QRZ! Ham Radio 5/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 5.iso/digests/infoham/940423.txt

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Date: Sat, 16 Apr 94 04:29:46 PDT
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #423
To: Info-Hams


Info-Hams Digest            Sat, 16 Apr 94       Volume 94 : Issue  423

Today's Topics:
                            6m Equipment?
                     FM Broadcast as a freq. ref.
                            HostMaster Mac
                       How long to pref. calls?
                        HTX-202 audio problem

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Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".

We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 15 Apr 94 21:56:06 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!sgiblab!barrnet.net!informix.com!informix.com!informix.com![e-mail]
Subject: 6m Equipment?
To: [e-mail]

                    THE SIX METER AMATEUR RADIO BAND
                       FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
     (Designed to help encourage hams to use and enjoy this band!)


  WHAT IS THE SIX-METER BAND?  The 6 meter band is a portion of the RF
  spectrum around 50 MHz allocated to amateur radio.  The band is on
  the dividing line where propagation resembles VHF bands like 2
  meters and HF bands like 10 meters.  The band is fun and fascinating
  because just about all types of propagation pop up on 6m at one time
  or another.  The band is an acquired taste: a few hams work the band
  regularly, but most hams never work it at all because activity on it
  is usually much less than on other bands.  Once you acquire the
  taste, you tend to be hooked for life.  The band has become more
  popular in recent years with the help of the availability of better
  rigs.  There two types of 6m operators: the ones who use FM or
  packet for local work, and ones who work DX with SSB or CW.  (Some
  like me even do both!)  Most of the activity on the band is SSB.

  WHAT ARE THE FREQUENCIES? In most of the world, the band runs from
  50 to 54 MHz.   A detailed list of the allocations in each country
  is outside the scope of this article. Check the licensing
  authorities for your particular country, especially if you live
  outside the Americas or Africa.  In Europe, the post WW II
  allocations plan assigned the 50 MHz region to television.
  Recently, most European countries have moved their TV to much higher
  frequencies. As a result, almost all European countries now permit
  some sort of 6m operation.  While the band starts at 51 or 52 MHz in
  the ANZAC countries such as New Zealand, they permit operation down
  to 50 MHz outside TV broadcasting hours.

  WAS 6M ONCE TV CHANNEL ONE?   No.  Televisions in the U.S. start at
  channel 2. TV Channel 1 in the U.S. was allocated 44 to 50 MHz, with
  6m occupying the same spot as it does today.  By 1948, the FCC re-
  allocated channel 1 to various two-way services due to interference
  from police radios, propagation interference, and other problems.
  The ARRL attempted unsuccessfully back then to get the FCC to re-
  allocate channel 2 since 6m interferes with it.

  IS FM USED ON 6M?  Yes, but not that often in most areas.  Most 6m
  enthusiasts use only SSB and sometimes CW.  The main FM simplex
  frequency is 52.525 MHz. Your local range is better on 6m with the
  same power and a similar antenna.  If 2m is too crowded in your
  area, the FM portion of 6m may be just the solution you need.

  IS AM USED ON 6M?  Yes, but very rarely in most areas.  It seems to
  be popular in Japan.  50.400 or 50.600 are the AM calling
  frequencies.

  ARE REPEATERS USED?  There are a few 6m repeaters listed in the ARRL
  Repeater Directory, but some of them are not operational.  This will
  depend on your area.  The offset in the U.S. is usually one MHz.
  (e.g. 53.330 out, 52.330 in)

  HOW DO I KNOW IF THERE IS AN OPENING?  Of course, the best way is to
  check for an opening is to listen to 6m, especially for the beacons
  that are listed in the ARRL Repeater Directory.  Monitor 50.110 and
  50.125 for SSB openings.  You can also monitor 28.885 MHz, the "10
  Meter VHF Liaison Frequency", where hams report VHF openings and
  schedule contacts.  You'll hear some of those "pros" you see in QST
  like W5UN on that frequency.  Openings are RARE, except around the
  summer solstice in June.  Patience is a virtue for the 6m operator.

  WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR FREQUENCIES?  The band plan is
  controversial.  Popular frequencies tend to vary from area to area.
  Per the FCC, 50.0 to 50.1 is reserved for CW work in the U.S. 50.100
  is the most popular SSB DX frequency. 50.100 to 50.124 should be
  used only for DX.  Some hams tend to discourage (or flame) U.S.
  domestic stations from calling CQ in this "DX window". 50.125 is the
  U.S. domestic calling frequency, and your most likely frequency to
  hear activity.  Most domestic SSB is found between 50.125 and
  50.200, but it takes a good Es opening to push stations above
  50.150.  Only during hot F2 openings do you find SSB above 50.200.

  DO I NEED A BEAM ANTENNA?   If you want to work DX, yes.  You can
  have fun with a vertical during openings, (I do with an Icom 726 in
  my car) but the serious stations use beams. Everyone is horizontally
  polarized, but cross-polarization doesn't matter for Es, F2, or
  Aurora.  A few stations use 3-element beams, but a 4 or 5 element
  beam is so small that a LOT of people use them. Quite a few people
  have Cushcraft 6-element "Boomers". There are a few other big beams,
  and the lunatic fringe stacks them. For example, K6QXY has a stack
  of 4 six-meter beams, each with a 50ft (15m) boom. The higher the
  tower the better.  I live in subdivision where no outdoor antennas
  are allowed, so I use a 2-element beam in the attic, and it works
  OK.  I also use a vertical for local FM work.  RG8 or RG213 is
  plenty good enough cable for most people. Antenna-mounted preamps
  are never needed.

  IS 6M NOISY?  External noise is fairly high at 50 MHz.  It overrides
  the front-end noise figure on about all the rigs on the market today
  unless you have a LOT of cable loss or a VERY quiet location.

  IS THERE PACKET WORK ON 6M?   It depends on the area.  Local packet
  work can be found in the higher frequency portions of the band.
  There has been very little DX packet work.

  CAN I RUN RADIO-CONTROLLED EQUIPMENT USING 6M?  This is legal in the
  U.S. for licensed hams.   Check the ARRL Repeater Directory for
  suggested frequencies.

  WHAT ARE "GRID SQUARES"?  On VHF and up bands, the world has been
  divided in 1-degree latitude x 2-degree longitude "squares" which
  start at the south pole and date line and "read right up".  SSB
  stations will always identify their grid square along with their
  call sign, e.g. "KK6MY DM87".  Each square is also divided into
  sub-squares.  European stations like the subsquares; most US
  stations don't even know their own. In any case, the "squares" and
  their VUCC awards have been a wonderful interest builder, and have
  kept the QSL printers in business!   Check the ARRL Operating Manual
  for a map of the grid squares.

  WHAT RIGS ARE USED?  Probably 50% of the active stations have 80 to
  150 watt output, either from old Icom 551D s (the 551 is 10W), or
  from solid-state (brick) amplifiers following the many types of 10W
  rigs, such as the Yaesu Ft-620B or the Kenwood TS-600.  The Icom
  575H is very popular, as it has an excellent receiver and 100 watts
  (the 575A is 10 watts).  HF rigs that add 6m (such as the Icom 726)
  are usable but not as good as radios designed for 6m, especially in
  the receivers.  Perhaps 40% of the stations run just 10 to 20 W, but
  most of them either get an amplifier or drop out after a year or so.
  The remaining 10% have tube rigs such as the Drake TR-6.  Good 6m
  rigs tend to be expensive, even on the used market.  Swan and
  Heathkit tube rigs are the least expensive and can be quite usable,
  but you will run into problems typical of older rigs, such as drift
  (especially on the Swan).  Drift is something you definately do NOT
  want during those fading Es openings.  The kilowatt is quite rare on
  6m.  The norm for serious stations is 100 to 150 watts.

  CAN I USE A TRANSVERTER WITH AN HF RIG TO GET ON 6M?  Yes, but you
  will either spend a lot of time tinkering with a soldering iron, or
  you will spend a lot of money on the high-end transverters from SSB
  Electronics.  An SSB Electronics 6m transverter fully equipped will
  run you $800, but may outperform most of the VHF all-mode rigs.  (or
  so SSB Electronics claims) Some hams build transverters, but you
  need a good level of electronics expertise.

