Jim, you have several CA neighbors who worked me from Ecuador last year.
Yes, they all have very good antenna systems but when 6 is open you can
work many stations, including DX, with a wet noodle.
I have been on 6, intermittently, since 1961 and I *know* you have to be
listening to catch the openings. It is less true today with Internet
access and real-time propagation systems but you *do* have to be
monitoring in some fashion. A great example of this is the day I was
hearing the KH6HME beacon from coastal Ecuador and worked *no one*
during that opening. I had no Internet so could not notify the world and
there was, obviously, no one monitoring since I called CQ for the two
hour period the beacon was in, often at an S5+ signal levels!
A big yagi is nice but for typical domestic operations a smaller antenna
might be better. The big yagi will have a narrow beamwidth and high
front/side and front/back ratios, making pointing critical. A small yagi
or a one-wavelength loop might suit your needs and Sean's as well. I
emphasize the loop because it is simple to build and, if dimensioned
correctly, can be fed directly with 50-ohm coax. Mine was fed at the
bottom and was twice as high as it was wide, with only a ferrite choke
at the feed point to prevent radiation from the feed-line. VWR was under
1.5:1. It's gain, according to modeling I did, was comparable to a 3 or
4 element yagi.
Give 6 more of a chance, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Jack, W6NF/VE4SNA
On 2/26/2014 10:27 AM, Jim Bennett wrote:
Phil,
You'll probably get a ton of replies from the 6-meter / VHF aficionados, but
unless you have some means of monitoring the band, either with your radio, or
some web site, I think you'll may be disappointed. I've been licensed for 50
years and have made only 20 QSO's on that band; 19 SSB and 1 CW. Most likely
because I'm not aware that it is open. For me there are a lot of other bands
(HF) where at least one is open 24-7 so I simply don't venture up there very
often. That being said, I have operated in a couple ARRL VHF contests and was
surprised at what I worked. My very first ever 6 meter QSO was with VE7JH on CW
back in 2012. The other 19 QSO's included CA, BC, CO, and NE. All were made
with a K3 - 100 watts into my 88 foot long, 450 ohm ladder line fed doublet at
45 feet.
On the other hand, if I were allowed to have a tower (dang CC&R's) I probably
would by now have built some sort of yagi for that band. There are lots of articles
on doing just that, and the size of the boom and elements makes it something very
affordable to construct, install, and tune.
YMMV..... :-)
Jim / W6JHB
On Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014, at Wednesday, 10:08 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
I have seen some comments recently about six meters and I have never operated
six meters. I don't really have a descent antenna for six meters, just my
80-meter (ladder line fed) dipole or my hex beam that I can at least tune to
six meters.
The band is always dead quiet with the small exception of some noise spikes
here and there but very rare.
Question: is there any activity for six meters that I should invest in a nice
multi-element 6 meter bean antenna?
My most dominant operating mode would be CW but maybe some SSB from time to
time. I have no idea what's there as this band has always been blank to me.
73, phil, K7PEH
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