[Elecraft] 6 meters open this morning; listening 50.095 (CW)

[Edward R Cole]

Leroy and all,

Guess this opinion is from those who only work HF with a random wire 
dropped over the tree in the backyard.  Sure many tuners can load it 
and you can make some contacts, but it would not compare well with a 
"real yagi" designed for the frequency (which usually means its resonant).

Typical 3-element beam has 6-7 dB gain (not including ground gain 
effects) and my 6-element 6m yagi has 13 dBi free-space gain.  Gain 
provides more than more signal strength is also rejects noise from 
off-point directions.  Most HF wires loaded by atu on 6m produce 
mult-lobe patterns and have terrible efficiency.  You can even use a 
dummy load but it does not make a very good antenna.

A simple resonant half-wave dipole is way better antenna and how hard 
is it to make?  Should not take more than 20 minutes to have one up for FD.

I have quite a bit experience working ground-wave over 70-100 miles 
on 6m and it s**ks.  Of course most of the stations I am trying with 
have either verticals (for 52.50 FM) or loading their HF antenna. Yet 
this same 6-element yagi has worked ZS4TX via 6m eme!  Better believe 
ZS4TX was not loading his 80m dipole for that!

My neighbor 15 miles from me tries to use his G5RV on 6m with 100w 
but I can hardly hear him.  I'm using either my KX3 or K3 + PR6-10 
... with a real 6m antenna.

BTW 2m works way better for ground wave and tropo than 6m; 222 is 
often better than 2m.  VHF propagation is a different "animal" than 
working on HF (10m is closer to 6m in behavior).

BTW, Paul - K7CW is a dedicated 6m operator and runs with four 
stacked 6m yagis (long time friend).

73, Ed - KL7UW



From: "lmarion" <lmarion at mt.net>
To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>, "Bob McGraw K4TAX"
         <rmcgraw at blomand.net>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] 6 meters open this morning; listening 50.095
         (CW)

Yes the tuners are great, and my 160 mtr full wave loop makes a good  6mtr
antenna, especially on receive.

But something about 6 mtrs on a beam, magic.

Hf beams, yeah they do mostly what you expect.  But something about the
short wave length, maybe.

Maybe 2 mtrs is that way too, I don't know.

But every 6 meter beam I have kicks butt.

My KX3 and a portable MFJ 6 meter 3ele beam works like a big gun station.

Leroy AB7CE


73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
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