Ham Radio University: My First Time as a Presenter

Going into Ham Radio University, I was already excited just to be there. I was getting to experience my first HRU while also getting to present at the event. I had finished my slides the week before, but I still kept going over them again and again, making sure I really knew what I was talking about. I created an entire section on my website which included my PowerPoint presentation and resource links for users to access after the event. The experience became authentic because of this single moment.

When I got to LIU Post that morning, I was excited just to see everyone. It was cool seeing the Long Island and NYC ham radio community all in one place. The day started with opening remarks from ARRL NLI Section Manager Jim Mezey, W2KFV, and ARRL Hudson Division Director and Suffolk County Radio Club Vice President Ed Wilson, N2XDD. I then immediately went to Room 3 to present my talk which was titled “Meshtastic: Off Grid Mesh Networks.”

I arrived to the room at 8:50 and it contained only 15 people at that time. That gave me a few minutes to get my slides up on the projector and try to calm myself down. I was definitely nervous, but in a good way. By 8:55, everything changed. The entrance became a flood of people who filled up the entire space until the room became completely crowded. The guests required additional seating so people moved chairs from various rooms throughout the house to create more space.

Then at 8:58, (based on a text message I sent my dad), right before I was supposed to start, one of the organizers came up to me and said the room couldn’t handle the crowd anymore and they were moving my talk to the auditorium. I had about 10 seconds to process that before we told everyone and walked over together. The moment I entered the auditorium I witnessed the room become completely packed with people. According to Newsday, there were more than 70 people in there, making it the largest talk of the event.

The talk itself went by super fast, and if you’re interested, I have the full presentation and some additional resources posted on my personal website at w2diy.com/meshtastic. When it ended, I was completely blown away by the feedback. Multiple people approached me to share their positive experience with the talk while those who already owned a Meshtastic began sharing such positive feedback in the default ‘LongFast’ channel. 

I ended up missing the entire second set of sessions because I stayed behind helping people set up their Meshtastic devices, answering questions, and just nerding out about radio and mesh networks. 

For the rest of the day, I finally got to sit in on some sessions. I went to “Youth in Amateur Radio” with KD2ZZT and his students from Staten Island Technical High School (WS1THS & WS0LAR), the featured talk with Adrian Ciuperca, KO8SCA, who’s heading out on a DXpedition to Bouvet Island as 3Y0K, and “3D Printing in Amateur Radio” with K2GOG, who even gave me a 3D-printed desk sign with my callsign on it. I wrapped up the day with “Contesting: All Your Questions Answered” hosted by KS2G.

Looking back, my first Ham Radio University ended up being way more than I expected. I got to meet new people, learn new things, and somehow find myself on a stage being a nerd for an hour in front of a packed room. When I first got into ham radio, I never imagined I’d be doing talks like this. But now that I’ve done it once, I honestly want to do it again.

Going forward, I’d love to keep giving talks about new technology as it comes out, and especially to keep pushing youth involvement in amateur radio. My first HRU was one to remember, and I am excited to see what next year’s event looks like!

Daniel W2DIY