HamVention 2014

May 15, 16 & 17, 2014

 

 

 

New mini repeater for use at the hamfest

 

Mini repeater in the box - all wired up and ready to install

 

Jim - W5JCS's advanced HamVention tickets...

 

Wednesday, 5/14/2014

Wednesday was a busy day here making preparations for the Flea Market and The Gathering Of The Faithful!

Fast Eddie - W8ED arrived late in the afternoon to deliver the beer for the weekend!

Yes, it was raining when Fast Eddie arrived.  Here he is making attachments to the keg.

 

He is installing the tap on the front...

 

WE HAVE FLOW!  OF COURSE, FAST EDDIE IS THE FLOW MANAGER!

He is drawing a second cup to help take off some the foam.  You can see the first one was quite foamy!

 

Nectar Of The Gods!

 

Thursday, 5/15/2014

Breakfast at Burkey's at 8AM was all in order.  The only catch was Keith was so busy visiting with the guys he never took any photos!  

What's up with that?

The breakfast group consisted of Chas - AI0OK, Max - K1MAX, Lou - N8KXM, Dave - WB8WIQ and Keith - WA8ZWJ.

Then N8KXM, WB8WIQ and WA8ZWJ went to the flea market to begin our set up of the booth!

They guys were busy with set up so no "in progress" photos were taken.

 

The floors are down and ready!  The warehouse van is in place!

 

The antenna support is under the tire and ready for the antenna to be put up this evening.

Notice that the screwdriver antenna is not on the back of the van?

 

That is because it is in need of repair.  Here Keith is handing it to Gaylen - WB0W who will get it all fixed up and send it back to Keith later.

 

The repeater had a lot more activity than usual today as other IOOK'ers arrived in the Dayton area.

Of course, APRS locally has gone nuts!

 

Bob - N0BIX and Jean approach the Ohio state line!

 

Lou - N8KXM caught this shot as Bob and Jean arrive at their place...

 

Bob fumbles for his camera as Lou got the first shot!  :-)

 

They have arrived at Lou - N8KXM and Sandi's!

 

Afternoon visit time!

 

Tom - W3TOM and Debbie - KA3VNF have arrived!

 

Here's another look at Tom and Debbie's motor coach in the driveway...

 

It's 5:30 so it must be time for dinner at the Toll House Tavern!

 

Miriam and Lew - KC4US

 

Joe - N8BYT

 

John - W9KD

 

Loyd - K8EI and Charlie - NN3V

 

Ron - W6KJ, JoAnne - N6YLO and Loyd - K8EI

 

Marian - WD8CJD

 

Chas - AI0OK

 

Big Al - KB8FJB and Dave - W8TVC

 

Wil - WB5YFX

 

Max - K1MAX

 

Linda - WD8BYX

 

Stan - N5JFQ, Jim - W5JCS, Joe - WA5FLT and Bruce - W6RBM

 

Jean and Bob - N0BIX

 

 

 

 

 

The Toll House Tavern was established in July of 1981

 

Waiting on dinner to be served...

 

 

 

 

Lou - N8KXM

 

 

 

 

 

Ron - W6KJ - I love this shirt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK - it's 7:30 and time to head to the flea market to continue our set up chores...

 

The frame has been assembled and now it's time to spread out the tarp...

 

Adding zip ties and bungee cords to hold the tarp in place...

 

 

We have an erection!  The tarp is in place!

 

Now the antenna and IOOK flag are going up!

 

Routing the coax and securing things...

 

The task is done for this evening!  Time to go stack a few zzzz's!

After dinner set up crew was Keith - WA8ZWJ, Charlie - NN3C, Joe - N8BYT, Loyd - K8EI and Lou - N8KXM!

 

 

Friday, 5/16/2014

 

 

This photo was taken by our waitress.  The mirror and Dave's reflective vest provided a lot of reflection!

Joe - N8BYT, Keith - WA8ZWJ, Charlie - NN3V, Dave - K7DRM, Bruce - W6RBM, Loyd - K8EI, Chas - AI0OK, Max - K1MAX

 

Shawn, our waitress at Burkey's

 

Loyd says "You know I always order a two plate breakfast!  I am a growing boy!"

 

After breakfast we continue our set up of the booth.  Here Bruce is attaching one end of the IOOK banner while Loyd assists.

 

The banner is up!  Thanks to the tall guy, Bruce, for his assistance!

 

Dave - W8TVC

 

Big Al - KB8FJB

 

Oklahoma City Chapter arrives at HamVention 2014!

 

N0BIX has arrived at the arena...

 

He first goes inside and finds this young lady...

 

Waiting to get inside out of the rain!

 

Another ham (unknown) Stan - N5JFQ and Joe - WA5FLT waiting to get inside out of the rain!

