It’s hard to believe that Four Days in May (FDIM) 2025 has already come and gone—and even harder to believe that attendance was even larger than last year!
What an amazing event.
As always, FDIM is my favorite part of the Dayton Hamvention weekend. If you’re a QRPer and haven’t made it to FDIM yet, I can’t recommend it enough—this gathering is pure QRP energy from start to finish.
I truly enjoyed meeting so many QRPer readers and supporters in person. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your stories—it was an absolute highlight for me!
Once again, I was so busy chatting and connecting that I barely had time to snap any photos. Thankfully, my friend Mike (VE3MKX) came to the rescue with another fantastic gallery.
I’ve got a few quiet moments this morning as I sit in the dining room of our hotel in downtown Dayton, Ohio. It’s peaceful here—no one else is around, and no one has turned on the TV. Bliss…
Of course, that’ll change in a couple of hours when we pull into the parking lot at the Greene County Fairgrounds for Hamvention 2025!
So far, the trip and Four Days in May have been amazing.
I left Swannanoa bright and early Tuesday morning in the rain, but it cleared up as I crossed into Tennessee. The theme of the day was passing through thunder showers as I made my way north.
The plan was to activate Camp Creek State Park (US-5584) in West Virginia, grab lunch, then head to the QTH of Eric (WD8RIF).
I rolled into Camp Creek around 11:15 in light rain. Eric had confirmed there was at least one picnic shelter in the park, so I figured I’d activate from there to avoid scrambling if a downpour started.
I grabbed my end-fed half-wave and throw line from the back of the car—but then heard a very distant rumble of thunder. It was barely audible, but I decided to play it safe and set up under the metal shelter roof using my AX1 vertical instead. If I could wrap up the activation in 10–20 minutes, I could be packed up before any storms moved in.
It only took two minutes to set up the KX2 and AX1. I started scanning 20 meters for an open frequency, but could only hear one ragchew in progress—the band was otherwise dead.
I called QRL on 14,033.5 kHz, hoping for the best, when a loud clap of thunder hit.
Ugh.
I don’t mix radio and thunderstorms, so I packed up quickly, tucked in my tail, and hit the road. Camp Creek will have to wait for another day.
For lunch, I stopped at Tamarack in Beckley, WV. While the dining area might look like your typical folk art center café, the food is exceptional—the staff are in training for the famous Greenbrier Resort. I had a trout filet with green beans and mushrooms, kale, and sweet potato fries. It was incredible.
After a relaxed lunch, I hit the road again. A couple of hours later, I crossed the Ohio River and rolled into Ohio.
I arrived at Eric’s QTH around 4:30 and was warmly greeted by my canine buddy Theo—“The Great Warg” himself. You might remember him from some of Eric’s previous POTA adventures.
The Great Warg with WD8RIF circa May 2022.
Eric and I packed the car and headed into uptown Athens, Ohio for a quick bite.
On Wednesday morning, we hit the road early and activated Lake Alma State Park (US-1967), then headed to Great Seal State Park (US-1954) for a second activation.
Lake Alma State Park (US-1967)
While conditions were a bit unstable, we didn’t have to work too hard to complete both activations. (Full field reports and activation videos are coming soon.)
Great Seal State Park (US-1954)
Afterward, we drove another 90 minutes to Dayton and made a few stops at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, including the clothing store—where I stocked up on my usual Rite in the Rain pads—and the Commissary, where Eric picked up his annual supply of Nutella!
We checked into our hotel and later grabbed dinner at Carillon Brewing Co., one of my favorite spots in Dayton.
Yesterday, we left the hotel around 7:00 AM to attend Four Days in May at the Holiday Inn Fairborn.
I wish I had more time to describe what an incredible event it was—truly a highlight of the year!
L to R: Vlado (N3CZ), Thomas (K4SWL), and Phil (W9IXX)
We wrapped up the day at a jam-packed Vendor Night. And I do mean jam-packed—it was shoulder-to-shoulder.
A huge thank you to the many readers and subscribers who introduced themselves. I truly appreciate it!
