05/22/2026
Well, I am back from Hamvention and I was worn out after getting home. I needed a vacation from my vacation.
A lot happened and I met a lot of great people!
Despite a few harrowing moments on my trip to and from Dayton Hamvention, I survived!
On The Way
To make the trip less stressful, I split the drive there and back into two days each.
The trip to my overnight stay was mostly uneventful... After getting off the Interstate to get to my hotel on Tuesday in western Pennsylvania, a curb in an unusual roadway came out of nowhere and bit my front tire. Not once, but twice. Nonetheless, I didn't let that stop my adventure and quickly got it taken care of. I got up Wednesday morning and headed back on the road. I stopped just across the West Virginia/Pennsylvania state line and did a POTA activation before getting back on the road. The rest of the drive was uneventful.
When I got to Dayton, I stopped at the new Buc-ee's in Huber Heights, Ohio. My first trip to a Buc-ee's! After using the facilities, I picked up some beef jerky and browsed the merchandise to kill some time before the AirBNB that I was staying at was ready.
I then got back in my car and headed to the AirBNB where I met up with Tim NW9F (GraymanPOTA) and Michael KE0VIM (The Travelin' Ham). We unloaded our gear and started setting up for the Ham Radio Kids Table stream for that night. Once all set up, we ran out an got a quick dinner and back in time to start our livestream.
At Hamvention
After that, it was non-stop GO. I ran on adrenaline for the next few days. Staying up late and getting up early didn't make me happy in the morning, but I was at Hamvention for the first time.
I didn't record a lot of video or take a lot of pictures. Believe it or not I'm not into selfies of myself. I think I need to get over that for next time. I was happy too jump into selfies with others though. This goes back to me being introverted. Although I was really extroverted when meeting new people at the show. The photos I did take canoe seen on my Instagrams & Threads.
As I stated, I met a lot of fellow ham radio operators. I think most I knew from their YouTube channels, some from being on the Ham Radio Kids Table livestreams & live chats, some from other social media sites, and the rest were people that I had made contacts with. I also introduced myself to several vendors that I wanted to meet. All of them were terrific people. Out of all of the people I met at Hamvention, there were NO sad hams. Everyone was a happy ham! Especially at the Troll Pub!
Coming Back Home
My first day on the way back home I stopped at a park close by to the fairgrounds and did a quick POTA activation, making it from coast to coast on 20m. The drive to my hotel to rest up was uneventful, which is how I like traveling.
The next day I got up and headed to a park that I wanted to activate from. This took me on a scenic drive up and down the mountains of western Pennsylvania. The POTA entity I stopped at, I didn't activate right away after getting there. I went to the Visitor Center and walked around., taking in the reason why this location was here. (More about this will be in future videos once I get to it.) The conditions were not optimal due to some noisy RVs near me emitting some RFI, but I got the park activated.
I eventually got back on the road and made the final leg of my trip back home. More up and down mountains in Pennsylvania and I eventually made it back onto the PA Turnpike. I wish this part was uneventful, but it wasn't. Twice within 15 minutes or so, a car and then an 18-wheeler tried to merge into my lane, while I was using it. This is why everyone should take defensive driving classes and pay attention to others while driving. Luckily I did make it home in one piece with no traffic accidents occurring.
Look for a video or two in the future about my first trip to Hamvention!
My Advice After My First Hamvention
I would recommend to anyone going to Hamvention, whether it's your first time or you are a veteran of the show, the following things:
1) Pack an umbrella and a rain jacket (something light). It will rain during the event. How much is another story.
2) Bring good, comfortable walking or hiking shoes. You will do a lot of walking, unless you bring or rent a scooter to get around.
3) Make a list of vendors/exhibitioners that you want to visit or buy something from. Some items do sell out fast when the show starts.
4) Look at the Hamvention website for any forums that you might want to attend and set a reminder or alarm on your smartphone/watch for 10 to 15 minutes before they start so you don't miss anything.
5) If you want to meet up with particular people, set up some way to contact them, like get their phone number to text them before heading to Hamvention. I did miss out meeting a few people because I did not run into them during the show. Text/message each other to meet up once there.
Want to help support me and my efforts?
🕸️ My Website: https://K3JRZ.com
👕 Get Merch at my merch shop!
⭐️ Become a Channel Member!
☕️ Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/K3JRZ
🅿️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/K3JRZ
🛒 Shop on Amazon! Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4nV1gn3
🫙 Tip Jar: https://paypal.me/K3JRZ
Thank you everyone for signing up to this email list, those that subscribe to my YouTube channel, watch my videos and support me in any way.
YOU ALL ROCK!
73,
Jeff K3JRZ
