[50mhz] Need advice on getting on 6M

[Tad Danley]

Welcome to the magic band, Ken!  You will get lots of good advice from folks
on this list.  Here is some info from my experience, and you will also want
to find some locals in your club or area who can give you specifics for your
general area.  Also check the closest VHF/UHF contest group, you will find
folks there who will help you get going.

The main mode in use is SSB, but that can vary a bit depending on location.
To have good success there you will need a horizontal antenna.  Your
vertical will be OK for Sporadic-E propagation which can happen any time of
the year, but is more common in mid-May to mid-July and December and much
less common at other times.  With your vertical on SSB the band will appear
to be dead many times when it is not.  Listen around 50.125 and up to about
50.150 MHz.  The halo antenna is an easy way to get a horizontal antenna in
the air:  http://home.comcast.net/~buck0/6m_halo.htm    

I know there are some areas where AM is used (try around 50.4 MHz) but I
haven't heard much AM activity since I lived near DC in the mid 1980s.

Six FM is much more common than AM.  52.525 MHz is the calling frequency in
most areas.  Listening there during Sporadic-E season will yield good
results when the band opens even if there is no local FM activity in your
area.  Repeaters are much less common and less active on 6 than on 2 meters
or 440 MHz.  

Here is another information resource that may help:
http://k0swi.microlnk.com/NETS/6_METER_NET/six_meters_BAND_TALK.htm

Good luck and 73,
Tad, K3TD