 

Joe - WA5FLT, Stan - N5JFQ and Jim - W5JCS with ARRL Chief Executive Officer Dave Summer - K1ZZ

 

The rain and wind have made things cool.  We added a side tarp to curtain off the wind on the west end of the overhead tarp.

 

Making sales - even if they are a bit slow...

 

Stan says 73 with Joe and new friend...

 

 

Bob - N0BIX has arrived at the IOOK flea market booth!

 

Rick - KK8O

 

Charlie - NN3V with his new purchase which is boxed and ready to send home!

 

Wil - WB5YFX

 

N0BIX spots a place in the blacktop that has actually been patched!

 

Inside during another rainy period...

 

Tom - W5KUB doing his thing...

 

 

 

Jim - WB8VSU

 

Charlie prepares to set out the new IOOK Warrantee!

 

Skip - N2FOE

 

Tom - W3TOM talks with a neighbor at the ARRL booth...

 

Ron - W6KJ looks like he is enjoying this guy's story!

 

Debbie - KA3VNF also at the ARRL booth...

Happy 100th ARRL!

 

Tower and beam in the flea market...

 

Back outside, Joe - WA5FLT

 

Stan - N5JFQ

 

N0BIX has found another interesting hairdo

 

 

This is a most curious device.  It is a radio with no speaker.  It creates vibrations and reverberates anything it is set upon.  The whole van becomes it's speaker as does anything else you set it on!

 

Miriam and Lew - KC4US

 

The lunch chefs begin setting up for persimmons on the veranda...

 

Making progress...

 

"Persimmons are being served on the veranda!"

 

ZWJ asks "May I have more jalapenos please?"

 

Our Chief Lunch Chef says "Why certainly!  Here they come!"

 

WA8ZWJ and KB8FJB

 

Larry - K9XT

 

Max - K1MAX

 

Tom - W3TOM

 

Stan does a close observation of the new mini repeater...

 

Dave - K7DRM enjoying a cigar...

 

 

Bill - N8TQ finally makes it to our booth!

 

In the mean time N0BIX has gone back to Lou and Sandi's to await John and Jan's arrival.  Tom and Debbie's motor home is in the driveway.

 

 

John and Jan have arrived!

 

Lou - N8KXM assists from the outside while John - N5AAA makes minor adjustments and Jan - KA9VQS oversees...

 

The caravan park has just doubled in occupancy!

 

 

 

Jan starts the tour of their new motor home while Sandi and Jean listen and look...

 

 

 

On their way to dinner they must have stopped by the storage place and checked out Richard - VK5UK and Joanne's camper and tow vehicle.

 

The Gathering has begun.  Here are Jan - KA9VQS and John - N5AAA

 

Henry - ND8Q, Rick - KK8O and Wil - WB5YFX

 

Jerry - KE8ZB

 

Ron - W6KJ and Bill - N8TQ

 

Dave - WB8WIQ and Carole - N8CVF

 

Jean

 

Bev

 

Gail and Libby - N8KOR

 

Libby - N8KOR and Jerry - KE8ZB

 

Lou - N8KXM, Sandi and Bill - KA8ZBW

 

Henry and Rick

 

Wil - WB5YFX, Max - K1MAX, Chas - AI0OK and Bill - N8TQ

 

The brat boys - co chefs Big Al - KB8FJB and Dave - W8TVC

 

Bruce - W6RBM

 

 

Brother shot - Jim - KA8SFL and Keith - WA8ZWJ

 

Waiting for the dinner call...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debbie - KA3VNF and Tom - W3TOM arrive

 

Stan - N5JFQ, Joe - WA5FLT and Jim - W5JCS

 

Loyd has blessed our food and now dinner begins!

 

 

Buddies Joe and Keith...

 

Libby is serving up some desert!

 

"I'll start with some sloppy joes!"

 

"Here are more fresh brats right off the grill!"

 

 

Nolan - KC9EJB and John - W9KD

 

After dinner it begins to rain again so the awards are moved indoors...

 

 

These photos were quite dark but technology saved them.  No one reminded Keith to stand ON the hearth where there is more light!

 

Loyd begins the award ceremony with the Da Bear's Candle Lighting Memorial Ceremony...

 

Lighting the candle...

 

 

 

Dave - W8TVC receives the first award...

 

Sample of the award...

 

More awards...

 

Watching the proceedings from the kitchen...

 

 

 

 

 

Joe - WA5FLT gets one too!

 

 

Joe - N8BYT demonstrates his magic radio device - he says it works best on a Styrofoam cooler.  Incredible!

 

 

 

Charlie - NN3V receives an award...

 

 

 

 

Lou is telling a story on Keith about our trip to West Virginia for Field Day last year...

 

Keith receives the "Wrong Way Korigan Award!"  Very funny!

 

 

Keith also receives a compass...

