(Of course, there are probably other factors besides the weather.
For instance, hams are spending more of their time and money
reading about SSTV on the World Wide Web.)
SSTV at W1AW
Guest operators at the ARRL Headquarters are often disappointed
that W1AW has no SSTV facilities. The staff would love to add this
capability but funding was not available. Norm W8MPM, with help from
other IVCA members, assembled a top notch SSTV system including:
- Brand new energy efficient '486 computer.
- Pasokon TV interface and software.
- Video frame grabber.
- Color TV camera.
This will be donated to the ARRL, for use by staff and visitors to
W1AW, some time in the next few weeks.
Friday Night IVCA Meeting
The International Visual Communications Association holds a
meeting during the Hamvention Friday night at the Holiday Inn North.
Last year there were so many speakers, strict time limits were
imposed and the meeting still lasted about 4 hours. This year
a new format was tried.
We had several announcements and brief discussions limited to a couple
minutes each. Everyone took a turn at introducing himself/herself.
The formal part was kept short so there was plenty of time to visit
the various exhibits around the room.
Products on display included:
- Pasokon TV
- Tasco TSC-70
- Hi Res 32
- Slow Scan II for the Sound Blaster
- JVFAX
The developers of most of these systems were available to answer
questions and gather suggestions for future versions.
Saturday Forum
Despite the beautiful weather outside, the Saturday afternoon SSTV
forum was packed again. Late arrivals had to stand or sit on the floor
around the edges. This year's presentations were:
- Izumi Soma - Tasco TSC-70
- Tom Hibben KB9MC - Robot Helper and Robot 1200C modifications.
- Elwood McCollum KQ4XZ - JVFAX
Video tapes will be available from the IVCA.
IVCA Booth
Booth 212 was the place to view a variety of systems.
Equipment on display this year:
- Slow Scan II for the Sound Blaster
- Tasco TSC-70
- Pasokon TV
- Robot 1200C
This booth was right next to Wyman Research so the area was a magnet
to video communication enthusiasts. Many eyeball QSOs and lively
discussions were held here.
Manufacturers donated about $1500 of products and the lucky raffle
winners went home with:
- Two TSC-70 Scan Converters -- from Tasco International
- Pasokon TV -- from Absolute Value Systems
- HiRes or HiRes 32 graphics software -- from Tom Jenkins N9AMR
- Slow Scan II for Sound Blaster -- from Harland Technologies
- Video Tapes of Dayton 1995
- IVCA Membership
From IVCA newsletter: "The above firms have donated these prizes for
IVCA's benefit. Please ultilize their products whenever possible."
Radioware Booth
A Pasokon TV demo attracted a lot of attention to Radioware's first
booth at Dayton. Their growing line of video communication products
also included SSTV Explorer, video frame grabbers, a new SSTV filter, and
fast scan ATV kits.