[AK-VHF] RSVP: 6 Meter Antenna Test on Tuesday Evening
Edward R Cole
kl7uw at acsalaska.net
Tue May 5 16:59:44 EDT 2020
Here's my log:
<http://www.kl7uw.com/6M-LOG.pdf>http://www.kl7uw.com/6M-LOG.pdf
All done with 100w with a FT-847 and the 3-elem
yagi at 20-foot in Nikiski (the old house).
E-mail attachments limited to 40kB so I had to approve your large attachments.
Ed
At 10:51 AM 5/5/2020, Brandon Clark wrote:
>Hi Ed,
>
>That's pretty cool about working as far as KY
>and TX with the antenna. That was from Nikiski?
>I used to have a homebrew 3-element beam for 6 M
>that I used when hilltop contesting back in
>California. It worked really well, and it's
>surprising how even adding a little directivity can go a long way.
>
>Will the email list allow attachments? I'm not
>sure if they will go through, but I attached
>screenshots of the 4NEC2 modeled performance.
>(If they don't go through, anyone who wants can
>email me off-list and I'll forward the images.)
>
>It has little to no response to vertical
>polarization, so these charts are for horizontal
>gain. I always include "average ground" in my
>models (more realistic and useful, in my
>opinion), so the pattern shows the expected
>peaks and nulls at different elevation angles.
>As I hoped though, using a V shape for the arms
>does give it some response off the side. A
>straight dipole would usually have an extremely
>deep null there, and generally require rotation
>capability. It isn't as omni-directional as a
>halo or squalo, but it has better SWR bandwidth,
>is MUCH simpler to build, and can be assembled for about $15.
>
>Initially I am going to mount it with the main
>lobes (most gain) oriented north-south.
>Anchorage will be easily covered no matter what,
>but with a roughly north-south orientation I
>should have some reach towards both Fairbanks
>and the peninsula. I'll no doubt make other
>refinements later on, but it should make for a decent start.
>
>Brandon
>
>
>On 5/5/20 10:29 AM, Edward R Cole wrote:
>>Brandon,
>>
>>Don't get me wrong, a simple horizontal dipole
>>is good start and useful for near
>>omni-deirectional antenna in an urban setting.
>>
>>I worked many stations on Es as far as KY and
>>TX with my simple 3-element yagi. It does not
>>take up much space (mine has elements spaced 32
>>inches so only a little more than 5-foot
>>long. I converted a 72-MHz DB Products
>>commercial antenna by just lengthening the elements.
>>
>>Ed
>>If I hear you I will transmit 80w (max power
>>with my amp). I've worked KL6M with it.
>>
>>At 09:46 AM 5/5/2020, Brandon Clark wrote:
>>>Hello grou
>>>
>>>Good points about band openings. What I'm
>>>envisioning with this antenna is to just get a
>>>start on the band, and use it for the digital
>>>net coming soon. Later on I'll probably be
>>>setting up something more substantial for
>>>working band openings. I need to come up with
>>>a design that is reasonably compact though. Fun project for another day!
>>>
>>>I'm going to go on-air tonight at about 8 PM
>>>local time and do some testing. I'll be
>>>operating on 50.125 USB. I'll start out with
>>>about 20 watts and then adjust up or down as needed.
>>>
>>>Thanks everyone,
>>>
>>>Brandon
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On 5/5/20 8:21 AM, Edward R Cole wrote:
>>>>HI Guys!
>>>>
>>>>At your distance probably not that
>>>>bad. I've noted that crosspolarity adds
>>>>about 15-dB loss to signals (not the 20+ dB
>>>>theoretical loss). On occasion in the
>>>>past my eme array was switched to Hpol on the
>>>>2m net and some folks noted I was not as
>>>>strong. Fixed by switching to Vpol with my x-yagi array.
>>>>
>>>>I might listen in with my 3-element yagi
>>>>(thought bolted to side of the tower in SE direction).
