[HCRA] Big E Space Chat Details

[rich at powder-hound.com]

Hey Fran,

I got in for free...no problem. So did the three people behind me in line who I invited to come witness the event. Not really much accounting going on in terms of who, when, and where radio amateurs (or not) enjoyed the fair. Our tickets even had "space chat" printed on them. Bummer I held on to them for about 5 seconds before they were redeemed at the gate and discarded. It would have been cool to keep the ticket as a memento. The perk was solid. More so, because I had to remember how to break into ULS to get a copy of my FCC license. Ugh...that was annoying.

BTW, there was not much RF radiating from The Big E today. Not on the amateur bands anyway. The event was cool, but I will take my Dog and Pony show over in the Mallory complex. All and all, it was a ton of talking heads and very little promotion of amateur radio. If you ask me, the event was really a "canned" production and the venue was not scaled properly. Also, the CEO of the Big E talking about the "American way of life" just prior to communicating with the International Space Station via a ground station in Belgium was hilariously off message. Hey, CEO's be CEO'ing :)

Anyway, I enjoyed my day at The Big E. One of my very first HF contacts as a young person was at The Big E in the early 90's. I'd like to see real amateur radio promotion and recruiting return to the Eastern States. With the right perspective and prior planning, I think it is a great event for getting people involved, but we have to work together and not gripe about an $8 - $15 admission.

My Wife and I will be at the HCRA booth on Sunday. We will bring some gear so we can demonstrate radio. So, if you are out and about on Sunday. Mobile, Portable, or int he shack, we'd love to make contact. Send me a note and let us know where to find you on the bands. Local will probably be easiest, but there is some HF possibility if we bring a small buddy pole or similar.

-Rich
KB1WDW