The idea for the Dayton Hamvention "Suite In The Sun" (SITS) started innocently enough. For several years, MRRC had sponsored a hospitality suite at the local Crowne Plaza hotel. Over the years, attendance had declined as the "Contester's Super Suite" on the main floor siphoned off more and more of the attendees. Eventually, MRRC started looking for something different which would be of more value to its members attending the Hamvention.
While pondering the situation, Dave Pruett, K8CC mused that what was really needed was a hospitality suite out in the flea market where weary members could rest from making their rounds, and maybe get a cold drink. From there, Jim Stahl, K8MR coined the name "Suite In The Sun" and added the suggestion to add one or more flea market tables from which the club might sell items to defray the cost of the flea market spots and members could also use the table to sell their own items. With all of these ideas in place, the MRRC SITS was born.
According to club records, the first SITS was held at the 1999 Dayton Hamvention and it immediately became a popular club event which has been held every year since. Early on, Tim O'Sullivan, KE8OC purchased a portable canopy from Sam's Club which has been the home for the SITS every year. We've also been fortunate to have been able to maintain a common location for all of these years: Dayton flea market spaces 3858 - 3860.
The usual routine is that the Michigan MRRC contingent, lead by KE8OC and K8CC, come down on the Thursday of the Hamvention and around 3:00 PM start setting up the canopy. Next to arrive is a gang from Cleveland lead by K8MR lugging a picnic cooler and several cases of refreshments. By 5:00 PM everything is set up and the crew sets off for their hotels.
On the Friday and Saturday of the Hamvention, the SITS is manned in shifts by club members from approximately 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. A vehicle is parked at the SITS site to provide secure storage where members can store their purchased flea market goodies. Around 5:00 PM Saturday teardown begins and generally within a 30 minutes everything is stored away in the team's vehicles for transport home.
Some pictures from the various Dayton Hamvention SITS:
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2004 - Assembly of the canopy frame by the Michigan crew. L to R. is Tim/KE8OC, Ken/W8MJ and John/KN8S while in the back with his hand resting on the frame is KN8S' father (not a ham). That year we had KN8S Ford van which provided cavernous interim storage for members' goodies during the flea market. |
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2004 - All set up and ready for operation. We see Jim/K8MR behind the table and Ken/W8MJ surveying the scene. |
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2004 - Behind the table is Earl/N8SS and Alan/W8AJ, while Jim/K8MR is bent over checking the stash of hardline he's offering for sale. We had a good pile of stuff to sell that year - a couple of HF transceivers, an SB-220 and a lot of little accessories. |
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2006 - In the photo at the right, Tim, K9TM is assembling the skeleton of the the canopy which provides shelter for the SITS. The boundary lines of the three flea market spots 3858-3860 can be clearly seen. The pickup truck in the right of the photo provides the secure storage for member's flea market goodies, and also provides sturdy tie downs for the canopy to prevent it blowing away in the wind. This is augmented with cinder blocks at each canopy support post. Notice the wet pavement during setup; weather is always a concern for the SITS, but we've successfully ridden out some pretty strong winds over the years. |
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2006 - The photo at left shows the SITS in action. In this picture, behind the table (from L. to R.) we see Tim/KE8OC, the father of John/KN8S (not a ham), and visitor Paul/K9PG from the Society of Midwest Contesters obviously taking advantage of the MRRC SITS to rest his feet. In the lime green shirt is Pat, N8VW and to his left is another SoMC visitor, Scott, KA9FOX the proprietor of QTH.com. The tables with flea market items for sale are clearly visible, along with the cinder blocks helping to hold down the corners of the canopy. Notice also that the back and sides are on the canopy have been installed to keep the wind and rain out, although in this photo the weather has cleared up. |
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2006 - In this photo, it's the same people but a better closeup shot which shows the interior layout of the SITS. Clearly visible hanging from the back wall is the black MRRC flag along with the red/white ARRL flag. While the SITS can be staffed by only one or two people, we usually have six to eight chairs behind the tables to accomodate transient members and visitors. The white canopy cover allows plenty of light to filter through so that the environment inside the SITS offers good visibility. |
