HamVention 2026 is over, and for me, it did not disappoint. The main reason I attend each year is to meet the hams I’ve enjoyed making contacts with throughout the year. Thousands of people, all incredibly friendly, helpful, and encouraging, gathered together because of a shared love for radio.
Historically, I’ve camped with three other guys — two from Ohio and one from Wisconsin. We spend the weekend catching up, sharing meals, and telling stories… lots of stories. But this year felt a little different. Almost every night we were invited to a different campsite for dinner, and one evening even turned into a full dessert night. It gave us the chance to meet new operators, hear even more stories, and laugh harder than we had all year.
Even though I’ve only been home for one full day, I’m already looking forward to next year. Here are a few moments from the weekend that stood out to me.
- On Saturday, I met a 10-year-old girl named Zoe who had just earned her General license. She was a bundle of energy and absolutely loved POTA. Seeing young operators excited about amateur radio is always encouraging and reminds you that the hobby still has a bright future.
- On Friday, I activated Caesar Creek Lake State Wildlife Area (US-7850) for only the second time ever. Both activations were done entirely on 146.52 and completed within about 15 minutes. When you have that many hams camping in the park, .52 is almost always a good choice.
- I also had one of those classic “technology moments.” I hadn’t used my PoLo logger on my phone for a couple of months, so imagine my surprise when the screen informed me that “PoLo Beta has expired.” Not knowing what else to do, I contacted the “PoLo Helpdesk” — which is to say, I texted the creator directly. Obviously, he was extremely helpful and got me back up and running quickly.
- One of my favorite parts of the weekend happened every evening around the campfire. Eight to fifteen hams would gather around, making QSOs on 2 meters and 70 centimeters while activating Caesar Creek State Park. There was plenty of laughter as people forgot their own callsigns, announced the wrong frequency, fell behind on logging, or simply shouted their QSO information across the fire instead of transmitting it over the radio.
That’s really what HamVention is about for me. Sure, there are radios to buy, forums to attend, and gear to admire, but the best part has always been the people. The conversations around a picnic table, the late-night laughter around a fire, and the friendships built through a shared hobby are what keep bringing me back year after year. Ham radio may revolve around equipment and technology, but weekends like this are a reminder that the real connection has always been between people.