6 Meters: Mid-season Update

The first half of the 6 meter sporadic E season has been below par. At least in this part of the world, but not everywhere. I mentioned at the start of the season that there is some evidence that sporadic E is less frequent during solar maxima. While that may indeed be true it hardly seems relevant when the solar flux is so low (~120 as I type this). Even the aurorae during frequent geomagnetic disturbances have netted few contacts.

Yes, I'm griping. My friends are tired of my griping so I decided to continue on the blog with its larger audience. Lucky you (but you don't have to continue reading).

There is sporadic E nearly every day. The problem is that DX is largely absent. What propagation there is tends to only bring in the DX big guns, and they're very weak. Although that's welcome, other than an opportunity to say "hi" it isn't productive. I want (or need) stronger and farther DX, especially new countries. 

My expectations are difficult to achieve compared to most others since I have 147 DXCC countries worked and 135 confirmed. The only new country I've worked in 2025 (#147) was 4U1UN. The path from FN24 to FN30 is short but difficult. A large part of the difficulty is that they don't hear well -- it's a noisy location. It can be quite frustrating to hear them often while knowing that I cannot be heard.

The path can be bridged with rare intense sporadic E or tropospheric enhancement, and it has to happen when they're on the air. Friends have been more fortunate by being on at the right time. Finally it was my turn.

There has been just one widescale opening to Europe. It happened earlier this month. That was fun but, again, no new countries. There are very few countries in Europe that I still need. Examples include Z6, OY, T7, JX, JW). Some have been active this year and more operations are planned. Since most do not have big 6 meter signals or are far north they are difficult to work from here.

What we have had is a lot of trans-NA propagation. The FFMA chasers in eastern NA have been thrilled to work many needed DM, CN, and DN grid squares. The screenshot is from one of those openings. Although I don't chase grids I will work them since they're almost DX and I like to beam west in case the propagation extends into the Pacific Ocean. 

While working the opening I frequently check PSK Reporter for flags in Hawaii, New Zealand and the small number of 6 meter stations active in the vast area of the southern Pacific Ocean. It is unusual that we'd get a Pacific opening without a west coast opening, so we have to hunt for them amid the QRM. The exception is F2 openings. Since the solar flux this year is not cooperating we must rely on sporadic E links to long DX paths. Strong W6/7 and XE signals get me to pay close attention.

It would be nice if more stations would QSY to 50.323 MHZ for inter-continental DX chasing to escape the QRM on 313. This picture of the Icom 7610 spectrogram was taken during the same opening as above. There are a few DX chasers on 323 with strong signals but little else. It is perhaps a lot to ask of stations to move away from 50.313 MHz since that's a great place to monitor for openings. Everybody hangs out there. The quieter 323 makes it easier to spot the rare DX station but only if they're there.

There is no good solution. All I can do is QSY back and forth. That's no different from spinning the VFO on CW and SSB to find stations to work. No one promised that this would be easy! The DX hunt is difficult and that's integral to the challenge. 

Another point is that although FT4 is ideal for strong openings it continues to attract little activity. When I go to 50.318 MHz I can quickly work a handful of stations and then there's nothing more. Although FT4 can be more stressful since it requires quicker reflexes than FT8, you can select the auto-answer option. 

I prefer to pick and choose, especially when I call CQ DX and attract callers that don't respect my request for DX. I may enable auto-answer when I attract a pile up so that I always respond to someone without delay. I can override the software's choice if I do it quickly.

We had propagation to central Asia (UN) last week. As is typical with these long paths, it was unstable. I tried to work a couple of UN stations that were not in my log but could not. I didn't call the stations I'd already worked because so many North Americans were calling them. During the same openings I heard a few stations calling EX and EK. I don't know if they were successful.

I haven't yet heard Japan this season although they have been worked by stations to the south and west of us. There are reports of JA being heard only a few hundred kilometers away so I remain hopeful for one or more July openings. With luck an opening will extend to the mainland (HL and BY) or south to DU.

Speaking of south, DX propagation is more frequent at lower latitudes. We can only watch when W4, W3 and even W2 stations have openings to Europe, Japan and Africa. A little luck is necessary at our higher geomagnetic latitude. While seemingly not south of us, Europe has had numerous openings to Asia and Australia. Their more southerly geomagnetic latitude is responsible. 

