6 meter mobile antenna.

[62Truck]

I'm getting a Alinco DR-06T for Christmas I'm going to be using in the house and eventually I will probably end up installing it in my car. What are some decent NMO 6 meter antennas?


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[kayn1n32008]

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Larsen makes a base loaded 1/4wave, as well I believe a Larsen 144MHz 5/8wave will also load on 6metres

 

[W2NJS]

Firestik, if they're still around, once made a 6M loaded whip that was about four feet tall and came with the standard 3/8-24 screw-in connector.

 

[62Truck]

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Larsen makes a base loaded 1/4wave, as well I believe a Larsen 144MHz 5/8wave will also load on 6metres

You're right about the 2 meter model. A 5/8 2 meter antenna would work as a quarter wave on 6.


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[kb2vxa]

May I be the first to mention if you use only a vertical antenna you're limiting yourself to FM and the small, uppermost segment of the band? The bottom end and other modes are where the action is so you may also consider a horizontal loop and a different kind of mount.

 

[W2NJS]

6M radio capabilities...

May I be the first to mention if you use only a vertical antenna you're limiting yourself to FM and the small, uppermost segment of the band? The bottom end and other modes are where the action is so you may also consider a horizontal loop and a different kind of mount.

Except for the fact that the OP's inquiry indicated that his radio will be an Alinco unit that is FM only.

 

[kb2vxa]

Poor choice of rigs?

 

[k3td]

I'm getting a Alinco DR-06T for Christmas I'm going to be using in the house and eventually I will probably end up installing it in my car. What are some decent NMO 6 meter antennas?

Larsen's 5/8 wave 2m antenna works quite well in the FM portion of the band. Should be fun if there are 6m repeaters in your area. I even hear an occassional signal on 52.525 MHz during E-skip openings.

Have fun and 73!

 

[mrweather]

If you want just a 6M mobile antenna, Larsen makes the NMO50. I have one and it works well for FM use.

Alternatively, you could take a 102" whip and chop about 40" off of it.

 

[62Truck]

Thanks for the input guys. I know the rig is FM only that's what I wanted(so no poor choice in rig here), we have a triband all mode for the shack and will be moving shortly and everything else is pretty much packed up. My club does have a 6 meter machine on the air. The group of guys I normally talk to on 2 meter simplex have moved to 6 meter simplex since we started messing around with APRS. Talking on 2 meters has been taking out the digi's we had set up at our QTH's (well two of the other guys) and talking on 6 hasn't been interfering been interfering with digi's or mobile aprs units.


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[k3cfc]

Thanks for the input guys. I know the rig is FM only that's what I wanted(so no poor choice in rig here), we have a triband all mode for the shack and will be moving shortly and everything else is pretty much packed up. My club does have a 6 meter machine on the air. The group of guys I normally talk to on 2 meter simplex have moved to 6 meter simplex since we started messing around with APRS. Talking on 2 meters has been taking out the digi's we had set up at our QTH's (well two of the other guys) and talking on 6 hasn't been interfering been interfering with digi's or mobile aprs units.


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It doesn't matter what you buy radio antenna house there will be something wrong with it according to certain people. i think you are doing a bang up job so keep up the good work.

K3CFC

 

[k9rzz]

May I be the first to mention if you use only a vertical antenna you're limiting yourself to FM and the small, uppermost segment of the band? The bottom end and other modes are where the action is so you may also consider a horizontal loop and a different kind of mount.

True, but E skip couldn't care less what polarization your antenna is. If you want to work the locals on SSB/CW, then definitely a Squalo or other horizontal antenna is best. I've worked tons of cool stuff on 6m SSB using a 2m 5/8 whip on the car roof. You've just gotta work out the SWR for that part of the band. FWIW

 

[K2KOH]

What frequency you guys working? Maybe I'll dust off my FT817 and throw the JOEY up.