>>>>
>>>>On 6m CW/SSB (and probably digital modes,
>>>>too) all activity is horizontal polarity in
>>>>the rest of the world. Might make a
>>>>difference working into the lower-48 and
>>>>Canada during openings (May-July) is the
>>>>sporatic-E season (already openings have
>>>>occurred farther south: Montana to South America).
>>>>
>>>>One really should think of at least a small
>>>>yagi using Hpol to take best advantage of
>>>>these openings. Monitor 50.125 for SSB,
>>>>50.313 for FT8 or 50.193 for WSPR pointing
>>>>azimuth 125 degrees. On our long RV trip in
>>>>summer 2018 I worked 26-states on 6m-SSB from
>>>>CO (DN70) on one day during the CQ VHF
>>>>Contest in July using a moxon at 14-foot (mast bolted to RV ladder).
>>>>
>>>>GL
>>>>
>>>>73, Ed - KL7UW
>>>>
>>>>At 07:04 AM 5/5/2020, you wrote:
>>>>>Hi Craig,
>>>>>
>>>>>Sure, 8 PM sounds good to me. We might have trouble hearing each other
>>>>>though since yu are running vertical polarization. It never hurts to try
>>>>>though.
>>>>>Brandon
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>On Mon, May 4, 2020, 21:56 Ruthann Bledsoe <ruthann.bledsoe at alaskaair.com>
>>>>>wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> > HI Brandon >>>
>>>>> >
>>>>> >     Sure - Tomorrow (Tuesday)
>>>>> night is fine. No online conferences or
>>>>> > Nets on my agenda (now that the Simplex
>>>>> Net has moved to Wednesday) as far
>>>>> > as I know right now. How about 8 PM
>>>>> ADT? My Hamfest scavenged Arrow 6M
>>>>> > ground plane is up and running, but not
>>>>> yet permanently hooked up to the
>>>>> > console inside. Therefore I can work
>>>>> 6M FM with 5 watts from my HT just
>>>>> > fine, plus I can receive SSB or CW with a
>>>>> different handheld at the bottom
>>>>> > of the band as well. Does this work for you?
>>>>> >
>>>>> >     Hope to hear you soon.
>>>>> >
>>>>> >Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
>>>>> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
>>>>> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
>>>>>                     73,
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Craig
>>>>> >
>>>>> > ________________________________________
>>>>> > From: ak-vhf-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>>>>> <ak-vhf-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on
>>>>> > behalf of Brandon Clark <kl7bsc at gmail.com>
>>>>> > Sent: Monday, May 4, 2020 19:11
>>>>> > To: AK VHF+ Group
>>>>> > Subject: [AK-VHF] 6 M antenna testing
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Hello group,
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Is anyone up for a 6 M QSO tomorrow? I
>>>>> have finished building the new 6 M
>>>>> > dipole that I have been talking about,
>>>>> and will be mounting it on the roof
>>>>> > tomorrow morning. If anyone is available
>>>>> for a test or two that would be
>>>>> > great.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > The antenna tunes the lower 2 MHz of the
>>>>> 6 M band as-is. The SWR curve is
>>>>> > very gradual, so with a tuner it can be
>>>>> made to cover the upper half of the
>>>>> > band as well.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Brandon, KL7BSC
>>>>> > ______________________________________________________________
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>>______________________________________________________________
>>>>>ak-vhf mailing list
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>>>>>
>>>>>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
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>>>>
>>>>73, Ed - KL7UW
>>>> http://www.kl7uw.com
>>>>Dubus-NA Business mail:
>>>> dubususa at gmail.com
>>>______________________________________________________________
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>>
>>73, Ed - KL7UW
>>Â http://www.kl7uw.com
>>Dubus-NA Business mail:
>>Â dubususa at gmail.com
>
>
>______________________________________________________________
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>
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73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
dubususa at gmail.com
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