HAM RADIO 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany -- held June 22-24 -- is billed as Europe’s biggest Amateur Radio exhibition. Held annually in the Lake Constance region, this is the 37th international Amateur Radio exhibition and the 63nd Lake Constance Convention of Radio Amateurs, sponsored by the German Amateur Radio Club (DARC), which gave rise to the fair.

As part of the Lake Constance Convention, visitors participated in lectures, and international and national meetings, as well as large stage presentations. “The annual Ham Rallye and youth tent camp was the centerpiece of activities for children and teenagers attending the convention,” explained ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, who attended the event. “This year, there were 203 exhibitors from 31 countries at the event. Attendance was estimated to be near 17,000. The motto of this year’s exhibition was Digital Amateur Radio. In a series of presentations organized by the DARC, visitors learned about digital technology in Amateur Radio and the far-reaching implications this technology is contributing to the radio art.”

Each year, a contingent from ARRL attends HAM RADIO. In 2012, this group included Inderbitzen, along with ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, and ARRL Field Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG. “We enjoy this opportunity to greet our non-US members and network with other IARU Member-Societies,” Inderbitzen explained. “The ARRL also supports DXCC card checking at its booth -- a very popular award program among the international community that travels to this large show. The ARRL, as International Secretariat for IARU, also hosted a meeting area for IARU officials and friends at the convention.

A photo album blog is posted on the ARRL’s Facebook page.