[Elecraft] Seeking comments on Ham Expo from participants

[Ian Kahn, NV4C]

While I enjoyed the Virtual Ham Expo, there were some aspects I thought 
could be improved. I sent this feedback to Eric Guth via the feedback 
survey I received not long after the Expo closed.

  * Like everyone else who has responded so far, I enjoyed Eric's demo
    of the K4. I am eagerly awaiting the availability of the K4 kits so
    I can order and build mine. I'm even getting my work area prepared
    already, for something I know is still probably 6-8 months out.
  * I really liked Wayne's presentation on the architecture of the KX3.
    It was really neat to have the chief designer of the product show
    us, component-by-component, how it was designed.
  * The gamification of the door prizes needs to go away. As has been
    said here before, and I'm sure to Eric G., ad nauseum - it penalizes
    those who actually want to enjoy the presentations and those who
    can't spend all 48 hours of the Expo going to the vendors' booths
    and the on-line lounge. And, it only encourages bad behavior, as the
    Expo organizers quickly discovered.
  * Users should be able to enter the presentations a few minutes early.
    By only allowing us to enter at the exact moment the forum started,
    it was possible to miss part of the presentation due to latency or
    other technical issues.
  * Since all the initial presentations were prerecorded, they should be
    available for viewing any time after the initial presentation is
    given. Nobody is good enough to be in multiple places at once, even
    virtually. And, some very good presentations overlapped with each other.
  * Check the videos for quality well before the Expo begins. I attended
    the Carole Perry Youth Forum, because two of the presenters belong
    to my radio club. Carole's intro was well worth the time, but she
    was so animated in her speaking style that her web cam kept trying
    to refocus. I was getting motion sick from it.
  * The vendor area should be more than just links to the vendors' web
    sites. If that's all you're giving me, aside from the chat, why
    should I bother using the vendor area? I can just go to the web
    sites myself.
  * The vendor area needs to be easier to navigate. The button to exit
    each booth to the "hallway" outside the booth was not prominent
    enough. I didn't even know it was there until the end of the day
    Saturday. I kept ending up back at the "front door" to the vendor arena.

All this being said, I think it was a good first run for a new concept 
in hamfests. The presentations I did attend were informative, even if 
some of the videos weren't of the highest quality. This may be a good 
option to add to traditional hamfests, when the pandemic clears and we 
can go back to doing things in person. I don't see this as a replacement 
for traditional hamfests, but it would be nice if I could see one or two 
forums from Dayton, say, even if I don't have the money or time to go to 
Ohio for the fun and games myself.

73 de,

Ian, NV4C


On 8/21/20 7:47 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'd like to write up a summary of the recent [virtual] Ham Expo, especially for the benefit of those who weren't able to make it. Perhaps they'll get a chance later this year or next March -- both likely, as the Expo was quite a success overall.
>
> It was, shall we say, unique...I'd love to hear about your experiences, good, bad, or in-between. Ideas for future expos are also welcome, whether Elecraft-specific or applicable to the event as a whole.
>
> This feedback will also be invaluable for the team that put on the expo, including my good friend Eric Guth, 4Z1UG. (Don't let my acquaintance with Eric inhibit your free expression...he's pure teflon.)
>
> Thanks again to all who dropped by our booth.
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
>
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