Openings to South America are more common for us due to TEP, as it is in Europe (to Africa) and east Asia (to VK/ZL). Since I've worked most of the South American countries I often sit out these openings. They are mostly of interest to grid hunters. I listen to but rarely call stations in countries I've already confirmed.

Turning to the southeast, very little in southern Africa has been heard. On one day I heard 9J2FI briefly but couldn't get his attention. He's been heard more frequently in W1/2 and VE1. D2UY has been heard more frequently but that path is more to the east rather than southeast. There has been no sign of 7Q stations this season. I don't know if that's due to propagation or inactivity. I don't recall seeing any spots for them.

No Pacific stations have been heard this season. Stations as close as W8 and more westerly VE3 were able to hear and perhaps work KH6, 3D, FK, ZL and a few others. ZL1RS's recent DXpedition to E6 was invisible, unlike E51EME last year. Last year we had the benefit of a high solar flux. Now we must rely on more elusive long haul sporadic E, just like during a solar minimum.

Recently my power level has taken a dive. My Acom 1500 amplifier developed a fault and it won't run for long before the protection circuits kick in. It appears to be a problem in the protection circuits rather than the 4CX1000 tube. If I can't fix it myself I'll have to send it out of country to an Acom service outlet. Amplifiers are not very complicated but they are dangerous to work on due to the lethal voltages. In the picture you can see that I've overridden the safety switches to troubleshoot the fault.

For the time being I'm using the Acom 1200S. It isn't capable of as much power on digital modes so it incurs a penalty of about -1.5 db. Considering the variability of sporadic E propagation that isn't a large sacrifice. It is unlikely that the 1500 will be back in service before August.

Where do we go from here? From all indications, there will not be a second peak in this solar cycle, or not one of significant intensity. If I'm wrong and the solar flux rises in the fall we will have opportunities for long haul DX. That would be cycle 25's final hurrah. In 2026 we can expect few if any F-layer openings at this latitude. Beyond that, nothing until the next maximum ~10 years hence. 

I'll count myself very fortunate to reach 150 countries (worked) by the end of 2025. If propagation fails to improve I can at least look forward to DXpeditions to a few Caribbean and South American countries I have yet to work.

All I can do for now is wait and watch. It is often the case that when the first half of the season (up to the June 21 solstice) is poor the second half shines. Well, that's what I keep telling myself!

Aging Tower Riggers

You realize there's trouble on the tower. Who are you going to call? If you're like the large majority of hams, you need someone else to do the work because you won't or you can't.

That is the question for most hams with towers since they don't climb. So you call a friend who climbs, ask your local club for assistance or you turn to a professional.

I don't have statistics to back me up but I don't believe it was always this way. When I was young, and for a long time after, I was one among many. It was common to ask a younger ham to help with their tower and antenna needs. I've been doing tower work for other hams as long as I've been doing tower work, and that is half a century!

It shouldn't be surprising. As we age we are less willing or less able to climb. It took me some time to notice the trend and where it is headed. Hams that still climb into their 80s are rare. Even the most ardent stop in their 70s. Many give up far younger. 

It is important to recognize when the time has come and willingly hang up the harness. Others are pressured by family. There are a stubborn few that keep going and pay a heavy price. I know hams that have taken down their towers when they realized they could no longer maintain them on their own. Help may be hard to find and some are too proud to ask. So they avoid the problem entirely.

It is older hams that are most interested in big HF antenna systems and most of the climbers in this cohort have aged out doing tower work. Few young hams are taking their places. Why would they bother to learn and practice those skills when they don't have a tower themselves. Many young hams are more attracted to portable operation or low profile wire antennas.

That's the situation: our number are declining so the downward trend will continue. I can count on one hand the number of local hams I personally know who climb. Many are eager to help, but on the ground. Indeed there is only one local ham willing and able to climb my tallest 150' tower. But then he has towers of his own that high.

Since it is getting harder to find hams to help on the tower, many turn to professional help. That can be expensive. Well, many things are expensive these days, whether it's a vehicle repair, redoing a roof or many other specialized jobs that require skill and experience. Everybody needs to eat -- so you pay.

