Back in the 1990's one night I built a Ramsey 6meter kit. tweeked it at the shop I worked for back then. I found ASP made a through the glass meter antenna. And put that on the windshield of the Astro van I was driving for the company. I had a couple repeaters with a tone encoder made by CES(I think). I made quite a few East coast contacts from Gainesville Floriduh. Around Noon I would us my lunchtime to QSO to Connecticut, another in Main and New York. Lot of fun on 6. The Ramsey kit was clean on TX as I used a spectrum analyzer, and service monitor to bend coils to get a whopping 9.5 watts. One day I heard something hit the roof and looked in mirror and seen the top of my antenna bounce off in the woods beside the road. I looked for awhile but had a trouble call awaiting. I could not get another until couple years ago. I still have that one in the original package from ASP. I waiting on a vehicle without 298,000 on it to install my antenna. My clunkers may not last too long. KD4IPN 73 YA'AL
Hi Rob… Try moving the 6m mag mount over to the center of the trunk, same distance from the glass. It optimizes performance, as proven in a similar Toyota used for daily work commuting by a local ham here in Los Angeles.
Awesome video Rob! 6m mobile is great fun and you can hear the slow fading… it works over further distances and hilly terrain. I’ve built a few 6m repeaters and I love operating them, my favorite band of course. Maybe next time you can try a 10m antenna on the car and try 10m repeaters!
Once upon a time, I was trimming a 4-foot fiberglass loaded CB whip for 10m amateur use. I very carefully made the first very small trim, expecting to see a very small increase in frequency. Nope, one tiny trim and it was done. YIKES !! Scary. Good thing I was as cautious and careful as you're demonstrating here. Baby steps is the way to go. I've had other antennas that refused to budge. Trim, trim, trim, trim, chop, chop, chop - barely moving. They had some sort of potted network hidden in the base.
I used to run a modest 6M repeater here many years ago. Had a blast with some buddies on the band. We all ran converted 50-60W Motorola Motracs at the time. You would be surprised how much a good noise blanker helps on "low band," in the city particularly. 6M and 220 are my favorite VHF/UHF bands by far. 73
I heard quite a bit of activity on sideband and CW segments last night, the 11th of June 2023. It is very rare for me to hear anything on 6 meters. Yesterday was fun to listen to 6. I only have a 54 inch antenna.
Great Video Rob! I have never tried 6m repeaters. I will have to program into my IC-7100. I believe 6m is via the HF antenna connection. My Tarheal should tune 6m if I can find my short whip. Thanks for one more project.. HI HI
Safety warning: A larger antenna on an insufficient mag-mount up on the middle of the roof raise a "very interesting" safety risk. If, for whatever reason, perhaps a gust of wind, it gets dislodged from your vehicle, then it's going to end up dragging along the road. Between the length of the exposed coaxial cable (door frame to center of roof) and of the antenna itself, it's perhaps got enough total length for the tip of the whip to get pinched under a rear wheel. Since you're going 60 mph, hopefully all that happens is that the coax get rips out of the RF connector at the radio end, probably slapping you in the face on the way out. But if you did a really-really excellent job of soldering or crimping the rig-end RF connector, maybe with some HS tubing, then the mobile rig is going to try to leave the vehicle at 60 mph. Maybe past or straight through your head. Decades ago, I came within an inch of this happening, that was the gap between the end of the dragging whip antenna and the rear tire. Just something to think about. Might be worth wrapping the coax a few times around part of the lower seat mount, so that it can be sliced-off in the worst case.
Awesome video Rob. I wish we had some 6 and 10 meter repeaters in SE NC. Nice to see you are near my old stomping grounds. Was born in Quincy, MA and went to HS in Williamstown, MA at Mt. Greylock HS
Hi Rob, I've been into 6m for many years, including mobile operating. You are correct as to the placement on a vehicle as to the performance of an antenna. Centerline of the vehicle is best, but height can effect its performance as well. I have my 6m mobile on a mag mount, for now, but, when the weather warms up in the spring, I'm going to punch a hole in the roof and put a nmo permanently into it. It will give much better performance, and a great ground plane using the vehicles body. I have a fiberglass antenna with a top tuning whip, and I've found that it has a broader band width, so a nmo to 3/8 x 24 adapter does the trick allowing both ssb, and fm. And nice trick that works well and won't affect the performance is using a sharpie marker, or opaque paint marker to mark the whip for different sections of the band, say like the am part up at .400. Then just move the whip back to the previous mark, and you're good to go...quickly. Good luck, sir, and hope to hear you on the band! 73s, John, N8SGM.
