THE VERMONT HAM RADIO CONVENTION
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2009
Hampton Inn Convention Center
Route 2/7 at I-89 Exit 16
Colchester, Vermont
HAM-CON was formally known as the Milton Hamfest or the
Northern Vermont Winter Hamfest.
It is sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont
and is run by the same folks who have brought you
many years of fun at the Milton Hamfest.
We have moved to a super location which is convenient for everyone
and has all the facilities to make this a first class show.
In addition, we will be expanding the Convention to bring in more forums,
more dealers and more demonstrations of amateur radio communications.
HAM-CON proudly carries on the Milton Hamfest tradition:
26 Years of Great Hamfests in the North Country!
"and still the best little hamfest in the world!"
|
Some Pictures of Previous Hamfests!
Date: Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Times: 8am until 2pm. General admission opens promptly at 8am.
Location: Hampton Inn Convention Center, 42 Lower Mountain View Drive at I-89 Exit 16, Colchester.
Admission: General admission $8. See below for early entry and advance sales.
Information: Phone: (802)879-6589, afternoons, before hamfest day. Or,
via Email.
Talk in on the WB1GQR repeater on 145.15 MHz (-600). This repeater is
monitored all the time. On Hamfest day, look for prerecorded hamfest
information and announcements on 146.67 MHz.
The Hampton Inn is located 1 block North of the I-89 Exit 16 Interchange on Routes 2/7.
From the South, I-89, Exit 16. Right at end of ramp, right at next light, right into Hampton Inn.
From the North, I-89, Exit 16. Left at end of ramp, right at second light, right into Hampton Inn.
Hampton in is on the road leading to Costco.
Go to the parking area in the BACK and enter through Entrance "C". Do not enter through the main lobby.
Our Grid Square is FN34jm.
If you have a GPS or are active on ARPS, our exact location is:
44 30 25 North by 73 10 46 West.
Map of Convention Area
Aerial Shot of Convention Area
FROM THE SOUTH
From NH and Boston: I-93 North, I-89 North through New Hampshire and Vermont to Vermont Exit 16.
From WMa and CT: I-91 North, I-89 North to Exit 16.
From NY: New York State Thruway or Taconic Parkway to Albany.
Adirondack Northway (I-87) to Exit 20 - Fort Ann. Route 149 12
miles to Route 4. Route 4 north 18 miles to Vermont Route 22A.
Route 22A north 43 miles to Route 7. Route 7 22 miles north to I-189.
I-189 to I-89 to Exit 16.
FROM THE NORTH AND WEST
From Plattsburgh: Northway I-87 Exit 39, Rt 314 to Ferry. (Runs every 20 min, $32.75 Round trip).
On Vermont side, right on Rt 314 to end at Route 2, right on Route 2 South, 20 miles to
I-89. Go south one exit to Exit 16.
From Montreal: Autoroute 15 to border, I-87 Exit 42 to Rt 11 to Rouses Point
Bridge to Vermont. Route 2 South to Route 78 East to Swanton. I-89 South to
Exit 16.
PARKING
There is plenty of ample parking. Be sure to use the parking area behind the building near Entrance "C",
which is to your left as you enter the Hampton Inn.
Because the show has moved and has been restructured, there are some changes in admissions.
New this year, we have instituted advanced sales to save you money and to make the admission process smoother.
We strongly recommend all vendors use advanced sales.
Admission at the door
- General admission is $8. Doors open for general admission at 8:00.
- Early admission is $15. Doors open for early admission at 6:30.
- There is no charge for tables. Tables are first come, first serve.
- No admission charged for those 12 years and younger.
- Canadian money accepted at par for Canadian residents with driver's or ham license.
Advanced Sales Admission
- Advanced sale general admission is $6.
- Advanced sale early admission is $12.
- Deadline for advanced sale is February 14th.
- Tickets must be purchased though our Paypal system on-line or at a club meeting.
- Print out your receipt and present it for your ticket.
Purchase Advanced Sale Tickets
FLEAMARKET
The Fleamarket will run from 8:00 until 2:00. There are several thousand square feet and scores
of tables chock filled with goodies. The offerings range from almost new to boatanchors and we can never know what jewels
will show up. The new equipment dealers who plan to be there:
| KJI Electronics |
Carries all major pieces of equipment from Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Alinco, Ameritron, Vibroplex, MFJ. |
| Quicksilver Radio |
"(Almost) Everything But The Rig": including Connectors, Antennas, Coax and Power Supplies. |
| The Shoppe at Wulfden |
Ham radio kits, Microprocessor parts and kits, LCD displays and kits. |
| Webster Associates |
A variety of ham radio equipment and supplies, new and used. |
FORUMS
Forums will run from 8:30 until 2:00. The forum rooms are located on either side of Flea Market. Details are in the Forums section.
RADIO DEMONSTRATIONS
Great Demonstrations will run 8:30 until 12:00 in the entrace area..
1. Special Event Station W1V. We'll be ON-THE-AIR and broadcasting to the world on 20 and 40 meters.
But we need help! We need operators - especially new operators. Sign up for a 15 minute slot. Prizes for the
most contests, furthest contacts and most unusual contacts!
2. IRLP & Echolink.
Live connection to the world via our VHF station at the Hamfest!
Stop by and have a QSO!
DOOR PRIZES
We will draw for Door Prizes every 30 minutes, starting at 9:00
Winners will be posted at the RANV Table and will have 30 minutes to claim their prize.
Don't leave early, or you'll miss out!
Prizes include: ARRL Handbook, ARRL Antenna Book, Repeater Directory, Subscriptions
to Worldradio.
VE SESSION
The Volunteer Exam Session will be at 12:30 All exams (Element 2, 3 and 4) will be offered.
