[Milsurplus] 50.400 AM: Is It Worth the Effort?

[Gary Mitchelson - N3JPU]

We have a weekly AM net on 50.400 (Sun 9AM) here in the Wash DC area.

Since 2001 I have confirmed AK,WA,OR and CA on 50.400 AM from the DC area,
so there is some activity.

Gary Mitchelson
N3JPU Montgomery Co. MD  FM19
http://www.mitchelson.org/ 

-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David Stinson
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 12:20
To: Boatanchors; Milsurplus New mailman
Subject: [Milsurplus] 50.400 AM: Is It Worth the Effort?


One of the projects on the "back burner" for next fall
is installing a non-destructive, reversable "Borg Implant(tm)" in each of my
working TBYs to fix them to a TX frequency. I was thinking of putting them
on the accepted "6 AM" channel of 50.4 MC.

There have been several good 6-meter openings here in
the past couple of weeks.  I get to work them since I'm
driving across my 200-mile territory so darn much of the time. I've listened
to and called CQ on 50.4 AM many times and never heard so much as a single
"peep," even when 50.125 SSB and 52.525 FM are full of calls.
Moreover- I live near Dallas-Fort Worth, a major
urban center, and 6 meters is minially active,
even on SSB and FM.  I've heard doodly on AM.

Is it worth the trouble, since there seem to be
no serious 50.4 AM operators?  Should I put them
on 29.0 AM, or just forget it altogether and
sell them to Marine Corps reenactors?
Maybe 27.185- I'll certainly get replies there ;-).
Once I've studied the technology and history of
a radio (and I can do that with photos and
documentation), I lose interest if I can't
operate it.

I have other vintage 6 AM gear.
If there is only "talk" about running 6 AM and
no serious operators, I'd as soon unload them.

What do you think?

73 Dave S.