Posted: 11/23/2014 6:19:21 PM EDT
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How would you like to have a private mapping system while at Hamvention?
One of the biggest problems I found was how big the arena was and how much was actually there. I kept forgetting where things were located or even things I saw. Foxxz had a good solution, he used google maps to drop a pin by the booth and give it a label. What if there was a smart phone app where we all could share our favorite treasures between each other? Also it could show everyone's location so meeting up would be easier. There could also be a messaging function built in so that when someone has something you are looking for you can get in touch with them. Even people not at Hamvention could keep and eye on it to see if there is something they "need". I have a good server I am willing to donate to the task and we have another member that might be talked into building something. If it is something you are interested in are you willing to throw a couple bucks or beers at the idea? Due to PerSec this would be a closed app and only available to those that support it. What do you all think? |
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Once you go there a half dozen times, you realize that inside the arena, it's the same layout every year with a few exceptions for new exhibitors. I have been going there since the late 70s.
Now the flea market is another story. If you see something there that you are interested in, buy it because you will never find it again. |
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Once you go there a half dozen times, you realize that inside the arena, it's the same layout every year with a few exceptions for new exhibitors. I have been going there since the late 70s. Now the flea market is another story. If you see something there that you are interested in, buy it because you will never find it again. I bought my SB-200 there last year, I covered the parking lot about 3 times and looked at nearly a dozen sb-200/220s before I settled on mine. I don't have 4 decades to get comfortable with the layout so it is easier to turn to tech. Another feature we discussed was photo storage for items found, but also a ham sexy album. Maybe to make the old timers happy we can make it notify in morse code 
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| There used to be an Android app called Car Finder (or something similar). It's made for people who often forget where they parked their car. It allows you to tag a location based on GPS coordinates. It may work outside but GPS may not work well inside buildings. |
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I also had problems with cellular data during. So many phones in the area really slowed things down. It was nearly impossible to make a phone call. I was supposed to meet a friend at the 2013 Hamvention. He finally got my text message 20 minutes after I sent it. Some guys bring 900MHz or 1240 MHz radios to communicate during the event because nothing else works reliably at the Hamvention. |
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It was nearly impossible to make a phone call. I was supposed to meet a friend at the 2013 Hamvention. He finally got my text message 20 minutes after I sent it. Some guys bring 900MHz or 1240 MHz radios to communicate during the event because nothing else works reliably at the Hamvention. Quoted:
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I also had problems with cellular data during. So many phones in the area really slowed things down. It was nearly impossible to make a phone call. I was supposed to meet a friend at the 2013 Hamvention. He finally got my text message 20 minutes after I sent it. Some guys bring 900MHz or 1240 MHz radios to communicate during the event because nothing else works reliably at the Hamvention. We could set up a 5 GHz access point on a pole somewhere in the flea market which should give fine coverage |
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It isn't that bad.
There are a lot more options available today. Back in the day, everybody that had a portable radio was on 2 meters. When you went to Dayton, it was almost impossible to communicate because of the number of people on 2 meters. But there are lots of frequencies out there and as mentioned, we are hams: use your imagination. Because there are a lot more options, 2 meters isn't as bad as it once was. So it isn't hard to find an obscure 2 meter freq: you might not be the ONLY ones on it, but you will be able to communicate when need be and you won't have to listen to a bunch of other people talking endlessly. If you want to, you can transmit and receive a PL that only your group is using. Needless to say, the guys I know that are into Motorola have a 2 meter frequency and they use P25: so they don't hear anybody that isn't using P25. Again, use your imagination. Personally, I often use text messaging on my cell phone and it isn't horrible. The tried and true, old school method also works. My group meet a couple times a day at scheduled times at the loading dock right by the hot dog stand run by the swim team. No communication, we just meet there at like 11:00 and 15:00. |
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Good luck finding a 2m or 70cm frequency that isn't be used. Quoted:
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You would think a bunch of hams at a convention could figure out a way to communicate reliably.  Good luck finding a 2m or 70cm frequency that isn't be used. I can find plenty that are open here at my QTH.  Don't get me wrong, i would love to go to the convention in the future. I just love the irony.
