Zero Retries Guide to Zero Retries Interesting Conferences

Steve Stroh N8GNJ

Aug 15, 2023

Conferences considered to be Zero Retries Interesting (ZRI),
directly involving, or adjacent to Amateur Radio.

Compiled by Zero Retries Editor Steve Stroh N8GNJ

Last updated 2024-03-06

2024

IEEE Radio & Wireless Week 2024

✅ 2024-01-21 thru 24 in San Antonio, Texas, USA

RWW consists of five related conferences focusing on the intersection between wireless communication theory, systems, circuits, and devices technologies. RWW2024 is co-located with the 102nd ARFTG Microwave Measurement Symposium. This creates a unique forum for engineers to discuss various technologies for the state-of-art wireless systems and their end-use applications.

ZRI: (Industry) Primary radio technology conferences, some applicability to Amateur Radio.

Utah Digital Communications Conference 2024

✅ 2023-02-03 in Sandy, Utah, USA

The annual Utah Digital Communications Conference welcomes hams of all ages and experience levels. It offers a valuable opportunity to learn from experts and connect with fellow amateur radio operators who share your interests. Join us this year to gain insights from our exceptional presenters and get hands-on experience with amateur radio applications at our demonstration tables.

ZRI: Digital / Data communications is one of the three primary interests of Zero Retries.

FOSDEM’24

✅ 2024-02-03 and 04 in Brussels, Belgium

FOSDEM is a free event for software developers to meet, share ideas and collaborate. Every year, thousands of developers of free and open source software from all over the world gather at the event in Brussels. You don't need to register. Just turn up and join in!

ZRI: I’ve seen FOSDEM cited numerous times in conjunction with innovative radio technology projects in Europe (Amateur Radio and otherwise).

HamCation 2024

✅ 2024-02-09 thru 11 in Orlando, Florida, USA

Come join us for one of the biggest amateur radio conventions in the country and stay for a truly one of a kind destination…

ZRI: Large regional Amateur Radio Conference in (warm, sunny) Southeast US, first one of the year. Was previously advertised as “Spring break for Hams”.

ARISS 40th Anniversary Conference

✅ 2023-02-22 thru 24 at Kennedy Space Center (Merritt Island), Florida, USA

(Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) 40th Anniversary Conference: Celebrating the Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight. Invited speakers (including astronauts, agency officials) and panel sessions. The historic 40th anniversary conference will be a retrospective of what has been accomplished and will highlight our exciting amateur radio human spaceflight plans on the horizon.

ZRI: The ARISS program, and its outreach to kids to encourage them in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) by talking to an astronaut… is one of the proudest boasts of Amateur Radio.

SCALE 21x

✅ 2023-03-14 thru 17 in Pasadena, California, USA

SCaLE [Southern California Linux Expo] is the largest community-run open-source and free software conference in North America. It is held annually in the greater Los Angeles area.

ZRI: Past events have featured Amateur Radio such as Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN). Undoubtedly lots to learn about new trends in Linux.

✅ Satellite 2024

2024-03-18 thru 21 in Washington, DC, USA

Over the past 43 years, SATELLITE has served the satellite and space communities and broadened the scope of content to encompass professionals in commercial markets benefiting from satellite technology and applications…

ZRI: (Industry) Primary US satellite industry conference, especially GEO satellites.

✅ HamSCI Workshop 2024

2024-03-22 and 23 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

[HamSCI] … seeks to bring together the amateur radio community and professional scientists. Anyone interested in this workshop is invited to join.

The workshop will focus on the theme of Alignments - between the Sun, Moon and Earth; between collegiate amateur radio recreation and STEM curriculum; between data collection and analysis; between professional and citizen science. We are preparing for the solar eclipse of 8 April 2024, for which Cleveland will be in totality.

ZRI: HamSCI is doing science via Amateur Radio. Not just strong overlap with scientific research, but Amateur Radio is integral to HamSCI’s mission.

✅ International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) 2024

2024-03-25 thru 28 in Orlando, Florida, USA

Connects the people and technologies charged with ensuring that the most critical communications – supporting governments, utilities, transportation, enterprise, public safety, healthcare and critical-infrastructure sectors – always work, even under the most difficult circumstances.

ZRI: (Industry) Two way radio / public safety communications (distinct from the much larger mobile wireless conferences).

✅ Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers 2024 Western Conference

2024-04-08 and 09 in Dallas, Texas, USA

The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.
This organization is a scientific, non-profit group founded for the sole purpose of supporting amateur radio astronomy. SARA was organized in 1981, and today has hundreds of members worldwide.
The group consists of optical astronomers, ham radio operators, engineers, teachers and non-technical persons. Many of our members are new to the field, and membership is extended to all who have an interest in radio astronomy.