I’ll cap off this report now because it’s time to hit the road again. More to come!
Just a quick update: I’m heading out today for Four Days in May (FDIM) and Hamvention—both taking place this week—and will be on the road and fully immersed in the events for the next several days.
While I’m away, things may be a bit quiet here on QRPer.com.
My inbox is likely to pile up, and my posting may be limited while I soak in the energy, fun, and (let’s be honest) chaos of the world’s largest ham radio gathering and one of the best QRP conventions of the year!
Thanks for your understanding—and if you’re also attending Hamvention or FDIM, I hope to see you there!
This year seems to have flown by already. No doubt it’s because it’s been one of the busiest years of my life so far (and I kind of hope it doesn’t get any busier!).
It feels like I was just wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and now—poof!—we’re only a week away from Four Days In May and Hamvention!
I’ll be leaving the QTH next Tuesday morning, doing an overnight at the QTH of my buddy Eric (WD8RIF) and his wife Vickie (KC8MAJ), then (hopefully) fitting in a day of POTA en route to our hotel in Dayton, Ohio.
We’ll spend all day Thursday at Four Days In May—always my favorite part of the Hamvention weekend.
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we’ll be at Hamvention, held at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio.
When I’m not out and about checking out vendor booths and catching up with friends, I’ll be hanging out at the Ham Radio Workbench / Packtenna / Halibut Electronics / Sierra booth in Building 3—booths 3011 and 3012.
Hamvention Lists
I remember when I first started attending Hamvention regularly (back in 2008 or 2009), I’d go with an extensive list of items to hunt down. Often you can find things at Hamvention that are hard to source elsewhere—especially items that aren’t easy to ship. I’d typically come home with a couple of boxes full of gear.
These days, though, my shack is pretty well stocked—and lately, I’ve been more focused on paring down than accumulating. So it’s rare for me to have more than one or two items on my Hamvention list.
This year, it’s pretty simple: I’ll be looking for another Alpha Delta 4-position antenna switch and possibly a few other components. Truthfully, I mostly keep an eye out for cool innovations from smaller mom-and-pop companies. I always leave a little room in my pack for those kinds of purchases!
How About You?
If you’re attending Hamvention, what’s on your list?
If you’re not attending Hamvention but plan to go to Ham Radio Friedrichshafen, the Tokyo Ham Fair, the National Hamfest, or a national or regional hamfest where you live—what are you planning to buy?
It’s hard to believe that Four Days in May (FDIM) took place two weeks ago! What a blast it was!
If you’re a QRPer, and you’ve never attended FDIM, you’re in for a treat when you finally do. This gathering is truly my favorite thing about the Dayton Hamvention weekend.
It’s a truly QRO event for all things QRP!
I was so busy at FDIM talking with fellow attendees that I took very few photos. Fortunately, my buddy Mike (VE3MKX) created a nice photo gallery to share with us!
I’ve received a few messages from readers and subscribers about failed park activations over the past few days.
It’s no surprise, really, since we’ve had several extended periods of HF radio blackouts with powerful solar flares and CMEs bombarding our planet.
I experienced this firsthand on Sunday. We celebrated Mother’s Day with a picnic and hike at Tuttle Educational State Forest on our way to visit my father in the hospital in Hickory, NC.
I didn’t plan on activating, so I didn’t bring my radio pack or camera gear. I wanted the day to focus on celebrating my amazing wife. After we finished eating and before hitting the trail, everyone encouraged me to get on the air for a bit.
I didn’t have my radio pack, but I did have the Elecraft KH1 in my EDC pack. I went back to the car, grabbed it, and then started calling CQ POTA after spotting myself on 20 meters.
I only heard crickets. After 25+ CQ POTAs, not a single hunter responded. I knew conditions were terrible, but I figured I’d work at least one station. Nope!
I tuned around to try contacting one of the half dozen or so activators on the air, but I couldn’t hear any of them. In fact, I only heard one ongoing conversation on the entire 20-meter band. Even the FT8 frequency was quiet.
In fact, I only heard one rag chew in progress on the entirety of the 20 meter band. Even the FT8 frequency was pretty quiet.