How much can you afford to pay for the rest of your ham career? Can you find competent help? That is more difficult than you might think. Incompetent help is, unfortunately, far from rare. Not all that advertise their services deserve to be called professionals. It may mean little more than someone who charges for a job, whether or not it is done properly.

You can't inspect what was done from the ground so poor workmanship may remain undiscovered until well after money changes hands. I've often had to fix what I could when shoddy work causes trouble. I don't enjoy seeing fellow hams ripped off.

Few tower riggers are hams so that even if they are competent they may be unfamiliar with our equipment and practices. For example, weatherproofing connectors for ease of future disassembly, rotation loops and rotators, adjustment of feed point matching networks, the fragility of many aluminum and wire element yagis, etc.

There are alternatives. If the tower isn't too high you can rent a bucket truck and do the work yourself. It isn't as easy or safe as you might expect but at least you don't have to climb. Or you can install a crank-up or tilt-over tower. None of these come cheap. If it's important to keep your HF capability, you have the money and can't rely on hiring competent tower workers, by all means go ahead and do what you must.

I won't climb forever. At the moment I am in good physical condition and I have the requisite skill and experience. Since I'm retired I have time to help others, so I do that despite having my own large station to maintain and grow. I enjoy helping others. That said, my "best before date" has passed. My time is coming. Not soon, I hope, but it is coming.

Let's say that time is 10 years away -- 2035. What then? Will there be a younger ham, perhaps with operating opportunities, to do an old man a favour? Do I hire professionals? Many of the ones I know are also getting older.

I expect that I'll be able to afford the expense for a time. To minimize the need my plan is to cease antenna projects when the time approaches and harden the station as well as I can. The inertia of a solid tower and antenna installation may take me over the finish line. 

I have enough antennas that the loss of one or two is survivable. When I say loss, that could be an item as minor as an intermittent coax connector or a corroded wire on a rotator. But if I can't fix it, it's no less a loss of capability than if the antenna were to fall to the ground.

Sad to say that when I'm gone the towers will likely be cut down for scrap. I doubt that I can pass the station on, and it is too expensive to dismantle for sale in the unlikely case that there is interest in the towers and antennas. 

Ham radio will survive me but it will be nothing like what those my age grew up with. Tower work will become a skill lost to hams, just like what will eventually happen with CW and other traditional practices. Time marches on.

New Prop Pitch Motor Controller

This project has occasionally appeared in this blog, and has been so for a long time. There were complications and distractions along the way that kept me from getting it done. I am happy to report that it is complete, working and installed in the station. There's a welcome check mark on my lengthy to-do list.

Before going further I'll mention that there are many features present in commercial controllers that I have not implemented. I'll get to some of those eventually. Since they're mostly software, upgrades can be made with the controller in service. What I judge to be the important functionality gaps will be listed at the end of this article.

My requirements for the controller are simple enough:

• No larger than a commercial controller, suitable for desktop use
  
• Support for 2 prop pitch motor rotators
• Potentiometer for the direction indicators
• Software for ease of modification and expansion
• Remote 24 VDC power supply for the motor

There are commercial products that will do all of this and much more. But it's more educational and interesting to build my own. It is a project that is within the abilities of many hams, although for some, I must admit, it may be daunting. I always seem to struggle with circuit design, while software is one of my areas of expertise. 

The downside of this project was the time and effort expended. I didn't do it to save money! I did it for the learning and personal satisfaction. There is no shame in buying a controller if you'd prefer to apply your energies elsewhere.

Let's begin at the back of the controller. Although an unconventional place to start, it can be illuminating to first look at the interconnections. The USB port is on the Arduino Uno board. It is only needed for uploading and testing software. All power comes from the 13.8 VDC connector on the lower right. A barrier strip provides ±15 VDC for the two direction pots and the two pot wipers.

The DE9 connector connects to the power supply unit. 6 pins are for low side switching of relays: 2 to control AC and 4 for the CCW and CW DC relays of the two motors. Switching is low side, requiring one pin supplying +12 VDC to the relays and external circuitry. Ground is via the connector shell, which therefore requires a shielded 9-pin cable.

