineering connection will be fully on display at this year’s Hamvention. You’ll find DXE occupying multiple booths in Building One of the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, which has been the location of Hamvention since moving from Dayton’s Hara Arena in 2017.
Among all the ham radio gear filling the DX Engineering booths, be sure to check out the “Roamin’ Gladiator” Jeep project vehicle featuring upgraded auto parts from Summit Racing and a mobile communication installation with transceivers and accessories provided by DX Engineering. The goal was to take a new 2023 Gladiator—which blends the versatility of a pickup with the rugged off-road performance of a Wrangler—and make it better, stronger, more fun, and fully equipped to communicate on- and off-road.
Here’s What DX Engineering Installed in the Gladiator:
• Yaesu FT-891 HF/50 MHz All Mode Mobile Transceiver (YSU-FT-891)
- Icom ID-5100A-D VHF/UHF Digital Transceiver (IC-ID-5100A-D)
• Rugged Radios Jeep Two-Way GMRS Mobile Radio Kit (RRD-JP1-GMR25)
- Yaesu Auto Active Tuning Antenna (YSU-ATAS-120A)
- Comet Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antenna (CMA-SBB-5)
- Comet 3D4M Standard Mobile Lip Mount Cable Assembly (CMA-3D4M)
- Larsen Right Angle Bracket Mobile Antenna Mount (LSN-TMB58B)
- DX Engineering Communications Speaker (DXE-281)
- Consolidated Wire Microphone/Control Head Extension Cables
- Ram Mount Mobile Device Tough-Track Mount and Track Ball Mount
OnAllBands will be featuring more articles on the Gladiator mobile radio installation plus additional posts on what you can expect from DX Engineering at Dayton Hamvention. Until then, happy trails!