If I had my radio pack (and my goal would have been to activate) I would have deployed a 40M EFHW and settled in for a very long activation. I’m sure I would have eventually worked 10 stations, but it could have taken a couple of hours or more.
All this to say, if you had a failed activation in the past few days, it’s not you. The HF bands have simply been dead at times.
I packed up the KH1 without making a single contact, which was fine because we were there for family time, and that part was absolutely amazing!
Hamvention 2024
I’m heading to Ohio today for the first leg of my journey to FDIM (Four Days in May) and Hamvention. I’ll be at FDIM all day Thursday and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
At Hamvention, you’ll find me at the Halibut Electronics/Ham Radio Workbench Podcast booth #3011 when I’m not browsing the indoor and outdoor exhibits. Stop by and say hi!
Also, during Hamvention, I’ll have very little time to check email and comments, and I expect a backlog by the time I’m back home next Tuesday. I appreciate your understanding.
If you have a pressing question, please sign up for our discussion group at QRPer.net. There are loads of mentors there who can help you!
If you’re also going to Hamvention, travel safely!
I got back from my 2023 Hamvention trip last night and am now trying to catch up after nearly a full week on the road.
A way too close-up of Eric and his son Miles in the background!
As in past years, I traveled to Hamvention with my buddies Eric (WD8RIF) and his son Miles (KD8KNC).
It was amazing to meet so many readers, subscribers, and POTA/SOTA friends in person!
When I wasn’t walking around the Hamvention grounds checking out the inside vendor tables and outdoor flea market, I was hanging out with friends at the Halibut Electronics/Ham Radio Workbench table.
It was great to finally meet Vince (VE6LK) and Mark (N6MTS) in person. Hopefully, next year, we can have the whole HRWB crew at the table!
The Unseen Bean table next to the Halibut table (you can *just* see Mark and Paul to the left).
Side note: It was a true surprise and joy to discover that the amazing crew of The Unseen Bean were next door to us. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, so it was wonderful having Gerry and his amazing team so close. I bought a lot of coffee!
Eric and I didn’t arrive in enough time to enjoy the Thursday presentations, but we did make it to Vendor’s night that evening. It was busier than I ever remember.
As we walked into the conference room, there was already a massive line to purchase Hans’ new QRP Labs QMX transceiver kit.
Of course, I bought one (serial number 28, evidently)! It will take me some time to build this as I have a crazy June schedule filled with travel and camping.
We also attended FDIM Club Night and the Homebrew contest on Friday. It was so much fun.
Receiving my award from the amazing David Cripe (NM0S). Photo by Charlie (NJ7V).
I was over the moon to have been inducted into the QRP Hall of Fame at the Saturday Evening FDIM banquet. I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve this, but I’m incredibly grateful and humbled. Many of my QRP mentors are in the QRP Hall of Fame.
Thank you to those who nominated and selected me! What an incredible honor.
The “Vincester” (VE6LK) operating POTA from the back of his rental car!
On Sunday, we skipped Hamvention altogether and joined Charlie (NJ7V) and Vince (VE6LK) for a few local park activations.
Charlie using my KX2 and PackTenna to hammer out POTA contacts while dealing with the QRM of a nearby rural highway! Impressive op, this Charlie!
Vince and Charlie joined us for two POTA activations (during horrible band conditions, I might add), then Eric, Miles and I capped off the short POTA run with one more activation after lunch.
Monday was all about taking it easy…
Eric and I took all day Monday to “decompress” at the US Air Force Museum. Although I’ve visited this museum a dozen times before, it never gets old and the displays and exhibits are ever-changing.
I think it’s one of the best aviation museums in the world.
Tuesday (yesterday) I drove back to the QTH and fit in one short activation at Yatesville Lake State Park in eastern Kentucky. I recorded this one, so there’ll eventually be a full field report and activation video!
All-in-all, I fit in five POTA activations over the Hamvention trip!
Now that I’m back at the QTH, I’m prepping for a family camping trip. This is going to be one busy summer indeed!
