July, 2006

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Dayton Hamvention 2006 attendance nearly even with last year's
Dayton Hamvention® 2006 General Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F, reports that the estimated attendance for the May 19-21 event was very nearly the same as last year's. "Our best estimates for attendance at 2006 Hamvention put the number at 20,324, a slight drop from 2005, but still within the ballpark for the three latest all-volunteer Hamvention years," Nies told ARRL. In 2005, an ARRL Convention year, 20,411 visitors attended Hamvention. The number of attendees in 2004 was calculated at 19,869. Nies said the Dayton Amateur Radio Association's Hamvention Committee will conduct a critique meeting June 13 to identify areas of Hamvention that need improvement and to discuss possible solutions, although Nies says that process already has begun informally. "Some committee chairmen have begun planning their timelines and their recruiting for next year," he adds.

Courtesy urged on 6 meter "DX window"
Radio amateurs taking advantage of recent openings on 6 meters are advised that the ARRL 6-meter band plan designates the segment 50.100 to 50.125 MHz as the "DX window." The idea behind this unofficial designation, which reflects a consensus of longtime band users, is to keep that area of the band clear for US-to-DX contacts on "The Magic Band." Veteran 6-meter operators report hearing many US stations working each other when the band is open. Such complaints arise each year when the band first opens, says ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N. "Frequently the newcomers learn where to operate quickly enough, and often the veterans can be heard gently coaxing them up the band for a nice chat, at the same time making them aware of the band plan," he added. US stations are asked to keep stateside operation above 50.125 MHz (the "SSB calling frequency") as a courtesy to those attempting to work DX during band openings.

Cordless jump-rope helpful for clumsy, others
If you think keeping fit is merely mind over matter, Lester Clancy has an invention for you — a cordless jump- rope. That's right, a jump-rope minus the rope. All that's left is two handles, so you jump over the pretend rope. Or if you are truly lazy, you can pretend to jump over the pretend rope. And for that idea kicking around Clancy's head since 1988, the U.S. Patent Office this month awarded the 52-year-old Mansfield, Ohio, man a patent. Its number: 7037243. What makes this invention work is the moving weights inside the handles. They simulate the feel of a rope moving, Clancy said. Well, it's only one handle so far because Clancy is waiting for financial backers before building its partner. But why jump rope without a rope? It's perfect for the clumsy, Clancy said. "If you are still jumping, you're still using your legs as well as your arms, and getting the cardiovascular workout. You just don't have to worry about tripping on the rope." ]It is also good for mental institutions and prisons where rope is a suicide risk, said Clancy, who works as a laundry coordinator in a state prison. And low ceiling fans aren't a hazard any more, he said. Daniel Wright, who features the cordless jump-rope on his website www.patentlysilly.com, can barely talk about Clancy's invention without laughing. "What really grabbed me," Wright said, was the name the item has in its patent, Wright said. The idea isn't all that crazy, said Mike Ernst, a professor of kinesiology at California State University in Dominguez Hills. "I think it's silly but at the same time if somehow, some way it promotes physical activity, gets kids active, then I'm all for it," Ernst said. The more he thought about it, the more Ernst said he could see the benefit, adding that the act of jumping, ot the rope itself, is what provides exercise. "Do you need to jump with a rope? You don't," Ernst said. "But I wouldn't buy the product, I can tell you that. I'm not an idiot." High-tech handles aren't needed. You could even use toilet paper holders, Ernst said. On second thought, he wondered if he could patent that idea.

July, 2006

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