On Wednesday, May 11th 2022, the Delaware Valley Radio Association monthly meeting will feature a presentation by Lance Collister – W7GJ titled “What it takes to be successful on DXpeditions and operating a single yagi stations.”.
In peron meetings will continue this month at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 137 W Upper Ferry Rd, Ewing Township, NJ 08628 (Driving Direction). For the convenience of our members, this meeting will also be hosted on Zoom this month. Members will receive an email with instructions on how to join the Zoom teleconference by May 9th. Members of the public are invited to request conference credentials by sending a message to webmaster@w2zq.com.
Lance Collister holds the Amateur Extra Class license. On September 21, 2016, he celebrated his 50-year anniversary of being a licensed amateur radio operator.
Lance received his first ham radio license WN3GPL in 1965 at the age of fourteen in Lancaster, PA. He became interested in VHF DXing and active on 2m meteor scatter and aurora. While earning bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Religion, he helped form the Middlebury College Amateur Radio Club. He copied his first 2m EME signal in 1974 and wrote his first moon tracking computer program that same year. As WA1JXN in Vermont, he completed his first 2m EME contact by working W6PO on March 17,1978. The following year, he moved to Frenchtown, Montana and on December 1, 1983, he gained notoriety in the worldwide amateur radio community by being the first civilian to contact space, using his 2m EME array to complete a 2m contact with astronaut W5LFL aboard STS-9. He also took first place worldwide on 2m in the ARRL International EME Competition that same year. In the early 1980’s, he was active on the Board of Directors of the CSVHFS and helped develop and promote the Maidenhead grid awards that later became the ARRL VUCC program. In September 1999, he achieved 2m DXCC #11, by CW on EME. He made four CW 2m EME DXpeditions to C6 (The Bahamas) and two to ZF (Cayman Islands).
In 1996, Lance upgraded to Amateur Extra class and obtained the callsign of W7GJ. He also constructed his first 6m antenna and amplifier that year and completed his first 6m EME contact by working SM7BAE on CW. He achieved 6m DXCC #815 in 2005. With the advent of the digital transmission mode of JT65A and expansion of his 6m EME antenna to four nine element yagis, he has completed contacts with 222 countries on 6m, 167 of which were made via 6m EME. He has published numerous articles and guidelines and written computer programs to assist operators around the world in successfully operating EME, and has given many people their first 6m EME contact. In 2011, he was awarded the Jersey Trophy by UKSMG for his work in helping people get on 6m and for his tireless promotional efforts regarding 6m EME. In 2016, he was honored by the CSVHFS with the Mel.S. Wilson W3BOC Award “For Continuous Service & Dedication Towards Promoting VHF & UHF Amateur Radio Activity”.
Lance has made 6m EME DXpeditions to E51 (The South Cook Islands), 3D2 (Fiji), 5W (Samoa), E6 (Niue), TX5K (Clipperton Island), KH8 (American Samoa), V6 (Micronesia) twice, T8 (Palau), VK9C (Cocos/Keeling), VK9X (Christmas Island), C2 (Nauru), CP (Bolivia) and S79 (Seychelles, FO/A (Austral Islands) and FO/M (Marquesa Islands) in French Polynesia. He is credited by the American Radio Relay League with completing fourteen 6m “firsts” from the USA to new DXCC. On his birthday in 2015, he completed a 6m EME contact with KB3SII and K1WHS in FN67, and received the seventh ARRL FFMA award issued. Lance has demonstrated the ability to keep up with technical developments and successfully use new digital modes to capitalize on the propagation opportunities available on 6m. Much information about his 6m weak signal work – as well as his previous trips to activate rare countries for the first time on 6m EME, and his free GJTRACKER moon tracking program – are available on his web site. http://www.bigskyspaces.com/
Open to the public. Feel free to join for all or part of the meeting.
- Combined Directors/Business Meeting from 7:00 to 7:30 PM
- Featured presentation at 7:30 PM
- 1/2 hour Social gathering after presentation
Looking forward to seeing everyone!
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