Interesting reading  our varying approaches.  The monitor is real useful since band openings seem sooo sporadic.  So far I use the vhf.dx website for postings on  actual real time qsos, maps on where the  circuits are, etc.  One thing is that often I see a lot of qsos going on all around me but Im not hearing a thing!  And other times, if I hear 'em, I work 'em.  So Im envious of you guys with towers, and have been led to believe that height is 80% of a stations success.  So I am looking to get my 5 el yagi up to around 25 ft or so on a temporary basis  until I decide on whether Im putting up a tower or not.  Depends on the stock market hi hi.

But Ive worked Europe in 2011 with my 5 el at 6 ft, and again in 2011 with it raised to 10 ft.  Im really looking forward to getting the  rotator up so I can return to pushing buttons instead of getting up and trotting out to the rear patio to pull a rope and turn the antenna...not that I cant use the exercise!

Bob

Your approach is pretty close to mine.  I would like to increase my awareness of  the band and perhaps appreciate its subtleties, however.

This week's band opening to Europe - yesterday morning and Thurs evening was one of the best Ive seen.  Signals weren't up to what I heard a couple of times last summer, but the breadth of stations I heard - most of whom I put in the log - was impressive.  Sigs were mostly 559 or 55 to 57.  But adding 3  CT's, and an IS0, 9H1, F, EA7, 9H1, and ON5 was my biggest haul ever on 6m.  All with a 5 el yagi  at 10 ft above ground tells me the band can be fun with modest stations.  At the same time, the number of openings I see on the VHF spotting net that I DONT hear also tells me  higher would be better to intercept those signals more reliably.  But a very modest height like 10 ft is  about a half wavelength antenna height so not a bad starting point.

One use for 6M that is underutilized is for local and regional nets.  Our local club  has moved from 10M ( where signals are marginal to fair) to 6m where  copy is armchair and in the summertime we dont have breakers from FL and CA  that fade in and out, or  multiple QSOs on the same freq that do the same thing...come and go.  Everybody comments on how copy is much better.

So with the  increasing number of HF rigs with 6m built in, I see 6m as a growth band for years to come. And one where the modest size of a yagi makes it  fun for many who dont have the space or wherewithall  for traditional HF yagi/tower installations.

Currently running an IC7600 @ 100w to a 5 el Cushcraft yagi at a towering 10 ft, turned with an Armstrong rotator!
Been on 6M since May 2010 when I  got the new rig with 6M capabilities.  Im mostly cw plus some ssb.  In the June ARRL Contest our local club made about 125 qsos from a portable site.

And in the past week, Ive managed to work 3 CT's.  PJ6, KP4,  three Canadian Maritime stns, plus  CA, OR, NV, KS, MO, TX, NM, OK, MS, LA, FL, GA, SC,  on scattered openings.

`Got on 6 last year for the first time in 55 yrs of ham radio.  It's a fun band during May-July Es season but not much in central Ohio the rest of the year.

I have managed to get a weekly club net to go to 6m  two weeks a month  but that is about it for non Es activity that Ive heard  here, with the exception of a few big-sig guys 30-90 miles away.

 

In my one year on 6M, May-June-Jul Es season seems to be the  most active time to be on 6M.  But Im wondering what other activities are available during other times of the year for the owner of a modest 6M station to partake in?

And another question:  Is it just me or do the 6M Es openings  so far in 2011 seem to be much more limited than in 2010?  ...not as many stations coming through when the band is open. Signals not as strong.  Longer skip seems pretty good but the frequent openings from central Ohio to New England that I saw  in 2010 just havent been there in 2011.  Could the Es intensity be lower as we move up the sunspot cycle?  Hence longer  less wide open skip?

Speculation welcome.

Nice GS!  Been hearing TX the past two days but while the activity has been widespread, its not yet "wide open" to central Ohio EN80.  Over the 4th weekend  there were some nice entires in the log:  from the Carrib, + CA OR WA NV as well as the usual FL stns, augmented by some nice GA, SC blockbuster sigs, and a smattering of CO, IA, KS.

Good tips, XTR!  I found the grid square approach very wise, IF I can ever generate a pile up!