It took me months to build up the courage to punch a hole in my roof for an NMO mount, but I am so glad I did. It's a clean installation and I can swap out different antennas as I want. I do find that my NMO mount does not provide a particularly strong connection to the roof, just two tabs. It works great mobile for steel whips (including 1/4 wave on 6m) but for anything with a bigger wind loading I'm hesitant to drive with it due to the increased moment forces on the mount.
@@stuarthall3874 Stuart, Greetings. If you look above the vehicles headliner at the metal underside, and structural framing, you can punch both a structural support, and the roof vertically, and use a longer nmo barrel connector. These look like so239s, but are various lengths, with a nmo ring. I acquired mine thru tower electronics, out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Good luck,.sir,.and hope to heat you on the band. 73s, John, N8SGM.
@@johnmayer158 I didn't know about the longer barrel connector. That sounds like a great idea. Thanks for posting. When the weather warms up, I might take a look at that.
I was researching 6 meter ssb nets and your video came up. Of course I am going to watch it. 50.215 8 am. in Virginia every day apparently. 73 thanks for the video
Hahaha... You got N1WSD!! I work him on DMR from time to time. He got me talked in to trying to hit the 53.09 from eastern Maine. I finally got a 6m jpole built and will get it put up when it warms up again and give it a shot down across the water.
Max ground plane for low and antennas you will see it performs best on roof. Base to Mobil direct stay vertical . A good 6m base antenna diamond or Ringo works best.
Next time you come over to mass, check out the MMRA repeater network. They are often linked to other repeaters. There are many repeaters over all the UHF/VHF bands. really cool 73s...
@@SevenFortyOne I don't believe I can reach that repeater from my QTH. If you were ever interested in becoming a member the MMRA allows members to link and de-link the repeaters on the network. Not sure if the 6 Meter is typically linked or not. 73s.
Living in central Massachusetts I really enjoyed your informational video. I’m new to Ham and working with a somewhat limited budget. What you’re doing for this trip is exactly what I would be doing. Before I invest in the equipment, I would love to hear the follow up on how it’s been working for you since you made this video. 73’s
I ended up getting a new car and haven't been able to install a 6m capable radio yet. Having said that, I purchased a radio to install and have an mounting point on my car ready for an antenna but still need to buy an antenna and figure out how I want to mount the radio in the car. Aside from monitoring from my shack in northern CT I haven't done much with 6meter repeaters since posting this
Every ham should have an analyzer. Most don’t realize that a 5/8 wave for 2m is also resonant on 6m. No more adjustment required. I’ve used best with the best performance using the 2m antenna. May save someone some effort and money.
I need to set my station up again I have a few 2M mobile, and I think I way have a damaged 6M in my closet. This brings my curiosity up. K0XHF in south Kansas here
There's a good chance that the W1BIM 2m repeater in Paxton, MA can cover down to Stafford, and possibly Ellington. You should have no problem hitting it on the northern end of your trip.
I can hear it well at my house but can't get into it reliably until I'm at the CT/MA border on 84. From there it seems pretty sid all the way out to 128 but then it gets sketchy through Waltham and I loose it in Burlington where my office is. I've checked into it a few times over the last couple of weeks when I've forgotten to bring my 6m radio
146.760 outta north scituate RI is a flame thrower..and I think it's the same freq for the machine next to 24 in west bridgewater...I live on the brockton / WB line. Going to have to put a 6m radio in my truck now haha.
@SevenFortyOne yea it's gone thru some idderations...but its on the biggest hill in RI on a big tower..I think it's a 100 watts to..I've heard it I n NH and maine before..the best is top of mt washington..I hope to go back and do 2m and 6m from up there.
I wonder how far a couple of people could talk consistently on 6m or 10m FM with clear LOS, higher power (say 400-500watts) and 10.5db gain beams pointed at each other.
