[AMRadio] Six Meters AM and a Gonset G50 question

[manualman at juno.com]

There's no law that says you have to stay on 50.4. With many of the 6
meter boatanchor receivers 6, 8, or 10 KHz wide, you can operate on
50.390 through 50.410 and most people probably wouldn't notice. Unless
you're operating with a crystal controlled receiver, tune around above
and below 50.4. When the band opens, I never call CQ on 50.4. I'm either
down on 50.385 or up around 50.415. There's lots of room to move around.
6 meters isn't channelized.

G-50's always get hot. Put a muffin fan on top to suck out the hot air
Pete, WA2CWA

On Sun, 3 Aug 2003 19:00:48 -0500 "SCREWDRIVER" <he20c at swbell.net>
writes:
> Jim FB on the local qso's on 6AM. The stories about 50.400 getting 
> busy as
> 29.600 are true , it takes a lot of patience and persistence. You 
> have the
> right idea always call CQ ,keep an eye on ch 2 TV for signs of a 
> band
> opening.Another good indicator is the 50Mhz prop logger. Within the 
> last
> month i have worked about 50-60 stations, most good openings are in 
> the 6-10
> pm time frame here   in Texas. 2 weeks ago i was there at the right 
> time
> worked 27 stations in a row ranging from the Midwest to NC SC PA TN 
> KY Etc.
> Some of the stations were using as little as 2-3 Watts  even a 
> couple of
> Heathkit Sixers. Sporadic E openings can happen at any time  this 
> season i
> had a nice Qso with K6LGL at 11pm
> one night we talked for quite a while we were both using less than 
> 50 watts.
> It would be great to work you sometime on tropo if i remember you 
> are
> located near Austin.  I am about 60 miles South of Houston near the 
> coast in
> EL29.
> If you like pass along your number and when the conditions are right 
> for a
> possible contact i can call you.
> 
> My G50 also runs pretty hot.
> 
> 73  Steve WB5UGT
> EL 29   AMI #  807
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim candela" <jcandela at prodigy.net>
> To: "Amradio at Mailman.Qth.Net" <amradio at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2003 3:36 PM
> Subject: [AMRadio] Six Meters AM and a Gonset G50 question
> 
> 
> >
> >
> >
> > I have made a few local AM contacts on 50.4 AM with good success. 
> I can
> get
> > 20+ miles with S9 reports both ways with a guy with a 3 element 
> beam, and
> 15
> > watts. I run about 25 watts output. I am using a ku4ab square loop 
> at
> about
> > 25'. Last night 6 was hot, and I could hear SSB, and CW from 
> several
> states.
> > At one point the guys were complaining of too much QRM, and wall 
> to wall
> > signals. Move up to 50.4, and nothing heard. I put out several CQ's 
> on AM,
> > and no responses. When do the AMers on six meters get on? So far I 
> hear
> > mostly baby monitors, old style cordless phones, DSL spurs, HDTV 
> spurs,
> > computer spurs, and only an occasional local AMer. I've heard 
> stories of
> how
> > 50.4 can get packed like 29.6 FM does. So far I have not had the
> experience.
> > :(
> >
> > I have a G50 question. Does the power transformer in the G50 get
> > uncomfortably hot to the touch? Mine does. I have turned down the 
> 6L6 idle
> > current in receive (and boost it during receive). That helped a 
> little. I
> > use a variac set to 117 vac. That transformer is hot in about 15 
> minutes
> of
> > receiving after turn on. I notice the interleaving of the core is 
> poor,
> but
> > I am afraid I may have a shorted turn, or maybe these just use 
> cheap lossy
> > iron. With 117 vac in, my DVM shows 390-0-390 from the HV winding. 
> I am
> > afraid to leave my G50 on (squelched) waiting for someone to pop a 
> signal
> on
> > 50.4 Mhz.
> >
> > Listening to SSB on the G50 using the VFO spot feature is not too 
> good. I
> > played with my audio generator (goes to 455 kc) and put a two turn 
> coil
> > around the G50 last IF tube. That works pretty good if you set the 
> level
> for
> > about 20 over 9 on the S-Meter. Looks like I need a BFO to be made 
> up.
> >
> > Any thoughts about the hot biscuit transformer?
> >
> > Jim Candela
> > WD5JKO

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