Recmendations - 6 meter rigs?

[Ed/KB1HYS]

It might be time to increase the heard. I'd like to pick up a 6-meter rig. Not sure which, so I figured I'd ask the question here and start the usual round of arguments! 

Clegg?  Gonset?  others?

[WQ9E]

Ed,

The Gonset G-50 and Clegg Zeus/Interceptor pair are two that I have and like.  Lafayette made some nice looking smaller units.  The Gonset G-76 also covers 6 meters (but crystal or external VFO needed for 6 meter transmit).  The Johnson 6N2 makes a nice match if you have a Valiant; it will also work with the Ranger at reduced power or with the Viking 1/2 series with transmitter modifications.

Lots of choices!

[ka3zlr]

The one I like:

The Icom IC-551D Most Excellent radio. at least the one I got is..

73

[Superhet66]

I'm thinking the same thing Ed, What I have is weak & wide (dirty) on 6m and conditions are nice here.
Any thoughts / experience with the Late 70's, 6m YAESU FT-620B, AM,SSB,CW xcvr ?
One for sale local @ about $125. I don't know what it uses for finals (sweeps?)
        
                                                                    DJ.
                                                                    KC2YOI
 

[WQ9E]

The FT-620B is all solid state.  I have the slightly later FT-625/225RD pair which work well but don't have as nice a vintage look as the FT-620B.  However, I am using them with a vintage Thunderbolt 6N2 amp 

[David, K3TUE]

I hear Drake TR-6 .

[KM1H]

I had a TR-6 and a IC-551D. The Drake has a deaf receiver and the Icom is the worse phase noise generator ever built. The Drakes are also premium priced these days due to collectors. The Heath SB-110 or 110A can be made into a decent SSB rig.  The Gonset G-50 can be reworked to do a good job on AM and they are cheap and the Elmac AF-68 TX shows up often

For CW/SSB I use a TS-830 into a Hallicrafters HA-6 with front end mods. That drived the modified NCL-2000 to 1200W. Fantastic for weak signal work due to almost zero phase noise from the 830.  For AM its a Zeus and Interceptor B. Before that I used a TS-940 for all modes and got almost 350W AM carrier out of the amp with no distortion, its phase noise limited weak signal work. The HA-6 will run about 15-20W on AM which can tickle a 4-400A or two to full power.

Carl
KM1H

[W1AEX]

Ed,

I've used a Clegg 99'er and loved it. Also had a Clegg 66'er and loved that. But for all around functionality, the Lafayette HA-460 was my favorite with its built-in separate transmit and receive VFO's. It has no squelch, but it's really easy to homebrew one for it. Lots of nice looking chrome on that radio!

[ka3zlr]

 ..I bought the 551D for sideband not Am lol......


Ah well next subject.

[W2WDX]

Clegg Zeus no doubt, for AM. High level plate modulation (two 811's modulating a 4x150). 100w+ carrier and good sounding modulation.

Hey ... and you get 2 meters in the deal as well!

John

[ka3zlr]

Well, what ever turns ya on get it done    but I'm not Hearen much AM on 6 or 10 for that matter...but then again it could be passing me by DX is a frugal thing..

73

Jack.

[W2WDX]

It fades away during solar minimums. Now the the cycle has begun I am sure it will get fast and furious ... well maybe not furious.

I'm hedging my bets ....

[Pete, WA2CWA]

It fades away during solar minimums. Now the the cycle has begun I am sure it will get fast and furious ... well maybe not furious.

I'm hedging my bets ....

Solar minimums have little to do with typical 6 meter sporadic E and multi-hop E. 6 meters has been hot and heavy with signals almost daily recently. Band is open right now coast to coast and east coast to Mexico. Late this afternoon, it was open from East coast to the Caribbean and this morning to Europe. In Europe as it type, their time 11 PM or later, the band is open all over Europe and parts of Asia. This is a great time for 6 meter activity whether you're running a Clegg Spus or a QRP Ten-Tec.

Over the years, I've had three TR-6's. All of them were terrible on receive. One sleeper 6 meter rig is the multi-mode Kenwood TS-600. Its lacks the fuzz and dazzle of today's 6 meter rigs but it has a great receiver and a variable power output for easy RF drive control for an external amp.

[W2WDX]

Who said anything about sporadic E or SSB DX? We were talking about 6m AM.

And sunspot cycles do effect 6m, especially if the MUF is high enough. During solar minimums you're left with only intermittent Sporadic E in summer months. Yawn.

[KM1H]

There sure werent any sunspots last season when I worked Japan. Now with several JA stations having the OK to run QRO we are finding this is a yearly occurance at the summer solstice with several theories of how its happening.

My own theory is multi hop E to the Pacific and then a frequency sensitive duct to JA. When it happens its only on 6M, 10 is dead. Probably open to other parts of coastal Asia but no activity.

Carl

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Who said anything about sporadic E or SSB DX? We were talking about 6m AM.

And sunspot cycles do effect 6m, especially if the MUF is high enough. During solar minimums you're left with only intermittent Sporadic E in summer months. Yawn.

Actually, the original poster made no mention of 6m AM other then looking for a 6 meter rig. Maybe you're reading some other thread. And, if you really read my post, I said, "Solar minimums have little to do with typical 6 meter sporadic E and multi-hop E". Obviously, if you've been on 6 meters as long as I have, I'm sure you have participated, as I have, in several 11 year sunspot cycles as the F2 layer becomes energized for common world-wide 6 meter contacts. As Carl has pointed out, you don't need sunspots to work great distances on 6 meters. However, patience is sometimes mandatory, some dedication to 6 meter band monitoring, some internet monitoring of the VHF DX spotting, and having a decent rig with good power and a beam can help a great deal.

