How sociable are 6 and 2m?

[VK3LU]

Hi all,
Before I go out and buy an expensive rotator and rehash a couple of yagis, I would like to know how "sociable" are 6 and 2m?
By that I mean is it possible to call CQ and have a normal QSO and talk about all things ham and other things?
I ask that question because when I cut my teeth on 6 from 1958 onwards, it was a very sociable band, as was 2.
Sure, we worked DX when it was there but after normal QSOs were the order of the day.
From reading between the lines on this forum I have the faintest of a suspicion that the opposite is true. The DX hounds rule.
I really hope I am wrong.

cheers
Nev

[VK3MEG]

hey Nev good to see you coming back the main thing is if you want to chat qsy off the call frequency. this applies mainly to 6m. then the dx'er can have there dx and you can have a chat.

i've only been playing this game for a few years. and yeah there is a bit of chat around

[VK3DXE]

G'day Nev,

My experience (30+ years ) on 2m is that, provided there's anybody about, you can always find somebody to have a chat that is more than "59, thanks, see you later". Can't really talk for 6m as I rarely venture there.

If the weather allows, I should be back with a half-decent signal on 2m from this weekend, and I'm always good for a yarn if time allows. I've been very inactive on 2m voice modes the past couple of years as I've only had an armstrong system on the current small 2m yagi, and found it too much screwing around to go outside and turn it by hand, especially if there are a few people on. I finally got around to putting up a pole last weekend and have the rotators on it, now to get at least one of my yagis up and we're in business.

Obviously, don't be discouraged if there's not a heap of activity right now in the guts of winter, but its always been my experience that it only takes a couple of regulars to create a bit of regular activity which very soon brings out more people, and it tends to grow from there.

Hope to catch you on air soon.

[VK7DB]

Point your beams south to VK7 and get on 53.800 and 146.625MHz repeaters, I'll talk to you.

Dion

[VK1KW]

There is always someone around week days on 144.200 every morning from 8 to 9 looking for a chat.
We would usually QSY to another frequency and go for as long as you wish.
Weekends of course there are several on up here in VK1 and we tend to work a few of the other bands too. See the vklogger 144.200 432.150 1296.150 then 50.140
Anyone is most welcome to join in - all the more the betterer.
I tend to look for beacons on 2m during the day and usually sit on 50.200 too but all you need to do is give me a yell on vklogger and I shall bent my beams your way for a chat.
Cheers

[VK3ART]

& Wednesday night 8.30pm 144.150 SSB Net; point to Mt. Dandenong and Melbourne.
Russ VK3ART

[VK4WDM]

There is usually plenty of intra-VK activity on 6m during the summer sporadic E season but it tends to be what the name implies- sporadic. Plenty of people listening but not breaking the ice by calling. TEP into Japan is common up here but much less so in sth VK.

Why not put simple verticals up for 6m and 2m to test the situation before getting a rotator and yagis?

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK3LU]

Thank you everyone,
Maybe things aren't quite as bad as I had heard (or imagined).
Wayne, I was thinking along the same lines as you only I need to replace the ancient DSE 2 metre half wave white stick I have now with a Diamond 2m/70cm vertical.
If I can hear and work on 2 ssb on that then putting up a yagi on 2 could be worthwhile. 6 should be ok too.

Cheers
Nev

[VK4WDM]

It might be worth thinking about a 6,2,70 vertical. I can get VK wide coverage on 6m on my triband vertical and on Es it quite often works better than the 5 el yagi. During the strong Asian TEP openings the vertical also works well.

The other advantage with the vertical is that it works very well on both 50 and 52MHZ (where the standard calls are) whereas the yagi causes my rig to close down if I try to use it on 52MHZ.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK3BJM]

G'day Nev.

If you're hoping to hear 2m SSB signals, you'd be better off putting up a small (say three or five element) Yagi, horizontally polarised. A three-element Yagi can be knocked up easily with a bit of PVC conduit and some thin aluminium tube, or even heavy-duty copper wire.

Making a decision as to whether it's worthwhile to put up a Yagi, based on whether you can hear stations on a vertical, is flawed logic. It's analogous to thinking, "Well, once I've heard some stations on my dummy load, I'll put up an antenna". Certainly for 2m, and in VK3. (If you were in Darwin, or northern QLD or WA, and could take advantage of 2m TEP... Well, that's a different sack of cats.)

Why?

All the established 2m SSB stations, who you are most likely to hear, and who will certainly want to work you, will be H-pol.

For instance, you're exceedingly unlikely to hear Rob VK1KW on a vertical. You will hear locals in Melbourne. You may hear some of the nearer "country" stations, like myself or Gordon VK3EJ in Cobram. You may hear stations in Northern VK7 when the troppo over strait is going, well, "troppo". But that sort of frivolity isn't scheduled for about five months or so.

As Rob noted, it's easy enough to tee up a contact via the VK Logger, if you want to test things out. Or schedule something using PM on the Logger Forum. Most of us have email or mobile numbers under our VK Logger "Op Details", too.

73,
Barry
VK3BJM

[VK4WDM]

Good points Barry I was just encouraging him to get on the air and then get something better up when the VHF bug has re-bitten.

What I have noticed up here is on strong sporadic E openings the polarization does not seem to matter at all. (Good discussion for another thread?)

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK3NGD]

hi nev I find that 2m and up are very sociable depending on what your after .
if rag chewing for extended periods at 5/9 signal then hf is probably the bands one would stick by.
saying that I feel 2m and up is more of a personal high just from making the qso be it from 4 seconds to say 15 min or whatever
the thing I like is the fact that the bands are more organised one makes contact on lets say 144.100 then qsy away from the call freq
that lets others listen and call and those that want to chat will follow so my answer is yes very sociable indeed dave vk3ngd.
144.200 08:00-09:00 mon-fri.
144.150 20:30- wed melb 150 net
144.100 any time given conditions.

[VK4WTN]

hi Nev, you will find the 6 meter crew very sociable.I find it great to catch up with old mates during the summer E season. I guess it can get a little heated during the more exotic DX openings just due to large volumes of stations trying to get a rare station but its generally all in good fun. Ive been on 6 meters on and off since 1973 and have had nothing but good experiences so I hope that you get your aerial up and that we get to work next summer
regards Wayne VK4WTN

[VK3LU]

Thanks everyone for the comments.
The real fly in the ointment is my location. I live in a valley and the only reasonable path out is to the Northwest.
So I am going to give it some really serious thought before I buy a rotator. Perhaps 6m might be the best of a poor choice.

Cheers
Nev

[VK3YE]

Perhaps 6m might be the best of a poor choice.

I'd go with 2m initially, but with a view to getting something going on 6m by early December.

6m activity is sporadic and you may go weeks or more between hearing a signal outside of a few VHF Field Day contacts. Whereas 2m at least has the Wednesday evening net and weekend morning activity so you're more likely to hear stations regularly. If there's a hill you can bounce signals off, I've found that can work well on 2m if using a beam. Aircraft enhancement is also recommended.

[VK3DXE]

If you have a reasonable outlook to the NW, then try listening for some of the Adelaide guys.

You should also do OK on EME into Europe at moonset with a decent yagi and preamp.

[VK3AUU]

Neville, I presume you live in Yea.
You really need to build a beam. Go to the vk5DJ page and download the DL6WU calculator and make a 10 element yagi. I made one about 28 years ago with High Tensile fence wire for elements and a 2 x 1 inch pine boom, no element corrections needed. i could hear W5UN on CW off the moon.
Without a beam you will not hear much, only vk3ej in Cobram and another couple of really locals vk3bjm and vk3xq on 2 metres.
Listen on 144.150 at 8.30 pm for our net run by VK3MQ.

GL es 73
David

[VK3IH]

This UK ham has LOTS of modern design yagis:

http://www.g0ksc.co.uk/

try the OWL designs with 12.5 ohm (read the matching section bit) this one uses a folded dipole for 50ohm feed:

http://www.g0ksc.co.uk/9el-125ohm-47m.html


Paul