We used to do a lot of 6FM and made some great contacts. We still have an event in my area (well and others too) that has 2, 6 meter frequencies and it was neat a few times working more locally jerk stations further out broke in and made a contact.
Does anyone actually use 6 meters?
- Thread starter OkieBoyKJ5JFG
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I use a Lakeview 6m hamstick on my vehicle. The mount is actually connected to a luggage rail on my SUV. I use an adapter to get the 3/8 thread to the UHF mount courtesy of Amazon. As the mount is connected to the non-grounded rail, I simply ran one strand of wire along the rail to the other side of the vehicle and connected it to a screw holding the rail to the roof. Another short wire does the same on the antenna side. I then have six ferrite beads on the coax before it enters the vehicle. I covered the beads with split loom to protect them to some degree.
prcguy made a ground plane ”helper” using a sheet of copper, a thin magnetic roll and a flat wire mesh to connect the plate to the shield side of a mount. Diamond Antenna makes one, but his looks and probably works better. I have the parts to make one myself. I’ll just add it to my existing setup.
A 6m mobile can be accomplished, but only if you’re one of the cool kids.
prcguy made a ground plane ”helper” using a sheet of copper, a thin magnetic roll and a flat wire mesh to connect the plate to the shield side of a mount. Diamond Antenna makes one, but his looks and probably works better. I have the parts to make one myself. I’ll just add it to my existing setup.
A 6m mobile can be accomplished, but only if you’re one of the cool kids.
W4AXW
A keeper of the SSB flame
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I always assumed that the Hamsticks for 6m were a somewhat redundant since a 1/4 wave whip for 52 MHz is 54 inches long. Is the Hamstick noticeably shorter?
jhooten
Member
One of my most memorable 6M contacts was from Central Texas to Georgia using a low band Motorola MT1000 hand held.
Great point! I had to lower the whip all the way down into the base, as that adapter adds a little bit, plus the “slight” wire coil that wraps around the lower portion. Additionally, the 6m version is shorter. It is around 35” from the base threads to the top of the lower portion. It is perhaps 2/3 the length of the 10m Hamstick base per my eyeballs.
I also have a Thales 1600629-2 (30-88 MHz) Mil whip that works on 6m too. It is intended for a handheld radio and the antenna folds vs. break. I don‘t think it handles much more than 5 watts and I sometimes use it with a Wouxon KG-UV5G 2m/6m handheld. A pigtail is your friend with this one. It is also a good solution as a CHP RX antenna with a handheld using a pigtail. It has a goose neck.
Yesssss! Those were fun days. I remember having a RCI-2970 and 5054 (that was the 6 meter one I believe?). I just loved the FM sound on 10 and 6 too. Was way nicer to listen to than the usual SSB.
I have a friend that still occasionally hooks his 5054 up and to aggravate me, he'll turn the Roger Beep on. That RCI beep is pretty distinctive.
Not sure why he's there on FM, 50.125 is the SSB calling frequency.
50.125 fm must be a lonely place...you mean SSB or was that a joke?
Is your friend near the monster 6m repeater near Cleveland (called F2) on 52.68 output/52.92 input/107.2 Hz? I recall reading somewhere this machine has 14 receive sites and runs over 1200 watts.
Is your friend near the monster 6m repeater near Cleveland (called F2) on 52.68 output/52.92 input/107.2 Hz? I recall reading somewhere this machine has 14 receive sites and runs over 1200 watts.
Yep, you're right, my bad 52.525
Not sure.
I think he's in the Astabula area.
Edit
I put the wrong frequency...No he doesn't do SSB, fm only. I think he also does 10m fm but I'm not entirely sure.
Ok that's more like it. I listen on occasion on 50.350 where W1AW sends out code practice. Not that I'm fast at it or anything but it does give me an idea when the bands are open up that way.
I also check frequently on 52.525 fm and 50.125 SSB and throw my call out here and there. I've gotten answers when I didn't expect to get any. I only have a par OA-50 loop up but when it's open it's open. We have a beacon about 20 miles east of me on 50.062 CW if any of you guys ever want to check or give a report on it if you can hear it.
There is a repeater in Porum Oklahoma I believe the frequency is 53.01, it is active.
Squelchtail
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Here is a good example of 6 meter FM with repeaters.
Very little 6 meter activity here. A number of local hams are equipped for it though, no repeaters.
I'm putting finishing touches on an ancient GE 6 meter Ranger, What I am hurting for is a decent antenna on the roof
I'm putting finishing touches on an ancient GE 6 meter Ranger, What I am hurting for is a decent antenna on the roof
K6GBW
Member
The GE Ranger was the first radio I used at my job. Great radio! A really good antenna for 6m base is the Arrow Antenna GP52. Simple and straightforward and works very well.
AC9KH
Member
There used to be 8 operators in this area that used 50.175 as a local chat frequency. Range is about 75-80 miles with homemade 5/8 wave verticals on 50ft tower. There has been in-fighting over 2m repeaters, who owns the repeater and who can use it without joining their "club". The two repeaters were run by a group of General and Advanced class operators who believed in this gung-ho "emergency communications" BS. If anybody dared use the repeater for chatting, they were told in no uncertain terms to get off it. So the 6m freq was established over 30 years ago to bypass the repeater fights. It's not as popular as it once was since it has been largely replaced by JS8Call on 30 and 80m for local message exchanging. And the local chat frequency went to 1990kHz on 160 meters.
The 2m repeaters remain silent. Nobody has used them in over 15 years and the "club" eventually died out. I don't think they're even functional anymore.
The 2m repeaters remain silent. Nobody has used them in over 15 years and the "club" eventually died out. I don't think they're even functional anymore.
K6GBW
Member
I hate to hear about the 2m repeaters being restricted like that. We, unfortunately have some of that here as well. In the LA area we used to have a very active 52.525 crowd. I had a GE Delta base radio with a 6m Dominator antenna on a 25 foot tower. We could talk base to base all around the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and DTLA. But, slowly the members of that group grew tired of the large 6m antennas and one by one they went away. Now the same people are involved in a P25 repeater group. It's a nice system run by a guy that really knows his stuff, but it's also a closed system, which I'm philosophical opposed to. The closed and private machines out here far out number the open ones.
Maybe I should put in a 10m base radio?
Maybe I should put in a 10m base radio?
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