Sorry but I'm not a twit and I don't tweet. Nor do I facebook or any other of those social online things.

I do however, work a lot of DX and contests on an actual ham radio like hams are known for. 

Gene W5DQ

Tinkering around Friday evening and Saturday morning and worked them on 15CW, 17CW, 20SSB with no difficulty at all. Would have worked 20M CW but they were working EU and I could not stick around. Will try a few more during the week. Hopefully 30M will work as I need Swain's there. I thought  I had it on 30M from 2006 but after looking at the log, saw it was blank.
 

Gene W5DQ

As expected the ARRL VHF Sept Contest, which occurred this weekend, was the usual stinker here in DM15. I could not drag a solid QSO out of anything but mainly local contacts. That is even using a 7 element M2 6M7JHV at 40 feet on 6M and a 12 element 2M at 30 feet. Best long distance 6M QSO was with Lake Havasu on southern CA/AZ border, appx 200 miles direct from mt QTH. On 2M, I worked a contact in the Long Beach, CA area, again only a couple hundred miles. After several hours of listening and calling CQ on 6M and 2M, I came away with a ...... you better sit down for this one ....... 48 points!!! 

YES, THAT'S RIGHT -  I SAID 48 POINTS!!  Three 6M QSOs and five 2M QSOs.

Worst showing in last 4-5 years for me. Heard plenty of short (single word at best) voice peaks all day but nothing ever rose up enough to get a callsign and make a QSOs with any of them. And to top it off, looking at the DX MAPS activity maps online I saw the typical bloody red map back east where traces were tearing it up both stateside and into the Caribbean and SA.

If things don't start gettng better in early fall for VHF, I may just start skipping the Sept VHF contest for a challenging game of 'tiddly winks'. At least there will be some activity!!!! 

Gene W5DQ

Nothing that a steady intake of alcohol won't make appear to be easier than it is

Gene W5DQ

Golf, like ham radio, is a pursuit to improve one's abilities. Anyone with minimal coordination and enough attempts can put a golf ball in the cup as well make a QSO. The trick to both is to do be able to do it effectively, when you need to, sometimes under adverse conditions.

I always like the statements made by non-golfer's about how silly and archaic the game of golf is. Golf is one of the oldest organized sports known and it takes some perseverance to get to be good at it, just like ham radio. 

I like both although I will admit. I am much better at ham radio operating than I am at golf. 

Gene W5DQ

One under PAR at most fairways 

Seriouslythough, it is an internally generated carrier that is found by the RX circuitry. They can be most annoying if there is one on a freq you want to operate because basically without redesigning the radio, they cannot be removed.

Don't misinterpret a externally generated RFI signal as a birdie. Many RFI signals will disappear when the antenna port is connected to a dummy load. A 'birdie' will not disappear. In fact, it may sound louder due to the loss of background noise compared to when the actual antenna is connected.

Another difference is you like them in golf and hate them in ham radio!!!

Gene W5DQ

I'm not sure to what amount you are referring to as 'a few hundred bucks' but I'll give you a rundown on the V/UHF setup at my shack. I started out with an old beat up FT-726R with 2M and 440Mhz modules in it. I wanted to get on 6M but the cost of 6M modules for that old rig was just crazy. If you could find one, usually you could not (or in my case would not) pay the asking price, which most of the time was more than I paid for the base radio. Tentec used to sell a 2M to 6M transverter that took could output about 8-10W or so. I bought that kit and used it for many seasons with the FT-726R and a TE Systems 175W brick even though the TT transverter would not drive it to 175W. On a good day, tops was around 125-135W output. Worked ok and I earned VUCC with that setup and a Cushcraft A505S modfied for the lower 1 Mhz of the 6M band (my own redesign).

Fast forward and the FT-726 started to get flakey. TX/RX relay would not return to RX and RX would be dead for a few moments. I went looking for a replacement VHF/UHF radio and basically at that time, the only plausible options were the Yaesu FT-840, FT-736 and Kenwood TS-2000S. I was strongly looking at the FT-840 but the fact that the final transistors were scarce as unicorn teeth, I chose not to go that route. I luckily found a gent who had a TS-2000/X for sale (model with the optional 1.2Ghz 10W module factory installed) for an unbelieveable $995, like new in the box. Needless to say, after a through exam for the 'hidden charcoal parts' I figured had to be there (actually found nothing wrong woith it - he just wanted to get out of ham radio), I bought it and it is now the main radio for 6M and up in my station. I have the TS-2000/X, a King Conversions 6M modified Heathkit SB-220 (1200W out on SSB when needed), a M2 6M7JHV 30.5' boom 7 el yagi and a temporary 14 element 2M yagi up for 6M and 2M contesting and grid chasing. Plans are to replace the 14 element 2M with a bigger model form M2 soon.

I am now at 430'ish grids worked on 6M (about 2/3 confirmed) and just starting to get 2M grids confirmed.

In your case, if you can get a older Kenwood TS-700 or like rig and a Tentec 6M to 2M transverter, I believe you could setup a nice little 6M and 2M station. Add a solid state amp for each band and you could easily have 100+ watts out on 6M and 2M for a reasonable cost.

If you have the budget, investigate the TS-2000 for VHF/UHF work. I haved tried mine on HF and yes it works but that is not it's premier operating area (in my opinion). I feel it does a much better job on 6M and higher. Tentec made also made some other transverters for HF IF freqs (20M I think) but I've never messed with those. I know transverters can get costly real quick if they are of good quality.

