Seventh Maritime DX Forum

The Halifax Amateur Radio Club (HARC) invites DXers, contesters and HF enthusiasts to the 2010 Maritime DX Forum. This year, as part of the MDF weekend, we are also hosting the Annual General Meeting of Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). The RAC Annual General Meeting begins at 2:30 pm on Friday, 6 August and will be followed at 6:30 pm by a reception and registration. The MDF program on Saturday, 7 August will run from 8:30 am - 4:45 pm and be followed by a reception and the MDF banquet.

The Maritime Contest Club is our partner in making the annual MDF happen.

Location

The MDF will be held in the Rosaria Centre of Mount St. Vincent University on Seton Road, the entrance to MSVU off the Bedford Highway. Click here to see a map, or Google "Mount St. Vincent University Location".

Speakers

Our speakers are active and outstanding members of our global ham radio community and include:

• MARTTI LAINE, 0H2BH – Espoo, Finland
• TIM DUFFY, K3LR – West Middlesex, Pennsylvania
• DICK FREY, K4XU – Bend, Oregon
• TIM ELLAM, VE6SH – Calgary, Alberta
• RAC sponsored symposium (title to be announced)

History

Maritime DX Forum had its beginning in August 2004 with a gathering of twenty DX enthusiasts in the home of Scott Wood, VE1QD, on Moser’s Island, near historic Peggy’s Cove. It was an intimate gathering in Scott’s living room with featured speaker Kim Mathiason, OZ1MAL. Kim arrived by sailboat, dropped anchor in front of Scott’s home and captivated us with tales of operating DX from his 42-foot sloop. Also Dick Grantham – VE1AI – recounted the 1993 Gambia (C51A) DXpedition, John Scott – VE1JS – conducted the organizational meeting for the new Maritime Contest Club, and Scott Wood led the discussion that formally organized the Maritime DX Forum. From this humble beginning in 2004 the DX Forum has grown steadily, increasing in attendance and attracting outstanding local, national and international participants. You can download lists of all the past presentations and all the hams who have attended one or more programs during the first five years.

Program

Again this year the MDF features a group of world-class speakers. The draft program can be downloaded here. Themes will cover new initiatives from Europe to spark the further development of ham radio; how contesting plays a role in advancing our hobby; technical advances in solid state amplifier technology; an exciting story of a major DXpedition; and an exploration of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), an important mechanism for the governance of amateur radio.

A unique aspect of this year’s MDF is the inclusion of the Annual General Meeting of Radio Amateurs of Canada. This promises to be a meeting of particular importance to Canadian amateurs, but it will also be of interest to those coming from other countries.

The social side of the weekend starts out with a reception and registration on Friday night. During the weekend, there will be ample time to talk with each of our program presenters, to the RAC Directors, and to each other; first, at the reception on Friday night and then during the coffee breaks, lunch and DX banquet reception on Saturday. Non-ham spouses will enjoy the evening events. A city tour on Saturday for non-ham spouses will be available. Moreover, post-MDF tours to Peggy’s Cove outside Halifax and to Prince Edward Island are being developed for attendees by TayMac Tours. The details will be announced on this page soon.

John Scott, VE1JS, a volunteer ARRL QSL card checker will be on hand to confirm credits for DXCC, WAS and VUCC awards. Download the QSL checking guidelines here.

Cost and Registration

The costs of the various events are: RAC AGM – no cost; Saturday’s Maritime DX Forum - $80; and the MDF banquet - $30 for forum attendees, $35 for guests.

To register, fill in the registration form, print one copy for your records, and print one copy to mail along with a cheque to the address shown on the form. Registration is not complete until both the form and payment are received. The registration form can be found at MDF-Registration-2010-Early-Bird.pdf. If you have any questions about registration please email the registration coordinator Frank Smith, VE1FIS, at mdf-registration@halifax-arc.org.

The MDF Chair, K. Scott Wood, VE1QD, will gladly answer any questions you may have. He can be contacted at: ve1qd@rac.ca or at (902) 823-2761.

Maritime DX Forum Fund

To help augment the costs of operating and developing the MDF, we annually solicit donations. This money provides travel support for speakers when needed and covers some development costs. Details about the Fund can be found here.

Accommodations

For those wishing inexpensive lodging, Mount St.Vincent University has comfortable dormitory rooms with a shared bath (price TBD) and one bedroom apartments with bath (price TBD). The price includes tax, breakfast and parking. Reservations can be made with Patricia Drake: telephone (902) 457-6355 or e-mail: patricia.drake@msvu.ca.

Tourism Opportunities

Why not plan your summer vacation around a trip to the Maritimes. Visit historic Halifax. Take a boat trip around Halifax Harbour. Tour the Nova Scotia mainland and Cape Breton Island. Visit the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Badeck. Hop the ferry or take a drive on the Confederation Bridge and visit our island province - PEI. AND of course, take in the Maritime DX Forum on August 6th and 7th at Mount St. Vincent University. If you wish tourism information for the Maritime Provinces, please note this on your registration form and a package will be mailed to you.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Beginning in June 1, 2009 a passport or enhanced drivers license/enhanced identification card has been required to cross into the USA. Thus returning Americans require this new level of documentation. Ensure you have the right ID!

Finally...

Please let your ham radio friends know about the Maritime DX Forum. They can obtain registration materials either from this website. Any questions you may have will be gladly answered by K. Scott Wood, VE1QD and Chair of the MDF. He can be contacted at: ve1qd@rac.ca or at (902) 823-2761.