Again, so many thanks to all of you who introduced yourselves over Hamvention and FDIM. It was amazing to meet you all! And, again, a very special thanks to the QRP Hall of Fame committee–being inducted is the true highlight of my amateur radio journey!
Did you attend Hamvention? Or did you have other radio plans this past week? Feel free to comment!
Thank you for sharing this, Pete! Sadly, I was unable to attend live due to my schedule, so am very happy to see these excellent presentations. I do hope that things will be normal next year and FDIM will happen in person again. If you attend the Hamvention, I strongly encourage you to also take in FDIM–it is always an amazing event.
A new kit from the Four State QRP Group and David Cripe (NM0S)
NM0S’s Cylcone 40M QRP transceiver. Look for it at Four Days in May!
Arising from Dave’s entry in QRP ARCI’s 72 Part Challenge Design Contest in 2010, the Cyclone 40 is an enhanced version of the original design. The transceiver designed for the design contest had 72 total parts, performed well, and won honorable mention. This improved version has less than 100 components and even better performance! The kit features all through hole parts and easy assembly. The receiver is a superhet design with very good sensitivity and selectivity, and tunes the entire 125 kHZ CW segment of the 40M Band – and does so at a comfortable tuning rate. A frequency readout is included so you know where you are at all times.
This is a complete kit, including the enclosure. A high quality board package includes the pc board, front and back panels, the sides, and top and bottom all of which make up the enclosure. The control and jack labels are silk screened in white letters and vividly contrast with the black solder mask, and the holes for the connectors and controls are pre-drilled. The ends are “dovetailed” together making a very rugged, easy to build, and attractive enclosure.
Features and Specifications
General
Enclosure: A very nice predrilled and silkscreened enclosure is included. It’s easy to assemble and looks great.
Ergonomics: Smooth solid tuning, a quiet receiver with QSK and well behaved AGC. Nicely laid out front and rear panels.
VFO: The VFO is a simple PTO design, is very stable, and also quite easy to build
Sidetone: Included!
AGC: Audio derived, fast and smooth.
Frequency Range: 7.000 – 7.125 typical.
Tuning Speed: 10kHz/knob turn typical.
Stability: 300 HZ the first 5 min after power up, less than 10 HZ/hour after that.
QSK: Fantastic QSK! Full Break in, excellent muting, really fast!
All Through Hole Parts There are NO SMT parts in this kit, and only three easy to wind toroids.
Dimensions: 4.4 x 3.6 x 1.9″
Power Connector: 2.5×5.5mm coaxial, center positive. Should be fused at 1A, fast blow at PS
Antenna connector: BNC
Receiver
Configuration: Superheterodyne, 11 MHZ IF, 4 Crystal IF Filter.
Sensitivity: MDS (Minimum Discernable Signal) -125, Typical, below the normal 40M band noise level.
Selectivity: Four crystal, 500 HZ IF filter
IMD3: 90 dB typical, better than most commercial gear!
IP3: +10 dBm typical – another very good number
Frequency Readout: 3 or 4 digit CW, 1 kHz or 100 Hz resolution (user selectable), developed by Adrian Hill, KCØYOI.
Band Edge Marker: A band edge marker is heard at 7.001 MHZ
Headphone Jack: 1/8″ stereo, standard earbud/Walkman® headphone compatible
DC Current consumption: 30 ma typical at 13.6 VDC.
Transmitter
Configuration: Stable, Wide Range VFO (PTO design), Efficient Class E Final.
Spectral Purity: All harmonics and spurs less than 50dB below the carrier.
Output Power: approximately 4W into 50 ohms
DC Current consumption: 500ma typical at 13.6 VDC Will operate down to 9v DC.
Key Jack: 1/8″ stereo, grounded shell, switching the tip keys TX. Contacts accessible for an internal add-on keyer
Kits should be available at QRP ARCI’s Four Days in May conference at Dayton, and will be for sale on the Four State QRP Group’s web site approximately May 20th. The final price hasn’t been determined yet but should be less than $100 plus shipping.
