[Elecraft] 6 Meters?

Mon May 12 18:19:00 2003

On Mon, May 12, 2003 at 02:54:41PM -0700, Douglas Westover wrote:

> So, questions, is the 20/25 watt power level out of the XV
> adequate for doing anything on 6? Or do you need at least
> 100 watts? I would imagine putting up something like the
> Force 12 6 element yagi. Is channel 2 TVI still a big problem?
> (I live in a channel 2 area). I realize that there won't be much in
> the way of F2 openings for a few years now but the Spring/
> Summer Es season should provide some openings.

20 watts is more than adequate to enjoy many, many Eskip QSOs,
especially with a six element yagi up 30' or so.  I earned VUCC
(VHF/UHF Century Club, the ARRL's award program for VHF+) the 
summer of 1996 with 10 watts and a three-element yagi.  It was 
what got me interested in DXing and contesting, and provoked me 
to upgrade from Tech+ to Advanced and get on HF.  Since then, 
many, many HF+6 radios have hit the market, and there are even 
more stations on the band that you can work with a few watts.
Of course, more power will help with marginal conditions, 
long-distance tropo scatter QSOs, TEP QSOs, Auroral-E QSOs,
etc.

You can have tremendous fun on six meters.  I had a lot of 
fun in the 50 MHz Spring Sprint last Saturday:
http://lists.contesting.com/_3830/2003-May/078926.html

The next big event on six meters is the June VHF QSO Party
(June 14-15.)  Some stations have made over 1,000 six meter 
QSOs in this 33-hour-long contest in recent years.

> So any words of encouragement/discouragement would be
> appreciated.
> 
> Doug
> W6JD
> K2 #1626 
> 
> 
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Kenneth E. Harker      "Vox Clamantis in Deserto"      [email protected]
University of Texas at Austin                   Amateur Radio Callsign: WM5R
Department of the Computer Sciences          Central Texas DX & Contest Club
Taylor Hall TAY 2.124                         Maintainer of Linux on Laptops
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