  I LISTEN TO 6M OCCASIONALLY, BUT I NEVER HEAR ANYONE.  Openings on
  6m are rare when compared to the HF bands.  Sporadic E (Es) is the
  backbone of 6m DX.  (more information on Es is below) For hams in
  far northern latitudes (say 50 degrees and above), aurora openings
  are common in early evenings around the Equinoxes.  F2 propagation
  allows world-wide communication around peak sunspot years.

  HOW OFTEN ARE THERE F2 OPENINGS?  F2 propagation, the kind that we
  know and love on 20 meters, occurs rarely on 6m.  Only at the peak
  times of the sunspot cycle, a few years out of each eleven, does the
  band open up for F2.  When it does happen, the band becomes a frenzy
  of activity, and behaves similar to 10 meters.  In the last cycle,
  there were many openings in 1989 through 1991, but that cycle had an
  unusually long period of peak activity.   Openings occur most often
  in Autumn during the daytime.  A few stations have worked 100 or
  more countries, but they have been patiently working the fleeting
  openings for many years.  The March, 1993 QST magazine has an
  excellent article on 6m propagation that shows a correlation between
  solar flux and openings.

  HOW IS TROPO PROPAGATION ON 6M?   The ordinary ground-wave tropo
  range on six isn't quite as great as on two.  There are a number of
  reasons.  Since there are so many other propagation modes on six,
  people don't try so hard on tropo.  Antenna gain often is higher on
  two.  Noise is lower on two.  At least in the summer, stations like
  W3BWU (Pittsburgh), W3IDZ (northern NJ) are easily worked from
  Maryland with the beam pointing at them, and can be heard at almost
  any pointing.  They are in the 150-W class.

  HOW IS METEOR PROPAGATION?  Any area workable by meteors can be
  worked more easily by Es or aurora.  Even though meteor bursts are
  much stronger and longer on six than on two, little use has been
  made of them.  There has been a VERY little meteor-burst packet work
  on six.  W3OTC had the first such contact (with W0RPK). W3XO worked
  him a few years later.

  WHAT ABOUT IONOSCATTER? Some people think it's really meteors, but
  every weekend morning there are a number of nearly- kilowatt
  stations working each other on SSB at distances of about 600 - 1000
  miles by ionospheric scatter.  Sigs are weak, and it takes good
  beams, height, and power, but it is very reliable.  See the old NBS
  papers by Bailey, Bateman and Kirby, et al.  Bateman and Kirby
  were/are hams.  Ross Bateman recently died.  Dick Kirby continues as
  head of ITU in Geneva.

  HOW IS AURORA?  It is much easier than on two.  SSB is usually
  intelligible.  Point north about dusk, most commonly in March and
  October/November.  Lots of people in the far northern latitudes work
  this mode when it happens.

  WHAT ABOUT SPORADIC E (Es)?  Es is the most common propagation mode
  on 6m.  The term "sporadic" is accurate: stations can pop in and
  then fade quickly. I would monitor 50.125 and 28.885 MHz to check
  for Es.  Es has little or nothing to do with the sunspot cycle; it
  is much more a function of the time of year.  Es is most common in
  June, but can appear from May to August, and around Christmas, here
  in northern latitudes.   In addition to the common single-hop range
  of 500 - 1500 miles, there are quite a few double- and-more hop
  contacts on 6m.  Now that a number of Europeans are on six, we find
  that they can be worked from the US east coast each summer.
  Likewise the Caribbean stations work all over the US.  The US west
  coast can work Hawaii, Alaska, and Mexico.   You will also hear some
  hams on June DXPedition trips to Mexico and the Caribbean; they are
  easy to work in the late afternoon or early evening, even with 10W
  and a vertical.  The VHF contest in the middle of June is also a
  good time to work Es.

  WHAT ABOUT TRANSEQUATORIAL PROPAGATION? - The southern US gets a
  number of openings to South America by some kind of ionosphericaly-
  ducted propagation.  The stations are generally about equidistant
  either side of the magnetic equator.  Given exceptional luck, an Es
  opening linked into this mode can make it available to more northern
  stations.  This mode has bad flutter fading and a touch of the
  auroral spectrum spreading.  This mode also works sometimes on two
  meters if you use CW and really good gear.  It has been worked on
  432 MHz.