52.525 simplex more popular here in VK3 than the repeaters. I find in the city 6m FM quite noisy in the car. 2m simplex and repeaters better. 6M better in rural areas
I have a long 5/8 wave VHF NMO antenna on my trunk, I'll have to get a proper antenna tuner and see if I can use it for 6m. I have a 6m radio, there don't seem to be many 6m repeaters near me though.
yeah that's part of the reason I bought it. I am using it on a knockoff radio that probably has no SWR protection but outputs somewhere around 60 watts on 6m@@SevenFortyOne
Can I make a suggestion? When you were in the car talking I had to increase my volume to hear you, then you were in your shack and when your edit to the shack happen your audio was so loud like to have blown me away. Maybe you could start your scenes a little softer on the audio when you edit between the two. I enjoy your videos, very educational , Thank you
Recording in the car is tricky because of the background noise so I don't often do it. If I boosted the audio it would have been full of background noise
i dont know if u moved the antenna to roof. but if not. that would be 100% better both rx tx . trunks local ok . roof top for the big DX lol just tossin it out there as i may have missed if u moved it
I don't have any radio that does 6m but in Utah we have one repeater I could hit if I did (most likely). One thing that would bother me is it's linked to 448.15 which I would hate. And I really get all worked up when they link 220 repeaters to 2m or 440 or both. We have on such repeater on 220 in my area that's linked to those two other bands. Kind of pointless to do that if you think about it. Keep 220 by itself with no linking is what I'm saying!!
On one hand, I don't like linked repeater systems for the reasons you mentioned and more. But....220 doesn't get much use around here so having it linked to an active 2m repeater helps keep the band usage up. It also gives 220 users a way to talk with others that don't have it and encourage it's use
The FT 891 as a mobile is great. You get HF, + 10 meters repeaters (and am )6 meter FM AND SSB.-I use a transverter for 2 meter SSB also. The ATAS 120 antenna is designed to use with the 891,built in tuning.
Okay, I've a question and I hope your still there. I am looking at buying, if I can find one. A 6 meter HT, due to a vision problem, I cannot drive. But I have a very nice recumbent, that I've already put an antenna mount on, for when I run a 2m/70cm HT. So if I could find a 6 meter HT. How long would the antenna have to be? Now I've heard, and I could be wrong, that a 5/8 wave antenna for 2 meter will work on 6, is this true? Hope to hear back from you soon. KI7BSL, James from Cheyenne.
Monoband 6-meter mobile radios are getting scarce. There’s some 4-meter TYT monobands with the same circuitry design as their 2-meter and 70-centimeter. Obviously 4-meter is meant for UK/EU, but I’ve wondered how difficult it would be to reverse-engineer with a digital oscilloscope using FFT and modify for 6-meter use in America.
Alinco sells a monoband 6 meter radio here in the us. We also have the tyt-8900 which has 10,6,2,and 70cm. I'm not sure how good tyt radios are though....I'm thinking about trying one to see
"...how difficult it would be to reverse-engineer with a digital oscilloscope using FFT and modify for 6-meter use in America." Either as simple as moving a diode or jumper, or forget it. You'll quickly find that the 'design' of modern rigs disappears into software, and then you might as well quit. A long time ago, I had a 49 MHz walkie talkie, and looked into modifying it for 6m FM. One 10.24 MHz crystal set every-single-last frequency in the entire radio.
@@SevenFortyOne Well sure, everything is temporary with a magnet mount. That's why we experiment... I run a Yaesu FT991A with an ATAS120A on the center of my trunk lid. The trunk lid is bonded to the car body with 5 Gnd straps. I get out all over SE Wisconsin. Absolutely Flat SWR on all the bands.
Hi Rob, I have never been on 6m FM . I would like to give it a try. I do work 6m ssb and I have worked you before in my mobile a couple of years ago . I have a question for you do you have any more 741 stickers I would like to have two of them. 73 AE4OY William Peacock EM-81UF Blackshear, GA
Does anyone ever try to hit 6 meter repeaters from across the country sorry if that sounds stupid im still new to all yhis but ots something that sounds like it might be fun
I personally haven't but I think you are right, that would be fun. Having said that, I know 2e0ukh regularly tries to hit 10 meter repeaters in the US from the UK
Happens a lot out here between repeaters in the OR/WA region & SoCA/AZ users, and vice-versa. That’s why I scan over thirty 6m FM repeaters, local and out of state, as well as simplex.
In my experience, the SS whips destroy the edge on bolt cutters. I haven't tried the big ones, though. Sawing a notch and snapping is what many manufacturers recommend.
Someone gave me a free 6 meter transceiver with a cheap auto tuner. I made a 6 meter antenna and have been tuned in for several months, even looking in on an SDR waterfall graph. The antenna is about 10 meters up and vertically orientated. I hear nothing. It is unfortunate. I listen on AM/FM/SSB and CW. All I hear is a beacon. All I see is the same beacon on the waterfall graph as well. It is a very empty band. I have 50.125 SSB, 52.525 FM, and 50.200 AM. There is a single FM repeater around. It is always empty. I am losing heart.
