2Meter AM

[Opcom]

What is the customary polarization for different modes on 2M and 6M?

[K5WLF]

Many moons ago, horizontal was the default for 6M AM. Don't know what it is now. On 2M, vertical for FM and horizontal for SSB seems to be the usual. Don't know what folks are doing with AM and/or CW.

73,
ldb
K5WLF

[ke7trp]

I just got a WRL Globe 6 and 2 hibander.  I need to find a VFO that will work with it. Anyone have any ideas? 

Where do you guys order Xtals? I would like to order some popular freqs for it.  I have a Cushcraft up and cant wait to join the 2 meter AM net.

C

[Pete, WA2CWA]

What is the customary polarization for different modes on 2M and 6M?

Horizontal polarization is what you need for need for most SSB, AM, and CW contacts on 6 meters. Most FM stations still use vertical polarization. On 2 meters, it depends what you want to do. If you got several local guys all wanting to get on 2 meter AM, and they're not hundred's of miles away, vertical polarization is probably fine. If you want to really reach out, horizontal polarization is the way to go.

[K5WLF]

If you want to really reach out, horizontal polarization is the way to go.

Just for clarification, Pete. On 2M is that for some technical reason I haven't heard of, or simply because of common usage?

TNX & 73,
ldb
K5WLF

[W4EWH]

The AM calling frequencies vary a bit around the country but most are in the 144.4 to 144.5 range. Ive heard of some at 144.3 but that in the beacon band.

[snip]
How about building something for 6M? Thats an easy double hop on Eskip, The Zeus has done that many times there. The calling freq is 50.4

It always bugged me that 145.8 didn't remain the calling frequency for two meters. I think the band plan designers goofed on that: most 2M AM rigs are rockbound, and changing to the 144.4 range meant having to buy new crystals after many crystal manufacturers have gone out of business.

My 2 cents.

W1AC

[Opcom]

used laboratory-grade signal generators might do as VFOs. It is what I often use when fiddling with transmitters. I don't know if they are as stable as necessary but they are of high quality.

[KM1H]

Stacked MSquared halos are popular on 2M or whatever name they call them, Big Wheels??

I dont see all that much difference between polarizations, Ive worked stations using a mag mount on their refrigerator 50-60 miles away as well as long wires, open wire fed dipoles and all sorts of other HF antennas used on 6 & 2M. The antennas and location here do give me an edge.

Single or stacked turnstiles will give circular polarization so its a useable compromise that works with either vertical or horizontal at the other end.

Carl
KM1H

[WU2D]

One of the hams at work brought in a picture of his dad in the mid 1950's doing a VHF/UHF contest on top of Mt. Monadnock here in NH. He said that his dad pioneered the use of horizontal polarization for VHF DX here in new England and he wrote an article about it.

I think AM has always been horizontal on 2M. I know we used horizontal when I was a kid using my Heath Twoer in a civil defense net. I will ask him more about this tomorrow.

Mike WU2D

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I think AM has always been horizontal on 2M. I know we used horizontal when I was a kid using my Heath Twoer in a civil defense net. I will ask him more about this tomorrow.

Mike WU2D

Yet many of the 2 meter Gonset Communicator I and II advertising displayed the rig with a 19 inch whip screwed into the SO-239.

[KM1H]

One of the hams at work brought in a picture of his dad in the mid 1950's doing a VHF/UHF contest on top of Mt. Monadnock here in NH. He said that his dad pioneered the use of horizontal polarization for VHF DX here in new England and he wrote an article about it.

Mike WU2D

And who was that?

Carl

[WU2D]

Hi Carl,

The ham was W1YQI Bill Keyes who lived on Marblehead, Mass. This is from the April 2009 QRZ News:

You may wonder why VHF DXing is almost
exclusively on horizontal polarization.
Horizontal polarization produces a
significant forward scatter enhancement at
the horizon. When I started in Amateur
radio in Connecticut, there was an intense
debate between advocates of horizontal vs.
vertical polarization. I was attending
Northeastern University in Boston at the
time. Connecticut was firmly horizontal
polarization on 2m and Boston was firmly
vertical. Novices were allowed 2m phone
privileges and the NU club station, W1KBN,
had a converted SCR522 which I operated
during many lunch hours.
That is how I met Bill Keyes, W1YQI, in
Marblehead, MA who was advocating a
change to horizontal polarization. The result
was a nightly schedule from Salem, CT to
Marblehead, MA whenever I was at home. I
could always hear his 200w and he usually
heard my 15w. Gradually the tide turned
and horizontal polarization is now the
standard for VHF/UHF DXing.
Well that was a rather long diversion from
the topic of getting ready for the coming 6m
Es season. When the ionization is very
strong signals are huge. An old TV rotator
should easily handle a one to three element
6m beam. M2 and others make horizontal
loop antennas if you don’t want to deal with
a rotator. You may need your old TV
rotator for digital TV after June 12th.
73, George W3FEY

See the attachment on an early NH VHF Contest effort at the end of the newsletter.January VHF Contest circa 1954, W1UIZ/1 Mt. Pack Monadnock, Jaffrey, NH.