One unfortunate lesson was that the DE9 connector doesn't project out far enough to seat the male cable. The ABS panel is too thick. After the picture was taken I had to carefully extract it and place the flange on the outside of the panel. Although it isn't as pretty it is only rarely seen. Thankfully the wires were terminated by Dupont connectors rather than soldered so it didn't take long to make the change.

At the moment only one of the AC pins is used since there is one power supply that only has enough current capacity for a single motor. That means only one motor can be turned at a time. That is enforced by the software so there is no risk of blowing a fuse. With a second power supply and software update both motors could be turned at the same time. 

The 2 remaining pins are for monitoring the DC current and voltage. Those functions are not present at the moment even though I have the modules. The quantities will be displayed when a motor is powered, and also used to detect and respond to system faults. I have been bedevilled in the past by wiring and component failures that required opening up the controller to attach current and voltage meters. The built-in voltage and current monitors will make problems easier to diagnose.

There is very little heat produced by the controller. I tried to place most of the heat generating circuits near the back vent. Voltage regulators are the main culprits.

This is a view of the interior before the display and circuitry and their respective cables were installed. The 5 VDC regulator is up against the vent. A chain of diodes reduce the 13.8 supply to the 12 VDC maximum that the onboard Arduino regulator can handle. On the left wall is a buck-boost power supply that produces ±15 VDC for the direction indicator circuitry. They can be found online and they are cheap. There's no point providing a link since these products come and go quickly.

The buck-boost power supply is one source of heat. Because the minimum output is 30 ma for both the positive and negative supplies, unless the connected circuits draw at least that much it is necessary to install 470 Ω resistors to bleed the minimum current. Otherwise the output voltage can soar to over 50 volts. The power supply module is cheap but it requires care in how it is used.

 Since it is not usual to disconnect the direction pot wires or even the internal cable harness to the op amp circuit, a higher value resistor that draws less than 30 ma and produces less heat entails risk. Each resistor dissipates about ½ watt at 30 ma. There is one for the positive and negative supplies. They get very warm, too warm to touch comfortably. I may replace them with higher power resistors on the back wall of the enclosure to be near the vent.

Various versions of the Arduino Uno can have different dimensions. That could be a problem for locating the USB connector on the rear wall and PCB mounting holes. I suggest buying the board first and measuring it before picking up a drill and saw. Having at least one spare of the same type can avoid future grief. The Uno was the smallest Arduino with the GPIO complement to support this project.

The display is a 1602 2×16 LCD. As I described in an earlier article I had difficulty finding a template that worked well for 3D printing a bezel that wasn't too large and that secured the display to the front panel. I abandonned the search and carefully cut a rectangular opening in the front panel that is a press fit for the display. Some fussing with a file helped to make it as snug as possible. Hams with 3D printer skills could do better. Nevertheless it doesn't look too bad from a meter away.

The small holes below the LCD are for adjusting the zeroing pots. The gain pots are on the central PCB. The gain pots should not require adjusting after initial setup. I also included software gain controls to fine tune the gain more conveniently. With one chain drive motor with a 1:1 turn ratio and an outboard pot on the direct drive motor with about a 2.5:1 turn ratio, hardware gain is preferred to keep to the op amp circuit's linear range. If the hardware gain is too low the resolution of the bearing may suffer due to the 10-bit ADC on the Arduino boards (1024 discrete values).

In this picture most of the components are installed. The major additions are the support for the zeroing pots and the PCB with the circuitry. The circuit includes connectors for the DE9, power, GPIO pins, LCD and zeroing pots, trim pots for the LCD contrast and two for the direction indicator gain, and op amps for the direction indicators. There are RFC and bypass capacitors for external connections.

These are the completed units. The controller has evolved with the addition of the 4 buttons to operate the rotators and a small Arduino shield (plug in) with a ULN2003A NPN Darlington array to switch the 6 relays. To conserve analogue GPIO pins (I use all 6 on the Uno) only 2 are used for the buttons. The pins are pulled high when idle, grounded for CCW and half-Vdd (2.5 VDC) for CW. The direction control buttons are debounced in software.

There are a lot of wires and connectors inside the controller. A better designer than I'll ever be may have been able to clean it up. The circuitry is simple but it appears complicated due to all the wiring harnesses. Working on the controller is not as bad as it looks. Documentation is vital.

