Friday turned out to be a gorgeous day--sunny and warm, but not hot. As a result, the Hamvention fleamarket was packed with shoppers. I was astonished at the number of people indoors as well. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I plan to get plenty of sleep in preparation!

Thanks for the comments about our first posted video. Yes, there will be more tomorrow. My hope is to get away from the ARRL booth a number of times to grab more video. In the meantime, enjoy these Friday afternoon photos.

Our first video is up and running. Do you want to see what Friday looks like at Hamvention?

Go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gAJeLUo-o

Not all the Hamvention action takes place at Hara Arena. Last night there was an ARRL Donor Recognition Reception to honor those who go WAY out of their way to support the League.

New ARRL Maxim Society members for May 2007-May 2008: Bruce Butler, W6OSP; Bob Locher, W9KNI; Herbert L. Schuler, K2HPV, and Claudia Schuler; Dr Beurt SerVaas, A9WVO, and Roger A. Strauch, KD6UO. Michael D. Valentine, W8MM, is the first Maxim Society member to reach the Fellow level. Maxim Society Fellows have contributed $250,000 or more to the ARRL!

It was 9 AM, the doors were wide open . . . and we had no Internet. Hamvention blog readers will remember this debacle from last year. The good news is that by noon the problem was fixed and we were on the air!

We had rain overnight and the ground is soggy, but I've yet to see anyone trapped in quicksand. Wet Cat says the weather should improve throughout the day. We'll see.

Friday is typically a slower day at Hamvention, but it is very crowded at the moment!

The ARRL Member forum was well attended. See the attached photos!

You know weather conditions are less than optimal when the pilot drops the landing gear while you're still in the clouds. That was the case today as our Delta MD-88 airliner landed in Cincinnati (the Cincinnati airport is actually in Kentucky--long story). After an eternity in the gray, we finally broke out somewhere above the muddy Ohio river and about 60 seconds from touchdown. For this native son, it was good to be back in Ohio . . . Kentucky . . . whatever . . . again.

I think I may be among the last of the ARRL crew to arrive in Dayton. Of course, unlike the rest of the contingent that is staying at a local hotel, I'm sequestered at the opulent Casa De Mi Madre (Hamvention blog readers from years past will recognize this prestigious destination). This evening I was treated to madre's fried potatoes and fish sticks, followed by a request to fix a lawn mower that had given up the ghost for unknown reasons.

Despite today's soupy weather, Friday is likely to be much better for the first day of Hamvention. Wet Cat says that we may see some scattered thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday, but he insists that the chance of precip is less than 50%.

If you turn on an FM rig, it sounds like every ham in world has made the pilgrimage to Dayton. The repeaters are buzzing with people trying to find each other at various hotels or somewhere in between. (Some had taken wrong exits off I-75 and were hopelessly lost.) On one machine I listened as a British amateur connected via EchoLink--just because he wanted to hear the wonderful Hamvention cacophony. Even the local APRS digipeaters are screeching nonstop.

Hamvention was a hot topic on the local TV news. Channel 7, WHIO, did a Hamvention segment this evening. The reporter commented that hams could be counted on to spend more than 6 million dollars during Hamvention weekend. You can bet that menu prices at local restaurants will be adjusted accordingly!