RADIORAMA JUNE 18, 2016

The Cincinnati Antique Radio Society (CARS) held their annual Radiorama on Saturday June 18.  Radiorama is open to the public and is a chance to show, buy, sell and trade collectable radios.  It is also a fundraiser for CARS and the Gray History of Wireless Museum through the donation auction at the end.

On display was a Zenith windcharger.  This is how many farmers listened to the radio in the 1930s before power lines were extended into the rural areas.  The windcharger charged a storage battery that would power the 12 Volt DC farm radio.  A farm radio is sitting below the charger.

Also pictured is a collection of Zenith radio receivers that belong to members of the club.

VOA CONCERT ATTENDEES HEAR GREAT MUSIC

Music in the tent at the VOA building (Oak Tree Communications photo)

Concert attendees were treated to a spectacular evening of music under a tent at the Voice of America on June 4.  After a reception with hors d'oeuvres, great music was provided with Carmon DeLeone and the New Studio Big Band and guest artist Mike Reid.  Seating was under the tent as it did rain a bit during the concert.

Thanks to sponsors the Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation and Dee Dee and Gary West along with Alice Sparks for a great evening.

VOA Museum Director Jack Dominick (Jay Adrick photo)

Carmon DeLeone (Jay Adrick photo)

Members of the band (Jay Adrick photo)

Guest artist Mike Reid (Jay Adrick photo)

OPEN HOUSE FOR DAYTON HAMVENTION

Dayton Hamvention attendees were invited to a special open house on Saturday evening, May 21 at the VOA Museum. Over 100 amateur radio operators came down from Dayton for refreshments and tours of the three museums and amateur radio station. Here are three pictures of one group in the Control  Room listening to the history of the Voice of America.

GRANDAUGHTER OF LONGTIME CROSLEY EMPLOYEE VISITS

Joan Baysore, grandaughter of longtime Crosley rigger James A. Baysore visited the station for a tour on May 21, 2016.  Jim Baysore war responsible for the construction of the shortwave antennas on Everybody's Farm in Mason as well as all of the Voice of America antennas at the Bethany Relay Station during World War II.

Just for fun, here is a picture of Jim Baysore (standing) on the roof of the WLWT television transmitter building, 2222 Chicasaw Street, in 1951 in the Clifton area of Cincinnati.

HAMS THRONG TO HARA ARENA FOR 2016 DAYTON HAMVENTION

by James E. O’Neal

on 05.23.2016

The crowd inside Hara Arena at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention

The 65th annual Dayton “Hamvention” officially got underway in Dayton, Ohio, Friday morning with crowds of radio amateurs streaming in from virtually every point of the compass to check out the latest in ham radio equipment, look for a vintage “rig” or replacement parts for one in the vast flea market, take in the numerous ham radio-related presentations offered, or to socialize and engage in “eyeball QSOs” (speaking to each other in person rather than via radio).

Despite rain on Saturday, the hams were very good at “keeping the show going” and were ready with tents, tarps and foul weather gear, with some wet feet about the only casualties of the storm.

Vintage broadcast equipment is usually seen for sale at the flea market and this year was no exception. This Gates Gatesway 80 eight-pot console might have found a new home if the price was right.

A final headcount was not immediately available but according to Hamvention media chairman, Henry Ruminski, W8HJR, the number was expected to be close to 25,000. The Hamvention is something of a major stimulus to the Dayton-area economy, with most hotels, motels and RV parks completely filled, restaurants packed and roads crowded with vehicles sporting license plates with amateur radio call signs. Various estimates put the impact at somewhere between $10 and $20 million during the three-day event.

More than 200 commercial equipment vendors packed the exhibition space in Hara Arena, usually a sports venue, the home to the Hamvention for decades. The large surrounding parking lots were almost completely filled by flea market tailgaters.

Besides the arena and parking lot flea market, there were five meeting rooms to learn about the latest developments in such areas as portable HD antenna technology, digital operating modes, “fast scan” television on the ham bands, amateur radio satellite developments, radioteletype contesting, and more. Especially popular was a Saturday afternoon Federal Communications Commission forum hosted by Curt Bartholomew, N3GQ, senior emergency and continuity manager of the commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. The fact that Bartholomew is a radio amateur himself made the Q&A session even more lively.

Curt Bartholomew, senior emergency and continuity manager of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security, traveled from Washington to host an FCC forum at the Hamvention. Due to travel budget cuts, this was the first time the FCC was represented at the show in four years, and Bartholomew’s session was especially popular.

A familiar face, Jay Adrick, radio amateur and GatesAir technical advisor, was on hand at the VOA Museum booth to greet fellow hams and provide information about the area museum housed in the former Voice of America Bethany shortwave transmitting station.