Martial Law 
Wasn't he on Gunsmoke? 
Isn't he related to Jude Law? 

I use this web page when I travel.  http://k5ehx.net/repeaters/qrepeater.php

It shows all the nearby repeaters.  Just zoom in on the area of interest and left click on the location and then choose "within 30 miles" or "within 100 miles".

Thought about building one of these mega stacked colinears . http://www.rason.org/Projects/collant/collant.htm
Finished height for the 2 meter version is about 26 foot.   

Quads like to fall down.... go boom.
Mongo Like Yagi.



Seriously, I chose Yagi because they have higher wind /  ice survivability and generally require zero maintenance for at least a decade.  It's about as close to plug and play as you can get. 

Great DX this week.
Got PA, CA, UT, WI, PR, LA, TX, MO, MN, ND and MI from my NC QTH.  It took about an hour to get the California station but at 2,140 mi it makes me think Europe & South America may be possible this year on 6m USB.

I use my IC-746 / G5RV and scan between 50.110 and 50.150 USB with absolute minimum squelch. Switch over to a Cushcraft A505S 5 element Yagi when I hear any activity.  Wish I had a 6m square loop for monitoring but the G5RV works pretty well for a big ear.   

I like the paper version.  I loan them out to folks interested in the hobby.

I have been licensed since 1995, Shortwave, scanner and DX Broadcast listener decades before that.

Nice sustained opening yesterday.  Good strong signals on SSB.

QTH: Charlotte, NC EM95
I'm on 146.52 occasionally.  The most traffic I hear on that freq. are folks on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It's a tradition around here to give a shout on the FM call freq. when you are > 4000' ASL.

Locally on 147.505 there is an FM Simplex net 8PM Eastern Sundays run by AJ4CN.
Most FM simplex rag chewing occurs in the evenings here on 146.550, 3 or 4 days a week.

I rarely hear anyone on 2 meter USB unless it's a sked. It picks up a little during VHF contests but is still pretty lite even then.  150 miles is the furthest I've talked so far on 2m USB. 

I use an Icom 746 100w and a Cushcraft A148-20T Dual Polarized (10 elements vert. 10 elements Hor.) @ 25ft.

NS6T maps work for me.  I use a world map, 4000k, 2000k and 1000k map to cover all the bases.  His program creates a pdf for you to print and is customizable. Get your lat x long from your QRZ page for the required input.

Remember these maps will show True North headings which is different from compass headings.

http://ns6t.net/azimuth/azimuth.html

Yea, 6 is certainly open.  I've been talking to Florida, Texas and even Cuba on USB for the last few days around supper time.  6 meter FM seems to have been abandoned though.  In the "old" days 52.525 would have a hundred folk on it during even the smallest opening.

Used to hear lots of local activity and DX on 6 meter FM back in the mid to late 90's.  It was normal to talk to Canada and Florida from N. Carolina during band openings. 

Is 6 meter FM dead? Rarely hear anyone but a few diehard locals on these frequencies.

You guys inspired me. I live in Charlotte, NC and haven't done any AM BCB DX'ing for a long while.  Turned on the radio at Midnight, IC-746 w/ G5RV, and heard:
WHKW 1220 AM Cleveland OH
WPHT 1210 AM Philadelphia PA
KMOX 1120 AM St. Louis MO
WBZ 1030 AM Boston MA
WLS 890 AM Chicago IL
WHAS 840 AM Louisville, KY
WBAP 820 AM Dallas /Ft. Worth

All were pretty solid copy while I listened for their ID.  A little QRM but that's always expected if they aren't clear channels stations.
I forgot how much fun it was. Gonna keep doing it.

I've seen that if I phase two 5/8th wave 2 meter verticals, one on the left of the vehicle and one on the right, the pattern becomes directional toward the front and back (less on the sides).

What kind of pattern would four phased 5/8th wave verticals each mounted on the corners of the vehicle produce? 

I use a Cushcraft 14820T fed with two different coax lines.  It is 11 foot long and has 10 elements vertical and 10 elements horizontal.  I switch between the two polarizations via a switch to change between SSB and FM.

It's not the most fab antenna but it suffices for my limitations of length and weight.  It may be right for you and can be easily turned with a TV rotor.

You can read mine and other's reviews here.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1658