The power supply is an ugly unit that came with one of the prop pitch motors I acquired. That's fine since it is located out of sight under the operating desk. The chassis was stripped of most components since they were for the discarded manual control system. 

A large electrolytic capacitor was replaced by a new and much smaller 2200 μF 50 WVDC unit. The barrier strip is for the CCW and CW 24VDC connections to the motors. Ground (motor common) is a chassis stud where the black DMM lead is attached. The DE9 connector is supported by small aluminum angles that I made.

A fuse holder (5 A) was placed on the side in an already present chassis hole. Not quite visible is the AC power switch on the front (bottom left). It can be left on since AC only flows when the rotators are turned; it can be turned off for software testing. I am using this power supply rather than the old one since this one is stiffer. Under load it produces 24 to 25 VDC. It is reduced by a couple of volts at the motors due to wire resistance. The motor on the 15 and 20 meter upper yagis is starting and turning faster with this supply, and I expect more reliably in the winter cold.

Automotive 30A SPDT relays are mounted on the power supply chassis, 4 switch DC to the two motors and one under the chassis switches AC to the power transformer. I was remiss in not ordering relays with an internal protection diode so I included them on a small PCB along with bypass capacitors for the control lines. More components will be added to the PCB for new features. There are a lot of wires just because there are many relays but the circuit itself is uncomplicated.

To avoid switching high current DC the relays are sequenced by the software. When a button is pressed, the corresponding DC relay is energized, followed a fraction of a second later by the AC relay. The sequence is reversed when the button is released. Although the relays are rated for 30 A, their lifetime will be shorter when switching high current. Typically the motor starting current is limited to less than 20 A due to the resistance of the long wires to the tops of the towers.

With each component tested it was time to connect the controller to the prop pitch motors. Or, if you like, integration testing. 

To avoid overly disturbing the existing controller and its fragile direction indicator circuitry, I started by moving the motor wires to the new controller but not the direction pot wires. The new controller was set to power the motor while the old analogue prototype continued to indicate direction.

The only hiccup was that I'd reversed the CW and CCW wires. It's an easy mistake to make with these motors and my labels were not the best. All was well and even better since the motor for the 20/15 meter stacks started and turned faster with the new motor, just as I'd anticipated. For some reason it is particularly sensitive to low voltage.

For the next step, the direction pot leads were transferred to the new controller. Of the 6 wires, 4 go to the ±15 VDC terminals and the other two are the pot wipers. 

Tranferring the wires was a lot trickier than for the motor. Since the direction pots don't have the same turning ratio to the mast (as described earlier) it is vital to connect them to the correct circuits. I pre-calibrated both circuits manually with a directly connected pot -- both hardware and software gain controls -- so that the yagis wouldn't have to be turned too much for the live calibration. Zeroing was easily accomplished by turning both rotators north before moving the wires.

I did a poor job of documenting the transfer and documenting the internal cables in the new controller. After several false starts I finally got the mess figured out and retested the calibration using a local pot. Finally I got it working. This took several days because I needed time away from the project due to excess frustration. It was easy to find other projects to play with in the interim.

When I had another go at it I discovered the problem. The controller was fine. It was one of those absurd coincidences that the direction pot on the 20/15 prop pitch motor was slipping. That's one more item added to my to-do list. I have a new bracket already made that I was negligent about installing. I guess this is an opportune time.

Rather than light the LED inside the button (which is covered by your finger) I use blinking arrows next to the bearing indicator. It's rudimentary but effective. 

Among the problems I've encountered with the controller is electrical noise. The diodes on the relay coils are mandatory, as I discovered, since when they disengaged the LCD or the Arduino would often fault. Even with the diodes there are problems. Switching of the AC supply line occasionally scrambles the LCD but not the Arduino. It can also cause the needle on one of the Hy-Gain rotator controller to momentarily jump.

I am working to resolve these issues. Digital circuitry is very sensitive. A metal enclosure might have helped. All I can do is add more bypass capacitors, shielding and RF chokes to manage the intermittent faults. Until I get it fully under control I occasionally reset the controller. The easiest way is to pull the power connector (there's no on-off switch).

I should briefly mention the software I wrote for the controller. The direction indicator and motor control function independently. I've already discussed the direction indicator circuits in some depth so I won't say more about it here. 

The motor controls feed a finite state machine (FSM) that determines the state of the motor controller based on button input and timers. There is just one FSM since it is disallowed to turn both motors at the same time with the one power supply.

An early draft is on the right. It's to give a taste of what an FSM is for those unfamiliar with it. So don't worry about it being somewhat cryptic!

There are pending states to ensure solid button presses and releases, which act as button debouncers. It is highly undesirable to have the relays snapping in and out due to intermittent button operation, whether by the operator or button contact issues. Therefore there is a brief delay between the button press and motor operation. 

Sequencing of AC and DC relays is driven by FSM states and timers. Once the motor is turning all the other buttons are ignored. Only when the active button is released are other buttons inspected. To prevent operator errors the controller waits for all buttons to be released if one of the others is pressed when turning stops.

Since the direction pots are independent there is no protection against over-rotation. It was more important to get the controller usable rather than first address every edge case. That will be corrected in time.

That leads to future feature implementation. The first version is rudimentary but perfectly functional. It may be enough for me to use but not for guest operators. Additional protections and displayed information would be beneficial. Planned features include:

• Over-rotation protection. A small amount of over-rotation is desirable and I've made the rotation loops tolerant of it. Perhaps 20° but no more. 
• Edit direction pot glitches. Pots are imperfect devices when out in the weather. The wiper does not always solid contact the wire coils as it moves. These glitches can be identified and dealt with in software if they are not long duration. Inertia of the meter needle on legacy controllers similarly smooths the bearing indication.
• Current and voltage monitors. Once the modules (very inexpensive to purchase) are added to the power supply it will be convenient to monitor these key indicators of motor operation. No more pulling out the DMM for testing. The data can be used to automatically stop operation if the motor does not start or turn properly, or to warn of a broken connection.
• Two power supplies. I'd like to be able to turn both motors at the same time. This would be most helpful for multi-op contests. I prefer to mount both on a single chassis, including the control circuits. This feature is mainly a software change.
• Wireless PC connection and control. This will allow rotator control from the PC, either by a separate application or integration with contest logging software. It is also needed should I ever implement remote operation of the station.
• Over-rotation protection, as described earlier in the text. 

In the end, was this a worthwhile project? I am undecided. Of course I learned a lot and there is satisfaction from having done it, but the usability is perhaps not as good as I'd like. The box looks cheap, feels flimsy and it is so light that the cables at the back can lift the front feet. Although it is working fine there are transient issues to track down and further software development is needed to add the missing (and desired) features.

With all the projects I undertake this was perhaps not the best use of my time and effort. I started it more than a year ago and even though I spent only a fraction of my time on it, it's been annoying to constantly see the unfinished controller sitting there. 

I will put this project aside for now since it works. My focus for the rest of the year will turn to other projects. I have no regrets but building is not always superior to buying. Especially so as one grows older.

The old controller with the prototype direction indicators is now officially retired. I'll salvage the 24 VDC power supply and send the rest to my junk box.

The Curious Challenge of FFMA

For those that don't recognize the acronym, FFMA is the Fred Fish Memorial Award. The objective of the award is simple: confirm contacts with every grid square in the continental US on 6 meters. There are 488 of them. Difficult? Oh yes! DXCC on 6 is much easier. As of this date there are just 57 awardees.

I do not chase grids. The corollary is that I do not pursue FFMA, or any award for that matter. My interests on 6 meters are DX and unusual propagation. That hasn't always been true. When the Maidenhead system was new decades ago I was, as now, a 6 meter enthusiast. During the period from 1985 to 1992 I happily chased grids on 6. It was easier than DXing since my operating time was limited, activity was almost all on CW and SSB, and most of Europe and the rest of the world had no privileges for 6 meters. DXing on 6 is much easier today!

Out of curiosity I dug up the ARRL grid square map on which I highlighted worked and confirmed US grid squares. Keep in mind this was done on CW and SSB without spotting networks. Many of the QSOs were more than "599 FN25" exchanges. It was a different era.

