THE VERMONT HAM RADIO CONVENTION
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2026

LIVE at the HAMpton Convention Center
ON-LINE at www.HAM-CON.org

THANKS EVERYONE FOR A TREMENDOUS SHOW! Everyone reports having a wonderful time! Please let us know what you thought by filling out the Evaluation here or write directly to: [email protected] See You All Next Year: February 27, 2027!

HAM-CON is sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont. We are in a super location which is convenient for everyone and has all the facilities to make this a first class show. 46 Years of Great Hamfests in the North Country! "and still the best little hamfest in the world!"

HAM-CON ON-LINE Missed a presentation at HAM-CON? Videos will be available after March 5th.

DOOR PRIZES! Yaesu FTM-150R Dual Band Mobile Transceiver Yaesu VX-6R Triband HT with charger base Multiple other prizes and gift certificates Separate Drawings for Live and On-Line Attendees You must be present to win the live drawings! Youth Raffle for Talkpod A36plus MAX duo band HT details

Details

Admission

Vendors

Layout

Forums

Travel

BUY TIX!

Information:
Phone: (802)879-6589, 3PM-8PM BEFORE hamfest day.
Email: [email protected]
On-air: Talk in on the WB1GQR repeater on 145.15 MHz(-600).

SHOW ADMISSION

BUY HAM-CON TICKETS!

Regular Admission - Charged after February 14 and at the door

• General admission is $14. Doors open for general admission at 8:00. PLEASE bring exact amounts!
• Early admission is $20. Doors open for early admission at 6:00.
• Tables are available only for those using early admission. NO VENDOR SETUP AFTER 8:00.
• No admission charged for those 18 and younger.
• Canadian money accepted at the door at par for Canadian residents with a valid driver's or ham license.

Advanced Sales Admission - Current Price until February 14

• Advanced sale general admission is $8.
• Advanced sale On-Line admission is $8. See all the forums and special events from home!
• Advanced sale early admission is $16 for vendors and early buyers.
• Advanced sale early admission PLUS table reservation is $28.
• On-line access available with any admission.
• Tickets must be purchased though our Paypal system on-line.
• Print out your receipt and present it for your ticket.
• EARLY PRICING ENDS FEBRUARY 14. The at-door price is charged after that.

Ticket Price Chart

HAM-CON Rooming Block at the Hampton Inn

• Special room rate of $99 plus tax and fees.
• Special room rate expires February 1st. BOOK NOW!
• Use the handy link below to get the special rate
• If you are having trouble or need to book extra nights call 802-318-9039.
• Do not call the main Hampton number - they cannot help you.

We require that vendors and flea market sellers arrive BEFORE 8:00 to set up their tables.
The room gets too crowded to start carrying in sales items after that.
If you are selling, please buy an early ticket and have your table set up by 8AM.

• Early entry opens at 6:00 AM.
• Admission: $20 at door, $16 in advance, We highly recommend buying the admission in advance! Tables are reserved in specific locations for large vendors (more than 2 tables).
• Tables and spaces can be reserved for $28, which includes 1 early admission. This will guarantee your table until 8:00. There are no refunds for tables reserved and not used!
• All vendors MUST take all unsold merchandise away at the end of the day. We have no facilities for hauling stuff away!
• Get a sneak preview of the Vendor Area by downloading the Vendor Area MAP. The location of all tables and services are approximate. Not all tables will be available.

HAM-COM makes every effort to help our vendors do well at the show. Please let us know how we can help you!

HAMFEST EVENTS

INDOOR FLEA MARKET - VENDOR ROOM
The Vendor Room will run from 8:00 until 1:00. Vendors must arrive no later than 8:00 to avoid crowds during setup. There will be tables chock filled with goodies. The offerings range from new to boat anchors and we can never know what jewels will show up.

FORUMS
We will have eight forums running all morning between 9AM-1PM. Forum speakers will be both live and via Zoom. Forums can be viewed live, or via on-line access.
Details are in the Forums section.

DOOR PRIZES
We will have a limited number of gift certificates which will be awarded on-line to attendees who register before February 26. We will also have prizes to give away to attendees after 12:30.

QSL CARD CHECKING
Find Mitch W1SJ and give him an envelope with your cards, application and payment. You can then pick the cards up several days later. No shipping will be available.

W1V SPECIAL EVENT STATION
The W1V Special Event Station is BACK! Our fully remote station will link to a nearby station with large antennas. W1V will be located just after you enter the Convention. Be sure to put the headphones on and make a few contacts. Person working the best DX will get a prize!

VE SESSION
The Volunteer Exam Session will be at 1:30 in Forum Room 2. All exams (Element 2, 3 and 4) will be offered. All VE applicants must pre-register and have proper ID, FRN, copy of license and CSCE, if needed, pen, pencil. There will be a $15 fee. Please go to http://www.ham-con.org/hcexam.html for full details on how to pre-register and what to bring.