BTW while we're talking about it, I still have my TenTec 1209 6M to 2M transverter. I don't have a need for it anymore and I'd part with it. Contact me off thread to discuss it if your interested. I'm good in QRZ.

Good Luck in your efforts,

Gene W5DQ

Don,

Sounds like you've got a decent radial field but I might suggest for 40M and lower that a few more longer radials might help out the mix. I have a 6BTV also and have 48 radials, averaging around 35 ft long. A half dozen or so are 10-12' since they are against a wooden fenceline and another dozen+ are 45' to 65' going out into the back yard open area. The antenna is mounted at the side of the yard to please the XYL. My ground type is poor being mainly sand and small rocks with no vegetation here in Mojave Desert but with the radial field I have, I get good results with my 6BTV. Of course, I get better results with my Force 12 C3S at 40'.

While comparing 'fruit', don't forget to consider the take off angle of each antenna. A well designed vertical antenna system (ie proper radial field layout) should exhibit a very low TOA. Also a not so good radial field would most likely push that TOA up in elevation while a Hexbeam may or may not have a low TOA, basically determined by height above ground. Many small beams are not mounted at the optimum height to achieve the best TOA but still get decent results. You didn't specify what band your comparison was done on but I assume it was between 20M and 10M as that is what a Hexbeam usually covers. Also depending on your placement of the vertical with relation to nearby metallic objects, it is possible for you to have nulls in your patterns that may account for the loss of RX to certain areas. Before I got to excited about a bad system, I would do some additional comparisons between your setup and Steve's, noting the difference in heard / not heard and signal strengths. By mapping this you should be able to determine, with some accuracy, if you indeed have any nulls and to what impact they appear in your system performance.

Good Luck,

Gene W5DQ

Can you tilt the 30 foot mast over while it is extended? If so, it will require some engineering but a pulley that is securely mounted behind the tilt point and a lanyard ran from the tilt down side and back to the mast will double your lifting strength. Anchoring the base and making a lifting mechanism will allow repeated up and down with minimal effort, even for a disabled person. Rope guys can be situated to catch the mast from the lift side as it reaches vertical and then a guy line can be fixed to hold from the other side.

This is all assuming that the mast will only be used to hold a wire dipole and that it will only be hoisted in fair weather, thereby only needing one set of guys.

Also it you shorten the mast down to say 25 ft, it will be much stiffer than fully extended and the amount of effort to lift (by tilting) it will be reduced some. (shorter moment arm)

Just an idea I have used in the past for a test jig for small antennas. It was much quicker for me to raise a short mast (~25') by tilting it than telescoping it.

Gene W5DQ

But it works just fine if you take time to make a 50 ohm <> 75 ohm matching section and feed it correctly. Simply saying it doesn't work well because it is 75 ohms is not right ......

Gene W5DQ

My oldest one is Feb 20, 1987. I too have older ones back to 1976 but haven't entered them as I have all the DX that was in that period already confirmed so not worth the effort to enter a third and fourth callsigns. I already have 2 callsigns in my LOTW account.

Gene W5DQ (ex-KI6LO, WB5UZU, WN5UZU)

I routinely hear a station appx 90-100 miles south of me on 2M and he's running 600+ watts in the contests yet he's barely discernible above the noise. I only have 11 elements on 2M at 30 feet but I hear other stations much louder and farther away, so I know it is just our pathway. My opinion is the QSO from the original post was just one of those that just either wasn't the greatest path or not the best condx or both. If it becomes a pattern then I would look for a solution but now from the sound of it, you're looking for a fix to a non-problem.

I would, however, investigate getting a better 2M antenna as soon as possible if your serious about 2M contesting. Your 'Yugo' wasn't designed for 'drag racing' 

Good Luck & 73

Gene W5DQ

In my case, it's not deceit. She has her job and paycheck. I have my job and paycheck. While I make 40% more than her, I also pay most of the household bills including the mortgage and utilities. We both put into the household kitty, pay our own credit cards and personal accounts and have our own descretionary funds for whatever. This way she has her own credit history and profile should something happen to me. Many married couple don't have this and the wife (or 'lesser' partner) runs into issues after the other partner passes.

I just don't bother to try and explain why I want (or need) another piece of radio gear just like I don't expect her to explain why she needs another 6 pairs of shoes and 4 new purses when she has a closet full of the same stuff (or so it appears to me). I figure there must be some reason she needs 40 pairs of shoes. I just haven't figured it out yet. I'm a guy (heck I only have 5 pairs of shoes/boots) and guys don't understand women (and she reminds me of this regularly).

Works for us.

Gene W5DQ

My wife rarely ever goes in the room where my shack is at and if she did, highly doubt she wouldn't know if I had replaced the whole sheebang even if she looked right at it. Only thing she is interested in out there in that other buidling is the workout equipment in the another room and if the big LCD TV is working or not for her workout videos.

I leave the shack a little cluttered and that way she avoids it on fear that I might ask her to help me clean it. Her biggest concern is I keep the bathroom clean out there in case someone happens to come by for a visit and needs the facilities.

So far, seems to have worked. I've added 2 transcievers and 2 amplifiers over the last few years and she has never appeared to even notice, even while standing right next to them. Or at least she hasn't commented on them.

Gene W5DQ

What are the specs on this antenna? How much higher is this above the 6M?

Gene