@@SevenFortyOne I am far from Connecticut. But, I can not attend anything relating to amateur radio. I am the most basic, entry level, radio hobbyist. I am the unlicensed radio hobbyist and am limited to only listening. There are so many beautiful bands on this radio. It was created for region 0. It receives from 30Khz to 199.99Mhz then 430Mhz to 439.99Mhz, all analogue modes and one digital mode (CW). The transmit is 1.6Mhz to 54Mhz with a gap between 26Mhz to 27.999Mhz. Then it transmits 144Mhz to 145.99mhz then 430Mhz to 439Mhz. The former owner told me there is no way to open it to North American frequencies because Region 0 radios can only be modified for receive. 2 meters and 70 centimeters are heavily crippled. I try listening on the SSB frequencies for 2meters and 70 centimeters and hear nothing. There are no repeaters in the fragments of 2 meter and 70 centimeters that are available on the radio. I hesitate to get my license because of the lack of activity. The CB band is rather busy. 80 meters is a colourful band with little formality. The band right above AM broadcast band is rather interesting. But is it worth getting a license to transmit for just 80 meters, the band above AM broadcast, and empty 6 meters? The entry level license does not even cover those bands, save 6 meters. I guess I would get 10 meters, as well. Is 10 meters and 6 meters worth the entry level license? This transceiver, the Icom IC-7000 region 0 is gorgeous. But it is heavily crippled. The radio will likely keep me an unlicensed hobbyist making power supplies, antennas, manual tuners, and modifying radios from other bands.
Why are you obsessed with repeaters? I learned very early on in my ham-life that , there's MORE to ham-radio than f*kin' repeaters. Yes they have a purpose , all the same just a tiny aspect of the hobby.
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a 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna will also work as a 1/4 wave 6 meter antenna
Back in the 1990's one night I built a Ramsey 6meter kit. tweeked it at the shop I worked for back then. I found ASP made a through the glass meter antenna. And put that on the windshield of the Astro van I was driving for the company. I had a couple repeaters with a tone encoder made by CES(I think). I made quite a few East coast contacts from Gainesville Floriduh.
Around Noon I would us my lunchtime to QSO to Connecticut, another in Main and New York. Lot of fun on 6. The Ramsey kit was clean on TX as I used a spectrum analyzer, and service monitor to bend coils to get a whopping 9.5 watts.
One day I heard something hit the roof and looked in mirror and seen the top of my antenna bounce off in the woods beside the road. I looked for awhile but had a trouble call awaiting. I could not get another until couple years ago. I still have that one in the original package from ASP. I waiting on a vehicle without 298,000 on it to install my antenna. My clunkers may not last too long.
KD4IPN 73 YA'AL
5/8+32 fahren .... . . _
So how long would that be?
Hi Rob… Try moving the 6m mag mount over to the center of the trunk, same distance from the glass. It optimizes performance, as proven in a similar Toyota used for daily work commuting by a local ham here in Los Angeles.
Awesome video Rob! 6m mobile is great fun and you can hear the slow fading… it works over further distances and hilly terrain.
I’ve built a few 6m repeaters and I love operating them, my favorite band of course.
Maybe next time you can try a 10m antenna on the car and try 10m repeaters!
Thanks Hayden!
Once upon a time, I was trimming a 4-foot fiberglass loaded CB whip for 10m amateur use. I very carefully made the first very small trim, expecting to see a very small increase in frequency. Nope, one tiny trim and it was done. YIKES !! Scary. Good thing I was as cautious and careful as you're demonstrating here. Baby steps is the way to go.
I've had other antennas that refused to budge. Trim, trim, trim, trim, chop, chop, chop - barely moving. They had some sort of potted network hidden in the base.
It great band 6m and 4m here in UK I've made J pole antenna out off 450 Ohms ladder line works very well.
I used to run a modest 6M repeater here many years ago. Had a blast with some buddies on the band. We all ran converted 50-60W Motorola Motracs at the time. You would be surprised how much a good noise blanker helps on "low band," in the city particularly. 6M and 220 are my favorite VHF/UHF bands by far. 73
I am with you - 6 and 220 are also my favorites.
I heard quite a bit of activity on sideband and CW segments last night, the 11th of June 2023. It is very rare for me to hear anything on 6 meters. Yesterday was fun to listen to 6. I only have a 54 inch antenna.
