ARRL Expo 2007 at Dayton Hamvention

In just a few day's time, all eyes in the Amateur Radio community - well, most of them, anyway - will be on Dayton, Ohio.

The 56th Dayton Hamvention® gets under way Friday, May 18, at Hara Arena and continues through Sunday, May 20.

ARRL EXPO will return for a third year in the Ballarena Hall, showcasing the League's activities and membership
services as well as topics of interest to the Amateur Radio community. ARRL Sales and Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, says ARRL EXPO is akin to taking the entire organization to Dayton.

"Attending ARRL EXPO is a great way to become familiar with many of the programs, services, staff and volunteers that comprise ARRL," Inderbitzen said. "Besides having a fun time, many hams use the opportunity to learn more about the ARRL and about Amateur Radio."

Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR

On Friday, May 18, International Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR - the most active ham-astronaut ever to live aboard the space station and the first to work all states from space - will be the League's honored guest. McArthur will be on hand at the ARRL EXPO area to meet and greet visitors.

A veteran of four spaceflights and spacewalks, McArthur also established a yet-to-be surpassed milestone of 37 ARISS school contacts. In addition, he put 130 DXCC entities into the NA1SS log. He and Expedition 12 Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev released SuitSat-1 into orbit.

Live presentations - mini forums - on the ARRL Stage at ARRL EXPO 2007 will offer plenty of opportunities to enhance and extend your knowledge of various facets of Amateur Radio. Presentations will take place every half hour. Topics this year will run the gamut from ARRL's Logbook of the World (LoTW) to HF digital voice techniques and protocols, radio frequency interference, broadband over power line (BPL), going mobile, clubs, ham radio instruction techniques, Amateur Radio rules and regulations, contesting, public relations, good operating practices and more.

McArthur will take the ARRL Stage to discuss his six-month duty tour aboard the ISS, among other things telling how he managed to rack up more than 1800 VHF and UHF contacts from space. He'll also be featured during the Ham Radio
Aboard the International Space Station Forum, Friday, 10:15 AM, in Room 3.

ARRL staff members and officers also will take part in Hamvention forums throughout the weekend. The ARRL Membership Forum takes place Saturday at noon in Room 2. The complete ARRL Exhibit & Activities Guide is available on
the ARRL EXPO 2007 Web site

The popular ARRL Passport scavenger hunt will be back again this year, with an expanded list of possible prizes. Passports are limited to the first 5000 visitors. Also returning is the ARRL Internet Café, which will feature free wireless Internet access.

Of course, ARRL EXPO 2007 at Dayton Hamvention will feature a huge retail area where the League's most popular products and publications will be on sale. While there, visitors can renew their League memberships or join for the first time.

Younger hams and prospective hams will find lots to do. Seventeen-year-old Goldfarb Scholarship winner and youth editor Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, will head the team organizing youth activities and hosting the Youth Lounge, as
well as the third annual ARRL Dayton Youth Dinner on Saturday evening. Come to the Youth Lounge for the free snacks, stay for the fun activities and to just hang out.

In August, ARRL EXPO 2007 will return during the League's National Convention, held in conjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama . Preparations are in high gear for this year's national, August 18-19, at Huntsville's Von Braun
Center.

Source: The American Radio Relay League

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