If you have local repeaters on 6M you could likely do it with a mag mount.
Although, a mag mount for 6M with any amount of gain is pretty long.
Also, 6M skip usually happens on SSB. The conditions have to be really good
for 6M FM dx, and even better to work 6M DX with a magnet mount antenna.
Most of the 6M dx guys are running beams or verticals high up on towers.
That said, there can be some great openings in the summer. I think I've
only ever worked maybe 2 stations on 6M, and that was using a 20 meter
sloped dipole that barely tuned on 6. I actually was able to make the
contacts, when my friend not too far away who had a quarter wave 6M ground
plane at 50 feet couldn't manage to make the same contacts that were coming
into me at at least S9.
Not sure why that was.
anyway, I don't mean to discourage you as 6M can be a very fun band when
it's open. However, check around and see if there are any 6M FM repeaters
in your area.
We have one in this area, but there is something drastically wrong with the
repeater antenna. It's a 4 bay folded dipole array at about 80 feet on the
club tower. It's something around 60 feet long. But, due to the particular
situation at our club site, only the cellular company authorized tower
climbers can go up the tower. So until we can actually get one of them out
and up the tower to check the antenna, and or bring it down and put up a new
one, the repeater is absolutely deaf.
Essentially the tower was installed by a local cellular provider. The club
owns the land, but in order to create monthly revenue, they allowed the cell
company to put up a huge 220FT tower. The club has pretty much free rain of
the tower for antennas and what not, but due to the contractual agreement,
they cannot send their own climbers up the tower because of the sensative
nature of the cellular antennas and so on. The contract is up in 8 years,
at which point the cell company can renew the contract, or will sell the
tower to the club for 1 dollar.
I'm hoping it'll be the latter so that proper and timely antenna work can be
accomplished without having to wait 6 months to a year for a scheduled
maintinence visit.
Either that, or we need to get a club member employed with the cell company
as an authorized climber so he can go up any time and fix stuff.
Anyway, after all that useless info, my point is we don't have a working 6M
antenna, and therefore, no real 6M repeter in town.
I plan on putting something up for 6M at the new QTH within the next year or
so. Even for localized cross band repeat functionality since my T90 has 6M
capability.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message -----
From: "bill Deatherage" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2011 7:03 AM
Subject: working 2 meters this morning
> Hello, This morning I worked some 2 meter F.M. it had been a while =
> since I had done that. My radio is a Kenwood TH-d7a It is 2 meters and =
> 440. I have thought about trying some 6 meter FM. do they have =
> repeaters on 6 F.M. is this something a person could do with low power =
> and a mag mount antenna. I am using that type of antenna for 2 meters. =
> I have a metal table outside on our porch which only big enough for the =
> table and a few chairs. it is also screened in. but I can do some 2 =
> meters out there.=20
> well, have a good day.
> Bill Deatherage
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