 

[Token]

May I be the first to mention if you use only a vertical antenna you're limiting yourself to FM and the small, uppermost segment of the band? The bottom end and other modes are where the action is so you may also consider a horizontal loop and a different kind of mount.

While I agree whole heartedly that a person should use the entire band, and weak signal modes at the bottom of the band, I am not quite sure why you say “vertical antenna you're limiting yourself to FM and the small, uppermost segment of the band”? It is the weak signal portions of the band that are small, the “FM” segment is the majority of the band.

FM (in the form of repeater pairs) start at 51.12 MHz. From there up the band is pretty much exclusively FM in actual application. So, 50.0 to 51.1 (1.1 MHz) is mixed modes, SSB, CW, Digital, AM, etc, while 51.12 to 54.0 MHz (2.88 MHz) is FM except for a few designated RC channels. Sure, you can legally use any mode above 51.12, but it is essentially FM only up there.

With regards to the OPs original question, a 6M antenna that is NMO. The Diamond M685SNMO is a decent single band NMO 6M antenna. I do not use it in NMO myself, I have it in UHF mount (for a specific application) and I have had very good performance from the antenna. Of course, it is a simple 1/4 wave, but it is built well and has held up well for me, even in off-road applications.

T!

 

[62Truck]

What frequency you guys working? Maybe I'll dust off my FT817 and throw the JOEY up.

50.320 FM you might even catch John on there too.


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[62Truck]

While I agree whole heartedly that a person should use the entire band, and weak signal modes at the bottom of the band, I am not quite sure why you say “vertical antenna you're limiting yourself to FM and the small, uppermost segment of the band”? It is the weak signal portions of the band that are small, the “FM” segment is the majority of the band.

FM (in the form of repeater pairs) start at 51.12 MHz. From there up the band is pretty much exclusively FM in actual application. So, 50.0 to 51.1 (1.1 MHz) is mixed modes, SSB, CW, Digital, AM, etc, while 51.12 to 54.0 MHz (2.88 MHz) is FM except for a few designated RC channels. Sure, you can legally use any mode above 51.12, but it is essentially FM only up there.

With regards to the OPs original question, a 6M antenna that is NMO. The Diamond M685SNMO is a decent single band NMO 6M antenna. I do not use it in NMO myself, I have it in UHF mount (for a specific application) and I have had very good performance from the antenna. Of course, it is a simple 1/4 wave, but it is built well and has held up well for me, even in off-road applications.

T!

Thank you for your input. I will look into that antenna. I have a habit of changing my set up (usually just changing radios) and I'd like to keep all the antenna mounts the same.


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[kb2vxa]

To answer Token and not to argue but clarify, while the FM portion is larger bandwidth wise it's channelized so the number of available channels and bandwidth of each one makes it smaller from an operating point of view. Weak signal as it's called uses far less bandwidth and is not channelized so you can fit a lot more stations in there.

 

[popnokick]

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Is 6M so overcrowded that the available allocations (FM and weak signal) are regularly all jammed up? Maybe during band openings? Didn't know all that space was so busy.

 

[k3td]

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Is 6M so overcrowded that the available allocations (FM and weak signal) are regularly all jammed up? Maybe during band openings? Didn't know all that space was so busy.

No. Current band plans were set up a few decades ago when it looked like the growth in FM and repeaters would continue until it consumed the band, so they were meant to protect the weak signal modes of CW and SSB and EME activity in the lower end of the band, provide for plenty of FM simplex and repeater use higher up in the band and allow for other modes too.

Depending on where you are located you are likely to find very little or a lot of regular local activity which could be on any combination of CW, SSB, FM or the WSJT digital modes. Activity increases substantially during the summer and winter E-skip seasons (May - July and December/January), during peak sunspot activity with F2 skip, and during major contests in January, June, July and September.

 

[potbellyperch]

can you hear dx on a rubber duckie ant???? outside i mean not in the house
thanks