Day 3 of Hamvention is finished, and with it the 2016 Dayton Hamvention has ended. The sun was shining all day, allowing hams to explore the flea market and make any last-minute purchases.

Traffic slowed down in the ARRL EXPO and the ARRL Store after days of long lines. In Hara Arena, vendors gradually packed up their displays and carefully took down antennas.

At the Amateur Radio Disaster and Emergency Communications Panel, representatives from Amateur Radio disaster and emergency response organizations gathered together to answer questions. The panel was moderated by ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, and served as a chance to bring the various agencies together. Corey said he’d like to make this an annual discussion between the various agencies.

The panel members were Rob Macedo, KD1CY, of the VoIP WX Net and VoIP Hurricane Net; Paul English, WD8DBY, from US Army MARS; David Stapchuk, KD9DXM, US Air Force MARS; Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, representing the Hurricane Watch Net; Bill Feist, WB8BZH, of SATERN; Ohio SEC Stan Broadway, N8BHL; Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, Department of Homeland Security SHARES program manager, and Julio Ripoll, WD4R, representing Amateur Radio at the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC, remotely attending on Skype.

The panelists passed the microphone back and forth, taking turns answering questions from the audience, from members of various agencies and ham radio backgrounds. Corey wrapped up the panel by discussing the upcoming hurricane season, along with remarks from Julio Ripoll, WD4R, and input from the other panelists.

At the “Maximizing Your ARRL Field Day Effort” panel, ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, talked about how to maximize your fun for Field Day, and ARRL Public Relations Committee Chair Scott Westerman, W9WSW, spoke about how to get a boost from using social media to promote your Field Day activation. This year’s ARRL Field Day takes place June 25-26.

Next year’s Dayton Hamvention is scheduled for May 19-21, 2017.