Mike WU2D

[KM1H]

Hi Carl,

The ham was W1YQI Bill Keyes who lived on Marblehead, Mass. This is from the April 2009 QRZ News:

I dont recognize the name or call but I didnt move to the area until 63.

I did a few stints at Wayne Greens place on Mt Monadnock and also with the W1MHL group on the Pack.

Carl

[AJ1G]

Mike -  enjoyed the pix of the BC-625.  Brought back memories of the one  I used in my WN2ZPS novice days.  I used a slot car power supply for the 12V DC and a bread boarded HV supply for the 300V.  Ancient WW 1 vintage carbon mic that I got from my granddad.  Worked down to Ft. Monmouth from West Nyack NY one time with it.

I currently have a complete 522 in the case here along with 12V and 24 V dynos that need to be put on  the air sometime.

Where did you get your crystal for 145.45 from?

[WU2D]

I had some surplus crystals in the military holders in the low 8 MHz range and wet sanded a couple on 600 paper and stuck them in FT-243 holders. Took about an hour to get 144.400 and 144.450.

Mike

[W4EWH]

I had some surplus crystals in the military holders in the low 8 MHz range and wet sanded a couple on 600 paper and stuck them in FT-243 holders. Took about an hour to get 144.400 and 144.450.

Yes, but that's just one part: the transmitters and receiver might need retuning, the beams would need to be re-matched, and sometimes recut. It's the kind of change that I think we'll look back on years from now and wonder why it happened.

I'm getting old-fogeyitis lately. I guess I'll just have to adapt. Sigh.

73,

Bill W1AC

[wx3k]

I checked my logbook and found that I used 145.50 as an AM frequency back then. I had a Benton Harbor Lunchbox and an 8 element beam. We even did a little A4 for a number of months. Using those old rotating drum fax machines with the metal stylii and silver fax paper was so much fun !   Breathing in that fax paper smoke was probably a hazard.  

[KM1H]

The few years I used xtals I had a couple for the low end, including CW, and a few for working Techs and Novices above 145 that wouldnt bother listening down. It wasnt long before I built a hetrodyne VFO and got rid of that "old junk"

Carl
KM1H

[Opcom]

Lots of good info. I think a H beam would work best for my purposes, and also ought to place a discone up there too, maybe on an outrigger.

[WU2D]

They are no longer legal, but I was always fascinated by those simple two and three tube XCVRs from some of the Editors and Engineers Handbooks of the late 30's. These circuits used a single triode that doubled as a super-regen receiver or a free running modulated oscillator and the audio section also doubled up as a modulator and RX audio chain. They typically would use a pair of 76's and a 47 or a pair of 6J5's and a 6V6. They worked OK on 5M and up to 2M with these tubes. These modulated oscillator circuits continued tongue-in-cheek through the 40's and 50's but running an oscillator at VHF on the 6 and 2M bands is no longer legal. Here is a late if somewhat complex example of the theme:

http://books.google.com/books?id=390DAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA231&lpg=RA1-PA231&dq=super+regenerative+6C4&source=bl&ots=VRWVv0vewr&sig=jSZNgsE2qxsRPr7G8sn3PgjrgOU&hl=en&ei=hfGdS-nOFIH98AbE-cy7Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CBYQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=super%20regenerative%206C4&f=false

[ke7trp]

A local ham gave me an RME vfh 152.  It hooked it up to the SX28 today for fun. To my total suprise, This thing works FB!  Its output is on 7mhz. I put the 28 on 7, Keyed up the Yaesu 2 meter rig, Tuned the vfo and there I was!  What a neat unit!

It covers 2, 6 and 10.  I got a Globe 6 and 2.  I am going to put shelves in the bud case, then put the RME 45, VHF152 and Globe transmitter all in the case with casters.  I already have a nice 2 meter antenna. But I will add a 6 meter dipole also.

I cant wait to get on the 2 meter AM net!

C

[ke7trp]

2 meter station now operational!    I got a Globe Hi-bander off fleabay. It needed alot of work. Its now running 25 watts of AM. Sounds great with the D104.  Made one contact so far. Waiting for the net to start on 144.450 AM about 7:30. 

I got the Xtal I needed from AF4k Bryan. Its close enough.. About 1 KC off.  Not bad for an 18 times over Xtal!

C

[ke7trp]

I was reading the counter wrong..  I am off 10 kc.  Can someone help me?  I need info on raising the Freq of an xtal with a capacitor. I searched around and cant find much info...

Thanks!

Clark

[KM1H]

Read up on crystal grinding, its not that hard. You can use a cap for the final kc or so.

Carl

[ke7trp]

I thnk I might have figured out the issue. The Globe uses a 50PF cap.  The Xtal expects 20. 

C