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I plan on taking my xts2500 uhf and nextel, I think those are obscure enough. Last year we used the ARFCOM 70cm freq with tone. That's where we saw how poor of performance the Baofeng radios have.
But being able to communicate is just part of the problem. Being able to store information is what really makes the idea shine. Same reason why we are using a forum to discuss this and not irc, you can read when is convenient for you. |
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It isn't that bad. There are a lot more options available today. Back in the day, everybody that had a portable radio was on 2 meters. When you went to Dayton, it was almost impossible to communicate because of the number of people on 2 meters. But there are lots of frequencies out there and as mentioned, we are hams: use your imagination. Because there are a lot more options, 2 meters isn't as bad as it once was. So it isn't hard to find an obscure 2 meter freq: you might not be the ONLY ones on it, but you will be able to communicate when need be and you won't have to listen to a bunch of other people talking endlessly. If you want to, you can transmit and receive a PL that only your group is using. Needless to say, the guys I know that are into Motorola have a 2 meter frequency and they use P25: so they don't hear anybody that isn't using P25. Again, use your imagination. Personally, I often use text messaging on my cell phone and it isn't horrible. The tried and true, old school method also works. My group meet a couple times a day at scheduled times at the loading dock right by the hot dog stand run by the swim team. No communication, we just meet there at like 11:00 and 15:00. The issue isn't just finding a clear freq; there's also desensing and more intermod than anywhere else on the planet. |
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I can find plenty that are open here at my QTH. Don't get me wrong, i would love to go to the convention in the future. I just love the irony.Quoted:
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You would think a bunch of hams at a convention could figure out a way to communicate reliably. Good luck finding a 2m or 70cm frequency that isn't be used. I can find plenty that are open here at my QTH. Don't get me wrong, i would love to go to the convention in the future. I just love the irony.It's only an issue at Dayton. |
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Good luck finding a 2m or 70cm frequency that isn't be used. Quoted:
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You would think a bunch of hams at a convention could figure out a way to communicate reliably. Good luck finding a 2m or 70cm frequency that isn't be used. Last year wasn't bad on the 440 frequency we were using. Only had some intermod creeping in a handful of times on my UV-B5. Intermod and RF overload aren't nearly as bad as they were back in the days before everyone used cell phones and text messaging. When I was there in the 90s intermod was brutal. The ap seems like a good idea, I tried something like that one year with saving waypoints on a GPS for flea market items but it was a bit cumbersome. |
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The issue isn't just finding a clear freq; there's also desensing and more intermod than anywhere else on the planet. Quoted:
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It isn't that bad. There are a lot more options available today. Back in the day, everybody that had a portable radio was on 2 meters. When you went to Dayton, it was almost impossible to communicate because of the number of people on 2 meters. But there are lots of frequencies out there and as mentioned, we are hams: use your imagination. Because there are a lot more options, 2 meters isn't as bad as it once was. So it isn't hard to find an obscure 2 meter freq: you might not be the ONLY ones on it, but you will be able to communicate when need be and you won't have to listen to a bunch of other people talking endlessly. If you want to, you can transmit and receive a PL that only your group is using. Needless to say, the guys I know that are into Motorola have a 2 meter frequency and they use P25: so they don't hear anybody that isn't using P25. Again, use your imagination. Personally, I often use text messaging on my cell phone and it isn't horrible. The tried and true, old school method also works. My group meet a couple times a day at scheduled times at the loading dock right by the hot dog stand run by the swim team. No communication, we just meet there at like 11:00 and 15:00. The issue isn't just finding a clear freq; there's also desensing and more intermod than anywhere else on the planet. That is a function of your radio. You won't see that with Motorola. |
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That is a function of your radio. You won't see that with Motorola. Quoted:
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It isn't that bad. There are a lot more options available today. Back in the day, everybody that had a portable radio was on 2 meters. When you went to Dayton, it was almost impossible to communicate because of the number of people on 2 meters. But there are lots of frequencies out there and as mentioned, we are hams: use your imagination. Because there are a lot more options, 2 meters isn't as bad as it once was. So it isn't hard to find an obscure 2 meter freq: you might not be the ONLY ones on it, but you will be able to communicate when need be and you won't have to listen to a bunch of other people talking endlessly. If you want to, you can transmit and receive a PL that only your group is using. Needless to say, the guys I know that are into Motorola have a 2 meter frequency and they use P25: so they don't hear anybody that isn't using P25. Again, use your imagination. Personally, I often use text messaging on my cell phone and it isn't horrible. The tried and true, old school method also works. My group meet a couple times a day at scheduled times at the loading dock right by the hot dog stand run by the swim team. No communication, we just meet there at like 11:00 and 15:00. The issue isn't just finding a clear freq; there's also desensing and more intermod than anywhere else on the planet. That is a function of your radio. You won't see that with Motorola. As someone who has carried Motorolas around the hamvention, you see less of that with commercial radios. |
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As someone who has carried Motorolas around the hamvention, you see less of that with commercial radios. Quoted:
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It isn't that bad. There are a lot more options available today. Back in the day, everybody that had a portable radio was on 2 meters. When you went to Dayton, it was almost impossible to communicate because of the number of people on 2 meters. But there are lots of frequencies out there and as mentioned, we are hams: use your imagination. Because there are a lot more options, 2 meters isn't as bad as it once was. So it isn't hard to find an obscure 2 meter freq: you might not be the ONLY ones on it, but you will be able to communicate when need be and you won't have to listen to a bunch of other people talking endlessly. If you want to, you can transmit and receive a PL that only your group is using. Needless to say, the guys I know that are into Motorola have a 2 meter frequency and they use P25: so they don't hear anybody that isn't using P25. Again, use your imagination. Personally, I often use text messaging on my cell phone and it isn't horrible. The tried and true, old school method also works. My group meet a couple times a day at scheduled times at the loading dock right by the hot dog stand run by the swim team. No communication, we just meet there at like 11:00 and 15:00. The issue isn't just finding a clear freq; there's also desensing and more intermod than anywhere else on the planet. That is a function of your radio. You won't see that with Motorola. As someone who has carried Motorolas around the hamvention, you see less of that with commercial radios. I carried a Chinese tyt and my THD72 at dayton this year... No intermod on the kenwood but intermod like crazy on the tyt. BTW phurba, get a new antenna for the yaesu HT yet?
As for the drop a pin thing on google maps, sounds like a good plan to me but im not sure how accurate placement will actually be |
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I carried a Chinese tyt and my THD72 at dayton this year... No intermod on the kenwood but intermod like crazy on the tyt. BTW phurba, get a new antenna for the yaesu HT yet?
As for the drop a pin thing on google maps, sounds like a good plan to me but im not sure how accurate placement will actually be Quoted:
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It isn't that bad. There are a lot more options available today. Back in the day, everybody that had a portable radio was on 2 meters. When you went to Dayton, it was almost impossible to communicate because of the number of people on 2 meters. But there are lots of frequencies out there and as mentioned, we are hams: use your imagination. Because there are a lot more options, 2 meters isn't as bad as it once was. So it isn't hard to find an obscure 2 meter freq: you might not be the ONLY ones on it, but you will be able to communicate when need be and you won't have to listen to a bunch of other people talking endlessly. If you want to, you can transmit and receive a PL that only your group is using. Needless to say, the guys I know that are into Motorola have a 2 meter frequency and they use P25: so they don't hear anybody that isn't using P25. Again, use your imagination. Personally, I often use text messaging on my cell phone and it isn't horrible. The tried and true, old school method also works. My group meet a couple times a day at scheduled times at the loading dock right by the hot dog stand run by the swim team. No communication, we just meet there at like 11:00 and 15:00. The issue isn't just finding a clear freq; there's also desensing and more intermod than anywhere else on the planet. That is a function of your radio. You won't see that with Motorola. As someone who has carried Motorolas around the hamvention, you see less of that with commercial radios. I carried a Chinese tyt and my THD72 at dayton this year... No intermod on the kenwood but intermod like crazy on the tyt. BTW phurba, get a new antenna for the yaesu HT yet?
As for the drop a pin thing on google maps, sounds like a good plan to me but im not sure how accurate placement will actually be 
It was very accurate for me. No problem getting back to the booths I had pinned. |