  ANY MOONBOUNCE (EME)?  - There have been a few EME contacts on six,
  but the required antenna size and high background noise makes it out
  of the reach of most people.

  WHAT ABOUT TVI PROBLEMS? There is no doubt about it, six has TVI
  troubles.  You don't find a lot of people on 6m in channel 2 areas
  unless cable is widely subscribed-to. VCRs are very prone to 6m
  pickup.  Cordless phones, baby monitors, and kiddie walkie-talkies
  operate on 49 MHz.  Most consumer electronic equipment has poor RFI
  shielding.  The common connecting or power cable is a quarter-wave
  antenna for six. The TV owners have their revenge since the 13th
  harmonic of the color subcarrier, or something, of TV sets and TV
  games puts out a birdy at 50.113 MHz to bother the 6m operators in
  return.  There is also quite a bit of trouble from noisy power
  distribution lines if they aren't buried (usually bad insulators or
  poor guy bonding). Some interference to telephones and VCRs can be
  remedied with snap-on ferrites from Radio Shack on the cords on the
  device.

  HOW DO I GET STARTED?   You of course will need a rig and an
  antenna.  If you have a budget of about $1000, a newer, digital 100W
  rig like the Icom 575H is your best bet.   Its receiver is
  excellent.  You can get one new, or look for used ones at hamfests,
  or obtain one through packet or Usenet.  Good 6m rigs hold their
  resale value well.  There are many 10W rigs out there; although you
  will have fun working the good Es openings, this is not enough power
  for the serious operator.  The lowest priced rigs will be old drifty
  tube radios like the Swans and Heathkits; be prepared to get
  frustrated with the drift.  Amplifiers and beam antennas are readily
  available.
--

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Randall Rhea                                        Informix Software, Inc.
Project Manager, MIS Sales/Marketing Systems        [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 15 Apr 1994 21:10:07 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!galaxy.ucr.edu!library.ucla.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: FM Broadcast as a freq. ref.
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Duncan) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (eric.s.hellman) writes:
>>Recently Gary (I hope my memory is correct) commented that fm stations
>>may be assigned frequencies as much as 10 KHz away from the standard.
>
>Your memory is correct, but the statement isn't.  The 10 kHz offset is
>used when necessary by co-channel television stations to greatly reduce
>the effect of visual interference.

Besides, the capture effect of FM recievers takes care of the issue
of co-channel interference, unless it gets above what, around 2 or
3 dB.

Can someone explain the reason that this capture effect haoppens in
FM radio reception?  Some basic theory with easy math would be
good.

------------------------------

Date: 16 Apr 94 05:35:34 GMT
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!news.ucdavis.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: HostMaster Mac
To: [e-mail]

Steven L Goldstein ([e-mail]) wrote:
: Does anybody have experience w/ Kantronics' Hostmaster for Macintosh? I'm
: leaning toward the purchase of a KamPlus, and am wondering if I should
: get Hostmaster or some other third-party multimode controller software.
: I've also heard that you must use Hostmaster software in order to utilize
: the KamPlus' ability to simultaneously operate HF and VHF. Is this true?
: 73 de KB2PWM

I tried using several different terminal emulation programs with my KAM,
but in order to use the "simultaneous" capability, you need to have some
software that utilizes the KAM's "host mode".  HostMaster for Mac does.
In the DOS world, there are the HostMaster+ (for DOS) and I think KA-GOLD
and maybe others that will work.  I do not know about other s/w for the
Mac that will do it.  I use HM for MAC and am completely satisfied with it.

I have used the Hostmaster for Macintosh since it first came out and
with the latest version - I understand it even supports G-TOR.  The KAM and
KAM+ are the "only way to go" if you want to monitor DX PacketCluster on
VHF and still be able to work any of the digital modes (incl. CW) on HF.
HostMaster for Macintosh was written by Kevin Krueger - N0IOS.  I believe
you can order it from either KANTRONICS or directly from Kevin - but I
would suggest you ask him directly.