 

and a box full of personalized dominoes!  Very cool!

 

 

Many thanks!

 

Lou - N8KXM is presented with the IOOK Hall Of Fame Award!  Congratulations Lou!

 

 

These folks are very important for our HamVention and Gathering activities...

Marian - WD8CJD - Hostess!  Fast Eddie - W8ED Flow Manager!  Big Al - KB8FJB and Dave - W8TVC provide the brats and cook them!  Lou - N8KXM Flea Market Booth Floor and Tarp Manager!  Many thanks for all you do to help make our HamVention experience a better one!

 

 

 

Bob - N0BIX our DVD expert!  The collection he has made is priceless!

 

Awards are over...time to visit some more!

 

 

 

Meanwhile, down in Keith's basement...

Joe - WA5FLT, Bill - KA8ZBW, Bill's grandson with Keith getting a tour of the basement rarely seen by most.

 

Stan, Joe, Keith and Fast Eddie take a tour of Keith's shack.  We are looking at HamVention APRS activity!

 

Lou is piloting the way home...

 

Here's a selfie of the folks with Lou!

 

Sammy gets some much needed attention...

 

 

Sammy thinks she is a lap dog!

 

Bob and Jean - another selfie!

 

Marian's kitty cat, Meggie!

 

Cheers!

 

Time to rack more ZZZ's - tomorrow is another long day!

 

Saturday, 5/17/2014

 

Early breakfast at Burkey's!

N8BYT, WA8ZWJ, KA8PBB, K7DRM, NN3V, N5AAA, N8KXM, AI0OK, W6RBM, K8EI

 

We had rain off and on overnight.  Our neighbors to the west had cleared their spot and gave us their parking pass so we expanded our operation.

 

 

flea market view...

 

 

By mid morning we had more rain, sleet and hail - much like Friday except it was windier and colder!  We covered the tables to keep the rain off them and because of the fact that we had no customers we actually closed down for about an hour and a half.  Here Joe is trying to warm up.

 

You can see the rain pouring off the tarp!  Joe and Keith got inside the van and closed the doors to warm up.  We did keep an eye on the tables but no customers wandered by while we were inside.

 

According to what folks told us who talked with the inside vendors, indoor sales were up this year.  Probably because of all the rain.

 

 

The girls met for lunch in West Milton at the Pearson House.  Jean took these photos.

Jan, Marian, Miriam, Debbie, Sandi and Jean - hmm, maybe a waitress took this one?

 

 

 

 

Then N0BIX showed up and took this one.  I think he was afraid Jean would forget to take shots!

 

"Persimmons are being served on the veranda!"  Lunch Chef Charlie - NN3V assisted by Bruce - W6RBM today!

Big Al is placing his order...

 

Charlie is finishing it up!

 

Kathy, Tom's XYL and Tom - W5KUB!

 

The sun actually came out for a while!

Glenn - W8AK is assimilated into the IOOK!  This is LONG overdue!

 

Good one of Keith and Lou with Charlie and Joe in background...

 

Keith working with the new label maker that K7DRM so kindly donated...

 

Team work figuring out the new label maker...

 

Loyd is checking his eyelids for leaks...

 

Finding no leaks, he decides to do it right for a while!

 

Joseph is checking his eyelids for leaks!  Hmm - sleepy Saturday afternoon!

 

No, Fast Eddie is not sleeping - just bad timing on my shot!  :-)

 

 

John, Bob and Lou at the DX Engineering booth...

 

Wynn - W6CDR

 

Taking a break in the booth!

 

With John - W9KD, Nolan - KC9EJB picks up the tuner he had stored in the van for a while...

 

Bruce shows off the bib he bought for a granddaughter!

That is a picture of a pink PIG!  :-)

 

Back at Lou and Sandi's Caravan Park, John is giving Big Al and Dave a tour of the new motor home.  Here's the generator.

 

 

 

N0BIX wanders out back and takes shots of the neighbor's animals.

 

 

Jean took this one of him coming back inside.

 

Well, it is 5 o'clock and time to head to dinner!

Here's WB0W's truck in the Hara Parking lot!

 

It's around 6PM and we are starting to arrive at Rob's!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe has strawberries and whipped cream for desert!

 

All fed up - dinner is over and visiting continues...

 

 

 

Clearing out...

 

All gone but the photographer...N0BIX!

 

 

A couple of sunset shots at Lou and Sandi's

 

 

This sunset shot was taken by Stan - N5JFQ at the motel in Brookville...

 

Back at Lou and Sandi's

 

 

 

Time to stack more ZZZ's...Sunday will be here too soon!

 

Sunday, 5/18/2014

 

A bit later breakfast at Burkey's this morning - 7AM!

