TEMP LANCE
LANCE W7GJ ACHIEVES ARRL FRED FISH AWARD REQUIREMENTS
(Lance, from Frenchtown, MT, was one of our SDXA-sponsored speakers at our 2013 PNW DX Convention in Spokane Valley talking about his 6-meter Clipperton (TX5K) DXpedition)
.
What is the Fred Fish award?
It is to honor Fred Fish W5FF(SK) who was the first ham to work all 488 maidenhead 6-meter grids in the continental USA. The award was give to him posthumously in 2008. There are only five amateurs that have qualified for the award so far.
Here is the LINK to the ARRL site on the award. Incidentally, SDXA member Mark W7MEM has 480 confirmed, only 8 remaining. Steve K7AWB has 412 of the 488.
Lance announced his working the 488th grid:
“What a great birthday present I had tonight! At 0204Z September 28, 2015 – just as
the eclipsed full moon rose over the mountain here – I completed with KB3SII on 6m
EME for my grid number 488 for the FFMA award 😉 KB3SII and K1WHS are currently on EME on 50.190 from FN67aa, and also making other contacts on EME. 6m Degradation is -0.9 and Kp is 1.7. 6m EME cndx are UNBELIEVABLE!”
Lance goes on many 6-meter DXpeditions using EME for his contacts. Here is a LINK to his latest in Micronesia in August, 2015. This article has beautiful pictures and a great description of his trip including the flames out of the bottom of his amplifier. Lance maintains the [email protected] reflector too.
In early December 1983, operating from Montana as WA1JXN, Lance was the first radio amateur to communicate with the Space Shuttle. Astronaut Dr. Owen Garriot, W5LFL. He was contacted using Lance’s 2m EME array of 12 yagis as STS-9 passed down along the West Coast of the USA. He has ARRL DXCC #11 for 2-meters as well as a 6-meter DXCC.
His technical website is at this W7GJ LINK.
