Worked All States

 24 years a ham, and I've not accomplished Worked All States (WAS).

Right now I sit at 47 confirmed states in LOTW.

WAS is a serious challenge for me, and the three states I have left present logistical and technical problems.

First, let's consider the most curious of the 3, Vermont. This is a state where I have multiple QSOs, but only paper QSLs. I guess no one in VT uses Logbook of the World.

crazy!

Second is the state with only a few Hams, South Dakota. There's only around 2100, but the guys there are working, not hammin' it seems on the the weekend.

The third is the state that is pretty far from me, Alaska. It's the most challenging technically. This is mostly due to Aurora effects, and the geomagnetic eccentricities of the planet. I have only heard an AK station once or twice. I think it's a little funny I have a confirmed QSO with Hawaii but not Alaska.

go figure.

gotta just keep pluggin' away. Sooner or later, in the middle of this sunspot peak, we've got to catch a break.

Until then, I'll be happy to hunt POTA stations. Parks on the Air is one of those groups that exists because of the internet. It also makes ham radio fun for a lot of people, including me. I haven't activated a park yet, but I'm working on creating a station just for that. It will have portable logging, and be entirely self contained. I will be able to open the lid, take out and deploy an antenna, tune it up with a VNA, turn on the radio and get on the air!

Ten QSOs later and I fulfill my mission.