6 Meters "Baby, It's Magic"

[KE5FRF]

I now understand why they call six meters "the magic band". It goes as quickly as it comes, with little or no warning, kind of like a rainbow after a spring shower.

Geesh, now I'm starting to get poetic.

I find the beauty of six meters to be in the very nature of it, and this is the perfect band for someone interested in the science of RF propogation.

I spent a good six months as a Technician and had no idea how entertaining 6 meters could be. After working HF now for 4 months, I find this to be one of my favorite bands. I see myself hunting grid squares until the summer sporatic E fades out.

My gripes...I heard all kinds of SSB activity last night, but nobody broke out the Morse key it seems. I called CQ for 20 or 30 minutes, and kept checking around 50.090 for others, but heard nothing. That was a bit dissapointing.

So, I hope some of the Technicians around here are taking notes. You may have been intimidated by the price of new radios with 6 meter SSB capability, but if you want to have a blast outside of the realm of FM repeaters, my first advice is learn the code and get busy on HF, but if that isn't an option, bite the bullet and get a 6 meter all mode rig, or an HF rig with 6 meter ability. You might not get to use it every day, but when the band is open, it will be a lot of fun for you hunting and pouncing on those strong signals as they fade in and out.

I made 6 contacts last night on sideband, in a 2 hour or so period, with a 1/4 wave dipole horizontally polarized 25 feet in the air. If I can work from Louisiana to Washington State with THAT, just think what you can do with a modest set of beams!

Oh, BTW....I want to advise anyone who likes working 6 meters who doesn't use CW why it might be worth your while to learn it. In making my last contact of the night, right as the band seemed to fade, I had my antenna oriented so the lobes were pointed Est-Wst. I heard a CN88 grid calling, so I attempted the contact. He had a hard time copying my complete call, but was getting other stuff, QSB was attacking my signal. SO, he asked me if I knew CW. Of course, I knew EXACTLY what he was getting at, so I switched over to CW mode, and tapped out my callsign about four times in a row, hoping he would make out enough to log me. And it worked, he had my call and grid square, enough to confirm the contact. [b]This is a very GOOD example of why even a dedicated phone operator ought to have at least a 5 wpm ability to copy CW. and without bringing up a debate, it is a good reason why as radio enthusiasts we should STILL seek to promote Morse Code and it's use. If my 6 meter contact last night had been in some kind of emergency situation, and I had heard a fellow yelling for assistance on 6 meter phone, wouldn't it have been a PLUS, if I was having trouble copying him, if he could send me the relevant information using CW? In last night's case, it made just that much difference, perhaps a dB or 2 of gain, and we were able to finish the contact. Something to think about.

[KA4DPO]

Excellent point. When conditions dictate, switch to another mode. CW is just another mode and a very efficient one at that.

[WB2WIK]

Sorry I missed you last evening on six. I was on for about an hour, and did work W2GFF in the New Orleans area (big signal) -- actually he's in EM60 in south Alabama -- and that was using CW, at about 50.095. Also had a long ragchew on about 50.135 with W1GUD in the Tampa Bay area. In fact, that was a 3-way roundtable with Warren in Florida, and my neighbor Skip K6LGL and myself.

There absolutely is CW activity on six. Not quite as much as SSB, but there's a lot of it. If there's any sporadic-E action and I call CQ on CW, I usually do get an answer.

Also bumped into a QRZ.com stalwart on 6m CW Sunday evening: Chris, W0LC in the Dallas area. He was bombing in at about S9+30 dB for a long time.

WB2WIK/6

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] (WB2WIK @ June 22 2006,13:24)]Sorry I missed you last evening on six. #I was on for about an hour, and did work W2GFF in the New Orleans area (big signal) -- actually he's in EM60 in south Alabama -- and that was using CW, at about 50.095. #Also had a long ragchew on about 50.135 with W1GUD in the Tampa Bay area. #In fact, that was a 3-way roundtable with Warren in Florida, and my neighbor Skip K6LGL and myself. #

There absolutely is CW activity on six. #Not quite as much as SSB, but there's a lot of it. #If there's any sporadic-E action and I call CQ on CW, I usually do get an answer.

Also bumped into a QRZ.com stalwart on 6m CW Sunday evening: Chris, W0LC in the Dallas area. #He was bombing in at about S9+30 dB for a long time.