Kevin also puts out a wonderful contest logging software program
called MARATHON which I do know is available directly from him.
Here's his address:

          Kevin Krueger - N0IOS
          1780 Ruth Street
          Saint Paul, MN 55109 USA

I am obviously an enthusiastic supporter of Kevin's efforts - especially
since he is one of the few guys around who is writing good software for
use by us Hams with Macs.  I also had the pleasure of meeting him once
during a trip he made to California - like most hams - he's "good people"
too!

73 from a very biased user
de Sandy  WA6BXH/7J1ABV
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 15 Apr 1994 21:27:06 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!news.unt.edu!news.oc.com!csci-wiermac.etsu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: How long to pref. calls?
To: [e-mail]

Does anyone have an estimate as to how long it might
be before the preferred callsign docket might be
adopted and go into force (incidentally, I MUCH
prefer "preferred" rather than "vanity" as far as
the name is concerned).

The reason I'm interested is that I might consider
trying to move up from my current class in order to
get an application in an earlier group, but it's gonna
take some work since my last upgrade was in the Dallas
FCC office in 1970!

(Eh? What's that you say sonny - no tubes anymore? :-)

73 de WB5KXH

    ======== insert usual disclaimers here ============
      Bob Wier, East Texas State U., Commerce, Texas
keeper of the Adobe Photoshop, MC68HC11, ICOM mailing lists
      [e-mail] (watch for address change)

------------------------------

Date: 16 Apr 94 05:15:37 GMT
From: dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!news.ucdavis.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: HTX-202 audio problem
To: [e-mail]

In article <whfHMu_00jW=[e-mail]> Rick Gilmore <[e-mail]> writes:
-I picked up a Realistic HTX-202 2m HT over the weekend (my first rig),
-but have been getting comments that my audio is weak.

A friend just got one with the same problem (in MA).  The deviations was set
way too low.  The audio deviation pot is RV1, just to the right of the VCO
shield.  Remove 5 screws from the back and four from the battery slide.  Remove
the battery slide locking tab and battery release.  Open the radio, being
careful not to damage the flex connecting the two case halves.  Looking at the
component side of the half not attached to the front, find a large metal box
near the bottom.  RV1 is the upper of two adjustable components just to the
right of it.  Adjust it counter-clockwise to increase the deviation.

/mike

PS, there are no out-of-band rx or tx mods for this radio...

--
\|/     Michael L. Ardai     N1IST             Teradyne ATB, Boston MA
-*- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
/|\     [e-mail]          [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 15 Apr 94 22:06:11 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!sgiblab!barrnet.net!informix.com!informix.com!informix.com![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <phb.766157411@melpar>x
Subject : Re: 6 meters

                    THE SIX METER AMATEUR RADIO BAND
                       FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
     (Designed to help encourage hams to use and enjoy this band!)


  WHAT IS THE SIX-METER BAND?  The 6 meter band is a portion of the RF
  spectrum around 50 MHz allocated to amateur radio.  The band is on
  the dividing line where propagation resembles VHF bands like 2
  meters and HF bands like 10 meters.  The band is fun and fascinating
  because just about all types of propagation pop up on 6m at one time
  or another.  The band is an acquired taste: a few hams work the band
  regularly, but most hams never work it at all because activity on it
  is usually much less than on other bands.  Once you acquire the
  taste, you tend to be hooked for life.  The band has become more
  popular in recent years with the help of the availability of better
  rigs.  There two types of 6m operators: the ones who use FM or
  packet for local work, and ones who work DX with SSB or CW.  (Some
  like me even do both!)  Most of the activity on the band is SSB.

  WHAT ARE THE FREQUENCIES? In most of the world, the band runs from
  50 to 54 MHz.   A detailed list of the allocations in each country
  is outside the scope of this article. Check the licensing
  authorities for your particular country, especially if you live
  outside the Americas or Africa.  In Europe, the post WW II
  allocations plan assigned the 50 MHz region to television.
  Recently, most European countries have moved their TV to much higher
  frequencies. As a result, almost all European countries now permit
  some sort of 6m operation.  While the band starts at 51 or 52 MHz in
  the ANZAC countries such as New Zealand, they permit operation down
  to 50 MHz outside TV broadcasting hours.

  WAS 6M ONCE TV CHANNEL ONE?   No.  Televisions in the U.S. start at
  channel 2. TV Channel 1 in the U.S. was allocated 44 to 50 MHz, with
  6m occupying the same spot as it does today.  By 1948, the FCC re-
  allocated channel 1 to various two-way services due to interference
  from police radios, propagation interference, and other problems.
  The ARRL attempted unsuccessfully back then to get the FCC to re-
  allocate channel 2 since 6m interferes with it.

  IS FM USED ON 6M?  Yes, but not that often in most areas.  Most 6m
  enthusiasts use only SSB and sometimes CW.  The main FM simplex
  frequency is 52.525 MHz. Your local range is better on 6m with the
  same power and a similar antenna.  If 2m is too crowded in your
  area, the FM portion of 6m may be just the solution you need.

  IS AM USED ON 6M?  Yes, but very rarely in most areas.  It seems to
  be popular in Japan.  50.400 or 50.600 are the AM calling
  frequencies.

  ARE REPEATERS USED?  There are a few 6m repeaters listed in the ARRL
  Repeater Directory, but some of them are not operational.  This will
  depend on your area.  The offset in the U.S. is usually one MHz.
  (e.g. 53.330 out, 52.330 in)

  HOW DO I KNOW IF THERE IS AN OPENING?  Of course, the best way is to
  check for an opening is to listen to 6m, especially for the beacons
  that are listed in the ARRL Repeater Directory.  Monitor 50.110 and
  50.125 for SSB openings.  You can also monitor 28.885 MHz, the "10
  Meter VHF Liaison Frequency", where hams report VHF openings and
  schedule contacts.  You'll hear some of those "pros" you see in QST
  like W5UN on that frequency.  Openings are RARE, except around the
  summer solstice in June.  Patience is a virtue for the 6m operator.

  WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR FREQUENCIES?  The band plan is
  controversial.  Popular frequencies tend to vary from area to area.
  Per the FCC, 50.0 to 50.1 is reserved for CW work in the U.S. 50.100
  is the most popular SSB DX frequency. 50.100 to 50.124 should be
  used only for DX.  Some hams tend to discourage (or flame) U.S.
  domestic stations from calling CQ in this "DX window". 50.125 is the
  U.S. domestic calling frequency, and your most likely frequency to
  hear activity.  Most domestic SSB is found between 50.125 and
  50.200, but it takes a good Es opening to push stations above
  50.150.  Only during hot F2 openings do you find SSB above 50.200.

  DO I NEED A BEAM ANTENNA?   If you want to work DX, yes.  You can
  have fun with a vertical during openings, (I do with an Icom 726 in
  my car) but the serious stations use beams. Everyone is horizontally
  polarized, but cross-polarization doesn't matter for Es, F2, or
  Aurora.  A few stations use 3-element beams, but a 4 or 5 element
  beam is so small that a LOT of people use them. Quite a few people
  have Cushcraft 6-element "Boomers". There are a few other big beams,
  and the lunatic fringe stacks them. For example, K6QXY has a stack
  of 4 six-meter beams, each with a 50ft (15m) boom. The higher the
  tower the better.  I live in subdivision where no outdoor antennas
  are allowed, so I use a 2-element beam in the attic, and it works
  OK.  I also use a vertical for local FM work.  RG8 or RG213 is
  plenty good enough cable for most people. Antenna-mounted preamps
  are never needed.

  IS 6M NOISY?  External noise is fairly high at 50 MHz.  It overrides
  the front-end noise figure on about all the rigs on the market today
  unless you have a LOT of cable loss or a VERY quiet location.

  IS THERE PACKET WORK ON 6M?   It depends on the area.  Local packet
  work can be found in the higher frequency portions of the band.
  There has been very little DX packet work.

  CAN I RUN RADIO-CONTROLLED EQUIPMENT USING 6M?  This is legal in the
  U.S. for licensed hams.   Check the ARRL Repeater Directory for
  suggested frequencies.