Nice video Rob that 6 m works great! I think you’re really gonna like that while you’re traveling! Safe travels, my friend! 👍😎
Now I've got to try 6 meters. Great video! 👍👍
Great Video Rob! I have never tried 6m repeaters. I will have to program into my IC-7100. I believe 6m is via the HF antenna connection. My Tarheal should tune 6m if I can find my short whip. Thanks for one more project.. HI HI
I love!!! 6m FM we have 1 6m repeater but it has been down for years, currently noise in the shack i am told.
Yesterday, the 10th of June 2023, there was significant 6 meter activity in the USB segments and CW segments. It was quite enjoyable to listen to it.
This was inspiring. Now I have to rebuild my 6m dipole and get back into exploring The Magic Band. thanks Rob :)
6 meters is a great band
Cool, I’ve been thinking about getting a 6m antenna for my FT-891.
Safety warning: A larger antenna on an insufficient mag-mount up on the middle of the roof raise a "very interesting" safety risk. If, for whatever reason, perhaps a gust of wind, it gets dislodged from your vehicle, then it's going to end up dragging along the road. Between the length of the exposed coaxial cable (door frame to center of roof) and of the antenna itself, it's perhaps got enough total length for the tip of the whip to get pinched under a rear wheel. Since you're going 60 mph, hopefully all that happens is that the coax get rips out of the RF connector at the radio end, probably slapping you in the face on the way out. But if you did a really-really excellent job of soldering or crimping the rig-end RF connector, maybe with some HS tubing, then the mobile rig is going to try to leave the vehicle at 60 mph. Maybe past or straight through your head. Decades ago, I came within an inch of this happening, that was the gap between the end of the dragging whip antenna and the rear tire. Just something to think about. Might be worth wrapping the coax a few times around part of the lower seat mount, so that it can be sliced-off in the worst case.
Awesome video Rob. I wish we had some 6 and 10 meter repeaters in SE NC. Nice to see you are near my old stomping grounds. Was born in Quincy, MA and went to HS in Williamstown, MA at Mt. Greylock HS
you mentioned the antenna was directionally, rig up a rudder that passes through cargo hole to move the antenna left and right
Sure
That was a good video. Just starting to get into some of this. I'm down here in NJ and looking into 6meter repeaters.
Hi Rob,
I've been into 6m for many years, including mobile operating. You are correct as to the placement on a vehicle as to the performance of an antenna. Centerline of the vehicle is best, but height can effect its performance as well.
I have my 6m mobile on a mag mount, for now, but, when the weather warms up in the spring, I'm going to punch a hole in the roof and put a nmo permanently into it. It will give much better performance, and a great ground plane using the vehicles body.
I have a fiberglass antenna with a top tuning whip, and I've found that it has a broader band width, so a nmo to 3/8 x 24 adapter does the trick allowing both ssb, and fm.
And nice trick that works well and won't affect the performance is using a sharpie marker, or opaque paint marker to mark the whip for different sections of the band, say like the am part up at .400. Then just move the whip back to the previous mark, and you're good to go...quickly.
Good luck, sir, and hope to hear you on the band!
73s,
John, N8SGM.
It took me months to build up the courage to punch a hole in my roof for an NMO mount, but I am so glad I did. It's a clean installation and I can swap out different antennas as I want. I do find that my NMO mount does not provide a particularly strong connection to the roof, just two tabs. It works great mobile for steel whips (including 1/4 wave on 6m) but for anything with a bigger wind loading I'm hesitant to drive with it due to the increased moment forces on the mount.
I've put holes in my older cars but it's not worth it to me on a newer car that's not rusty.
@@stuarthall3874
Stuart,
Greetings. If you look above the vehicles headliner at the metal underside, and structural framing, you can punch both a structural support, and the roof vertically, and use a longer nmo barrel connector.
These look like so239s, but are various lengths, with a nmo ring.
I acquired mine thru tower electronics, out of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Good luck,.sir,.and hope to heat you on the band. 73s,
John, N8SGM.
@@johnmayer158 I didn't know about the longer barrel connector. That sounds like a great idea. Thanks for posting. When the weather warms up, I might take a look at that.
excellent...i used one of your videos to help repair my Astron PS. 👍
Awesome!
Cool video.. we have one in Daytona area that is linked to 2m and other ones ..
