6M OR 10M? - MobileHam Forum at eHam.net

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eHam.net Forum : MobileHam : 6M OR 10M?

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6M OR 10M?	Reply
by K3ZD on November 4, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I'm getting ready to add another Hamstick to my collection. I already own sticks for 40m, 20m, and 17m. I end up working 17 most of the time but would like to try either 12m, 10m or 6m. Which would be the best choice for mobile? I'd kinda like to try 6, but have never been on 6 before and don't know whether its a decent mobile band. Thanks, Mark.

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by WB2WIK on November 4, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
There's a lot more activity on 10. 6m's a fun band if you have patience or a few locals to work while you're commuting, but most of the time it's very quiet...although the past few days have been rather interesting. A few folks worked All Continents on 6m last weekend, in a period of less than 24 hours, so it can be exciting -- interspersed with long periods of intense loneliness! WB2WIK/6

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by AG4VG on November 6, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I agree, I'd pick 10M over 6M, just because 6M is so 'iffy.' 10M would be a good one, you could pick up a lot of Europe with it. 15M is good, too - I didn't see where you had it listed. I have hamsticks for 20, 17, and 6, plus a 10-15-20 array on the roof of my Jeep. I have a lot of fun with them - the hamsticks really are great antennas - I have worked some great stations qrp mobile. 73 - good DX, Melanie AG4VG

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by KE4SKY on November 6, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Which is best really depends whether you just like to ragchew, or are serious about DX. When 6 meters is open it's alot of fun, but it's either feast or famine unless there is alot of repeater activity in your area. Ten meters is open more often, and has great DX potential, and isn't a bad ragchew band, particularly if you have 10m FM repeaters in your area. However, I've found that my 10m hamsticks don't have a good VSWR over the entire band, so mine is optimized for the Novice-Tech SSB voice portion and the internal tuner on my FT900 will match it for FM the little bit I use it there. A band I like alot mobile, even though the hamstick isn't very efficient there is 75 meters. The useable bandwidth for a 75 meter hamstick is only about 50 khz unless you have a tuner, but if you have a regular net sked, it's fun to check in mobile. With the internal tuner I can work most of the SSB-phone portion of the band and have no trouble most nights checking into nets all up and down the east coast. If you are into DX, then you really need to add 15m. My two cents.

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by K0BG on November 6, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
If you are REALLY interested in 6 meters or 10 meters, you won't be using a Hamstick!! For years, I used a dual halo for mobile 6 meter work, and I have almost 150 countries worked for my efforts. If 10 meters is your band, then use a full 1/4 wave properly mounted and matched. I venture to add, that a 1/4 wave properly matched antenna will out perform a hamstick by nearly 10 db, or close to 2 S units. In other words, if you really are serious, then do it right! Alan, KØBG

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by K6SDW on November 6, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I love 6-mtr dxing....almost always have the rig at home listening to 50.125 on a 5-element beam at 45'. It's very lonely band and more so running mobile. You'll wait long periods of time (weeks maybe) for the band to open, but when it does it can be very exciting! Ignition noise suppression is difficult on 6 meters as well, so I'd put my effort towards 10 meters. Gud luck....73

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by K3ZD on November 7, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Alan: Thanks for the reply. Don't you think however that a 10m Hamstick, which is about 7 feet long, is just about a 1/4 wavelength? If not, do you know where I can get a 10m 1/4 whip that will fit into the same mount used by Hamsticks? Thanks, Mark.

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by WB2WIK on November 7, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I doubt if the full-size 1/4-wave on 10m will outperform the Hamstick by 10 dB, that's a lot considering the relatively small difference in antenna size. However, a 1/4-wave 10m whip is readily found at all CB shops in the form of a 98" to 102" long stainless-steel whip with a 3/8"-24 threaded stud at its base. That's the same mount as the Hamstick uses. The CB whips (not loaded, just stainless steel) will be more efficient than the Hamstick due to its slightly larger aperture, slightly higher radiation resistance, and greater surface area. One of the shortfalls of the Hamstick design is that the radiator is small diameter wire, which limits efficiency and bandwidth slightly, and limits power rating to 600W PEP. You can put 1500W into a stainless steel whip all day long... Power rating is inversely proportional to efficiency with many antennas. Also: The 1/4-wave CB whip works great when threaded into a stainless steel "ball mount" located as high up on the vehicle as possible. My ball mount is on the right fender of my Volvo wagon, about 33" above ground, and definitely works better than the same whip screwed into a different mount lower on the vehicle. The mounting method and position might well achieve the 10 dB difference Alan was referring to... WB2WIK/6

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by WB2WIK on November 7, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
Oops, meant to say, "power rating is proportional to efficiency..." (not inversely proportional). I need to read my own stuff, sometimes! WB2WIK/6

RE: 6M OR 10M?	Reply
by KF4MKJ on December 1, 2002	Mail this to a friend!
I use hamsticks for both portable and mobile. I have found that the 20 meter hamstick will work on six. It isn't perfectly resonant but it will work. If you wanted to take time to tune it might become resonant. I have made some contacts on six that way. BTW those contact were made running QRP. Hope this helps 73 de KF4MKJ

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