  WHAT ARE "GRID SQUARES"?  On VHF and up bands, the world has been
  divided in 1-degree latitude x 2-degree longitude "squares" which
  start at the south pole and date line and "read right up".  SSB
  stations will always identify their grid square along with their
  call sign, e.g. "KK6MY DM87".  Each square is also divided into
  sub-squares.  European stations like the subsquares; most US
  stations don't even know their own. In any case, the "squares" and
  their VUCC awards have been a wonderful interest builder, and have
  kept the QSL printers in business!   Check the ARRL Operating Manual
  for a map of the grid squares.

  WHAT RIGS ARE USED?  Probably 50% of the active stations have 80 to
  150 watt output, either from old Icom 551D s (the 551 is 10W), or
  from solid-state (brick) amplifiers following the many types of 10W
  rigs, such as the Yaesu Ft-620B or the Kenwood TS-600.  The Icom
  575H is very popular, as it has an excellent receiver and 100 watts
  (the 575A is 10 watts).  HF rigs that add 6m (such as the Icom 726)
  are usable but not as good as radios designed for 6m, especially in
  the receivers.  Perhaps 40% of the stations run just 10 to 20 W, but
  most of them either get an amplifier or drop out after a year or so.
  The remaining 10% have tube rigs such as the Drake TR-6.  Good 6m
  rigs tend to be expensive, even on the used market.  Swan and
  Heathkit tube rigs are the least expensive and can be quite usable,
  but you will run into problems typical of older rigs, such as drift
  (especially on the Swan).  Drift is something you definately do NOT
  want during those fading Es openings.  The kilowatt is quite rare on
  6m.  The norm for serious stations is 100 to 150 watts.

  CAN I USE A TRANSVERTER WITH AN HF RIG TO GET ON 6M?  Yes, but you
  will either spend a lot of time tinkering with a soldering iron, or
  you will spend a lot of money on the high-end transverters from SSB
  Electronics.  An SSB Electronics 6m transverter fully equipped will
  run you $800, but may outperform most of the VHF all-mode rigs.  (or
  so SSB Electronics claims) Some hams build transverters, but you
  need a good level of electronics expertise.

  I LISTEN TO 6M OCCASIONALLY, BUT I NEVER HEAR ANYONE.  Openings on
  6m are rare when compared to the HF bands.  Sporadic E (Es) is the
  backbone of 6m DX.  (more information on Es is below) For hams in
  far northern latitudes (say 50 degrees and above), aurora openings
  are common in early evenings around the Equinoxes.  F2 propagation
  allows world-wide communication around peak sunspot years.

  HOW OFTEN ARE THERE F2 OPENINGS?  F2 propagation, the kind that we
  know and love on 20 meters, occurs rarely on 6m.  Only at the peak
  times of the sunspot cycle, a few years out of each eleven, does the
  band open up for F2.  When it does happen, the band becomes a frenzy
  of activity, and behaves similar to 10 meters.  In the last cycle,
  there were many openings in 1989 through 1991, but that cycle had an
  unusually long period of peak activity.   Openings occur most often
  in Autumn during the daytime.  A few stations have worked 100 or
  more countries, but they have been patiently working the fleeting
  openings for many years.  The March, 1993 QST magazine has an
  excellent article on 6m propagation that shows a correlation between
  solar flux and openings.

  HOW IS TROPO PROPAGATION ON 6M?   The ordinary ground-wave tropo
  range on six isn't quite as great as on two.  There are a number of
  reasons.  Since there are so many other propagation modes on six,
  people don't try so hard on tropo.  Antenna gain often is higher on
  two.  Noise is lower on two.  At least in the summer, stations like
  W3BWU (Pittsburgh), W3IDZ (northern NJ) are easily worked from
  Maryland with the beam pointing at them, and can be heard at almost
  any pointing.  They are in the 150-W class.

  HOW IS METEOR PROPAGATION?  Any area workable by meteors can be
  worked more easily by Es or aurora.  Even though meteor bursts are
  much stronger and longer on six than on two, little use has been
  made of them.  There has been a VERY little meteor-burst packet work
  on six.  W3OTC had the first such contact (with W0RPK). W3XO worked
  him a few years later.