I was researching 6 meter ssb nets and your video came up. Of course I am going to watch it. 50.215 8 am. in Virginia every day apparently. 73 thanks for the video
Still watching. Your in the mobile. Lol 😆. Nice job
Hahaha... You got N1WSD!! I work him on DMR from time to time. He got me talked in to trying to hit the 53.09 from eastern Maine. I finally got a 6m jpole built and will get it put up when it warms up again and give it a shot down across the water.
Let me know if you make it in. I have a buddy who moved to Maine who is planning to try it too. Give the 53.310 mt Wachusset machine a try too.
@@SevenFortyOne Will do. I'm gonna try a bunch of 6m repeaters and see what happens. Maybe I'll get some time this coming week to put the antenna up.
we have one in my area. we call it the door bell or ding dong cause of the drop tone. got to keep them alive. use it or loose it.
Max ground plane for low and antennas you will see it performs best on roof.
Base to Mobil direct stay vertical .
A good 6m base antenna diamond or Ringo works best.
Next time you come over to mass, check out the MMRA repeater network. They are often linked to other repeaters. There are many repeaters over all the UHF/VHF bands. really cool 73s...
I'm up that way twice a week...I'll check it out. I usually check in to George's old timers net on Thursday evening on my way home
@@SevenFortyOne I don't believe I can reach that repeater from my QTH. If you were ever interested in becoming a member the MMRA allows members to link and de-link the repeaters on the network. Not sure if the 6 Meter is typically linked or not. 73s.
6m and 10m repeaters are fun. I miss not having 6 & 10m in my current vehicle.
Living in central Massachusetts I really enjoyed your informational video. I’m new to Ham and working with a somewhat limited budget. What you’re doing for this trip is exactly what I would be doing. Before I invest in the equipment, I would love to hear the follow up on how it’s been working for you since you made this video. 73’s
I ended up getting a new car and haven't been able to install a 6m capable radio yet. Having said that, I purchased a radio to install and have an mounting point on my car ready for an antenna but still need to buy an antenna and figure out how I want to mount the radio in the car. Aside from monitoring from my shack in northern CT I haven't done much with 6meter repeaters since posting this
Thank you for getting back to me. I look forward to your upcoming adventures and maybe one day catch you rolling down the PIKE 😊
I'm there most Thursdays and sometimes Mondays usually between 6:30 and 8:00 pm...I monitor 146.52 so give a shout if you're out there.
Every ham should have an analyzer. Most don’t realize that a 5/8 wave for 2m is also resonant on 6m. No more adjustment required. I’ve used best with the best performance using the 2m antenna. May save someone some effort and money.
I need to set my station up again I have a few 2M mobile, and I think I way have a damaged 6M in my closet. This brings my curiosity up. K0XHF in south Kansas here
There's a good chance that the W1BIM 2m repeater in Paxton, MA can cover down to Stafford, and possibly Ellington. You should have no problem hitting it on the northern end of your trip.
I can hear it well at my house but can't get into it reliably until I'm at the CT/MA border on 84. From there it seems pretty sid all the way out to 128 but then it gets sketchy through Waltham and I loose it in Burlington where my office is. I've checked into it a few times over the last couple of weeks when I've forgotten to bring my 6m radio
I always enjoy your videos. You setup the problem or the goal and follow through with it. Say, how close to Oxford are you?
I'm glad you enjoy my videos. I'm in tolland county
Very helpful video. Great info. Appreciate the effort.
146.760 outta north scituate RI is a flame thrower..and I think it's the same freq for the machine next to 24 in west bridgewater...I live on the brockton / WB line. Going to have to put a 6m radio in my truck now haha.
I used to hear the scituate machine better here in tolland county a few years back
@SevenFortyOne yea it's gone thru some idderations...but its on the biggest hill in RI on a big tower..I think it's a 100 watts to..I've heard it I n NH and maine before..the best is top of mt washington..I hope to go back and do 2m and 6m from up there.
@@minibikemadman I drove over Jetimoth hill a couple of hours ago...didn't have a radio on me though
I wonder how far a couple of people could talk consistently on 6m or 10m FM with clear LOS, higher power (say 400-500watts) and 10.5db gain beams pointed at each other.
Good question! In curious now too
52.525 simplex more popular here in VK3 than the repeaters. I find in the city 6m FM quite noisy in the car. 2m simplex and repeaters better. 6M better in rural areas
I have a long 5/8 wave VHF NMO antenna on my trunk, I'll have to get a proper antenna tuner and see if I can use it for 6m. I have a 6m radio, there don't seem to be many 6m repeaters near me though.
