While OnAllBands has been focusing a lot of attention on the upcoming Dayton HamventionTM (May 20-22), we’d like to remind you that there are plenty more ham radio happenings in southern Ohio this May. In addition to Contest University (Thursday, May 19), Four Days in May—billed as the “biggest and best QRP event in the world”—will be in full swing May 19-22 at the Holiday Inn in Fairborn, Ohio, about a 20-minute drive to Xenia, where thousands of hams from around the world will be gathering for Hamvention.
For QRP operators (hams who practice the art of transmitting at low power), FDIM, sponsored by QRP-Amateur Radio Club International, offers a wealth of opportunities to learn new techniques from leading members of the worldwide QRP community; show off your QRP projects (station accessories, receivers, transmitters, power supplies, test equipment, antennas and solar accessories) in the annual Homebrew Contest; win prizes (an Icom IC-705 and Elecraft KX2); enjoy good fellowship and a sumptuous banquet (hey, QRPers may skimp on power, but they don’t hold back when it comes to putting on a memorable event!); and purchase equipment from an excellent selection of vendors who will be attending the event.
DX Engineering will be among the manufacturers/vendors who will be there in full force with an array of amateur radio products selected with the QRPer in mind. Here’s a sampling of what the DX Engineering team will be bringing with them to FDIM:
- TransWorld 5-Band Explorer Package (20-10M), with basic antenna structure, switchable band box, antenna stand, and travel bag
- RG-8X PL-259 Low-Loss 50 Ohm Coaxial Cable Assemblies
- Complete Coaxial Cable Prep Tool Kit
- Ultra-Grip 2 Crimp Connector Tool Kit
- High Visibility Antenna Wire
- RigExpert Antenna Analyzers
- EZ Hang Square Shot Weight Launcher Kit
- ECG 75W Digital Soldering Station
- Yaesu FT-818 HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Portable Transceiver
- Vibroplex VIBROCUBE Deluxe Iambic Keyer Paddle
- Icom IC-705 HF/50/144/430 MHz All Mode Portable Transceiver
- Chameleon MPAS 2.0 Portable HF Antenna
- West Mountain RIGRunner DC Outlet Panels
And if you don’t catch the DX Engineering team at FDIM, you won’t be able to miss them at Hamvention—the whole team of Elmers will be filling a veritable midway of booths (1207-1210, 1307-1311, 1407-1411, 1508-1511) to answer your questions, share a ham radio joke or two, talk about the latest rigs, and help you find the right gear to load in your car and take back to your home station.
If you can’t clear away time in your schedule to make it down to Dayton this May (hint: if you can, don’t miss visiting the amazing National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), the great news is that you can upgrade your stations from the comfort of home by logging onto DXEngineering.com and ordering the above items and a whole lot more, including QRP reference books from the Radio Society of Great Britain.
Also, take a moment to read these QRP articles from OnAllBands:
