Sometimes, I just need a reason to get on the air. Specific operating goals can help with this, whatever form they take, including operating awards.
One of the first awards I earned many years ago was Worked All States (WAS). The mixed WAS is not that difficult because you can use any of the HF bands to make the contacts. Some bands are better for close-in states, while others are better for longer distances. Do a lot of operating, and you’ll eventually earn WAS. And it is fun to chase states.
Six Meter WAS
A few months ago, I looked at my Logbook of The World (LoTW) stats and noticed that I was one state shy of having WAS on 6 meters. I was not working towards this objective, but I was making a lot of contacts on six, trying to work countries and grids. The state I was missing was Utah, which is adjacent to my state of Colorado. I know I had worked Utah before, but I didn’t have it confirmed. Utah is not that easy to work from my location, because the populated areas of the state are in a dead zone: too far away for tropo propagation but too close for sporadic-e.
Once I realized I only needed Utah, I kept watch for Utah stations showed up on 6 meters. Soon, I worked KI7MD using meteor scatter and asked him to confirm the contact in LoTW. OK, there you go, I had WAS on 6 meters. I consider this a real accomplishment, one that took many years.
Chasing States By Band
Well, of course, it did not stop there. Another review of my LoTW results by state and band revealed that I already had WAS on 20 meters. I patted myself on the back for that accomplishment, even though I just stumbled across it. Then I noticed I had 43 states on 40 meters. Hmm, that should not be too difficult to complete because 40m propagation covers the US quite well. Alaska and Hawaii were both already confirmed so the challenge was filling in the missing lower 48 states.
I’ve been doing quite a bit of FT8 operating lately, so I set JTAlert up to alert me when any of the states I needed were received on 40 meters. Whenever they popped up, I’d make it a point to work them, if possible. Soon, the missing states were filled in, and I had achieved WAS on 40m. Technically, I have the confirmations in LoTW (good enough for me), but I have not applied to have the award issued.
Well, what band should I pursue next? I was a latecomer to the 30-meter band, making my first contact on that band in Feb 2024. However, I have learned to really like it with its propagation characteristics being an interesting mix of stateside and DX. I had about 30 states confirmed on 30m, so I figured it would not take too long to fill in the blanks. Again, I used FT8 aided by JTAlert to keep watch for the states I needed. I wasn’t completely zoned in on working these states…usually, I was on the air for other reasons, but when JTAlert told me there was a WAS contact to be had, I grabbed it. Right now, I have 49 states confirmed on 30m, with Delaware being the only one missing.
Now, someone out there is thinking, “Don’t pursue WAS one band at a time; go for them all at once!” That probably would be more efficient, but that’s not what I am after. I just like having a few operating goals in front of me to focus my efforts and pursuing states on a single band fits that just fine.
WAS Score Card
Here’s a snapshot of my WAS numbers today, from LoTW. After I finish up 30m, I will probably focus on 15m or 10m. I tend to be on those bands anyway for chasing DX. On those bands, I seem to be missing the closer in states with lower population density such as Kansas, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah. This is predictable with the longer F2 propagation normally found on those bands.
I don’t know that I’ll ever get WAS on 2m and I am more focused on VUCC for that band. Note that I have 4 states on 70cm: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. I am a bit surprised by that. Also note that the 80m row is empty. I don’t use 80 meters, so that may be a barrier to WAS on that band. I have a surprising number of states on 160m, as I have not spent much time on that band.
Anyway, if you are looking for a reason to get on the air, chasing states might be interesting. Remember, it’s all about having fun messing around with radio.
73 Bob K0NR