  WHAT ABOUT IONOSCATTER? Some people think it's really meteors, but
  every weekend morning there are a number of nearly- kilowatt
  stations working each other on SSB at distances of about 600 - 1000
  miles by ionospheric scatter.  Sigs are weak, and it takes good
  beams, height, and power, but it is very reliable.  See the old NBS
  papers by Bailey, Bateman and Kirby, et al.  Bateman and Kirby
  were/are hams.  Ross Bateman recently died.  Dick Kirby continues as
  head of ITU in Geneva.

  HOW IS AURORA?  It is much easier than on two.  SSB is usually
  intelligible.  Point north about dusk, most commonly in March and
  October/November.  Lots of people in the far northern latitudes work
  this mode when it happens.

  WHAT ABOUT SPORADIC E (Es)?  Es is the most common propagation mode
  on 6m.  The term "sporadic" is accurate: stations can pop in and
  then fade quickly. I would monitor 50.125 and 28.885 MHz to check
  for Es.  Es has little or nothing to do with the sunspot cycle; it
  is much more a function of the time of year.  Es is most common in
  June, but can appear from May to August, and around Christmas, here
  in northern latitudes.   In addition to the common single-hop range
  of 500 - 1500 miles, there are quite a few double- and-more hop
  contacts on 6m.  Now that a number of Europeans are on six, we find
  that they can be worked from the US east coast each summer.
  Likewise the Caribbean stations work all over the US.  The US west
  coast can work Hawaii, Alaska, and Mexico.   You will also hear some
  hams on June DXPedition trips to Mexico and the Caribbean; they are
  easy to work in the late afternoon or early evening, even with 10W
  and a vertical.  The VHF contest in the middle of June is also a
  good time to work Es.

  WHAT ABOUT TRANSEQUATORIAL PROPAGATION? - The southern US gets a
  number of openings to South America by some kind of ionosphericaly-
  ducted propagation.  The stations are generally about equidistant
  either side of the magnetic equator.  Given exceptional luck, an Es
  opening linked into this mode can make it available to more northern
  stations.  This mode has bad flutter fading and a touch of the
  auroral spectrum spreading.  This mode also works sometimes on two
  meters if you use CW and really good gear.  It has been worked on
  432 MHz.

  ANY MOONBOUNCE (EME)?  - There have been a few EME contacts on six,
  but the required antenna size and high background noise makes it out
  of the reach of most people.

  WHAT ABOUT TVI PROBLEMS? There is no doubt about it, six has TVI
  troubles.  You don't find a lot of people on 6m in channel 2 areas
  unless cable is widely subscribed-to. VCRs are very prone to 6m
  pickup.  Cordless phones, baby monitors, and kiddie walkie-talkies
  operate on 49 MHz.  Most consumer electronic equipment has poor RFI
  shielding.  The common connecting or power cable is a quarter-wave
  antenna for six. The TV owners have their revenge since the 13th
  harmonic of the color subcarrier, or something, of TV sets and TV
  games puts out a birdy at 50.113 MHz to bother the 6m operators in
  return.  There is also quite a bit of trouble from noisy power
  distribution lines if they aren't buried (usually bad insulators or
  poor guy bonding). Some interference to telephones and VCRs can be
  remedied with snap-on ferrites from Radio Shack on the cords on the
  device.

  HOW DO I GET STARTED?   You of course will need a rig and an
  antenna.  If you have a budget of about $1000, a newer, digital 100W
  rig like the Icom 575H is your best bet.   Its receiver is
  excellent.  You can get one new, or look for used ones at hamfests,
  or obtain one through packet or Usenet.  Good 6m rigs hold their
  resale value well.  There are many 10W rigs out there; although you
  will have fun working the good Es openings, this is not enough power
  for the serious operator.  The lowest priced rigs will be old drifty
  tube radios like the Swans and Heathkits; be prepared to get
  frustrated with the drift.  Amplifiers and beam antennas are readily
  available.




















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Randall Rhea                                        Informix Software, Inc.
Project Manager, MIS Sales/Marketing Systems        [e-mail]

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End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #423
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