All VE applicants must bring TWO forms of ID, copy of license and CSCE, if needed,
pen, pencil and $14 exam fee. Fee must be exact change in cash. No checks will be accepted.
FCC COMMERCIAL LICENSE EXAMS
Exams for FCC Commercial Licenses (GROL, MROP, etc) will be at 12:30. Please bring ID, proof of citizenship, pen, pencil
and $35 exam fee. Contact examiner at (802) 879-6589 for details.
SPECIALTY TABLES IN THE FLEA MARKET
- RANV TABLE Located at front of Flea Market
- Hamfest Information
- RANV Information
- Vermont Amateur Radio Directory
- Copies of past RANV Newsletters
- Book Sales
- QRP TABLE Information on obtaining and building QRP kits.
- PUBLIC SERVICE TABLESign up and find out about Ham Radio involvement in the
following events. Located next to RANV table.
- Vermont City Marathon
- Marck of Dimes Walk
- Essex Parade
- Other Events
- FREEBIES TABLE Located in main lobby.
- ARRL Forms and handouts
- Other Hamfests
- FCC 605 Forms
WHERE IS EVERYTHING LOCATED?
A map of the Convention facility and a layout of Flea Market tables will appear here soon!
HAM-COM continues in the tradition of the Milton Hamfest and will have the finest collection of Amateur Radio Informational Forums in the North Country.
There is something which interests every amateur operator. Stop in on the forum and learn a whole bunch of new stuff.
The forum times are tight, so plan your schedule in advance for best results!
The forums will run in two different rooms adjacent to the Flea Market. Forums will run from 8 AM until 2 PM.
Most forums will generally run 55 minutes, with a new forum starting each half hour.
The forum details are being set up and more information will appear in January. Please check back! Forum topics will include:
Antennas
Ham Station Setup
Radio Frequency Interference
500 KHz Ham Operation
Computer Interfacing
Contesting
ARRL
VENDOR OPTIONS
Vendors can elect to take advantage of early entry (6:30) through the back entrance, or
normal entry (8:00) through the main entrance.
VENDOR EARLY ENTRY
- Available 6:30-8:00 only
- Admission: $15 at door, $12 in advance
VENDOR NORMAL ENTRY
- Available 8:00 until end of hamfest
- Admission: $8 at door, $6 in advance
- Tables first come, first served
We will reserve tables
only for setups larger than 4 tables. We have found that vendors who arrive early will usually have no trouble finding adequate room to set up. There is still no charge for tables.
We will have a map of the Convention space and table layout of the Flea Market shortly.
We ask that vendors take all unsold merchandise away at the end of the day.
HAM-COM makes every effort to help our vendors do well at
the show. Please let us know how we can help you!
Here are local phone numbers of various motels in the Burlington
area.
This list is information from the phone book. It does not imply any
recommendation, although it's probably
a safe bet that the roof doesn't leak at any of these lodgings.
I-89 exit 16 Colchester
Hampton Inn 655-6177 Ask for special Convention Rate
Quality Inn 655-1400
Motel 6 654-6860
Rt 15 Colchester (2mi)
Days Inn 655-0900
Handy's Suites 655-6000
I-89 exit 14 - Williston Rd (2mi)
Anchorage Inn 863-7000
Best Western 863-1125
Comfort Inn 863-5541
Doubletree 658-0250
Ethan Allen Inn 863-4573
Hawthorne Suites 860-1212
Holiday Inn 863-6363
Ho-Hum Motel 863-4551
LaQuinta Inn 864-4638
Sheraton Inn 865-6600
Swiss Host 862-5734
Downtown Burlington (5mi)
Hilton 658-6500
Marriot Courtyard 864-4700
There are many places to eat nearby!
| Eatery | Type | Where |
| Smokey Bones | Sit-Down | next door |
| Costco (members only) | Snacks | end of Mt View Dr |
| Friendly's | Sit-down | across Route 2/7 |
| Shaws | Supermarket | across Route 2/7 |
| Maplefields | Sandwiches | across Mt View Dr |
| Burger King | Burgers | 2/7 South of I-89, left at So Park Dr |
| McDonalds | Burgers | 2/7 South of I-89, left at So Park Dr |
| Juniors | Italian | 2/7 South of I-89, left at So Park Dr |
| Libby's | Diner | 2/7 South of I-89, right at Highpoint Cir |
The Milton Hamfest started in 1983 as the "Northern Vermont Electronics
Show." It was conceived by WB1BWV, WB2JSJ and others as a way to get
Vermont hams together for swapping equipment and socializing during
the long winter. The admission back then was $2. The philosophy
of the Milton Hamfest has always been to bring hams and experimenters
together for learning new things and having fun. The hamfest has always been organized and run
by a tiny group of volunteers, who, like everyone else, pay admission!
The hamfest started with humble beginnings and an attendance around 150.
Today, the hamfest draws around 400 people, which is a sizable number
considering the small size of Vermont.
Attendees come from Vermont, Northern New York, Quebec and New Hampshire.
A few come from Southern New England as well.
Over the years, some changes were made which we hope will
keep the hamfest a great one. After many years of being an independent
show, Milton is now sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont
(RANV), and is the ARRL Vermont State Convention. And in 2009, we have moved it to a Convention facility.
We have worked hard to bring in more Forum Speakers and live demonstrations. The Forum program at HAM-COM
is the best you find at a small show.
It is the goal of the HAM-CON to keep attendance levels stable
and even show some growth even though hamfests all over the country have
been declining in attendance over the last couple of years. We cannot do
this without YOU! Please make every effort to join us!
Read the article about the 2001 Hamfest in the
Burlington Free Pree
What Else??
Keep checking back here for new information.
Back to RANV Home
HAM-COM
FEBRAURY 28, 2009
Last updated: December 23, 2008
