Eighth Maritime DX Forum
Halifax, Nova Scotia
5 – 6 August 2011
Regular registration is now open.
You can download the registration form here. Note: this form is for if you are attending the MDF in Halifax; it is not for the webinar.
Webinar Option - Registration is OPEN!
For those who live outside of Canada's Maritime Provinces and are unable to join us in Halifax for the MDF, you are now able to participate via the web.
The webinar presentation will happen in real time and allow participants to hear the proceedings and view both the activity at the venue and the power point presentations. This software system also allows a participant to ask questions and make comments which will be seen by the speaker.
However, because many of you will live in time zones that make viewing in real time inconvenient, shortly after the event closes, the various segments will be downloaded to our website.
We hope in this way to share the MDF experience and the insights of our remarkable speakers with a world wide audience. Of course, we hope that one day you will join us in person and let us show you our Maritime Provinces hospitality!.
To register, download the registration form from here. You will have to print the filled-out form and mail it to us with your payment. We are planning on using an electronic registration system for next year :-).
If you have any specific questions you may contact D. Howard Dickson, VE1DHD at (902) 823-2024 or by email at mdf-registration@halifax-arc.org.
The Halifax Amateur Radio Club (HARC), in partnership with the Maritime Contest Club (MCC), invites contesters, DXers and HF enthusiasts to the 2011 Maritime DX Forum.
This year the MCC will sponsor a social event on Friday, 5 August as part of the MDF weekend. There will be a happy hour (with cash bar) beginning at 4:00 pm, followed by a dinner (pizza, Caesar salad, dessert and soft drink), a reception and MDF registration. The MDF program on Saturday, 6 August will run from 8:30 am - 4:45 pm and be followed by a reception and the MDF banquet.
Conference Venue: 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. Please Google Mount St. Vincent University Location to see a map.
Program themes will cover the latest thinking about low band DXing; an exploration of the Islands on the Air (IOTA) awards and contest program; a guide to operating a remotely located station; and the adventure and challenges of operating from Antarctic islands. The 2011 program can be downloaded by clicking here.
The MDF provides high quality, leading edge presentations, and provides a very collegial gathering of some of the most accomplished contesters and DXers in our Canadian Maritime Provinces, other parts of Canada and the world. You can click here to see a list of past speakers and the scope of their programs. This year’s group of world-class speakers include:
- John Devoldere, ON4UN, Merelbeke, Belguim
- Scott Johns, W3TX, Fairview, Pennsylvania
- Reg Beck, VE7IG. Williams Lake, British Columbia
- Tim Ellam, VE6SH, Calgary Alberta
- George Nicholson, N4GRN/VE1GRN, Atlanta, Georgia & Lockport, Nova Scotia
The social side of the weekend starts with the dinner and social evening on Friday night. During the weekend, there will be ample time to talk with each of our program presenters and other participants; first, at the events 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, many commercial post-MDF tours in the region are available.
Do you wonder who has attended past MDF programs? Well, click here to see a list.
Card Checking: John Scott, VE1JS, a volunteer ARRL QSL card checker will be on hand to confirm credits for DXCC, WAS and VUCC awards.
Cost and Registration: Friday’s Dinner will cost $20; Saturday’s Maritime DX Forum - $80; and the MDF banquet - $35. A registration form and instructions can be downloaded from here. These early bird prices are valid until 15 July when there will be an additional $10 charge for the MDF registration.
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. Click here for details about the Fund.
Accommodations: For those wishing inexpensive lodging, Mount St.Vincent University has comfortable dormitory rooms with a shared bath ranging in price from $36.21 to $62.45) and one bedroom apartments with bath for $68.76. 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 Baddeck. Within a few hours you can also be in Prince Edward Island or New Brunswick with many first class tourist destinations. AND of course, take in the Maritime DX Forum on August 5th and 6th 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.
Finally: Please let your ham radio friends know about the Maritime DX Forum. They can obtain registration materials from the HARC website. Any questions 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.
WELCOME TO HALIFAX IN AUGUST 2011!