[Elecraft] Antenna choices

[Wes (N7WS)]

Well, I've "only" been licensed since 1958 and although I was using CW and SSB 
in the early 60s on 2M and working MS and EME in the 70s, I too never set foot 
on 6-meters until 2009.  On Field Day (operating from home) I tried the K3 on 
six.  Of course, it's stone deaf so I cobbled up a preamp from an old broadband 
Avantek amplifier, and hooked up my 40/80 meter wire dipole, fed with almost 
200' of RG8.  The coax loss was my "matching network" since I don't have the ATU.

There was a local yokel club operating from a nearby mountain cluttering up 
50.125 and there was some Es ongoing.  I tuned around a bit and heard a CW CQ on 
50.123 under the splatter from the local on SSB.  It was Jl8GFB.  I called and 
worked him at 0014Z.  At 0122Z I heard another CQ on 50.096 and worked JA7WSZ. 
So the band was open to JA for more than an hour.  I worked 43 stations and 
never heard another station work the JAs.

Wes  N7WS


On 5/31/2014 8:18 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:
> Been licensed 61 years, made my first ... and only ever ... 6m QSO about 4 
> years ago, loading my tri-bander with the K3/KAT3 ... he was a KH6.
>
> There is the electromagnetic physics of antennas, which can be overly precise, 
> and then there is the reality -- a lot works that actually shouldn't have.  
> The "Last Bastion of Ham Homebrew." :-)
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
> - www.cqp.org
>
> I'm in Northern California