WB2WIK/6
Well, obviously this is a good example of why my little 1/4 wave dipole antenna, while it works, is not as desireable as a set of beams. There may in fact have been some CW activity, but none of the CW signals were making it to my front end. One of the problems is my feedline. I am using RG58, but I should be using RG-213...I am going to stop this evening at the electronics wholesaler and pick up about 50 feet of RG-213. Steve, if you see this, or anyone else...What I NEED to do in this situation is run RG-58 from my rig to my window (I have reasons why the window is my only option for running the cable)...RG-213 is too fat and non flexable, so I can't adequately shut the window, but RG-58 is OK. Anyway, right outside of my window, I plan on coupling the RG-58 to about 50 feet of RG-213 with PL-259s and barrel couplers, then run the RG-213 to the base of the antenna...Now, for practical reasons such as weight and rigidity, RG-213 is to big to run up to my dipole feedpoint, so I want to keep the RG-58 going from the base up to the antenna. So, again, I want to couple the RG-213 to the RG-59 with PL-259s and barrels.

Now, my concern is that I have read that feedline connectors are a source for loss in the transmission line. My question, all things considered, is the loss of having 2 extra couplings in this manner MORE than stands to be gained from having 75% of my feedline RG-213 instead of RG-58? Would I be better off just leaving it the way it is?

Point here is that if I am losing 2 or 3 dB of gain from transmission line loss, it might make the difference between not being heard at all, and being copyable...also, it would make the difference between hearing 10 signals across the band, and hearing 30 or more, all things considered, right? So, please advise.

[N5BO]

KE5FRF, 6 was in great shape last night and very happy to see you enjoying the band! Like mentioned before, you will find activity on CW during the openings, but not like on phone. Although, CW might be the only signals you hear in the marginal openings.

I finally worked UT and ID last night....now for HI and AK http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (N5BO @ June 22 2006,11:52)]KE5FRF, 6 was in great shape last night and very happy to see you enjoying the band! Like mentioned before, you will find activity on CW during the openings, but not like on phone. Although, CW might be the only signals you hear in the marginal openings.

I finally worked UT and ID last night....now for HI and AK http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif
N5BO, you were on six meter CW last evening, and I called you (so did half a dozen other W6's in my area) but you didn't reply...did you have local noise or QRM?

Timing was probably about 0230 UTC or so. You were 559 to 579 here in L.A. (DM04) and calling CQ...

WB2WIK/6

[WB2WIK]

Heath (FRF):

Whether it's worth making all those transitions or not depends on how long the run is.

If your entire line run from rig to antenna is 100 feet, I wouldn't bother. If the span that could be replaced by RG-213/U is 200-300 feet long, I would bother.

In lieu of so many transitions, you might consider just replacing the whole run of RG58 with RG8X. RG8X is only .045" diameter larger than RG58 (very tiny bit larger) but has considerably less loss at 50 MHz due to its materials and construction. In fact, at 50 MHz, RG8X loss is almost as low as RG-213/U, but it's much smaller diameter and a lot more flexible.

WB2WIK/6

[KE5FRF]

Quote[/b] (WB2WIK @ June 22 2006,14:03)]Heath (FRF):

Whether it's worth making all those transitions or not depends on how long the run is. #

If your entire line run from rig to antenna is 100 feet, I wouldn't bother. #If the span that could be replaced by RG-213/U is 200-300 feet long, I would bother.

In lieu of so many transitions, you might consider just replacing the whole run of RG58 with RG8X. #RG8X is only .045" diameter larger than RG58 (very tiny bit larger) but has considerably less loss at 50 MHz due to its materials and construction. #In fact, at 50 MHz, RG8X loss is almost as low as RG-213/U, but it's much smaller diameter and a lot more flexible.

WB2WIK/6
You know, I just thought of how I could cut out AT LEAST ONE of those transitions and only have one instance of a coupling. I could get a piece of foam rubber about as wide as my window, which would COMPRESS at the point where the RG-213 comes in, and still provide a weather seal...matter of fact, this would be even better than what I have at the moment, with the window cracked slightly for the RG-58. Only problem would be my bug screen, which in Louisiana is an absolute MUST. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

But, I guess I could get away with opening the bugscreen a mite bit.

So, to offer you further detail, my total run of coax at the moment is about 90 feet, give or take, roughly 40 feet along the length of the house, and perhaps 10 more feet as it snakes around the corner to the base of the antenna. I have roughly 15 feet of coax from the window to the rig, and 25 feet from the base of the antenna to the feedpoint. So, in total, about 90 feet. In this NEW scenario, I would have about 65 ft from the rig to the base of the antenna of RG-213, and about 25 ft of RG-58. So, in this case, It almost seems like a certainty that I would stand to gain at least a dB, right?