FCC COMMERCIAL LICENSE EXAMS
Exams for FCC Commercial Licenses (GROL, MROP, etc) will be at 1:30 in Forum Room 2. YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER by contacting the commercial examiner at [email protected] or by calling 802-879-6589 weekday afternoons. You will need to bring bring ID, proof of citizenship, FRN Number, pen, pencil and $50 exam fee.

SPECIALTY TABLES

• ADMISSION AREA
  • Admission to the Convention
  • Join RANV or renew your RANV Membership
  • There will be no ticket box at the door this year.
  
  
• RANV FLEA MARKET TABLE Located INSIDE the VENDOR Area.
  Bring your stuff for sale and we will try to sell it for you.
  • Service for RANV Members Only!
  • Limit of 15 pieces per person
  • Weight limit of 30 lbs per item
  • No boat anchors, computers, printers, monitors, etc.
  • Sellers to provide a manifest of all items, condition and price
  • Unsold items MUST go home with owner!
  
  
• TECHNICAL TABLE Located in the Activities area.
  Test equipment to provide basic measurements along with free technical advice.
  • Basic measurements only: voltage, power, sensitivity, deviation
  • No repair services
  
  
• DMR INFORMATION TABLE Located in the Activities area.
  The place to go to learn about Digital Mobile Radio (DMR). This activity will also be available On-line.
  
  
  
  

WHERE IS EVERYTHING LOCATED?

1. Entry Area
   As you enter the facility (remember to use Door C at the BACK!) you will pass the admissions table, and further down the hallway come up to special event station W1V.
2. Activities Area
   After the entry hallway, turn right and you will head down through the Prefunction area, just outside the forum rooms. Here you will find the activities such as the Technical and DMR Tables.
   
3. Vendor Area
   This is the first door on the right off of the Activities area
   
4. Forum 1
   This is the second door on the right off of the Activities area
   
5. Forum 2
   This is the third door on the right off of the Activities area
   
6. Facility layout  showing location of Vendor Area and forums.

This is the Current 2026 Schedule. There may be a few changes early on

HAM-CON will have the finest collection of Amateur Radio Informational Forums found at any small convention! There is something which interests every amateur operator. Stop in on a forum or two and learn a whole bunch of new stuff. The forum times are tight, so plan your schedule in advance for best results! No PA announcement will be made at the start of forums, so use your phone or watch alarm to alert you to get to the forum room on time.

The forums will run in two different rooms. Forums will run from 8:30 AM until 1:00 PM. Forums in Room 1 will generally start at the top of the hour and Forums in Room 2 will start on the half hour. Forum speakers will be both live and remote. Forums will also be available on-line. Simply follow the link and you will be directed to the correct meeting location. Forum Rooms 1 and 2 are in separate Zoom links. A third Zoom link will be used for demonstration and meet and greet. Be sure to mute your microphone at all times, escept when you plan to ask a question.
The times listed are in Eastern Standard Time. If you are a remote attendee, be sure to convert to your time zone! Make sure you get to the forums on time. They will not wait!

FORUM ROOM 2

8:30
GET OUT AND GET ON THE AIR
Matt Bannach AC1RI

9:30
ARRL FORUM
Tom Frenaye K1KI

10:30
ELECRAFT: QRO & QRP, HOME & FIELD
Wayne Burdick N6KR

11:30
WRTC 2026 FROM ENGLAND THIS SUMMER
Mark Haynes M0DXR

FORUM ROOM 1

9:00
SILENT KEY REMEMBRANCE

9:20
BREAK THAT PILEUP!

10:00
OPERATING THE HAM RADIO SATELLITES
Mitch Stern W1SJ

11:00
HAM RADIO'S LOW BANDS: The 630 AND 2250 METER BANDS
Brian Justin WA1ZMS

12:00
DO YOU KNOW YOUR HAM RADIO?

Mini-Forums and Demonstrations

HAM-CON will feature several demonstrations running throughout the morning. These are the times for the scheduled demonstrations, but feel free to stop by at any time to ask questions.

9:20 UHF Station and DMR Demonstration

9:50 UHF Station and DMR Demonstration

10:05 Special Event Station W1V

10:20 Emergency Preparedness in the Age of Cell Phones

10:35 Special Event Station W1V

10:50 AREDN: Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network

11:05 Emergency Preparedness in the Age of Cell Phones

11 :20 AREDN: Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network

Technical Table

Hampton Inn is located on Lower Mountain Rd. This is just off of Roosevelt Highway, Routes 2/7, just north of I-89 Exit 16.
Go to the BACK of the complex and enter through Door C. If you try to enter via the front of the Hampton Inn, YOU WILL GET LOST!