 

N8KXM and N5AAA

 

AI0OK, W6RBM and N8BYT

 

W3TOM, K7DRM and KA8PBB

 

WA8ZWJ and W5JCS

 

WB8VSU

 

NN3V

 

K8EI

 

Bill - Can't make out his call - he kind of joined our group on account of because!

 

Ron - W6KJ got inside a bit early and took these shots of a lot of the booths before the crowd was permitted inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUNSHINE!  Imagine that!

WA8ZWJ & W6KJ

 

N8BYT & NN3V

 

The flea market is thinning out.  We have expanded again...

 

W8AK, KC8DTM, K8EI & N5AAA - John is receiving the mini repeater he ordered yesterday!

 

AI0OK & NN3V

 

Great T shirt!

 

Stephen - KC9EKU and John - KA8ZSB

 

Joe is playing with an old "flash bulb" that we found in the estate stuff.  He is trying to see if it will still flash!

 

Yep!  It did!  As a child he says he would occasionally remove the plastic coating so the bulb would explode!  DANG!

 

"Persimmons are being self served on the veranda!"

Our lunch chefs had either left town or were unavailable!

 

Yep!  Things are clearing out!

 

Sales are slow but we are still making some.

 

Bob and Wil sort the tickets in preparation to go inside and watch our numbers.

 

John will be watching tickets with them.

 

N0BIX found a place that they didn't patch.

 

Off for a walk...

 

Inside they found Jim!

 

Fast Eddie is taking down the side curtain.

 

The booth without the side curtain...

 

The tarp is down!  We are still selling!  One of the late sales was a guy buying stuff to make refrigerator magnets.  Interesting!

 

Time to pack Flat KBob away for another day...

 

 

Sad news.  No IOOK'ers won any of the last minute drawings.  The booth is closed and we are continuing with tear down.

 

 

The tables are in the van.  Now it is time to load the floors.

 

 

 

 

These suckers are heavy!

 

 

 

 

 

Last one has to go on top!  Thank goodness it is not nearly as big or heavy as the others!

 

Storing the pipes...

 

Yep!  That was our flea market space for the weekend!

 

 

Somebody is having some fun!  UGH!

 

Securing the load...

 

All done for now!

 

Lou heads for home.  John, driving the tan van and Keith driving the maroon van head for Keith's.

We dropped off the maroon van and head to Lou's to help with unloading the floors.

 

Lou is ready for us when we arrive.

 

While Fast Eddie and Lou place the floor in the shed Keith prepares the next one.

 

Lou has this down to a science!

 

Stacking the floors...

 

Lou is adding a hole for one of the center poles to better position it.

 

Notice the wheels?  That way we don't have to carry those heavy guys all the way!  Plus they roll pretty well on the wood sheets!

 

The task is done!  Yee haw!

 

Fast Eddie and Keith head back to Keith's for a quick beer before dinner.

 

Jan is relaxing before dinner

 

It is dinner time!  Let's go get all fed up!

 

Fast Eddie's family join us for dinner!

 

Bruce - W6RBM and his XYL, Sharon, WD8CJD and WA8ZWJ

Keith, Bruce and Sharon went to high school together.

 

Da Camera Man!

 

I don't know what Bruce did but he gets a bit of sugar for it!  :-)

 

Vicky and Ron - KA8PBB

 

How do you like this Bob?

 

How about this?

 

Wil - WB5YFX and Gail

 

W3TOM and N2FOE

 

Jan and Debbie - KA3VNF

 

N5AAA & KA9VQS

 

N6YLO, N5AAA, KA9VQS, Jean, W6KJ

 

Jean

 

Jean and Bob - N0BIX

 

Debbie and Tom

 

Fast Eddie and family

 

Wil with that "deer in the headlights" look!

 

Yes, we did get all fed up!

 

Surveying work for tomorrow's preparations for departure.

 

 

Looking for a good place to mount an antenna...

 

Desert!

 

 

Monday, 5/19/2014

The Caravan Park clears out and heads towards breakfast.

 

 

The tow vehicles are being driven to breakfast.

 

It is 8 o'clock and we are back at Rob's for breakfast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, there is no fun being had here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bye Y'all from Tennessee!

 

The tow vehicles are now attached to the motor homes.

 

Time to head out!

 

On the Interstate.  N0BIX and Jean are following John and Jan.

 

Jean takes a shot as they prepare to pass them.

 

Thank you for visiting Ohio!

 

 

The over 425 images seen above have been gleamed from nearly 600 raw photos submitted!

 

If you have additional shots you wish to share with the gang, please send them in and I will be happy to add them.

 

Photo contributors:  Jean, N0BIX, N5JFQ, N6YLO, N8KXM, W5JCS, W6KJ, W8ED, WA8ZWJ

My sincere thanks to all for a GREAT HamVention!  As many of you have said, if it weren't for the IOOK it wouldn't be HamVention!

73, Keith - WA8ZWJ