And if I completely understand a coax coil "choke", the general purpose is to help prevent some of the RF from going back down the shield of the cable, where the most loss occurs, so the choke would help quite a bit too, correct?

I am definately interested in improving my antenna any way I can, and if these improvements might add a dB of gain, they seem well worth it (to me)

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (KE5FRF @ June 22 2006,12:17)]And if I completely understand a coax coil "choke", the general purpose is to help prevent some of the RF from going back down the shield of the cable, where the most loss occurs, so the choke would help quite a bit too, correct?
>And if I completely understand a coax coil "choke", the general purpose is to help prevent some of the RF from going back down the shield of the cable, where the most loss occurs, so the choke would help quite a bit too, correct?<

::No, that won't usually add anything to your signal or provide any less loss. The coil choke at the feedpoint is a current balun and simply forces the same current to both halves of the antenna. It can also prevent unwanted current from being conducted back down the outer surface of the outer (shield) conductor, but that current doesn't cause any loss. Most of the loss in coaxial cable comes from the surface resistance of the inner conductor, since that's much smaller than the outer conductor. In a run such as yours, if you can replace the entire length, end to end with RG-213/U you may indeed pick up a dB or so. But getting the antenna higher above ground, making it rotatable and other possible improvements will help much more than that!

73

Steve WB2WIK/6

[KE5FRF]

Thanks Steve.

I don't mind bragging on you for your antenna expertise. I know that that comes with experiemntation and a deep interest in that particular facet, and I applaud you for your retention of things you have read or experienced in your quest to be knowledgeable.

And I have a similar desire to be a knowledgeable amateur, and I feel that my reservoir of information is growing exponentially as I experiment and toy with different things.

As soon as I sell this darn house, and get moved into a home where I have more freedoms, I'll be able to try various other things, and obviously, lessons learned are most oftens lessons EXPERIENCED and not heard.

One last question, how much loss is GENERALLY understood to occur at feedpoint breaks, transitions, etc? I googled "coax" "connector" "loss" and other variants, and all I found were numbers about feedline loss, and no mention of connectors.

[N5BO]

Quote[/b] ]N5BO, you were on six meter CW last evening, and I called you (so did half a dozen other W6's in my area) but you didn't reply...did you have local noise or QRM?

Timing was probably about 0230 UTC or so. You were 559 to 579 here in L.A. (DM04) and calling CQ...

WB2WIK/6

Very strange Steve, should have been no issues RX you guys if my signal was that good. I was mostly looking to NW, but I still don't see that causing me to miss you guys. I only worked 2 statiosn from CA, one at 00:08 and another at 02:03 both phone.

My path isn't the greatest to the west right now, hopefully the tower and new antenna will help resolve that soon, but no issues with noise here.

[KF0RT]

Great to hear it, Heath!! I'll have to keep an ear open for you on 6. This is my 2nd season there, and I'm hooked. 38 states and about 105 grids confirmed. New confirmations this week: North Dakota, New Mexico and West Virginia.

I'm waiting in line (like Justin) for HI and AK. We hear some really loud Pac NW stations on 6 in Denver here, but I haven't heard anything from AK yet -- that's double-hop Es to Juneau, but looks pretty doable. Hawaii... might have to send the signal via boat or something. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

73, Rob

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (KE5FRF @ June 22 2006,13:14)]One last question, how much loss is GENERALLY understood to occur at feedpoint breaks, transitions, etc? I googled "coax" "connector" "loss" and other variants, and all I found were numbers about feedline loss, and no mention of connectors.
At a frequency as low as 50 MHz, if done properly, zero loss.

Or, I should really say, the same amount of loss as an equivalent length of coax would have. Which obviously is infinitesimal at such a low frequency.

Doing it properly means using good connectors and adapters (high quality, fabricated well -- like normal Amphenol-brand stuff) and assembling them properly.

Even at 144 MHz, connectors and adapters can have such miniscule loss that you have to put a bunch of them in series to actually measure any.

