From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Thu Jan 15 15:34:13 1998 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id PAA04591 for ; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 15:34:10 -0500 (EST) Received: from Lehigh.EDU ([127.0.0.1]) by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <12720-37980>; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 15:33:48 -0500 Received: from nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]) by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <12433-37210>; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 15:33:04 -0500 Received: from w3eax.umd.edu (w3eax.umd.edu [128.8.198.73]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id PAA28020 for ; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 15:32:56 -0500 Received: from localhost (ham@localhost) by w3eax.umd.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id QAA25587; Thu, 15 Jan 1998 16:31:47 -0500 Message-Id: Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 16:31:47 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: ham@w3eax.umd.edu Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: "Scott Rosenfeld [NF3I]" To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Six meters - the MAGIC BAND! In-Reply-To: <199801152013.OAA27537@smtp1.mailsrvcs.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-To: JUNIUS B FOX X-Cc: Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion , Laurel ARC , eax@w3eax.umd.edu X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO How to detect 6m activity? There's not much to it, really. Camp on 50.125, or scan between 50.125-50.150. Just listen for something, anything, to pop up. One day, it will. The 6m beacons are also well-documented, and appear on numerous web worldwide. Try this page for beacon links: http://pw2.netcom.com/~ac6v/pagead.html and on it you'll find a link to at least one worldwide list of 6m beacons. There are a lot of them. They're between 50.000 and 50.100, for the most part. This is a CW-only part of the band. When it's open, very little power and very little antenna can net you a LOT of QSOs. A compact loop or half-wave dipole is perfectly adequate. A beam is better. Oh yeah, FIGURE OUT HOW TO ANSWER SSB WITH CW - it's called crossmode, and since most folks up there use USB, it's good to have a rig that has a variable IF (so that the SSB isn't garbled or sounds like it's being sent from inside a trash can), as well as the ability to do CW in USB. To do this, practice with 2 radios - call in SSB on one, and listen for your reply (CW, of course) on the other. THERE IS NO TABOO AGAINST CROSSMODE CONTACTS! On VHF+, SSB=FM=CW=MCW=AM. WHY DO THIS IN ADVANCE? ----------------------- Many E-skip openings last for only a few minutes. Figuring out the right settings at that time will mean you'll miss the opening. GOOD CHANCE TO PRACTICE - the VHF contest this weekend. Look between 50.125 and 50.175 for most of the activity, although if the band opens, it'll spread higher. And DON'T PARK ON THE 50.125 CALLING FREQ!!! Establish contact, and QSY. That's why it's called the "calling freq." You should be able to test your 6m xverter tuning below the 6m band - 49.83 MHz is a good place to park - and listening to your cordless phone's or baby monitor's narrowband FM signal. Yes, transmitting here with your transverter is illegal, and will probably destroy your baby monitor/phone's receiver. Welcome to the MAGIC BAND! * Scott Rosenfeld NF3I Burtonsville, MD FM19mc QRV 80-10/6/2/440 * * 6m 82 grids on 8w * DXCC WAS WAC * QRP-L #147 * QRP ARCI #9054 * * http://w3eax.umd.edu/~ham * ARRL Life Member /Laurel ARC/UMARA * *** 301-549-1022 h 301-982-1015 w *** 35 wpm HF mobile CW Neon *** On Thu, 15 Jan 1998, JUNIUS B FOX wrote: > Seems like I'm always asking questions, but need some help. > > I have never operated on 6 meters before, and have built > up a Ten-Tek 2 meter to six meter transverter. I have been > listening on the " calling frequency" of 50.125. The band > is either dead or the transverter is. HI!..I have aligned everything and > tested the receiver with an RF source, seems > to a good one. So far, I have got what the little boy shot at, > Zilch. I could sure use some ground rules for operating on six. > > tnx, > > Foxy >