Hamfest goes silent

The Findlay Radio Club has canceled its upcoming Hamfest, which typically draws about 2,000 ham radio enthusiasts to Findlay. But club members remain eager to share their hobby with anyone who's interested. Dave Dryden, chairman of the now-canceled event, said one thing he loves about the hobby is "there's always something new." And without the internet or a phone line, he can talk to someone in New Zealand through ham radio, he said. Or, he can "listen to the (International) Space Station as it goes over." Today, some people do connect their radios to their computers, Dryden said. The club announced Wednesday that the festival, which had been scheduled for Sept. 13, has been canceled for the first time in its 78-year history. The event, hosted by the club and held at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, typically attracts about 2,000 ham radio enthusiasts from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Canada. The Hamfest was described in a press release as "a cross between a trade show, a swap meet, and a conference." Dryden said the format of the event made it impossible to transition to a virtual version online. In an interview with The Courier, Dryden said vendors come from all over the country to sell new and used equipment. And, in something akin to "a tailgate party," individual enthusiasts bring items to swap, with everyone going from car to car trading items. "There's an in-person, social dimension to the event that doesn't translate easily to an online platform," Dryden said in the press release. "Hams want to see all the stuff, touch all the merchandise, and bargain over the price. Thousands of conversations and personal interactions are occurring in the course of a few hours that just wouldn't happen with an online event." In addition to selling and trading equipment, the event serves as an educational forum. Dryden said Findlay's is one of the oldest local events. This year's Hamfest isn't the only local amateur radio event to be affected by the coronavirus. The guidelines for Field Day, an national American Radio Relay League event held each year on the third full weekend in June in which hams head outdoors and operate their radio stations "in the field" and "off the grid" using battery, solar, wind, or generator power, had to be modified according to Evan Hartman, emergency coordinator for Hancock County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and chairman for the local Field Day. "We increased the physical spacing between the four radio stations we set up and operated over the weekend, and the rules for the competition were modified this year to allow the scores of operators in the field, based on the number and location of radio contacts they made, to be combined with the scores of other team members who felt more safe operating from stations at their homes," he said. The Findlay Radio Club has supported the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event in Findlay for many years by providing field communications support on the day of the event, before, during, and after the race, according to current radio club president and longtime chairman of the club's race support committee Allen Clark. This year's Virtual Race for the Cure will change that role. But the Findlay Radio Club is eager to continue connecting with the local community and introducing non-hams to the fun of amateur radio by offering training classes, monthly ham radio license testing and other local events. For the month of August, the club has set up a display in the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library (next to the reference desk) that showcases the breadth of amateur radio today. Dryden said about half of the local club members are "gray-haired like me," but many are in their 20s or 30s. For more information on the club, visit findlayradioclub.org.