ZRI: Strong overlap between Amateur Radio space / satellite activity and radio astronomy.

47th Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference

2024-04-19 thru 21 in Windsor, Connecticut, USA

The North East Weak Signal [N.E.W.S.] Group was established to form a [camaraderie] amongst fellow VHF-UHF-SHF enthusiasts, and support a convenient means to exchange technical information.
We are an ARRL affiliated regional club dedicated to the interests of “weak signal” work on the bands 50 MHz - Light. With over 100 members, we have a lot of technical expertise within our club which can help with about any question or problem conceivable on VHF and up.

ZRI: Amateur Radio VHF / UHF / Microwave technical development.

CubeSat Developers Workshop 2024

2023-04-23 thru 25 in San Luis Obispo, California, USA

The CubeSat Developers Workshop is an annual 3-day global small-satellite conference hosted by CubeSat at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In most recent years, the conference has grown immensely with over 600 attendees and 50 countries represented.

ZRI: CubeSats are a perfect overlap / integration with Amateur Radio satellites and operations. Most Amateur Radio satellites currently in orbit are cubesats.

LinuxFest Northwest

2024-04-26 thru 28 in Bellingham, Washington, USA

LinuxFest Northwest (est. 2000), an annual Open Source event … features presentations and exhibits on free and open source topics, as well as Linux distributions & applications, InfoSec, and privacy; something for everyone from the novice to the professional!

ZRI: N8GNJ personal favorite, largest Linux conference in the Pacific Northwest. N8GNJ will be doing a presentation on Amateur Radio Open Source applications.

Hamvention 2024

2024-05-17 thru 19 in Xenia, Ohio, USA

The world’s largest Amateur Radio gathering, attracting hams from throughout the globe.

ZRI: Largest Amateur Radio Conference in world (and US), centrally located for Eastern 60% of the US.

SEA-PAC 2024

2024-05-31 and 06-01 and 02 in Seaside, Oregon, USA

The Northwest’s Largest Ham Convention and the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention.

ZRI: N8GNJ personal favorite, largest Amateur Radio Conference in the Pacific Northwest. Zero Retries will have a table at this conference.

Teardown 2024

2024-06-21 thru 23 in Portland, Oregon, USA

Teardown is about the practice and the art of hardware: prototyping, manufacturing, hacking, testing, creating, disassembling, experimenting, and circumventing, all while having fun. Leave the marketing glitz and talk of venture capital at the door and come prepared learn, teach, and be inspired.

ZRI: Crowd Supply is a crowdfunding platform that has been used to crowdfund many radio technology devices.

HAM RADIO 2024

2024-06-28 thru 30 in Friedrichshafen, Germany

… Everything will revolve around amateur radio in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. In cooperation with the organizers, the DARC, as the conceptual sponsor of Europe's largest amateur radio trade fair, this meeting will open the doors to a world of almost unlimited possibilities.

ZRI: Largest Amateur Radio Conference in Europe.

International Microwave Symposium 2024

2024-06-16 thru 21 in Washington, DC, USA

IMS is the flagship event in a week dedicated to all things microwaves and RF.

ZRI: (Industry) Primary conference for microwave technology. Ward Silver N0AX says “IMS is the World Series of RF; college people, professional people, owners of companies, students, everybody is there at IMS.”

AirVenture 2024

2024-07-22 thru 28 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA

For one week each summer, EAA members and aviation enthusiasts totaling more than 500,000 from 80 countries attend EAA AirVenture…

ZRI: There is considerable overlap between Amateur Radio and personal aviation. AirVenture is the equivalent of Hamvention for private pilots, and aviation in general.

56th Annual CSVHFS Society Conference

2024-07-25 thru 28 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA

The Central States VHF Society, Inc. (CSVHFS) is a not-for-profit organization chartered in the state of Missouri. It was begun in the mid-1960s to foster amateur radio operation on the bands above 50 MHz. Membership currently numbers about 300, principally in the Midwest states. However, it has members in states from the Atlantic Coast to the West Coast as well as Canada and several foreign countries.
The CSVHFS holds a Technical Conference once a year. The goal of the conference is to raise the technical level of amateurs by providing a forum for presenting technical papers relating to VHF, UHF, and Microwave, to provide a focal point for the discussion on operating practices and procedures, on exploration of modes such as EME, MS, FAI, E-skip, etc. and other topics that promote operation on Amateur bands above 50MHz.

ZRI: Amateur Radio VHF / UHF / Microwave technical development.

Small Satellite Conference

2024-08-03 thru 08 in Logan, Utah, USA

During the 38th Annual Small Satellite Conference, we will explore how automation is being integrated into small satellite systems across the space, launch, ground, and user segments, making them smarter and more effective.

