Squalo on 6 Meters, What to Expect

dksac2 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2013, 10:20 PM

I just bought my first HF rig and chose a 6 Meter QRP because of the challage and great price for a good used rig, A Yeasu FT 690 RII with the 10 watt Amplifier that goes on the back.

I also ordered a Squalo (M2) that I'm going to put under my VHF vertical, mounted horizontal at approx 35 feet. I'd like to know if there is a chance of getting any DX on it if the band opens up and also what to expect during normal (if there is such a thing) times.
I'm in a valley, sourounded by mountains on 3 sides which is one of the reason I chose as I did. The valley floor is at 6200', the mountains vary from 7800' to 10,000' feet tall. I'm right in the middle about 12 miles either side. Teton Valley, Idaho

I plan on a 3 element beam for mountaintopping this summer.

I will be using USB and the Squalo in a horizontal position to try and get out of the valley. I'm really looking forward to the summer, the mountain top is 9000+ feet and about a 45 min drive and not a bad one.

It will be interesting to see just how many contacts I can make in the valley, it's a semi rural area, but it won't stop me from trying.

A good used 6 to 160, 100 watt rig will be next and a little later a 500 watt amp. I have not decided on the antenna system for the new radio when I get it. I know the antenna is everything, money is limited and no tower, so I'll do the best I can.

I'm a little tired of UHF/VHF although they are good radios to have and all the extras that I have been able to do with them has been fun.

Just one more question as I'm rather new to this all, on the mountain, I will be using a guyed pole in a tripod, what would be a good height to get the 3 element beam at ?

Thanks, John

~~kb2vxa~~ · #2 (**permalink**) 01-08-2013, 2:39 PM

A halo, Squalo or delta loop from Par http://www.parelectronics.com/omnis.php will do you justice and don't worry about the valley since DX is sky wave, not line of sight. Before you start thinking QRO remember when the band opens 10W is quite enough and FYI QRP is 5W or less.

Par has an advantage, they sell both singly and in pairs with a power divider aka phasing harness so you can stack them. For my 2c that's the way to go to avoid loss of gain, a dipole radiates a figure 8 broadside but when bent in a circle (picture this) one lobe expands to omni and the other disappears. Two stacked fed in phase overcomes the problem, it returns the loss plus a little giving an omni signal a little stronger than a single dipole. I suggest the Par stack for the house and save the Squalo for the car.

Using a beam for mountaintopping you can't go very high and guys are impractical and frankly impossible in rocky soil or a parking lot. Depending on the tripod you may stabilize it with a few planks bolted to the feet or not if they are wide enough. It only need be a half wave above the ground, the overall length of the driven element to avoid ground effects bouncing the signal skyward at a high angle making it a NVIS antenna. Let the mountain do the work, that's what it's there for.

Before you wonder how to turn it, ever hear of an Armstrong rotor? In case nobody told you it's a short piece of rod through the mast and a strong arm. So which way is it aimed? That's what eyes are for.

"Just one more question as I'm rather new to this all..."
Oh you'll get used to it and in the process you'll get used to my sideways remarks too.

k3td · #3 (**permalink**) 01-08-2013, 6:04 PM

I have 3 Par Omniangles I use on 10, 6 and 2 meters for SSB/CW and have had excellent results with them. I have also used the M2 loop and it worked very well. My 6 meter Par is mounted at 24' with the 2 meter one at 20' and the 10 meter one at 16'.

I live in a deed restricted neighborhood and my Omniangles are mounted on a long wood dowel that is attached to the trunk of an Oak tree with lag screws. The dowel and antennas are painted with camo paint from Home Depot and the feedlines are RG-213U direct burial cable that run underground from the base of the tree to just outside the ham shack. The antennas are invisible unless you know exactly where to look for them. In 6 years I have worked 262 Grid Squares on 6 meters, worked over 300 miles on 2 and countless contacts world-wide on 10.

k9rzz · #4 (**permalink**) 01-09-2013, 8:46 AM

You setup is fine, but you don't say where you are?

Pacific northwest? Alaska? Nepal?

6 meters is all about E skip and the frequency of that happening greatly depends on where you live.

The guys in Florida and Texas get E skip just about every day, all year 'round. The further away you are from there, the less you get.

Jimru · #5 (**permalink**) 01-09-2013, 8:59 AM

He mentions his QTH as Teton Valley, ID.

Robinsmark · #6 (**permalink**) 01-09-2013, 1:39 PM

[QUOTE It will be interesting to see just how many contacts I can make in the valley, it's a semi rural area, but it won't stop me from trying.

