[50mhz] Need advice on getting on 6M

[Bill VanAlstyne W5WVO]

Hi Ken,

What everybody says is true: You'll do much better with a
horizontally-polarized antenna. And I strongly recommend the M-Squared HO
loop. (http://www.m2inc.com/products/6m/6mloop.html) I know several guys who
are using this both in mobile and fixed operation, and it is a truly
excellent performer. You don't need to put it really high up, either; at 6
meters, 20 ft up is a full wavelength above ground. That would be equivalent
to a 20-meter antenna at 65 ft -- about as high as MOST guys with towers get
their 20 meter antennas. And while they don't win a lot of contests, they
make plenty of contacts on that very competitive band.

As far as your neighborhood restrictions are concerned -- IMO, the
horizontal loop is much less visually noticeable than a 6M Ringo, which is a
fairly tall antenna. But that's just my opinion.

Having said that -- if you really feel you can't put up a horizontal loop,
use your Ringo and see what happens. I will tell you that when I first got
on 6 meters back in the summer of 2003, my first antenna was the only thing
I had in the air at that moment that I could load up on 6: a Radio Shlock
discone scanner antenna! Your Ringo would run circles around that discone,
which was truly little better than a dummy load on 6 meters. BUT  - I worked
over 80 grid squares and about 25 states in six weeks with that antenna on 6
meters SSB (plus a few on CW) before I got a yagi put up. During strong
sporadic-E openings, almost anything will work to produce contacts.

Last year we had a couple of anomalous sporadic-E opening in late march and
early April (none this year, unfortunately), but the main spring-summer Es
season usually starts some time in mid-May and lasts through mid-August.
Hope you get on the air by then, and have fun! You'll get hooked quickly.

73
Bill W5WVO


Ken Kaplan wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am seriously thinking about trying 6m. Never been there & never
> listened but I've read a lot both here and other places. It seems
> like 6m might fit me. The 2m & above repeater thing
> just does not interest me. HF is not an option as I have a tech
> license and antenna restrictions would kill things anyway. I do have
> a Cushcraft AR6 Ringo that I can "sneak" up. A while ago, I picked up
> an old Swan 250 that may or may not be up to specs. If not, I can fix
> it. What I don't know is what modes are most commonly used? Is SSB
> the common way to
> go like on HF? Is AM used? I see that a lot of mobile rigs use FM. Is
> that for repeater access? I know where to get info on propagation
> factors as well as antenna design. I understand electronics well
> (tube & semiconductor - I are an engineer <g>). What I have no info
> on is how to operate on this band. The Ringo instructions indicate
> that the antenna tuning stub needs to be tuned to a 1 mHz portion of
> the 6m band. What portion of the band should I focus on? My goal is
> to have a base station and do dx and maybe work all 50. I
> know, probably not with a Ringo but I have to start somewhere.
>
> Although I've had my license for quite some time, I've never really
> been on the air. I see 6m as possibly changing things for me. Is
> there a website or a book that I should be reading to get me started
> on 6? Any Phoenix, AZ hams out there who would be willing to give me
> a show-tell?
>
> Thanks,
> 73 Ken kb7rgg
>
> Moderator: Ray Brown, KB0STN
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