Top 10 Reasons to Come to Dayton

10. Rub shoulders with 25,000 of your best friends at the largest hamfest in the United States, including six of the seven AMSAT Directors and all of the AMSAT senior officers.

9. Find out how to organize a contact with the astronauts on the International Space Station for your local school or youth group from our Education and ARISS experts.

8. Pickup the latest AMSAT golf shirts, T-shirts, and hats.  Get your copy of the updated “Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide” (laminated frequency chart) and Gould Smith’s just revised “Getting Started with Amateur Satellites” (book).  We’ll also have assembled wide-band preamps that are great for portable operation.

7. See the latest equipment from Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Alinco, and many other manufacturers of amateur radio equipment and accessories.  Take advantage of discounted pricing you won’t find anywhere else.

6. See demonstrations of SatPC32 and MacDoppler satellite tracking software, and get your operational questions answered.  Meet Don Agro, author of MacDoppler (Friday & Saturday, 2-3 p.m.).  See a demonstration of the LVB Tracker, a computer interface to the Yaesu azimuth-elevation rotors.  Talk with Mike Young, who has built more LVB Trackers than anyone else.  Assembled LVB Trackers will be available.  Mark Spencer’s WRAPS tracker (Jan 2014 QST) circuit board, programmed PIC, and documentation CD-ROM will also be available.

5. Hear the latest on the Fox Project, the International Space Station, current and future satellites, Education news, and an AMSAT update at the AMSAT Forum Saturday, from 11:15 to 1:30.

4. Get one-on-one guidance on setting up your satellite station and making contacts at our new “Beginner’s Corner”.  Witness live demonstrations of contacts through satellites AO-7, FO-29, SO-50, VO-52, AO-73, and the Fox-1 prototype using handheld antennas.

3. Bring your dual-band HT and listen (on 2m) to the engineering prototype of the Fox-1 satellite which will be on display.  Transmit through the prototype on 70cm.  Meet and interact with some of the Engineering Team members working on the Fox-1 satellites.

2. Get satellite station and operating tips from some of the best satellite operators in the country, including John Papay K8YSE (1,406 grids confirmed), Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA (1,036 grids), Doug Papay KD8CAO (993 grids), Keith Pugh W5IU, and Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK.

1. Receive special premiums when you join AMSAT or renew your membership at Dayton, including an updated “Amateur Satellite Frequency Guide” (laminated frequency chart), an AMSAT carabiner key ring, and special pricing on the SatPC32 satellite tracking software.