Here's another vote for just trying the tribander, as is, on six, thru a tuner. Probably won't see any front to back directivity. 

I remember a guy who made 300 Qs on 6-meters in the June VHF contest a few years ago. As I recall he used something like a stock TH6 but it was at about 70 feet. Conditions were fabulous that weekend. Keep your power down.

Yikes! You've got to tell us his call!
--------

Many years ago there was a major award called "WAC 599" which was pretty damn hard to get with 1950s/60s equipment and accurate reporting.  Any old timers here have that award?

Hams didn't even use the RST system until about 1934.

You can see tons of early QSL cards on the internet. Those used various other reporting systems. BTW, the earliest known QSL card dates from about 1920. Hams were making perfectly good Qs from the beginning of spark... Before QSL cards and before RSTs.

The signal report "requirement" was probably something an idiot net controller dreamed up in the 70s.

That said, JUST TRY GIVING A VHF CONTACT WITHOUT A GRID SQUARE. You'll get something akin to DIE, K0OD, DIE!

LOLOLOL Стэнли раздражает.

Fortunately I speak fluent Google Translator Russian.

That was 3 years ago. Cheap? I'm just forgetful. OTOH no Russian babe popped up on MY machine. What did she say, TED?

There's a free version of VAC and a paid one. I never paid for VAC.

Flex radios really are test equipment with transmitting ability. They dominate Frequency Measuring Tests. The stock 5000a with its built in scope can measure to a few tenths of a Hz even without being externally disciplined. My 5000 shows absolutely no drift against WWV, The meter is accurate within one dB. You can create up to 10 passband filters for every mode. There's the IF level tracking notch filter that can nail notches to multiple points on the spectrum (among other features). The list of wonderful and unique features goes on and on. 

There ARE some very minor and enduring CW problems. I use my 5000a at 30+ wpm on CW all the time. Those limitations obviously aren't software fixable and the 5000 is six years old now so its "no spring chicken" as Dad would say.

Likely what killed the 5000 (which certainly has little to do with cabinet sourcing) are the support costs of dealing with a bazillion different, often underpowered, computer configurations. The high support needs also assured that Flex radios wouldn't sell well overseas.

That's one rare transmitter... and very costly at $695 Eisenhower era dollars! This is about all I could find in G. No picture of it found.
====================================================

The ELENCO ''77''
300 WATTS
Instantaneous Peak Envelope
Power Input
AM-SSB-CW Complete
IMMEDIATE DELIVERY

CHECK THESE OUTSTANDING FEATURES
POWER
Enough to —
► Drive a KW grounded grid linear
► Use as a complete Transmitter

FLEXIBILITY
^ Bandswitching 1 0-1 5-20-40-80-1 60 meters
► SSB-AM-CW operalion at the flip of a switch
► VFO BUILT IN. Calibrated in 1 K.C. divisions— ALL bands
► Selectable sideband operation at the flip of a switch

RELIABILITY
► Triple cascade crystal filter provides excellent carrier and unwanted side-
band suppression. (80 db unwanted sideband, 100 db carrier suppression).
Filter guaranteed for the life of the unit

OPERATION
Real operating ease and convenience afforded by —
► Built in voice control circuits (plug-in voice control relay)
► Built in speaker control circuits
► All operating controls at the fingertips on front pone!
► VFO operates continuously. Unit requires no "warm-up" period

RUGGED CONSTRUCTION
► Panel, '/s steel relay rack type. Beautiful Concord Blue finish
► Cabinet, !/i6" steel. Contrasting Marine Blue finish. Size, 21" wide, 15" deep,
101/2" high. Weight complete, 67 lbs. Domestic shipping weight, 76 lbs.
ELENCO "77" complete, $695-00

Order direct or through your distributor
Write to Paul N. Wright, W90HM at
!=ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING CO., wabash,ind.=!

The first Flex-5000s were shipped in August 2007. That seems like a pretty good run for an innovative radio. In terms of hardware, 5000s are very durable. Flex repair service is excellent.

BTW, I see on a Flex group that someone is now saying the 3000 was always Flex's "bread and butter."  But on Eham there have been more reviews for the 5000 than the 3000 or the newer 1500. Discontinuance of the 5000 will leave a hole.
 

What did Transoceanics cost years ago? About $275 in 1964! That's much more than $799 adjusted for inflation.

It wouldn't just be a matter of removing the cost of the KX3 transmitter. It would be a matter of immensely broadening the universe of prospective buyers. The current pool of buyers for Elecraft radios is small, dwindling and old.

Much depends on the horizon of Elecraft management. If they want to leave the company to their kids, they'll have to go beyond ham equipment.

Next question:  How about using a DMM or even an old 260 type meter around very sensitive modern chips?

Elecraft has a unique entry point now for coming out with a shortwave receiver.

Sony's 7600 series hasn't been updated in years. It doesn't offer knob tuning. At about $200 the 7600s aren't aiming for the Transoceanic market if that still exists... a huge question. An Elecraft receiver would have to be sold primarily on the basis of sound quality, tech innovation and durability, not shortwave reception which few shoppers care about.

Sony and indeed everything Japaneses, have lost luster in recent years. There's talk of breaking up the company which is a bloated major player in insurance and entertainment. Sony's share price has plunged about 85% over the past 13 years, as it has been overtaken in electronics by the likes of Apple, Samsung and LG. OTOH Elecraft is riding high in its tiny niche.

Bringing out a high end shortwave receiver would be a major expansion for Elecraft which certainly lacks consumer marketing experience. It would be costly. They'd be most concerned about Chinese competition. But that's still a few years off in high end radios.

In the days of spark, tone was a huge deal. The purer the tone, the farther a signal would carry. Good tone meant you had a sophisticated and costly modern station. Bad tone meant you might be a kid using a Model T spark coil. It was a status thing. QSL cards from the 1920s focused a lot of attention on tone. (that was before the RST system came into use)

Once in a blue moon I'll give a 7 or 8. That should be enough to alert any ham that a problem exists and should be remedied.

From this discussion I'm kinda wishing I had bought the TH-F6 with SSB and CW receive ability instead of the VX3R. The Kenwood puts out 5 watts vs about 1.5 watts for the Yaesu. Either radio will fit in a shirt pocket.

The Kenwood's been on the market since 2001 so it's pretty old. It used to sell for almost $500 but they are under $300 nowadays. (Chinese competition?). The VX3R is about $185. The Kenwood also transmits on 222.

Of course all those amazing features carry a significant programming burden. Programming software is almost mandatory.

Just bought one of those tiny $185 Yaesu VX3R HTs this week. It receives 500 KHz to 999 MHZ and does a decent job hearing AM broadcasters on HF judging from limited tests with a small antenna. It does tune 16-48 MHz.

It's a real bear to program, even with software, and to learn to use. Hated it at first; starting to like it now.

I too was wondering whether any 2 meter HT also receives HF sideband/CW.