From the South, I-89, Exit 16. Make a right at the light onto Routes 2/7 and then another right at the next light at Lower Mountain Road.

From the North, I-89, Exit 16. Make a left at the light onto Routes 2/7 and then a right at the next light at Lower Mountain Road.

FROM THE SOUTH

From NH and Boston: I-93 North, I-89 North through New Hampshire and Vermont to Vermont Exit 16.

From WMa and CT: I-91 North, I-89 North to Exit 16.

From NY: New York State Thruway or Taconic Parkway to Albany. Adirondack Northway (I-87) to Exit 20 - Fort Ann. Route 149 12 miles to Route 4. Route 4 north 18 miles to Vermont Route 22A. Route 22A north 43 miles to Route 7. Route 7 22 miles north to I-189. I-189 to I-89 to Exit 16.

FROM THE NORTH

From Montreal: Autoroute 10 East, then Autoroute 35 south to the border (new highway!) Then I-89 to Exit 16.
Alternate route: Autoroute 15 south to border, I-87 Exit 42 to Rt 11 to Rouses Point Bridge to Vermont. Route 2 South to Route 78 East to Swanton. I-89 South to Exit 16.

FROM THE WEST

• Crown Point Bridge is VT Route 17 connecting Addison, VT to Crown Point, NY.
  
• Rouses Point Bridge is US Route 11 connecting Alburgh, VT to Rouses Point, NY.
  
  

From Rouses Point area: Northway I-87 Exit 42, Route 11 to Rouses Point. Look for signs for U.S. Route 2 and Rouses Point Bridge to Vermont. Go 2 miles past Alburgh and go left on Vermont Route 78. Continue on Route 78 through Swanton and look for I-89 South. Continue on I-89 to Exit 16.

From Plattsburgh area: Northway I-87 Exit 39, Rt 314 to Ferry. (Runs every 15 min, $12.50 each direction). On Vermont side, right on Rt 314 to end at Route 2, right on Route 2 South, 20 miles to I-89. Go south one exit to Exit 16.

From Crown Point area: Northway I-87 Exit 28, New York Route 74. Go North on New York Route 9N. (DO NOT go into Ticonderoga or follow signs for Ticonderoga Ferry, as this is closed for the season). Continue on 9N for 11 miles and turn onto New York Route 17. This crosses the new brige into Vermont. Continue on Vermont Route 17 East to Vermont Route 22A. Go left and take Route 22A North. At Route 7, go left and continue North on Route 7. Take I-189 to I-89 North to Exit 16.

PARKING

We have free parking on site.

Join RANV! The Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont sponsors HAM-CON. We are based in Northern Vermont but have members all over. If you would like to join RANV, or if you are an existing member and would like to renew, please go to our RANV Membership Portal.

It will be the very same HAM-CON we all love: Flea Market, Vendors and Meet Your Pals Forums, Meetings and Demonstrations

Donate! Prices for our facility have gone up a LOT! If you found value in HAM-CON, and have available funds, please consider a one-time donation. Go to our donation site click on "Send" and you can donate. Thank you OH SO MUCH!

The Milton Hamfest started in 1983 as the "Northern Vermont Electronics Show." It was conceived by WB1BWV, WB2JSJ and others as a way to get Vermont hams together for swapping equipment and socializing during the long winter. The admission back then was $2. The philosophy of the Milton Hamfest has always been to bring hams and experimenters together for learning new things and having fun. The hamfest has always been organized and run by a tiny group of volunteers, who, like everyone else, pay admission!

The hamfest started with humble beginnings and an attendance around 150. Today, the hamfest draws around 300 people, which is a sizable number considering the small size of Vermont. Attendees come from Vermont, Northern New York, Quebec and New Hampshire. A few come from Southern New England as well.

Over the years, some changes were made which we hope will keep the hamfest a great one. After many years of being an independent show, Milton is now sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont (RANV), and is the ARRL Vermont State Convention. And in 2009, we moved it to a Convention facility. In 2020 we held one of the last live hamfests before COVID. Our 2021 show was totally on-line and featured forums and an on-line flea market. In 2022, we went to a hybrid show with both live and on-line elements. We are back to a full live show, but we will continue to make the forums available to off-site attendees. We have worked hard to bring in more Forum Speakers and live demonstrations. The Forum program at HAM-COM is the best you find at a small show.

It is the goal of the HAM-CON to keep attendance levels stable and even show some growth even though hamfests all over the country have been declining in attendance over the last couple of years. We cannot do this without YOU! Please make every effort to join us!

Read the article about the 2001 Hamfest in the Burlington Free Pree

What Else??

Keep checking back here for new information.

Back to RANV Home