You might not need a tuner. 5/8 wave on 2m is roughly 1/4 wave on 6m
yeah that's part of the reason I bought it. I am using it on a knockoff radio that probably has no SWR protection but outputs somewhere around 60 watts on 6m@@SevenFortyOne
Just found your channel. Great content. 👍
Glad you like it!
Can I make a suggestion? When you were in the car talking I had to increase my volume to hear you, then you were in your shack and when your edit to the shack happen your audio was so loud like to have blown me away. Maybe you could start your scenes a little softer on the audio when you edit between the two. I enjoy your videos, very educational , Thank you
Recording in the car is tricky because of the background noise so I don't often do it. If I boosted the audio it would have been full of background noise
Nice work! 73 de N1AD
I use a Alinco DR-06TA 50 watt FM i got from HRO in Va .radio in my house and truck works very good..
I'm thinking about getting one of those...thanks for the info!
Had one of those, good radio and worked well. Sorry I sold it and tempted to order another.
i dont know if u moved the antenna to roof. but if not. that would be 100% better both rx tx . trunks local ok . roof top for the big DX lol just tossin it out there as i may have missed if u moved it
your antenna should be tuned for the FM part of the 6m band because it is so wide one antenna wont do it all.
Enjoyed the video!
I don't have any radio that does 6m but in Utah we have one repeater I could hit if I did (most likely). One thing that would bother me is it's linked to 448.15 which I would hate. And I really get all worked up when they link 220 repeaters to 2m or 440 or both. We have on such repeater on 220 in my area that's linked to those two other bands. Kind of pointless to do that if you think about it. Keep 220 by itself with no linking is what I'm saying!!
On one hand, I don't like linked repeater systems for the reasons you mentioned and more. But....220 doesn't get much use around here so having it linked to an active 2m repeater helps keep the band usage up. It also gives 220 users a way to talk with others that don't have it and encourage it's use
I see you are from New Mexico? as I see a NM plate. Insurance on that car be cheaper than in New England. 73's -Cheers!
I'm not from nm. I live in CT.
l need to get back into 6 meter SSB..in fact I still have a SMIRK number
I used a set of bolt cutters to trim my stainless steel whip
What is the simplex range of a 6 meter radio? Or would I need a 6 meter SSB for that?
It depends on a lot of things...terrain, antenna, power, etc....but typically I find it maybe 30 to 50 percent better than 2 meters
What power output were you using? I might try 6 meter mobile with my FT-891.
50w
Same, I would just have to swap the whip on my diamond SD330. There are also 10m repeaters.
The FT 891 as a mobile is great. You get HF, + 10 meters repeaters (and am )6 meter FM AND SSB.-I use a transverter for 2 meter SSB also. The ATAS 120 antenna is designed to use with the 891,built in tuning.
Okay, I've a question and I hope your still there. I am looking at buying, if I can find one. A 6 meter HT, due to a vision problem, I cannot drive. But I have a very nice recumbent, that I've already put an antenna mount on, for when I run a 2m/70cm HT. So if I could find a 6 meter HT. How long would the antenna have to be? Now I've heard, and I could be wrong, that a 5/8 wave antenna for 2 meter will work on 6, is this true? Hope to hear back from you soon. KI7BSL, James from Cheyenne.
You can definitely use a 5/8 2m antenna on 6m. The wouxun kgq10 is 6m capable and may work for you
Checking the repeater database, I think I only have one anywhere close to me, and either it is down or I'm not able to get it.
Bummer...
Monoband 6-meter mobile radios are getting scarce. There’s some 4-meter TYT monobands with the same circuitry design as their 2-meter and 70-centimeter. Obviously 4-meter is meant for UK/EU, but I’ve wondered how difficult it would be to reverse-engineer with a digital oscilloscope using FFT and modify for 6-meter use in America.
Alinco sells a monoband 6 meter radio here in the us. We also have the tyt-8900 which has 10,6,2,and 70cm. I'm not sure how good tyt radios are though....I'm thinking about trying one to see
"...how difficult it would be to reverse-engineer with a digital oscilloscope using FFT and modify for 6-meter use in America."
Either as simple as moving a diode or jumper, or forget it. You'll quickly find that the 'design' of modern rigs disappears into software, and then you might as well quit.
A long time ago, I had a 49 MHz walkie talkie, and looked into modifying it for 6m FM. One 10.24 MHz crystal set every-single-last frequency in the entire radio.
thanks for the video and more ideas that I need to find time for! 73, K8JLW
I know how you feel!
