The AM Forum

A shock!!  A carrier on 50.400 Mc! Watt is happening here?

klc

6M is open from the East Coast to the central states as I type, so a carrier may not be that unusual except for the mentioned frequency.  :D  What's next in the weird world of amateur radio  ???

A good candidate for grid-cathode (or plate) modulation.

Link 250-UFS low band VHF base station. 250W FM with a 250TH.

poor old thing needs work.

On 6 meters, for the most part, no one cares if you're running grid, cathode, or plate modulation. The main mode is SSB, probably followed by CW, digital, FM (repeaters for the most part), and AM.

I was fortunate to make just a few contacts on 6 meters this summer with my Lettine and Communicator IV; but overall, I was very disappointed with the lack of AM activity.

I call CQ 2 or 3 nights a week on 50.4 till I'm blue in the face!!!

I'll get a response someday.

Hey, it could happen!

It seems that one must set up a sked to work much 6m AM..... Here in Sorrycuse, there is a 6m repeater net that goes simplex after the 'net'. But its usually on 50.137 SSB and sometimes on 50.400 AM.

There was a nice 5 evening a week evening net in Albany  (50.4Mc) in the last century. I don't know if its still operating.


klc

This past year we didn't get a lot of great 6 meter openings. Some lasted for hours and some only for minutes. As such, one has to be around to catch an opening which generally means some sort of consistent monitoring. There were times when even on SSB  here in the metro NY/Philly area, it was sometimes difficult to raise anyone by calling CQ. There were a few times when my frustration was high, I would call CQ on 50.125 on lower sideband just to see if anyone was really monitoring. Almost every time, depending on where the beam was pointed, I would get a response that I was on the wrong sideband. At least I knew I was radiating.  :D 6 meters requires a lot of patience and probably even more so when operating in the AM mode. If you really want to look into a black hole, call CQ on AM on 2 meters. What's even more frustrating is, besides all the ancient 6 meter rigs still out there, almost all of the current rigs on the market have 6 meters and the AM mode. Antennas are relatively simple to construct and even old TV antennas can be loaded up.

What time and day of the week is that? I'm thinking Tuesday at 7? Or is it a different net? I might be able to hear some of that.

K,

Tuesday at 7PM , 53.67 Mc KD2SL, Syracuse and 53.05 Mc K2INH Auburn.   Depending, 50.137 SSB or 50.4 AM.

Be there or be squalo.

klc

Missed it last night, got stuck at work. Tried to listen with the sdr remotely, but it was on a magnetic loop antenna and deaf on 6 meters. But it gives me a place to start looking. Does it cycle between ssb and am by week, or does it go randomly?

K,

Itseems to be random..... for me simplex is sparce due to my QTQ on the reverse ide of things and the lack of a beam....


Klc