Thanks for sharing Steve! Lots of great TopBand dinner memories also from Dayton
http://topbanddinner.com Hope to see everyone next year for the Dayton TopBand Dinner! 73 Tim K3LR -----Original Message----- From: Topband [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Hugh Valentine Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2025 8:47 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Top Band List List Subject: Re: Topband: IDXC Top Band Dinner History Your last sentence says it all! Val N4RJ Sent from my iPad > On May 22, 2025, at 5:13 PM, Steve Lawrence via Topband > <[email protected]> wrote: > > The IDXC Top Band Dinner History > > From 2008 through to 2019, I hosted the Top Band Dinner at the annual IDXC in > Visalia, California. > These Friday night dinners were co-located at the convention hotels. There > were door prizes and presentations featuring recent DXpeditions that made an > effort on 160M. > > That first dinner at the then Holiday Inn was in a small hotel ballroom that > was absolutely packed. 90 people. You could barely walk between tables. By > 2019 attendance had grown to 150 - a significant percentage of the overall > convention attendance. > > Over those 12 years there were some $50K total worth of donated door prizes. > Yes, $50K. Antennas, radios, accessories, test equipment, books, magazines > and discount certificates from: Alpha Power; Array Solutions; ARRL; Balun > Designs; CQ; The Daily DX; Dog Park Software; DX Engineering; The DX Store; > Elecraft; Flex; Force 12; Hi-Z Antennas; HRO; Icom; Idiom Press; Kenwood; > NCDXF; Palomar Engineering; Photo QSLs; Steppir; Ten-Tec; US Tower; > Vibroplex; West Mountain Radio; Yaesu - to name a few! > > These prizes were a big hit and the generosity of those companies, vendors > and organizations went a long way in helping make the dinners successful. > > My thanks to the volunteers who helped with logistical details to keep things > moving smoothly. > > With an emphasis on Top Band these were the programs: > > 2008 - Eric. K3NA - 3B7C Saint Brandon. > > Eric set up stereo speakers to demonstrate pileup management. We learned the > meaning of the term "Listening up 5 and 10." Eric really saved the day as > this was my first time hosting the dinner and I was initially at a loss for a > presentation. Thank you Eric. > > 2009 - Glenn, WØGJ - K5D Desecheo. > > 2010 - Bruce, W6OSP - K4M Midway; George AA7JV - TX3A Chesterfield. > > 2011 - Ned, AA7A - The Voodoo Contest Group, The Low Bands from West Africa. > > 2012 - Bob, K4UEE - HKØNA Malpelo. > > 2013 - Les, W2LK - ZL9HR Campbell Island. > > 2014 - Craig K9CT - FT5ZM Amsterdam Island. > > 2015 - Bob, K4UEE - K1N Navassa Island. > > Fred, K6SSS, and Joe, W1JR, in the 1950s were W2IWC and W2HQL respectively, > and they put Navassa on the air back then on just a shoestring. They were > able to hitch a ride home courtesy of the US Navy. Quite an adventure in > itself. By way of introducing Bob, Fred and Joe surprised him with a test to > see if Bob could prove that the team indeed had been on the island. Questions > like: "How many steps to the top of the lighthouse?" Bob was, as always, his > gracious self going along with the gag. Great fun. > > 2016 - Jared, N7SMI - VK9WA, Willis; Ned, AA7A - VP8STI, South Sandwich and > VP8SGI, South Georgia. > > 2017 - Glenn, WØGJ - 3YØZ, Bouvet Preview; Steve, WB6RSE - 160M DXCC from a > Los Angeles city lot. > > 2018 - Don, N1DG - The upcoming KH1 DXpedition; Glenn, WØGJ - 3YØZ Bouvet > Island "Successful Failure"; Lee, KY7M & Ned, AA7A - The Milt Jensen, N5IA, > Memorial Station NA7TB. > > 2019 - Chris, G3SVL - The 6 Gs at VK9XG Christmas Island; George AA7JV - > KH1/KH1Z Baker Island. > > Lots of memories, enduring new friendships and overall great times. > > 73 - Steve WB6RSE > _________________ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