I did this demo at Dayton in 1982 (or maybe '83?)...at my flea market table, where I had a generator equipment set up:

I took an RG-214/U patch cord using PL-259s on both ends and terminated one end in an adapter that transitioned it to type N, then another one that transitioned that to BNC, then a BNC-to-UHF (to bring it back to UHF again, as the string started out), then a UHF female barrel adapter, then a UHF double male adapter, then another UHF barrel adapter, then a couple of back-to-back 6" long RG-214/U jumper (patch) cables (all UHF, mated with a barrel adapter), etc. A total of twenty (20) connectors and adapters, overall, were used, transitioning from UHF to N to BNC back to UHF, and so forth. It occupied a couple of feet of bench space, with all the connectors and adapters.

Then, I connected one end to a signal generator at 144 MHz and the other end to a precision RF microwattmeter to measure the insertion loss of the whole mess.

I "balanced" the microwattmeter to the signal generator using just a single, short RG-214/U type N patch cable manufactured by HP as an accessory. 0.00 dBm. Then, without adjusting anything, I inserted the mess of 20 connectors and adapters in place of the single, short lab-grade type N patch cable. Measured -0.53 dBm.

0.53 dB loss in 20 connectors and transitions, at 144 MHz.

That's an average of .0265 dB loss per connector. That's too low to actually measure on a stand-alone connector, which is why I had to use 20 of them.

The end of the demo was to place the entire mess of cables, connectors and adapters into a 5 gallon fish tank filled with dionized water and make the measurement again. Still 0.53 dB, no change.

That's without weatherproofing or taping any of the connectors or adapters.

People gathering and watching were largely astonished, which of course was the whole idea.

I still get comments about that demo to this day...

73

Steve WB2WIK/6

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (N5BO @ June 22 2006,13:39)]Quote[/b] ]N5BO, you were on six meter CW last evening, and I called you (so did half a dozen other W6's in my area) but you didn't reply...did you have local noise or QRM?

Timing was probably about 0230 UTC or so. You were 559 to 579 here in L.A. (DM04) and calling CQ...

WB2WIK/6

Very strange Steve, should have been no issues RX you guys if my signal was that good. I was mostly looking to NW, but I still don't see that causing me to miss you guys. I only worked 2 statiosn from CA, one at 00:08 and another at 02:03 both phone.

My path isn't the greatest to the west right now, hopefully the tower and new antenna will help resolve that soon, but no issues with noise here.
I actually called you repeatedly. N5BO de WB2WIK/6...you did send QRZ? once or twice, and I repeated the call, but you never quite copied.

Again, that was CW and somewhere around 0230 UTC last evening. I remember it well, since it was only yesterday!

Right after that, I did work W2GFF in EM60 (also on CW) and he heard me fine, so I figured you just had some local noise or something.

WB2WIK/6

[K0RGR]

Depending on the kind of window you have, you should be able to cut a piece of 2X4 to fill in the gap, and if it is a double-hung window, a second piece of wood to hold the window top and bottom sections closed. Instead of drilling holes through the middle of the 2X4, cut a notch deep enough for the cable to run through in the top or bottom of the 2X4 - it will make it easier to make changes.

[N5BO]

Quote[/b] ]Right after that, I did work W2GFF in EM60 (also on CW) and he heard me fine, so I figured you just had some local noise or something.


W2GFF does much better to the west than I do, his larger antenna helps alot. Plus the prop varies alot from between our 100 miles. My path to the west is so bad I've worked more EU this season than W6 http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[WB2WIK]

100 miles is a long way when it comes to E-skip propagation, I agree.

Guys to my east in DM14 are often working stuff on the east coast that I can't even hear, and they're only 100 miles closer. It can make a huge difference.

Oh well, it's supposed to be "Magic." http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[VE3EN]

6m is great all around. DX, Es, Aurora, Meteor Scatter, Tropo.. its awsome.

Congrats on your contacts !

Just updated the look and feel to my 6 Meter Sound page.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~ve3gib/radio/sound.htm

73, Kevin
VE3GIB
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w8cbc]

6 livened up a couple of times this afternoon and evening while I was working FD from the park. It was mostly Es but I heard some tropo, some backscatter, and a few meteor bips. Very nice.

There was nearly full-coverage Es down in 15 metres. I think I worked a complete circle in that band.

[w7lpn]

New Beacon in Boise 50.070 W7LPN DN13ID let me know if ya hear it. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[ve2nsm]

I had a good time tonight, openings throughout the Carribean. It's about time something happens down here, I spend my days cursing at the center/northern US everyday when I see all the QSOs beeing made on the cluster, and nothing here. Tonight was the opposite, at last! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w7lpn]

Nothing is Boise tonight. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[w8cbc]

nsm - great! It's about time you had some too. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

There's nothing here tonight so I'm down in 20 metres.