ZRI: (Industry) There is considerable overlap between Amateur Radio satellites and industry small satellites.

APCO 2024

2024-08-04 thru 07 in Orlando, Florida, USA

APCO 2024, APCO International’s Annual Conference & Expo, is the premier event for public safety communications officials, from frontline telecommunicators to comm center managers to public safety communications equipment and services vendors. Starting August 4, APCO 2024 offers four days of educational sessions, committee meetings and special events, paired with two full days of exhibits.
Our conference attendees represent a wide range of organizations, including emergency communications centers, law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical services, and government agencies, along with service providers and commercial vendors.

ARRL: An ARRL partner entity, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, Inc., and ARRL have had a memorandum of understanding for decades, sharing the common bond of communications in the public interest. APCO International is made up of Emergency Medical, Law Enforcement, Fire, and other Public Safety Communications personnel whose primary responsibility is the management, design, maintenance, and operation of communications facilities in the public domain.

ZRI: (Industry) There is considerable overlap between Amateur Radio and public safety communications (especially two way radio technology).

Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers 2024 Eastern Conference

2024-08-04 thru 07 in Green Bank, West Virginia, USA

ZRI: There is strong overlap between Amateur Radio space / satellite activity and radio astronomy.

DEF CON 32

2024-08-08 thru 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

DEF CON is one of the oldest continuously running hacker conventions around, and also one of the largest.

ZRI: (Industry) Radio technology (related to security) is a primary interest at DEF CON. Ham Radio Village is a strong presence at DEFCON.

2024 EME Conference

2024-08-09 thru 11 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA

This conference is dedicated to exploring the fascinating world of EME. Join us to learn from expert speakers in the field and discover the latest advancements in this exciting area of our hobby.

ZRI: Earth Moon Earth (EME - Moonbounce) space communications.

Huntsville Hamfest 2024

2024-08-17 and 18 in Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Once you experience The World’s Friendliest Hamfest, we’re sure you’ll agree and will want to make Huntsville a regular destination on your annual Hamfest schedule.

ZRI: Large regional Amateur Radio Conference in Southeast US.

Ham Fair 2024

2024-08-24 and 25 in Tokyo, Japan

(Via Google Translate)
In order to promote the healthy development of amateur radio and to improve its technology, we hold exhibitions and events related to amateur radio to broadly introduce amateur radio to the general public, as well as to exchange information and deepen friendships among amateur radio operators.

ZRI: Largest Amateur Radio Conference in Asia.

AMSAT-DL Bochum Space Conference 2024

2024-09-20 thru 22 in Bochum, Germany

AMSAT-DL is organizing a symposium, flea market and general meeting in the radome of the Bochum Observatory. The radome will once again be dedicated to satellite and space research.
AMSAT Deutschland e.V. and the Bochum Observatory are taking the positive experience of the anniversary conference in 2023 as an opportunity to inform AMSAT members and other space enthusiasts about current and future prospects for national and international space projects with a varied program. As the Radom is also the location of ESA’s education office in Germany (esero Germany), we want to make the symposium even more attractive in future and at the same time focus even more on current European space travel.

ZRI: AMSAT-DL is a primary source of Amateur Radio satellites.

GNU Radio Conference 2024

2024-09-16 thru 20 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

GNU Radio Conference (GRCon) is the annual conference for the GNU Radio project and community, and has established itself as one of the premier industry events for Software Radio. It is a week-long conference that includes high-quality technical content and valuable networking opportunities. GRCon is a venue that highlights design, implementation, and theory that has been practically applied in a useful way.

ZRI: Strong overlap between commercial / academic Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Amateur Radio, and there is a strong presence of Amateur Radio at GRCon.

DUM - Digital Update for Microwave

2024-10-02 thru 09 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Concurrent with Microwave Update 2024, conducted by Open Research Institute (ORI). Informal meetups, workshops, salons, food, and tours. Lots of digital amateur microwave discussions with friends. Interested? write fpga at openresearch dot institute and help us be as DUM as we can be.

ZRI - Digital and Microwave and Amateur Radio!

Microwave Update 2024

2024-10-03 thru 05 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Microwave Update (MUD) is an international conference dedicated to microwave equipment design, construction, and operation. The first conference was held in 1985 and it has alternated between the east and west coast of United States where microwave clubs takes on the challenge of hosting the event. It is focused on, but not limited to, amateur radio on the microwave bands.

ZRI: Amateur Radio microwave communications. N8GNJ will likely attend this conference.

