Hamvention® will offer a set of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Challenge Coins as a door prize this year, Prize Committee Chair Tom Holmes, N8ZM, said. The two keepsake coins are positioned side by side in a display box, with each side of the coin visible. Commemorative ARISS Challenge Coin sets are a premium to anyone contributing $100 or more to ARISS, which is kicking off its 2016 fundraising campaign at Hamvention, May 20-22. ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said the funds raised will go toward critical upgrades of its aging ISS ham radio gear.

“The radio system in the Columbus module is over 17 years old and underpowered,” Bauer said. “We need a 21st century, next-generation solution. This fundraising campaign will enable these upgrades and, as a result, significantly improve ARISS operations and provide the funding necessary to better support our stakeholders and the Amateur Radio community.” Contributions to the ARISS campaign also will help to defray ongoing operational costs for the educational outreach.

Dayton Hamvention General Chairman Jim Tiderman, N8IDS, agreed to feature the ARISS keepsake with a special prize drawing right after the introduction of 2016 Dayton Hamvention award winners, which gets under way at 1 PM on Sunday.

The ARISS team also will have Challenge Coins available for $100 donors at AMSAT’s Hamvention booth. Contributions to ARISS also are welcome via ARISS website (click on the “Donate to the ARISS Annual Fund” button) or via the AMSAT website (click on the “ARISS Donate” button).

Holmes said the value of prizes to be awarded at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention already has exceeded $51,000, with additional donations still arriving. Major prizes alone total more than $30,600.

Several radios highlight the major prizes, including Icom’s IC-7100, IC-7300, IC-718, and ID-5100A Deluxe; three Kenwood TS-590G; Yaesu’s FTdx1200 with FFT-1, and an FT-450D; a Xiegu X108G QRP transceiver and an Anytone AT-3208UV dual-band handheld, and an ELAD USA FDM-S2 SDR with SFE development board. The largest prize is a US Tower HDX-455 55-foot crank-up tower.

Prize drawings will be held each hour during Hamvention, with winning numbers posted at the Prize Booth in the main arena and on monitors throughout the Hara Arena complex. Hamvention attendees can deposit prize stubs each day at the Prize Booth in the main arena. On Friday and Saturday only, attendees may also drop off prize stubs at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) Boy Scout Venturing Crew booth just inside the East Hall entrance. Tickets deposited by 15 minutes before the hour at the East Hall booth will be transferred to the main prize drum in time for the next hourly drawing, although that service will not be available on Sunday. -- Thanks to Hamvention and to ARISS