New to me: 6 Meters

[XE1/N5AL]

With the purchase of a used Yaesu FT-736R, I have been inspired to try out 6 meters. So, today, I put up a simple dipole antenna, at about 30 feet high, for the band.

But first, the hard part: the wife said she is tired of antenna cables passing all through the house and wanted me to come up with a better solution if I planned to run yet another cable.

To better manage the antenna cables, I decided to pass a 1-1/4 inch PVC tube through the shack wall just a few inches above floor level. That doesn't sound too hard, except that the houses here in Mexico are constructed of concrete. In my case, the walls are 7 inches thick and have two meshes of heavy gauge iron embedded within, each about 1 inch from the outside faces. So, out with the hammer and chissel to make enough racket to wake the dead: BAM - BAM - BAM!

Ol' Murphy must have been sleeping today, because by pure luck, the location I chose for the hole passed exactly through the middle of the two meshes. So, I didn't have to get out the hacksaw and cut through any iron. The opening in the meshes was just big enough to accomodate the 1-1/4 inch PVC. After placing the PVC tube and patching up the space around it with cement, installng the antenna and routing the coax was easy.

Inside the shack, I connected the antenna to the radio and gave it try. I only heard two CW signals, both out of South America: the OA4TT/B beacon, in Peru; and the Radio Club de Chile station, CE3AA, in Santiago. I don't know what propagation mode was in effect (I need to study up!): the signals were initially strong, with slow fading, but both disappeared into the noise within a few minutes.

Anyway, I guess that is good for starters.

[NQ6U]

Nice rig, that.

Where abouts in Mexico are you? I live about 15 miles north of the border, the XYL is going out this evening and it would be a good time to fire up my Icom on 6m and try to make a QSO with you.

[NA4BH]

But first, the hard part: the wife said she is tired of antenna cables passing all through the house and wanted me to come up with a better solution if I planned to run yet another cable.


So, has she gone to live with her parents? :whistle: :rofl:

[KG4NEL]

Sounds almost like transequatorial propagation.

I got hooked on DX for the first time on 6 meters; someday I'd like to get a good-sized Yagi up on a tower for everyday propagation modes like meteor scatter or tropo.

[XE1/N5AL]

Nice rig, that.

Where abouts in Mexico are you? I live about 15 miles north of the border, the XYL is going out this evening and it would be a good time to fire up my Icom on 6m and try to make a QSO with you.
Thanks. I am in Guadalajara, about 1,200 miles SE of your location. Currently, I can't legally transmit from inside Mexico. Early next week, I will go to the local Secretariat of Communications and Transportation office to request reciprocal operating permission. This permission should last until I have to renew my Mexican FM2 residency card again, next year, when I will need to reapply for reciprocal operating permission. Hopefully, we can make a schedule soon.

[XE1/N5AL]

So, has she gone to live with her parents? :whistle: :rofl:That might have been the easier option! The temperature was in the mid-90's today, so pounding on concrete in the hot sun wasn't much fun. :)

[XE1/N5AL]

Sounds almost like transequatorial propagation.

I got hooked on DX for the first time on 6 meters; someday I'd like to get a good-sized Yagi up on a tower for everyday propagation modes like meteor scatter or tropo.Thanks for the info, it might have been transequatorial propagation. My location, in western central Mexico, and the other station locations, in western South America, are roughly on opposite sides of the equator. The beam heading is SSE from my location to theirs.

[PA5COR]

The season starts up now, so it is good you got the antenna up.
I'm using the FT 2000 D with 220 watt into a 5 element beam, and got some nice results the last years with that.
Where i live i'm have to rely on sporadic E most of the time, but working Europe and North Africa, Middle East is always a hoot.

Good DX ;)

[N7YA]

I am going to have to get a new rig with 6m on it, sounds fun.

[WØTKX]

Find one used, and play around... http://www.tentecwiki.org/doku.php?id=1208

[N7YA]

Nah, that makes too much sense. This is america, i need to take the long route and throw lots of money at the problem for the same end results. :lol:

[w2amr]

You are getting on 6 at just the right time, the sporadic-E season is only a couple of months away.

[N8YX]

I have an FT-726R inline at the moment with a 6M module installed. Need to get some type of remotely controllable amplifier in the 150-500w range for it and then get the (never ending) tower/antenna project completed. Even a horizontal loop at 50' will work better for SSB/CW modes than the triband vertical which is at the same height.

One of my R7s has an SC-6/CPS-1 converter attached to it, and I can use these to monitor the 6M beacon area for band opening without tying up the '726.

No AM TX capability at the moment but I worked a considerable amount of DX on 6 years ago via an HA-460 and a dipole at 30ft.

[KG4NEL]

Find one used, and play around... http://www.tentecwiki.org/doku.php?id=1208

That was what I started with :)

[WØTKX]

I have three of those transverters, one is a 10 meter to 2 meter unbuilt kit.

Someday I'll tweak it to work on 220... there is a mod for that. :yes:

[kf0rt]

6 is cool. If anyone catches an opening, we should make a pact to post here. (Might get my azz on the air.) Still looking for 9 states for a 6M WAS.

[KG4CGC]

As for the antenna, a 3 element directional set up is easy to build and you can do it just following the basics laid out in the old ARRL study guide that expired om 08 or 09. The hairpin match to the coax is even simpler.
The antenna is small, can be made as light as the materials allow.

[KJ3N]

But first, the hard part: the wife said she is tired of antenna cables passing all through the house and wanted me to come up with a better solution if I planned to run yet another cable.

To better manage the antenna cables, I decided to pass a 1-1/4 inch PVC tube through the shack wall just a few inches above floor level. That doesn't sound too hard, except that the houses here in Mexico are constructed of concrete. In my case, the walls are 7 inches thick and have two meshes of heavy gauge iron embedded within, each about 1 inch from the outside faces. So, out with the hammer and chissel to make enough racket to wake the dead: BAM - BAM - BAM!

Ol' Murphy must have been sleeping today, because by pure luck, the location I chose for the hole passed exactly through the middle of the two meshes. So, I didn't have to get out the hacksaw and cut through any iron. The opening in the meshes was just big enough to accomodate the 1-1/4 inch PVC. After placing the PVC tube and patching up the space around it with cement, installng the antenna and routing the coax was easy.

I prefer a more "elegant" solution to smashing a hole into my cinder block wall. As the antenna farm grew, I found that even I was not going to keep making holes in things for coax runs. I finally broke down and bought an Ameritron RCS-4, which alleviated some of the problem. Later, I replaced it with the RCS-10 pictured below. Now I have one rather small hole for a single coax run with control cable. You will note that, at the moment, there's not a single port empty. Some decisions are going to have to be made soon. ;)

[KG4NEL]

I have three of those transverters, one is a 10 meter to 2 meter unbuilt kit.

Someday I'll tweak it to work on 220... there is a mod for that. :yes:

If it'll cover FM too, I'd be interested in one :-D

I've got that issue of QST around here somewhere...

[ki4itv]

6 is cool. If anyone catches an opening, we should make a pact to post here. (Might get my azz on the air.) Still looking for 9 states for a 6M WAS.
Your area is not uncommon here on 6m during E season...especially if there is a well placed weather system about halfway between us.