HamRadio @ IEEE AP-S 2018 Seeks Volunteers, July 9-12, 2018

IEEE AP 2018 Conference logoVolunteer form:   HamRadio @ IEEE AP-S 2018

The Eastern MA ARRL field organization has been requested to provide an Amateur Radio presence at the IEEE AP-S/URSI Symposium in Boston, July 9-12, 2018 at the Westin Boston Waterfront, adjacent to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston’s Seaport District.

Address: 425 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210
Phone: (617) 532-4600
Website: http://www.westinbostonwaterfront.com/

Amateurs will outfit and staff a booth in the trade show area of the conference, where “conference attendees can ask questions about how to get involved in ham radio, either as a hobby or as a vehicle for student learning,” according to David Michelson, VA7DM, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Michelson chairs the IEEE’s AP-S/URSI Joint Meetings Committee.

In addition to a table, the IEEE leaders have requested Volunteer Exam sessions be conducted on the Conference site for attendees interested in obtaining their licenses. “The chances of conflicting with Committee meetings, technical sessions, etc. are very high, so we’re suggesting two exam sessions on different days might overcome that problem,” Michelson adds.

Last year’s IEEE conference was held  in San Diego, California.  It was a great success. The ham effort was coordinated by Michelle Thompson, W5NYV and ARRL San Diego Section Manager Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC.

The 2018 preliminary Exhibitor Schedule is as follows:

Exhibitor Move-in:
13:00 – 18:00 Monday, July 9

Exhibit Floor Opens:
09:00 – 18:00 Tuesday, July 10

09:00 – 18:00 Wednesday, July 11

09:00 – 18:00 Thursday, July 12

Exhibitor Move-out:
18:00 – 21:00 Thursday, July 12

Although the conference site is well-served by public transportation, event coordinators are exploring the possibility of complementary (or reduced) parking rates for volunteers. In addition, a pre-conference breakfast is also possible.

We are seeking amateurs to help with:

  • coordination
  • publicity
  • table setup
  • staffing table
  • volunteer exams
  • table tear down

If you,  your radio club, or VE team would like to be involved in this high-profile event, please register at:

HamRadio @ IEEE AP-S 2018

or contact k9hi@arrl.org.

 

UPDATES

 

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July 8, 2018 (Dave Michelson):

 

1. Parking for VEs and Booth Staff will be covered by the conference if you
self-park at the Westin Waterfront Boston. When you arrive, the conference 
staff will provide you with a parking voucher card.

 

2. The Amateur Radio Breakfast will be held on Monday (tomorrow) morning
at 7 am in the Adams room on the Mezzanine level of the hotel.  We will have
the badges for everyone on Phil’s booth and VE list there.  If you don’t
pick up your badge then, we will return them to Conference Registration 
in the Commonwealth Foyer on the Concourse Level next to the Grand Ballroom
where you can pick them up when you arrive for booth or VE duty.

 

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU INTEND TO JOIN US TOMORROW!

 

3. There is, of course, no registration fee!

 

Thanks again for helping to raise the profile of Amateur Radio at this 
flagship IEEE conference.

 

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May 20, 2018: Here is a link to ham radio publicity on the IEEE AP-S 2018 web site: https://www.2018apsursi.org/AmateurRadio.asp.

 

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April 10, 2018: Per David Michelson’s request, we have applied for, and secured the special events call sign “N1P” for use at the conference.

 

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March 26, 2018: Dennis Egan, W1UE has generously offered to supply us with equipment with which to operate one or more HF remote bases for the event.

 

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March 26, 2018: I’m pleased to announce N1UEC and the Eastern MA Amateur Radio Group in Canton has volunteered to host two separate volunteer exam sessions on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.  Volunteers from the New England Amateur Radio, Inc. will participate in the Thursday afternoon session.