Ham radio is on the program for the World Science Fiction Convention being held in Boston September 2-6. Special features for ham radio operators will include:
1. A special interest group meeting covering the past connection of ham radio and science fiction, the future plans for ham radio in space, and radio resources for convention attendees in the Boston area.
2. A list of recommended simplex and repeater frequencies for convention attendees, including times when nets are scheduled on each repeater. This should avoid conflicts with normal operations. For other interested hams, the suggested simplex frequencies are 146.565, 147.42, and 446.000.
3. A check-in board for ham attendees, even if they don\’t have their equipment along.
4. A chance for convention attendees to be part of the Maxim 135th birthday operating event: local hams attending include League appointees qualified to act as special event stations.
The World Science Fiction Convention is an annual event involving roughly 6,000 attendees from all over the world. A major part of the event is the Hugo awards (roughly the same prestige as the Oscars) named for Hugo Gernsback who published the first science fiction magazine and who was the first person (in 1906) to sell complete ham radio stations. Obviously, ham radio is modern science fiction\’s older brother.