xpyttl wrote:

According to my map, it's just over 3 hours from your QTH to FDIM. Go to
http://www.qrparci.org and sign up for the Thursday events. There will be a
paper on micros in homebrewing. There will also be a bunch of great papers.
The FDIM activities on Thursday are so good you are kind of disappointed
when Friday comes around and it's time for Hamvention! If you can't afford
to do the whole, four-day gig, don't miss Thursday.

You are pretty close to the two best hamfests around, Dayton in May and
Findlay in September. Dayton is kind of a zoo, but there is noplace with so
much stuff, and so much opportunity to see stuff. Findlay is far smaller,
and far more laid back. It is almost the anti-Dayton. Perhaps for that
reason, it is the most enjoyable hamfest. But nothing beats the day before
Dayton!


Getting on the air on a budget:


Go to a hamfest and pick up one of the older radios. There are some
deals to be had with old hybrid radios. Kenwood made some really nice
ones. There are some old Yaesu hybrids out there also. Of course, if you
get lucky, there are some deals on more modern ones also. I picked up an
Icom IC-745 for 250 dollars at a hamfest.

Next get a tuner. MFJ makes some decent HF tuners, and used are pretty
inexpensive.

Get some ladder line, enough to make it from the shack to wherever your
antenna is going to be.

Put up as much wire as you can. Feed it, and tune it.

My original setup cost me less than 350 dollars to get on the air, and
I had 80-10 meter operation (160 too if I didn't mind poor performance.


Note: If you want to go REALLY cheap, I picked up a couple of the old
single sidebander Heathkits at Dayton last year, mainly to learn about
tube radios. 20 Bucks apiece, and they worked. One band only per radio -
I got 40 and 80 meters.

Dayton is indeed a zoo, but it's a fun zoo.

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -