War games

[vk3six]

The only way to play the 6M game and win,
is not to play the game at all.

[VK4ABW]

There is a chap in western EU who is currently building 8 x 11el long boom 6mtr yagi's attached to the end of a 25 tonne crane. He will be using the crane to point/elevate the system and has 1.5kw to drive it with.

Rather humbling don't you think

[VK3OE]

Talent to build a BIG antenna is one thing, it is realy all about radiation angle.

The radiation angle controls the angle of entry into the ionsphere which determines if your signal is trapped or goes straight through. Talent does not have much to do with it at all.

Best results are achieved with 0 degrees or lower radiation angles, preferably with a -0.5 degree or lower horizon.

Checking the radiation angle using NEC for large antennas over a flat ground shows some lowering of the radiation angle when comparing to smaller antennas but the change is marginal. A -0.5 degree horizon is very difficult to achieve with normal amateur resources. A vey high tower (30m or better) is of great assistance in reducing the radiation angle. One would be better placed to increase the height of your tower rather than increasing the gain of the antenna. It is acknowleged that increasing the antenna gain can reduce the noise of the antenna if point noise sources are involved.

The principal reason that TV stations are on hills with big masts is to get coverage, a side benefit is that the radiation angle is at the horizon with subsequent benefits for long haul propagation.

Good DX
VK3OE
PS: we will see who works the most DX in the probable upcoming solar cycle, the low radiation angle antennas or the high gain antennas.

[VK4TS]

Steve,

I would assume the massive array you describe has multiple options of switching patterns to optimise the angle of radiation coming into the QTH....I miss six metres..why did I move to a CH0 area ??

Trent VK4TI

PLease anyone tell me when CH0 Mt Mowbullam is going off air ??

[VK4FP]

Is this the formula ?
Big Talent +Big Antenna +Big Ego = BIG DX

or maybe its
Big Talent +Big Antenna+Big Dx = BIG EGO.
Appears from the recent posts and my observation of 6m ..The later...
Time will tell once Mr Sun gets spotty.

Cheers,
Lloyd VK4FP.
BTW : I have only a small antenna.
Once I res-'erect' my dwindled ego I will get a big one too.

[VK4ABW]

nah Lloyd, as they say in the real estate game......location, location, location.
the formula goes = spend time in front of the radio (that's why those that sit at home all day work more) + angle of radiation + gain.
it has nothing to do with talent as mentioned in the strange subject title

1 day i will retire and join the ego's that sit at home.

now...where are those spots you promised me mate

[VK4FP]

Damm you Gary,
I will have to redo my formula .
'Talent' is NOT one of the principle ingredients.
Now I know why all the old timer Big Guns have worked all the good stuff.
Hope I live long enough to retire and stay at home listening to the radio too..
BTW...
Of course Angle of Radiation I did not incorporate in the formula as its 'a given'..
Low Angle is K (constant).
The rest are variables.

Spots spots...Ask the Big Guns ,they know...
But I promise you they will come.....

Cheers ,
From an ex-ego maniac addict.(that's while there's no spots around)
Lloyd

[VK4ABW]

hoping to retire in 10 years time when in my fifties....maybe (cycle 25 perhaps)....
going to annoy you for another 5 cycles at least

i heard that your the 'big gun' up here now anyway. your single yagi vs my single yagi

[VK4FP]

Your yagi against my yagi
Is this 'a show down'...
Gary...You know ..
I am in remission from an over inflated Ego from my 6m addition many years ago..
Don't tempt me Gary.
The last local ham spat the dummy and went to Tassy to be the Big 7Gun there .
Remember ?
LOL..

As for Ego...
Remember: 'Ego is not a dirty word'
Still trying to work out this Talent thingy post though..
So is it the one with the biggest gun (err Antenna) wins ?
This a bit unfair Gary,you have too many guns over there..
Guess I will have to get some Talent then..

[VK4ABW]

Guess I will have to get some Talent then..

who sells it and how much does it cost

might buy some extras and keep them in the bottom draw

[VK4FP]

Gary ,
I really thought you could work out my formula.
Big Talent +Big Antenna +Big Ego = BIG DX
Just transpose .
Big Dx +Big Antenna+Big Ego = Big Talent.
Sorry about the Big Dx,
might need to wait till next equinox or 2
Then you will have Talent.

[VK4ABW]

your formula makes no sense mate. you can't transpose Big Dx from one side of the equasion to the other.
If you do....then a minus sign is required .

Big Talent + Big Antenna + Big Ego = Big Dx therefore
Big Dx - Big Antenna - Big Ego = Big Talent or
Big Antenna + Big Ego = Big Dx - Big Talent or
Big Ego + Big Talent = Big Dx - Big Antenna

any which way you look at it.....Big Talent is a small factor.
So one could extrapolate from this basic algebra that if you have a big ego and antenna, to work dx (without the Big factor) you don't need big talent.
and you work at a University too.......sheeezus

there could be a hidden factor influencing the big dx named "luck"

i'll buy you a rabbit's foot next time i'm in town.

[VK4FP]

Ah!! you are correct .
Ooops I forgot the (- )
Shame on you Lloyd,and you work at the University..
But..now if each value is zero.
Sorry I forgot to tell you that.. .
Big Talent =0
Big DX=0
Big Ego =0
Big Ant=0
A big Zero anyway.
Besides I can transpose whatever i like Gary,
These are my rules .
See ya later,
Prof Lloyd..

[vk3six]

You forgot one essential part of the formula.

Sunspot number: = 0

And any number multiplied by zero = zero.

boring

[vk3six]

[


How many records 6M will only be held by silent keys before they are broken again.

VK1RX, VK3AKC, VK3ALZ, VK3ZBJ, VK4ZAZ to number but a few amongst the list.
G5KW, G4UPS, GW3MFY, N5JHV, W5FF, N6AMG, XE1GE.

I guess we could call them silent achievers as well a silent keys.
Now that's talent to have records outlive their recipients.

[VK2ZRH]

Remember the 1970's
Not many sunspots
Not much DX.

Oh really ? Perhaps it's a case of nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

Reality check. Jim Forse VK3II (was VK3ZFS) worked KH6 on 6m from Box Hill, Melbourne, in 1957. I've seen the card (drool). VIan VK3ALZ (SK) worked into XE that year. Stacks of VK2s, VK4s and VK5s worked 6m into Asia, North and Central America over Cycle 19 and again over Cycle 20. I've seen the logs (drool, slather). Many countries through Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia did not have the 6m band for their radio amateurs. It was more a matter of available amateurs on 6m.

As for sunspots . . . they were there aplenty.

Solar Cycle 20 - plenty of spots (source: IPS)

So what about the mid-late 1970s? Things improved ! The minimum that led to Cycle 21 even set a few records.

VHF DX in the 1970s (graph source: IPS)

A: Oct 1976. # SSN = 12. 52 MHz, VK3–JA1 Afternoon TEP
B: Nov 1976. # SSN = 12. 144 MHz, YV5ZZ works LU7DJZ Evening TEP (world first)
C+D: Oct 1977. # SSN = 35. 50 MHz VK3–KL7; 144 MHz VK8–JA2 Evening TEP (Aust. first).

Couldn't have been too shabby !

Posted in the interests of perspective.

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK4ABW]

well if we are going to talk about reality and not ego's or talent, then.......

FNQ has a 9el yagi, TL has 2 x 5el yagi, FP has a 5el yagi and CXQ has a 7el yagi. We all heard and worked JA this year and/or last year.
mmmm.....single yagi's in Australia and single yagi's in Japan. and what was the SFI 65 - 68.

yep, we got dx

nice charts Roger but unfortunately i wasn't playing radio back then. I was too busy learning grammar at high school

[vk3six]

Dotting the I's and crossing the Tees or being pedantic Rog?

I WAS referring to the late 69-early 71 cycle 20.

and NOT the 1978-1984 CY 21 when the large events.

I was there Roger if you remember,
I am fully aware of what was worked seeing I worked most of it.
Dont remember ever seeing your callsign in the state of affairs.
And you guys in Sydney always seem to make a point after the event like with the Antarctic achievements.

Producing some long lost beacon recording that no one had ever heard before.

crass.

[vk3six]

Enjoy 6M.

[VK4GHZ]

I think we all need to lighten up.

We all have different expectations, and goals, as with anything in life.
If enjoying our favorite band becomes a pissing competition, then the enjoyment and magic has clearly evaporated, and an obvious sign to move on.

E51 anyone this summer, via Es?
I'm looking forward to the opportunity.