[Elecraft] Elecraft [OT] Visalia Hamfest

[Jim Brown]

On 1/2/2012 1:51 PM, Doug Turnbull wrote:
> Dear OMs and Yls,
>       I am considering along with K1VGF skipping Dayton this year and
> visiting the Visalia Hamfest but I am looking for some information.    I
> understand that Elecraft is sponsoring the Contest University which is an
> event I would want to attend but I know little else about this event.   So
> perhaps some of the W6 land crew might fill me in:
>
> 1)The Contest University is on the Friday.   Is it April 20?

in the past, this event has been produced by our club, NCCC. See 
www.nccc.cc  I've not seen plans for this year, but would expect the 
same. I think we call it Contest Academy, and there are usually two 
tracks, one for beginners and one more advanced. Some pretty good guys 
do the teaching in both tracks.

> 2)Does the Hamfest run on both Saturday and Sunday

Usually starts Friday afternoon, goes through Sunday noon.  Search on 
Visalia DX Convention.

>   Crudely what is the size of this event in comparison to Dayton in
> percent terms?

Much smaller in attendance, programs, and exhibits. I'd guess 20% of Dayton.

>    I doubt there are any dinners but perhaps this is not the
> case and if there are I would like to know about them.

There are dinners for DX, Contesting, 160M, and IOTA, in addition to the 
Saturday night banquet.. And some of us go elsewhere for dinner in town 
and return in time for the banquet program -- it's a Holiday Inn in a 
not very big town, and the food is forgettable.

> 3) Is Fresno the best airport to fly into?   Are there any other nearby
> airports to consider?   We would be flying from Connecticut and I understand
> that AA has flights from Hartford via Dallas.

Visalia is roughly equidistant to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and 
most folks who fly in go through one of the airports around those 
cities. Oakland San Jose, and Sacramento are served by Southwest. Many 
who fly in also take time to see the sights in one of those cities, or 
along the way. There's a VOA antenna farm a few miles off the highway 
about 70 miles S of Visalia (no possibility of a tour, but it's easy to 
drive around it and look at it), and Visalia is pretty close to Yosemite 
and the Sierra. Although high elevation roads will still be closed by 
snow that time of year, there's still some pretty country to look at. 
And after a few meals in the hotel, you'll appreciate having the car to 
run into town for some very nice local restaurants. Some guys also get 
together around SF on Thursday to take in a ball game, then drive down 
to Visalia.  I've driven some east coast visitors on tours to Alacatraz, 
and to a couple of vintage ship to shore transmitting sites along the 
coast.  LAX has a bit of a jazz scene, though not nearly as much as in 
years past. Ditto for SF.

You should also be able to hitch a ride from SF or LAX with one of the 
locals if you put out a timely request.  From SF, the easy way to do 
this is to have an NCCC member post to our email reflector, and that's 
also a good way to find a room. You could also get some shack tours just 
by asking.
.
> 4) Does the Hamfest take place in the Holiday Inn as I believe the Contest
> University does?

Yes to both.

>    Does anyone have contact details for this Hotel and yes I
> can search on line.

It's fully booked the day after reservations are opened, and that was 
several months ago. There are more than enough good hotels nearby to 
hold attendees, including one just across the parking lot. The others 
you need to drive to. Rooms (or a bed in a 2-bed room) become available 
periodically as plans are changed by health, personal circumstance, and 
the XYL.  I suggest that you contact DX or contesting friends if you 
want to stay in that hotel.

Visalia is fun event, a lot smaller than Dayton. While it's officially a 
DX event (and sponsored by major clubs in SF and LAX), there are getting 
to be as many contesters involved in organizing it and attending it.  
And because it's a lot smaller than Dayton, it's easy to meet and hang 
out with those who do attend.

73, Jim K9YC