Spring 2004 Issue

With declining sunspot numbers,
DX on 6 meters is becoming more rare. Add to that the fact that Europe is always difficult to work from the Northwest. Read how W7GJ has solved these problems by way of the Moon.


By Lance Collister,* W7GJ

Photo A. W7GJ EME antennas on AZ/EL mounts (left to right): 16 ¥ 17 elements for 2 meters at a height of 27 feet, 11 elements for 6 meters at a height of 70 feet, and 4 ¥ 9 elements for 6 meters at a height of 32 feet. (All photos courtesy the author)

What do you do on 6 meters during the solar cycle minimum when conditions in most places around the world are like they always are in western Montana? Don’t put away the 6-meter equipment for ten years. Make long-path contacts instead. I mean really long-path contacts, such as 800,000 km! Many 6-meter operators assume that they don’t have a station that is capable of EME (Earth-Moon-Earth communications, or moonbounce) and therefore never consider trying it. Many who are willing to try it, however, are surprised to learn that they actually do have the capability of sending signals to the moon and back. Working real long path on 50 MHz is now very possible, bringing unquestionable magic back to the “Magic Band”!
In the three decades since the first 50-MHz amateur moonbounce contact by W5SXD and K5WVX in 1972, the playing field has changed dramatically. An option previously open only to very few of the world’s largest stations, moonbounce contacts are now within reach of most well-equipped 6-meter stations. Until recently, an accomplishment such as making an EME contact on 6 meters was about an “S unit” or two beyond the reach of most stations. When it comes to something such as 6-meter moonbounce, where signals are just on the threshold of detectability, 5 to 10 dB is a huge amount. However, several very significant developments have combined to make this out-of-this-world type of 6-meter propagation practical today. Among these are the following:
Antennas. Computer-optimized antennas have significantly improved both receive and transmit capabilities. The difference between the old, ubiquitous 5-element beam of 30 years ago and the computer-optimized, long-boom 5-element Yagi of today is not only substantial but also noticeable even during non-EME contacts! Also, for those who are not inclined to homebrew antennas, there are now some manufacturers of very high-performance computer-optimized 6-meter antennas.

Equipment. Recent developments in equipment have incorporated 6 meters into many new HF transceivers, and the band is also included in a growing number of new HF amplifiers. Inexpensive power tubes from Russia (see the article “Russian Power Tubes in Amateur Radio,” parts one and two, by Paul Goble, ND2X, in the Fall 2003 and Winter 2004 issues of CQ VHF—ed.) have made it very easy to develop a “legal limit” type of power output on 6 meters, and new inexpensive transistors provide excellent performance from very affordable receiver preamplifiers. The ready availability of such equipment has made it very easy to assemble a first-class 6-meter station using “off-the-shelf” equipment.
 

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