I think a lot of that comes from the fact that the average active 6M station runs a modest beam & 100 W. So, any less than that average is at a disadvantage. Obviously some run yuge beams and legal limit. Those station get through 1st, followed by the average stations and finally the rest. 6M offers every propagation mode known at one time or another. However, some openings only last a matter of minutes. This is especially true for multiple hop sporadic E, not so much as when the MUF makes it to 50 MHz for true F2 openings. F2 seems to last a tad longer. Sporadic E can also be very localized where stations 50 miles apart are not in the "skip-zone". During very active times, a few of us in the DC area keep in touch on 2M FM. We have all found for example, many times a station in Baltimore MD will hear the DX fine but someone in say, in no. Virginia hears nothing. Give it twenty minutes and the situation reverses. I have been active on 50MHz for over 50 years. Taking advantage of the 6M propagation requires much more listening than transmitting because, relating to the comment above, calling a station in the noise is probably just clobbering the guys who CAN hear it. Listen 1st. Analyze who's working what and where before just blasting away. The beacons around 50.05 to 50.08 will tell you where the propagation is favoring. These beacons are all over the world, so use them to your advantage.
73, Charlie k3ICH -----Original Message----- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of lmarion Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:55 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net; Bob McGraw K4TAX <rmcg...@blomand.net> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] 6 meters open this morning; listening 50.095 (CW) Yes the tuners are great, and my 160 mtr full wave loop makes a good 6mtr antenna, especially on receive. But something about 6 mtrs on a beam, magic. Hf beams, yeah they do mostly what you expect. But something about the short wave length, maybe. Maybe 2 mtrs is that way too, I don't know. But every 6 meter beam I have kicks butt. My KX3 and a portable MFJ 6 meter 3ele beam works like a big gun station. Leroy AB7CE ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