One of the highlights of my trip to the Dayton Hamvention last year was attending evenings at Four Days in May (FDIM), a QRP convention sponsored by the QRP ARCI that rather conveniently coincides with the Dayton Hamvention, which I try to attend annually. Though scheduling makes it difficult for me to attend all of FDIM’s daytime presentations, the camaraderie and innovation one discovers at the evening sessions is wholeheartedly worthwhile.
Last year, I snapped quite a few photos at FDIM which I planned to post following the Hamvention. Unfortunately, shortly after the Hamvention, my laptop began displaying signs of an early demise. In haste, I archived my photos on a portable drive, where they remained buried for a year. I just rediscovered this photographic treasure, and thought I’d share it with readers; looking through them rekindled my enthusiasm for FDIM 2013, which starts next week!
A quick look at FDIM 2012
A great characteristic about FDIM is the array of QRP products offered by QRPers for the community. More often than not, these products are fairly priced, and often in support of the QRP community rather than major profit-making ventures.
For example, the North Georgia QRP Club produces affordable wood stands for QRP rigs. They’re incredibly simple, but fully finished and beautifully designed, just the thing to prop up your QRP portable at the right angle for desktop use.
Speaking of wood products–one vendor last year featured an amazing array of wooden paddle pieces and even custom wooden tuning dimples (spinner knobs) for the Elecraft K2 and K1.
As you can see from the photos, each piece is perfectly finished and has great character, as one might expect of real wood.
Dennis, being a hard-core QRPer, trekked with ham gear in tow; he brought his kits to FDIM:
There were a variety of keys and paddles to be seen, of course; offerings range from the home brewed to gorgeous Italian Begali designs:
One paddle that really caught my attention was QuadraBug, a creation of WB9LPU. What makes this gem stand apart from other “Bugs” is that not only will it form “dits” automatically, but it also forms “dahs.” Truly, an amazing work of engineering. I searched the web for a video of the QuadraBug in action, but found nothing. [UPDATE: Thanks, Yan for finding a video! See video below.] This year, I’ll take a video if I’m fortunate enough to see it again.
Home-brew galore
There were an amazing number of home-brewed projects on display, and even a home-brew contest. I didn’t capture photos of them all, but I did manage to snap a few.
One that really caught my eye (being a shortwave receiver enthusiast) was David Cripe’s (NM0S) version of Hutch’s Radio. The original Hutch’s Radios were built by US and British POW’s in WWII. Built in canteens, often from confiscated parts, these radios gave POWs hope by allowing them to tune in the outside world, via the BBC WS and Voice of America. In the spirit of the original, David challenged himself to build his version prior to FDIM, with original parts of the era, and in “secrecy.” Secrecy? As many of the components had to be purchased from suppliers on eBay, David tried to intercept all of the incoming packages without his wife noticing. His success was brief–alas, his wife discovered the mission–but fun; still, the end result was a very cool piece of historical recreation with a humorous story to match:
Of course, FDIM featured loads of QRP transmitters, receivers and transceivers; here is Dwayne’s (AK4P) 40 meter transceiver, built in a SPAM container:
Terry Young, K4KJP, built a very cool pocket 20 meter transceiver in an Altoids tin:
And Alan Shapiro, NM5S, should have won a prize for the most compact set of CW paddles. These paddles are so small that they can be clamped onto your log book. Much to my surprise, they were amazingly easy to use, and would be a great addition to any field-portable radio:
FDIM 2013
If FDIM 2012 is any indication (yes), this is a mere sampling of the stuff you’ll see at Four Days In May 2013. I encourage you to attend: if nothing else, make a little time either Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening to visit the evening displays at FDIM–they’re free and open to the public.
If you can’t attend, I hope you’ll earmark your calendar for a future date. I do plan to bring my camera again this year and will share some photos. Hopefully, I’ll post them a little earlier this go-around!
Hope to see you at FDIM and the Hamvention. For the third year in a row, I will be representing my charity, Ears To Our World (ETOW), at an inside exhibit at the Hamvention. We should be in booth 601 in the East Hall. Please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself! (And if you feel so inclined, you can even donate a few bucks to our worthy cause.) See you there–!
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