Amateur radio club hits Hamvention

The Dayton Hamvention, held since 1952, is the largest gathering of amateur (or "ham") radio enthusiasts in the world, with more than 30,000 in attendance each year. That made it a natural choice for a repeat visit by The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) to the 2015 event in May; the club first attended in 2014.

TALARC Vice President Bill Sloan described the Hamvention as "a very successful event for us." The club gained a total of 61 new members: 46 Legion Family members who had not yet joined TALARC, and 15 new members to The American Legion itself. These successes have pushed TALARC's membership over the 2,500 mark for the first time.

The TALARC table was a popular place - the official club team got visits from everyone from individual TALARC-member attendees to hams from other countries. Sloan himself spoke to attendees from Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea and Central America; many of them also received communications training during military service. The club was also visited by other hams who have heard of TALARC through national ham coverage and media - "we're a hit and folks know our name," Sloan commented.

That outreach will only continue; club president Marty Justis spoke during the Hamvention on Ted Randall's "QSO Radio Show from Dayton," which airs live worldwide over the amateur bands and is streamed and podcast over the Internet. And, to continue the charmed circle, that outreach will only lead to more TALARC members.