From my own 6 meter experience trying local contacts, (15 miles out) 6 works better than 10 meters even with identical power output and antenna height. My guess is that the takeoff angle of the wave is responsible for this.

73 Mark

KA2UVI

k3td · #7 (**permalink**) 01-09-2013, 5:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k9rzz

You setup is fine, but you don't say where you are?

Pacific northwest? Alaska? Nepal?

6 meters is all about E skip and the frequency of that happening greatly depends on where you live.

The guys in Florida and Texas get E skip just about every day, all year 'round. The further away you are from there, the less you get.

I'm in EM10 just north of Austin, TX and we normally get our fair share of E-skip, but the past 14 months have been much worse than normal. I keep an eye on dxmaps.com daily, and the E-skip all seems to be north, east or west of us. This winter E-skip season has been particularly bad for us.

dksac2 · #8 (**permalink**) 01-09-2013, 6:42 PM

Thanks for the advise, I'd sure like to do two antennas on the one mast, but that is out of the question till I can get a mast higher into the air with less on it.
I'm going to enjoy whatever contacts I can make on the 6 meters and want to get a 20 and 40 meter QRP set up also. The idea of talking around the world on 5 watts is something I look forward to.

No doubt I'll also get a 100 watt all band for more rag chews also.

I want to see what I can get out of 6 meters before going too much further. I've been reading on the Sterba curtan antenna a bit and it looks like it might be a great antenna to try on 6 meters, low cost, home made and many people have made some great contacts on them. Time will tell.

I've got a little older and have slowed down some, so the Ham Radio will be a hobby I'll enjoy. I have liked radio since I got a shortwave radio as a kid. After the crazy life I've lived, a hobby that slows me down some will be welcome.

Than You for helping a new guy.

73's, John K

k9rzz · #9 (**permalink**) 01-10-2013, 8:16 PM

Sorry I missed your QTH. You'll do fine, I've run that exact same radio and it's a nice little unit. Since you're way up north, be sure to frequently spin across the beacon band to catch those Arctic openings that further south stations never get.

dksac2 · #10 (**permalink**) 01-13-2013, 1:04 PM

Thanks again for the help.

I'm really looking forward to the summer, snow melt and getting on the 9000' mountin, which I can easily drive right to in my Blazer.
Winter will be a good time to build and tweek a 3 elemant beam to take with me. I picked up a good tripod cheap and a 20' pole, some guy rope should do me well.
While I plan on finding a good all band 100 watt transceiver, I'm also going to do some QRP work on 10, 20 & 40 meters. Being able to make contacts around the world on 5 watts just seems to be about as good as it gets.
My money is a little tight, so I buy something every month and have built up a decent little shack, mostly UHF/VHF, but I'm aquiring what I will need for high freq.

I'm so pleased I finally got my ticket. I've been interested in radio since I ws a kid and got a shortwave radio, still am.

73's John

mike_gain · #11 (**permalink**) 01-13-2013, 7:45 PM

Not only is Es great on six, tropo can be equally enjoyable. Your location may hinder that somewhat however. Replace that vhf vertical with a tribander so you can also work any repeaters or simplex in the area on fm. Have fun.

skidplate · #12 (**permalink**) 01-14-2013, 6:34 AM

I ran that same antenna for awhile using an Icom 706mkII. It was mounted on the side of one of my towers at about 35ft as well. I used it mainly as a spotting antenna to listen for band openings. QSO's were short due to QSB, but for picking up grid squares it was very good.

dksac2 · #13 (**permalink**) 01-15-2013, 9:05 PM

I figured it would be great for finding others, then switch to the 5 element beam I plan on putting up. I've been told quite a few people use them for than very reason and it helps not missing contacts.

73's John

k3td · #14 (**permalink**) 01-15-2013, 9:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dksac2

I figured it would be great for finding others, then switch to the 5 element beam I plan on putting up. I've been told quite a few people use them for than very reason and it helps not missing contacts.

73's John

It works quite well for that John. Especially for E-skip band openings where you don't know where the band is open to and you could very well miss the opening if your yagi is pointed away from the E cloud.

N1BHH · #15 (**permalink**) 01-16-2013, 2:20 PM

All you need to do is get that antenna up as high as is practicable and you'll enjoy the fun on 6 meters. I used to have a halo on a 20 foot mast for 6 meters when I had my old SBE-6 and had a blast. One of my first contacts was with Mexico from up here in New England, about 15-20 years ago during a great band opening.