There are non-American grids marked even though the supposedly "North America" map has just a sliver of the continent outside the US borders. But it's good enough to illustrate what I worked up to 1992 -- I went QRT for 20 years subsequently and returned to 6 meters 10 years ago.

The paucity of western grids is due to population density and the relative rarity of propagation beyond the usual single hop sporadic E range of about 2000 km. Since I didn't have many opportunities to work DX outside of the 1989-1990 solar cycle peak (that was a good one!) it was natural for a 6 meter enthusiast like myself to pursue grid squares.

I quickly assembled the second map with the confirmed grids from the LOTW (Logbook of the World) FFMA award page. This time I drew a line above the US grids and didn't mark other grids. I have 388 out of 488 FFMA grids confirmed on LOTW. I may have cards for more but I don't count those (or even look at them). That's a pretty good total for someone who focusses on DX and doesn't chase grids.

There are fewer gaps than I had in 1992 even though none of my confirmations from back then were carried forward. That is, all contacts were made in the past decade, and are heavily weighted to the time after I migrated to FT8. Missing grids in the northeast or within E hop distance are due to disinterest rather than a lack of opportunity.

One curiosity that was brought to my attention a few years ago is that you can work Canadian and Mexican station on those border grids for FFMA credit. That surprised me! Yet that is indeed what the rules say:

(c) Any portion of an FFMA grid may be worked for FFMA credit. It is not necessary for an FFMA operation to be on US soil; operations from Canadian or Mexican territory or from water within an FFMA-required grid are acceptable.

It seems odd that non-US contacts would count towards a very US-centric award. That explained why I was so popular with award hunters. Although there are quite a few of us on both sides of the border, I appear to have the biggest 6 meter signal from FN24. I have received several sked requests which I try to satisfy. Non-DX stations may have difficulty getting my attention otherwise.

Well, that's enough of an introduction. Now I come to the big question: why on Earth would anyone chase this award? It's really really hard -- a potentially decades long pursuit. Not only are the openings to far flung grids uncommon, many of the rarest grids are only workable when a ham roves to those grids, as a favour to chasers, and only if their operations coincide with an opening. I am not surprised that the number of FFMA holders is less than those on the DXCC Honor Roll.

Those near the centre of the continent have an advantage since most of the country is within one E hop. It isn't necessarily that easy since grids in the skip zone, and there are many of them, can be difficult to work. Worse, if those grids are rare and only activated by rovers, the signals of their portable setups might not be good. An aurora (at northerly latitudes) or tropospheric enhancement are welcome but unlikely to coincide with an activation.

Many are happy enough to collect grids, any grids, not only those 488. Every opening brings an opportunity to add to the total. A subset of those will track their FFMA progress and call the needed stations when they're heard, but will not make a serious effort. Only a few go the extra distance. You have to make skeds, join groups where grid-peditions are planned, ask others to activate needed grids, and then confirm the contacts that are made.

I usually don't bother to call rare grids when I hear them (see them on WSJT-X). If they have a pile up I would rather spend my time hunting for DX openings. I simply move on. 

In one case I have the needed list from one friend who is moderately serious about FFMA. If I hear what appears to be a rare grid I'll check his list and contact him. He's whittled down the number of remaining grids this way, moving him a few steps closer. I hope that he is eventually successful. The list isn't long yet it will take him years to get there, if at all. You have to enjoy the chase since few reach the finish line.

FFMA is one of those awards where you must work every entity. This is like reaching the top of the Honor Roll, a clean sweep in the Sweepstakes contest, all zones in CQ WW, or all counties in a QSO party. I don't find that interesting. My objective is to maximize my score or entity count without an unreasonable investment of time and effort. A lifetime investment to achieve DXCC Honor Roll or FFMA holds no appeal. Many would disagree, and that's their prerogative.

Now that sporadic E has once again arrived there are quite a few grid-peditions on 6 meters. I may call them if they're on the other side of the continent and therefore fall within my idea of what constitutes DX on 6 meters. Sometimes they call me if conditions are poor and they are hungry for contacts. These hams have the same enthusiasm for difficult QSOs on 6 and will work what they can. They don't only call CQ!

For everyone chasing FFMA or similar difficult awards, I salute you and sincerely wish you the best of luck. But I won't join you in the chase.