Looks like fun. 🙂
Put your antennas on the roof. Behind the sun roof. Might be better than a poorly grounded corner of the trunk lid.
This was all just a temporary setup for testing and seems to work ok. Putting antennas on the roof isn't practical for several reasons right now...
@@SevenFortyOne Well sure, everything is temporary with a magnet mount. That's why we experiment... I run a Yaesu FT991A with an ATAS120A on the center of my trunk lid. The trunk lid is bonded to the car body with 5 Gnd straps. I get out all over SE Wisconsin. Absolutely Flat SWR on all the bands.
Hi Rob, I have never been on 6m FM . I would like to give it a try. I do work 6m ssb and I have worked you before in my mobile a couple of years ago . I have a question for you do you have any more 741 stickers I would like to have two of them. 73 AE4OY William Peacock EM-81UF Blackshear, GA
What radio are you using? Is it only for 6m? What is the output?
You should watch the video
Does anyone ever try to hit 6 meter repeaters from across the country sorry if that sounds stupid im still new to all yhis but ots something that sounds like it might be fun
I personally haven't but I think you are right, that would be fun. Having said that, I know 2e0ukh regularly tries to hit 10 meter repeaters in the US from the UK
Happens a lot out here between repeaters in the OR/WA region & SoCA/AZ users, and vice-versa. That’s why I scan over thirty 6m FM repeaters, local and out of state, as well as simplex.
a mag mount for 6?
Yes
NM license plate?
Yeah
Bolt cutter won't do the job?
It probably would but I don't have one
In my experience, the SS whips destroy the edge on bolt cutters. I haven't tried the big ones, though. Sawing a notch and snapping is what many manufacturers recommend.
@@patrickbuick5459 I have the big bolt cutters-doesn't hurt it
Didn’t even know 6 meter repeaters were used.
They get some use here but not a lot
10:07 shocking
Why?
Someone gave me a free 6 meter transceiver with a cheap auto tuner. I made a 6 meter antenna and have been tuned in for several months, even looking in on an SDR waterfall graph. The antenna is about 10 meters up and vertically orientated. I hear nothing. It is unfortunate. I listen on AM/FM/SSB and CW. All I hear is a beacon. All I see is the same beacon on the waterfall graph as well. It is a very empty band. I have 50.125 SSB, 52.525 FM, and 50.200 AM. There is a single FM repeater around. It is always empty. I am losing heart.
That's a bummer. Where are you located? There is tons of activities here in CT
@@SevenFortyOne I am far from Connecticut. But, I can not attend anything relating to amateur radio. I am the most basic, entry level, radio hobbyist. I am the unlicensed radio hobbyist and am limited to only listening. There are so many beautiful bands on this radio. It was created for region 0. It receives from 30Khz to 199.99Mhz then 430Mhz to 439.99Mhz, all analogue modes and one digital mode (CW). The transmit is 1.6Mhz to 54Mhz with a gap between 26Mhz to 27.999Mhz. Then it transmits 144Mhz to 145.99mhz then 430Mhz to 439Mhz. The former owner told me there is no way to open it to North American frequencies because Region 0 radios can only be modified for receive. 2 meters and 70 centimeters are heavily crippled. I try listening on the SSB frequencies for 2meters and 70 centimeters and hear nothing. There are no repeaters in the fragments of 2 meter and 70 centimeters that are available on the radio. I hesitate to get my license because of the lack of activity. The CB band is rather busy. 80 meters is a colourful band with little formality. The band right above AM broadcast band is rather interesting. But is it worth getting a license to transmit for just 80 meters, the band above AM broadcast, and empty 6 meters? The entry level license does not even cover those bands, save 6 meters. I guess I would get 10 meters, as well. Is 10 meters and 6 meters worth the entry level license? This transceiver, the Icom IC-7000 region 0 is gorgeous. But it is heavily crippled. The radio will likely keep me an unlicensed hobbyist making power supplies, antennas, manual tuners, and modifying radios from other bands.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🏅💪🏻🤨
Why are you obsessed with repeaters?
I learned very early on in my ham-life that , there's MORE to ham-radio than f*kin' repeaters. Yes they have a purpose , all the same just a tiny aspect of the hobby.
I guess you've never watched any of my other videos. If you had you'd clearly see I'm far more obsessed with fixing my crappy cars than repeaters....
cool video. representing worcester, MA over by the airport. KM6TMZ
This is interesting 🤔. Thanks for posting. 73 de KD0MOO