As far as AM operation, over within the last hour on 6 meters, using my Clegg Thor, I've worked 6 AM stations, 2 in AZ, 1 in CA, 2 in WA, and 1 in OR on or about 50.25 Mhz. 6 meters is still open coast to coast but now it looks like most of the activity is moving further west from the East Coast.

Sporadic E can also appear during the early months of winter. Auroral type propagation also makes an appearance during the late winter and early spring and, of course, there's always fun trying to make scatter contacts. There is no reason to believe 6 meters is always dead because there aren't any sunspots.  

[KM1H]

If you want to be creative pick up a tube CB set. Add a better receive RF amp and a linear so you can be heard. 6M was wild this weekend, even on AM.

Carl

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Actually, the original poster made no mention of 6m AM other then looking for a 6 meter rig. Maybe you're reading some other thread. And, if you really read my post, I said, "Solar minimums have little to do with typical 6 meter sporadic E and multi-hop E". Obviously, if you've been on 6 meters as long as I have, I'm sure you have participated, as I have, in several 11 year sunspot cycles as the F2 layer becomes energized for common world-wide 6 meter contacts. As Carl has pointed out, you don't need sunspots to work great distances on 6 meters. However, patience is sometimes mandatory, some dedication to 6 meter band monitoring, some internet monitoring of the VHF DX spotting, and having a decent rig with good power and a beam can help a great deal.

As far as AM operation, over within the last hour on 6 meters, using my Clegg Thor, I've worked 6 AM stations, 2 in AZ, 1 in CA, 2 in WA, and 1 in OR on or about 50.25 Mhz. 6 meters is still open coast to coast but now it looks like most of the activity is moving further west from the East Coast.

My bad,  Though I though posting a request on a board dedicated to the AM mode might have implied an interest. 

Actually a lot of good information here.  I have heard from a couple guys I work with who work 6 and 2 meters (not AM though) that 6 meters is a lot like 20. It's open to somewhere, just not always where you might want!   

for the record, an AM, CW, and SSB capable rig would be FB.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

My bad,  Though I though posting a request on a board dedicated to the AM mode might have implied an interest. 

Actually a lot of good information here.  I have heard from a couple guys I work with who work 6 and 2 meters (not AM though) that 6 meters is a lot like 20. It's open to somewhere, just not always where you might want!   

for the record, an AM, CW, and SSB capable rig would be FB.

As a first 6 meter rig, a multi-mode rig is the way to go. It's the only way to really get a feel for the band and the various types of propagation that roll in and out. As a second rig, a vintage AM rig will let you play the "good old days". Get a rotatable beam up too. At 22:49 UTC today, there was a contact between JA4DLP and KZ4RR (FL) on 50.118. That's about 12,000 miles on multi-hop E. Who needs sunspots!

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Ah another good thing about 6m  beam antennas are relatively small and don't need insane heights for good performance.

[KB3RRX]

Love the Gonset For those who haven't seen one check out my avatar

Wayne KB3RRX

[KB1IAW]

The Gonset Communicator is a nice little low power (6 or 8 watt) AM transceiver. I have the matching amp shown in the photo and a Multi-Elmac AF-68 which I also enjoy operating on 6.

[W9GT]

The Gonset G-50 is a great rig for 6 M AM.  Unfortunately, we don't seem to hear much AM activity anymore on 6.  Most of the newer all-mode transceivers now have 6M included.  My FT-2000 works great on 6M and includes AM, as well.  The IC-551D referenced by others is a great little rig that still shows-up frequently on eBay, etc for pretty good prices.  I sure enjoyed the one that I had, but recently replaced it.  

By the way.  It is really easy to construct a 6 M beam.  Lots of good info in the old handbooks.  Antennas are so expensive these days, it really makes sense to build your own.  You can even purchase the aluminum tubing and U bolts, etc at the local hardware or big-box store.  Even paying inflated prices for the materials, you can build your own cheaper than the manufactured antennas.  Prices may be high because of product liability costs, as well as ever increasing cost of aluminum tubing, but it seems that VHF antennas are especially high-priced for what you get.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

The better tube sets are covered Ed. My recommendation would also be for the Clegg Zeus/Interceptor combination. Strictly AM/CW of course. Good, solid construction, easy to service yourself, and a strapping AM signal without the aid of an amp. Plate modulated too, pair of 811s. Ball-buster of a power supply/modulator deck, but it's not something you need to move around a lot.

If you do want the flexibility of SSB, the Clegg Venus is a fine bet. Paired up with the SS Booster compressor and Apollo Six amp and away you go. Those Eddystone dials are just like buttah!

The TR-6 is a decent rig too, though as Carl and Pete mentioned, they tend to be a bit numb. There's a fix for this that involves installing some newer FETs in the front end that really helps a lot. But IIRC, like the TR-4, it only uses one sideband for AM. And the price vs utility ratio is similar to some of the Collins rigs.

I think Pete's suggestion for a multi-mode rig with SSB for starting out is a good one. In all my time in VT, the only contacts I was able to make on 6 were with the Venus, on SSB. There's just not a lot of activity up that way, and openings always seemed to happen when I was away. If you're closer to the Boston area, there use to be a group of AMers active there either on weekends or Tuesdays - can't remember which. Was a decade ago, so who knows now?

[Opcom]

I like the HW-10 for appearance and simple tuning, but it could use an afterburner..