Bay Area Maker Faire (2024)

2024-10-11 thru 13 and 18 thru 20 in Mare Island, California USA

The legendary and mind-blowing Maker Faire will be back in October of 2024 for its 16th time in the Bay Area! Experience the ultimate showcase of creativity, innovation, and endless possibilities.

ZRI: There’s considerable overlap between Makers and Amateur Radio, with reasonable prospects for interesting the attendees about Amateur Radio. Hopefully an Amateur Radio group in the Bay Area will represent Amateur Radio at this event. Note that Pacificon 2024 (see below), also in the Bay Area, overlaps this event’s second weekend.

Pacificon 2024

2024-10-18 thru 20 in San Ramon, California, USA

Pacificon gives you three great days of activities for one low cost.

ZRI: Large regional Amateur Radio Conference in California (Bay Area) US. N8GNJ will hopefully attend this conference.

Recurring

HamCation (February)
Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers Western Conference (April)
Hamvention (May)
AirVenture (July)
DEF CON (August)
Huntsville Hamfest (August)
JARL Ham Fair (August)
Small Satellite Conference (August)
Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers Eastern Conference (August)
GNU Radio Conference (September)
TAPR Digital Communications Conference (September)
AMSAT North America Space Symposium… (Fall)
Pacificon (October)
RSGB Conference (October)

Past Events (Archived)

2023

HamCation 2023

✅ 2023-02-10 thru 12 in Orlando, Florida USA
Come join us for one of the biggest amateur radio conventions in the country and stay for a truly one of a kind destination…

HamSCI Workshop 2023

✅ 2023-03-17 and 18 in Scranton, Pennsylvania USA
The primary objective of the HamSCI workshop is to bring together the amateur radio community and professional scientists. The theme of the 2023 HamSCI Workshop is Forging Amateur-Professional Bonds.

Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers 2023 Western Conference

✅ 2023-08-20 thru 22 in Bishop, California USA
The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.
This organization is a scientific, non-profit group founded for the sole purpose of supporting amateur radio astronomy. SARA was organized in 1981, and today has hundreds of members worldwide.
The group consists of optical astronomers, ham radio operators, engineers, teachers and non-technical persons. Many of our members are new to the field, and membership is extended to all who have an interest in radio astronomy.

Microwave Update 2023

✅ 2023-04-14 and 15 in Windsor, Connecticut USA
Microwave Update (MUD) is an international conference dedicated to microwave equipment design, construction, and operation. It is focused on, but not limited to, amateur radio on the microwave bands.

Hamvention 2023

✅ 2023-05-19 thru 21 in Xenia, Ohio USA
The world’s largest Amateur Radio gathering, attracting hams from throughout the globe.

SEA-PAC 2023

✅ 2023-06-01 thru 04 in Seaside, Oregon USA
The Northwest’s Largest Ham Convention and the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention.

AirVenture 2023

✅ 2023-07-24 thru 30 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin USA
For one week each summer, EAA members and aviation enthusiasts totaling more than 500,000 from 80 countries attend EAA AirVenture…

Small Satellite Conference

✅ 2023-08-05 thru 10 in Logan, Utah USA
During the 37^th Annual Small Satellite Conference, we will explore future missions and delve into key technological drivers, operational constructs, and activities that inform and secure the success of small satellite missions at scale.

DEF CON 32

✅ 2023-08-08 thru 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada USA
DEF CON is one of the oldest continuously running hacker conventions around, and also one of the largest.

Huntsville Hamfest

✅ 2023-08-19 and 20 in Huntsville, Alabama USA
Once you experience The World’s Friendliest Hamfest, we’re sure you’ll agree and will want to make Huntsville a regular destination on your annual Hamfest schedule.

JARL Ham Fair 2023

✅ 2023-08-19 and 20 in Tokyo, Japan
The biggest event in Japanese amateur radio society.

Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers 2023 Eastern Conference

✅ 2023-08-20 thru 22 in Green Bank, West Virginia USA
The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.
This organization is a scientific, non-profit group founded for the sole purpose of supporting amateur radio astronomy. SARA was organized in 1981, and today has hundreds of members worldwide.
The group consists of optical astronomers, ham radio operators, engineers, teachers and non-technical persons. Many of our members are new to the field, and membership is extended to all who have an interest in radio astronomy.

GNU Radio Conference (GRcon) 23

✅ 2023-09-05 thru 09 in Tempe, Arizona USA
… the annual conference for the GNU Radio project and community, and has established itself as one of the premier industry events for Software Radio.

QSO Today Academy

✅ 2023-09-08 thru 10 online
(Formerly the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo) We found over six Expos and multiple experiments with virtual hosting technologies, was that our presentation strength shone through. Our Expo presentations were top-notch, offering an immense variety for a weekend conference.