Ive had a 901 for 30 years and the NBboard never did a thing.  So if the radio works without the board, I wouldnt worry about it.  And dont be surprised if the one you get doesnt appear to do anything.  that was normal for the 901.

Only problem with my 901  these days is the drift.  Well over  0.5 khz  in 1 hr of operation, and it never settles down.

Thanks!  Makes sense.  I had a similar problem about 5 yrs ago that ICOM repaired.

Another question:  my  AT50 auto tuner, the companion to the TS50 is no longer working.  It takes itself out of the circuit and shuts down.  Problem began about the same time the TS50 output started acting up.

Think it might be the same cause/same problem?

called  them after my IC7600, at 14 months of age and two months past the warranty period,  lost its output during the VHF Contest. The gal said send it in and she would talk to the manager about extending the warranty to cover repairs.  So I spent $75 to FEDEX Ground it to them.  One week later they called with the problem- failure of the RF board - at a cost of $175 for repairs.

I reminded her of what the first lady said when I called, and she said " Oh OK. I can authorize that."  Five days later it arrived in working order and no charge other than my original shipping cost to them.

Problem was  a bad IC chip and two blown diodes.    While I was disappointed to have a total power output failure so soon, I was pleased they covered the repairs and return shipping.

My mobile rig a Kenwood TS50S has erratic power output levels on several bands.  On other bands it appears ok ( full power-nice and steady.)

It was  connected to my  dummy load wattmeter to eliminate any  loose antenna  connections, and to my  in shack power supply to eliminate loose or corroded dc  cable connections.

On  a couple bands the RF power output is zero.  On others it will vary between 15-45w, fluctuating, sometimes fluctuating and holding.  And at other times it may show full power out but only for a few seconds. And on other bands it will provide a steady 100w output. 

Any suggestions?  has anyone experience similar symptoms?

Bob

I got on six for the first time  last summer, after 55 yrs on the air.

Look on ssb and cw.  the ssb calling freq is 50.125 but when the band is open you can hears stateside sigs from 50.125 up to 50.200 and even above.

cw is mostly 50.080-50.099.

I made my first  6M contact using 100w to a 40M vertical - with KP4-Land, on cw.  The main problem when the band is open is the other guy may have half a dozen stns caling him that you cant hear, so be patient.

Guys with a simple ringo ranger antenna  made 250+ qsos during th elast FD, on a lark.

Re: propagatiion:  the band can be dead for periods at a time only to open up to most anywhere on a dime.  So keep looking til you hear something.

Bob

SIX was pretty quiet most of SAT (at least when I listened) but around 9 pm local I worked a LOUD 7 in Reno, followed by a couple of 6's in CA and a 0 in Denver.  All 59 in central OH.  Looks like I missed the bulk of the opening though.

Lesson Learned:  Look  west in the evening even if the band  shows little during the day.

Bob

Or use some flat pvc,  or a "cut in two" half  section of pvc piping screwed into the wood to separate the mast from the wood if that makes you feel more comfortable. Im on the fence  regarding its need.

The static drain is a good idea based on how much precip satic Ive gotten the past year with my  pair of phased verts for 40m.  Its pretty common and annoying.  So draining  500-1000 ohm resistors to a ground rod at each vert makes sense to me. 

  Looks like the local club is sitting this one out, so I will be on 6M cw/ssb  from home with an IC7600 (freshly back fro ICOM after losing its RF board during the ARRL VHF test - fortunately  SUN afternoon and not earlier.)

Am wiring up my  HyGain Tailtwister  ( boy is that a pain!!!)  disconnectable couplings today.  Next comes  taking the 5 el 6M Cushcraft yagi  down and reinstalling it on the rotator. Then putting the c. 15 ft mast back up.

So come the CQ VHF Test I will be running 100w to 5 el at 15 ft with a rotator, for the first time ever on 6M.  I know I wont miss the 100 ft walk  to the mast  to activate the Armstrong system.

So what are YOU planning fot JUL 16-17?

PS  Next FD I believe I will add a 6M station to the  club effort.  Sounds like it might be real fun.