6m AM

[W9PSK]

Contemporary?!?!  Man, that's one of the things I LOVE about ham radio.  At 45 years of age, some of you guys make me feel like a wet behind the ears spring chicken!  Hehehehehe! 

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I've got a couple of those industrial grade steel tables, I think I've posted on here before that I got them at a state surplus outlet in my home state for a whopping $25-$35 each a few years back. The one holding the Clegg stations has a Formica top while the other has the old gray rubber-linoleum. It has an equally age appropriate chair keeping it company.

They make excellent operating positions and the drawer is great for keeping odds 'n ends in like fuses and barrel connectors.

Nice Clegg station Todd.  Id get that PS/modulator off the flor though.

TNX, Carl. I figured you'd appreciate it being a Clegg user and also from the era when they were state-of-the-art. You're dead-on with the advice to get the PS/mod deck elevated. When that photo was taken, the T-368 was next to it but that has since moved and there's a small table in its place. Unfortunately, it filled up instantly with receivers and other bits. But once things get sorted, the deck will sit up there. It makes plenty of light when on. I fire it up once or twice a month for a half hour or so just to keep things dried out. There's a crew just north of me in VA operating 6m AM from time to time, hopefully I'll come up with an aerial capable of making the trip.

Should've kept that 617-6B....

[Opcom]

What happens to the power unit on the concrete floor? Is that a basement? I see a stain. Keeping that sort of thing off the carpet I can understand.

[KM1H]

I guess they dont get moisture or water in basements in Texas. Maybe they dont even have basements

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I live in Jersey and don't have water or moisture in either of my basements.

[KM1H]

Should've kept that 617-6B....

That was a good antenna in its day Todd and is how mine started out before modeling it with YO; it was a second hand original Deerfield purchase sometime in the 80's. Add 2 more elements, stretch the boom 6" by a bit less overlap on each section and modify the T match a little.
My problem is local noise which makes it hard to dig out the weak ones from Europe due to the welding often going on at the farm a 1/2 mile down the road to the West.

End result was 2dB more gain, and a fantastic 38 to 42dB F/R over the lower 400KHz. Even turning towards the farm and various powerline noise in the area I can usually null it enough to pull in the weak ones. Its only at 60'.

Ive built a 2nd one and that will be going to about 195'. I had the original unmodified one there for 2 seasons (the tower was 20' lower then) and it was hearing/working things that a Hi Gain 66DX at 60' didnt even know was there and to EU it was equal to and much quieter than a 16el Cushcraft collinear (30' tall and from 60-90') fixed to EU on the 100' tower. Actually the bedspring was often better since the EL and AZ patterns were so broad it followed the E openings better but it was noisy.  Im getting close to 170 DXCC on the band and they are getting harder.

[KX5JT]

What the heck is a "basement"?

[w1vtp]

I live in Jersey and don't have water or moisture in either of my basements.

Lay down a piece of clear poly on the concrete floor and hold it down on the edges with with some 2 by's.  If you see any kind of moisture forming on the bottom side of the poly, I'd want to follow Carl's advise.

The problem is that by the time the bottom of a PS shows any rust (like, who is gong to check these kind of things with a heavy PS) it's almost too late

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I live in Jersey and don't have water or moisture in either of my basements.

Lay down a piece of clear poly on the concrete floor and hold it down on the edges with with some 2 by's.  If you see any kind of moisture forming on the bottom side of the poly, I'd want to follow Carl's advise.

The problem is that by the time the bottom of a PS shows any rust (like, who is gong to check these kind of things with a heavy PS) it's almost too late

Yes, I do know how to check for moisture and in my basements, I have none. My Zeus, power supply/modulator (both of them) have been sitting on the basement floor since the early 90's. The last time I had the power supply on  the bench (probably about 5 years ago) there was no rust on the bottom plate or anywhere else. However, on both power supplies, years ago I installed larger feet then what was originally there.
They look similar to this. Don't remember where I got them.

[W2VW]

Looks like a bicycle brake pad.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

It does look like a bike brake pad. Double width.

We have humidity issues here far more than the 'basement' type moisture more prevalent up north.

My biggest issue with the PS/mod deck being on the floor, aside from not being able to see those lovely 811s glowing away, is the damned spiders and other bugs getting into it. Cobwebs become an issue too. And yes - depending on the yearly climate, rust could indeed become a problem through humidity and lack of air circulation.

Fortunately the ventilation holes and cabinet gaps aren't large enough to let the ginks inside, like the one that used the 75A-4 as hangout.

But anyway - yes - more 6m AM would be great stuff. As we discovered below 75m and the low end of 40m, activity draws more activity. 6m would certainly be a more local issue.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Get those Cleggs fired up. 6 is open again today (up and down the East Coast). I just worked several stations in North and South Carolina with good signals. But again, no AM stations heard.

[ve3cmm]

I use my Yaesu FT–857D on 6m sideband and AM. I've gotten on 50.4 MHz a couple of times, called CQ and gotten a response. Always a good idea to call because you never know who's listening!

I just picked up an Ameco TX-62 at a recent hamfest and I'm looking forward to putting it on the air along with a National NC–270 receiver. The receiver is sensitive enough, I think but not very good on sideband! It should be fine for AM however.

[ve3cmm]

I work 6m on my Yaesu FT-857D.  100w on SSB, 25 on AM.  I only have a regular off-center-fed dipole, but the radio loads well into it without using a tuner.  I generally call CQ on 50.4 AM to see if anyone is around.  I am surprised how often there is someone there! 

[Opcom]

I guess they dont get moisture or water in basements in Texas. Maybe they dont even have basements

Very few basements in Texas. The ground composition makes them a major expense. Small cellars and fallout shelters are not much of a problem structurally but basements are.

[Opcom]

What the heck is a "basement"?

It's a big hole under the house with cracks in the floor and walls that pretends to be a useful space. Over time, the home owner is obliged to fill it with money but, like a boat or a race car, the money vanishes and it never fills up. Unlike a boat or a race car, the basement does eventually fill up, but with Radon.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I'm lucky with my house. It has two basements. They are separated by a cinder block wall. The second one is several feet lower then the 1st or main basement. During our 100 degree plus heat wave last week, the temperature in the lower basement never rose above 66 degrees. During the coldest of winters, the temps in there never seem to go below 58 degrees.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Not that it has a lot to do with 6M AM unless your station happens to be there, but I miss my basement. It was always cool down there. This place has only a crawl space which is next to useless. A nice, finished basement properly sealed and insulated would be an excellent place to keep the 6m or other stations, since moisture wouldn't be an issue. It would be a bit safer there too, should a tornado wander through the area.

[KM1H]

The basement of the old part of the house was built on solid rock in the 1860's with only about half having a concrete floor. Thats where I have the furnace and water tanks for both wells...out of the way.
For the larger addition I built in 1989 the basement hole had to be drilled and blasted out. This results in a nice heat sink which stays comfortable in the summer and needs minimal heating in the winter. However the concrete walls and floors absorb summer humidity and show some damp spots on the floor (the walls are studded and insulated and most of the floor is raised on PT 2X4's laid horizontal over plastic and 3/4"  T&G plywood)  requiring a dehumidifier at times. Ive never had moisture showing on any of the gear however but a steel paint can on the exposed concrete will rust fairly quick.