50 mhz and beyooooond........

[wabsnazsm]

I'm going to be going for my licence in October '15 and I'm looking forward to it. I've been good and haven't broadcast where and when I shouldn't but I have been trying to listen in on the 6 metre band. Nothing......the occasional hiss......a blurp or two and some Arabic music. Other than that lot, there's nothing. Is it a completely dead space or am I just doing it wrong? I have an olde worlde Palstar kh-6 but I'm getting little worth even switching on for.

[owza]

6m tends to be dead then lively.

Sign-up here http://www.dxmaps.com/spots/warnings.php?Lan=E&Fun=A

You should get E-mails like this...

Possible Sporadic-E from IO83 on 6m. Try towards JN69 (109 degrees)
Sporadic-E opening on 6m. Best estimated MUF 80 MHz above JO21

"TEP opening on 50 MHz"

"Multihop sporadic-E opening on 50 MHz"

"F2 opening on 50 MHz"

etc

This is time sensitive information, get on the radio ASAP. Point your beam if you can (109 degrees in the 1st case),
I have had luck with just a longwire.

Tune around the DX window 50.1-50.125 USB

There might be 'some' activity on FM, 51.510 MHz is the FM calling frequency.

GL

[normal]

That is an FM-only radio. While the 50MHz band is often completely empty unless that are a couple of people near you having a weekend chat, there are also many days where there is activity on USB but nothing on FM. In my experience you miss 98% of the activity with an FM only radio.

A six inch long antenna on a small handheld is far too small to work well, basically useless unless you are in a place with a strong signal from a repeater or your mate with a 6m rig and a rooftop antenna lives a couple of miles away.

In towns it is very common to have a high noise level right across the band. S1 noise with a five foot antenna and you will hear lots of SSB DX on active days, S9 noise across the band and you hear nothing.

[2SG]

the 6 metre band. Nothing......the occasional hiss......a blurp or two

Six meters can be like that, and in fact IS like that for most of the year. During the summer months there can be some Sporadic E (Sp E) propagation, mostly around Europe and occasionaly further afield. It is known as "The Magic Band", as it can open suddenly without much warning, but can close just as quickly, sometimes in the course of an over. The best indicator of a forthcoming opening can be the reception of CW beacons so that would be a good starting point, and a Google search for 6m Beacons will show you all the frequencies to listen on. A decent antenna is very important. A dipole will work to a certain extent, but in reality, a 3 element yagi is probably the minimum you should aim for. The good news is that a 3 element for 6m is quite small.

Also, keep a close eye on the DX cluster for activity, as when it opens the 6m guys are very good at spotting the openings. Look for someone in your area (Locator square), and if you see them spotting an opening, then you might also hear something. But be aware that openings can be very localised. If you are in southern England, you will not hear the same openings as someone in Scotland, and vice-versa. You might not even hear the same openings as someone a few dozen miles away!

The futher north you are, generally the less you will hear, with the exception perhaps of Auroral (Au or AuE) openings. Again, the cluster or one of the space weather sites will give you the heads up on potential activity.
F2 propagation generally occurs during the winter months at solar maximum, which we have now passed, and there was very little F2 prop noted in the UK during cycle 24. There are other propagation modes prevalent on 6m, but those are the main ones you are likely to encounter.

Don't be discouraged. 6m can be great fun when it opens and good results can be achieved with simple equipment and low power, but patience is the absolute requirement for this band. Oh, and a love of listening to white noise.

[wabsnazsm]

White noise is becoming a close pal! I could happily nod off to it. I'm planning on getting better equipment as and when finances dictate but right now, I'm gritting my teeth and willing voices to come out of this device. Thank you for the responses.. I'm all the more determined to stick with it.

[M0KRL]

Try and get hold of an old Yaesu FT-690 Multimode. only about 3watt output but when the condition lift it will get you on the air. 6 metre is more about the right place at the right time and the conditions can change very quickly. It has always been my favorite band as it is for many operators simply because of its unpredictable nature. Stick at it and good luck with the licence exam. Karl

[Samalex]

6m is a great band even from north uk lol i am in central scotland and worked plenty dx over the last few years.

fm is not the best mode to use
ssb cw and digi modes you will work stuff all year round. just have to know what to look for and where to listen.

http://www.uksmg.org/landing.php
http://www.uksmg.org/beacons/maps/beacon-maps.php
http://dk7zb.darc.de/6m/details.htm
http://www.aurora-service.eu/aurora-forecast/
http://services.swpc.noaa.gov/images/au ... sphere.png
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
http://flux.phys.uit.no/cgi-bin/config. ... ove+config+

some links to start you with

[wabsnazsm]

That's great stuff. Thank you for the links!