Posted: 7/12/2013 7:11:57 PM EDT
| I got my tech license 6 months ago . I purchased a HT and all was well playing with vhf and uhf on fm. I then decided to delve into the evil world of hf and 6m. I purchased a yaesu 857. I really like the radio. I figured out the menu system in about 2 days. I purchased a dipole antenna for 10 meters. It works as well as expected. Now for the question. I want to play on the 6 meter band. I don't have an antenna tuner. I want to be able to do ssb on the 6 meter band. Will a vertically polarized antenna work for dx? Would a roll up 6 meter jpole antenna work if I set it up horizontally???? What are my options? These are the questions I can't find the answers to. HELP............. |
|
Quoted:
I got my tech license 6 months ago . I purchased a HT and all was well playing with vhf and uhf on fm. I then decided to delve into the evil world of hf and 6m. I purchased a yaesu 857. I really like the radio. It's a great radio, I have one. I figured out the menu system in about 2 days. I purchased a dipole antenna for 10 meters. It works as well as expected. Now for the question. I want to play on the 6 meter band. I don't have an antenna tuner. I want to be able to do ssb on the 6 meter band. Will a vertically polarized antenna work for dx? Yes* Would a roll up 6 meter jpole antenna work if I set it up horizontally???? Yes.* What are my options? These are the questions I can't find the answers to. HELP............. You may wish to start out with a FAN DIPOLE. simply add a 6m dipole to your 10m dipole and you are GTG. There will be some trimming to do to make them play well together. *For DX on 6 meters, consider building any of several Yagi antennas. There are many designs out there and they make for some interesting projects. (Ever solder aluminum? I wrote an article about building antennas which included a sidebar about soldering aluminum-- I'll provide it if you wish.) **A J pole is sometimes called "an end-fed dipole." This is a huge misnomer, because a dipole is a center-fed antenna. But the general effect is the same because they are both half-wave antennas. So if you stretch the J pole horizontally next to a dipole, you will find essentially similar performance. |
|
The convention for 6m SSB is horizontal polarization, BUT, polarization is randomized when signal are reflected by the ionosphere (E skip). So for DX, either horizontal or vertical will work. For local contacts you would want horizontal for SSB, or vertical for FM.
Easiest is to just add an additional pair of wires to your 10m dipole as previously mentioned. |
|
A dipole slung under your existing antenna will get you started, but be aware that it's a gateway drug. Six Meters is call the "magic band" for a reason. Wonderful things can happen when Tropospheric and Sporadic E propagation kick in. Then you'll probably want to put up a small beam, rotator, and mast. After that, you might find yourself drooling over pictures of NASA tracking arrays and radio telescopes.
Good luck in your VHF adventures. You have been warned. Incidentally, trimming the dipole will be much easier if you use a pair of split bolt connectors. It will save you from wrapping and unwrapping the wire at the end insulators as you bring the antenna into resonance. Your local electrical supply house should have them. Get the smallest size they have. |