|
MICROWAVE UPDATE 2003 - SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA 25-28 September 2003 |
| During the last weekend in September, Peter Blakeborough, G3PYB and myself (G3PHO) flew out from Manchester, UK, some 7000 miles to Seattle in the Pacific North West of the USA. The reason was Microwave Update 2003! This was my third Update and, like the other two, was a most enjoyable time. The following photos and descriptions will hopefully serve to encourage you and others to do at least one "pilgrimage" to this premier amateur microwave event. Update 2004 is scheduled to take place in Dallas, Texas .. be there! |
| We stayed in the Holiday Inn at Everett, the venue for the convention and about 35 miles north of SEATAC airport. Arriving an hour before midnight on a Wednesday night meant we made use of the excellent Seattle Shuttlebus service from the airport to the hotel. All of the MUD 2003 convention took place in the hotel apart from the Thursday morning visit to the nearby Boeing aircraft factory, the largest building of its kind in the world. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs at Boeing but we recommend anyone visiting Seattle to take the guide tour around the factory ... it's a fantastic place ... you could even see a 747 or similar being built that you might fly in one day! |
 |
 |
The program of events at MUD 2003 was as follows: Thursday: Convention registration & Boeing tour. Evening trade tables Friday: Lectures, auctions, evening trade tables and fleamarket Saturday:Lectures, trade tables, Evening Banquet and prize draw Sunday: Morning fleamarket in car park There was no surplus tour around the local area. Instead, the dealers came to the convention.
|
|
There were microwavers from all over the world at this year's Update. We personally met and spoke to amateurs from Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, England, as well as many friends from the USA itself. The latter came from all parts, from New England, Texas, the Mid West and the West Coast. Some of them had, like us, flown thousands of miles to meet up with fellow enthusiasts of this great hobby. Pictured here is Toru Narusawa,JF1AVS, from Japan. Although he cannot speak English very well, his homebuilt microwave equipment spoke for itself! It was excellent quality gear. He had on show here his little TV colour pattern generator, a 10GHz frequency counter about the size of a packet of cigarettes and some 47Ghz gear. |
 |
|
Toru's 10GHz frequency counter, about the size of a packet of cigarettes can be seen in this the photo on the right ....
|
 |
 |
|
 |