Spokane DX Association

(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 DXpedition – TX5K).

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What is the Fred Fish award?

Fred Fish W5FF(SK) was the first ham to work all 488 maidenhead 6-meter grids in the continental USA. The new Fred Fish Award was given to him posthumously in 2008 as their newest ARRL award. There are only six amateurs that have gotten the award. Lance should be #7. Working all 488 grids is tough; some grids are ham-less, at least on 6 meters. Some are swamps; some are accessed only by boat.

Here is the FRED FISH LINK to the ARRL site. Incidentally, SDXA member Mark W7MEM has 480 confirmed, only 8 remaining. Steve K7AWB has 412 of the 488.

Lance recently announced his working the final 488th grid (FN67 in Maine):

“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 initiates many 6-meter DXpeditions using EME for his contacts. Here is a DXPEDITION 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. Lance has ARRL DXCC #11 for 2-meters as well as a 6-meter DXCC.

His great technical website is at this W7GJ LINK.