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Re: [VHFcontesting] Newbie on 6

To: "vhfcontesting@contesting.com" <VHFcontesting@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Newbie on 6
From: Keith Morehouse <w9rm@calmesapartners.com>
Date: Thu, 5 May 2016 09:53:06 -0600
List-post: <vhfcontesting@contesting.com">mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Welcome to 6M Dwight.  You live in a fairly rare grid so you will be in
demand.

People don't really do JT65 on 6 the way you are familiar with on HF.
JT65(A) is used for EME, of course, but also for very weak signal operation
anywhere in the band you would find SSB.  There is no fixed frequency like
on HF (at least that anybody pays attention to). As far as power is
concerned, run what 'ya got and wish for more. There are no JT65 power
police on 6.

95% of activity on 6 uses good old CW and SSB. Only CW below 50.100 and be
mindful of the 50.100-50.124 DX window and the 50.125 weak signal calling
frequency.  Digital meteor scatter takes place using various JT modes +/-
from the calling frequency on 50.260. There is a lot of activity, mostly
based on the PingJockey chat page.

Quite a few people run digital skeds during the June contest, myself
included. These are usually FSK441 or JTMS skeds, coordinated on
PingJockey. I would be happy to work you from your ridge-top on any mode
that gets you in the log.

You will find 6 to be a 'on and off' band, relying on "odd" (odd to HF ops)
propagation modes like troposcatter, ionoscatter and sporadic-E. When it's
"open" it can be a madhouse, when it's not, there are all sorts of scatter
modes available for QSOs out beyond 1000 miles, every day. All it takes is
the effort to try.

Good luck and see you in the June contest.

Jay W9RM
DM58 CO

Keith J Morehouse
via MotoG
On May 5, 2016 7:42 AM, "Dwight Jones" <123dwight@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello,
> I have set up a modest station for 6 meters. I live in a rural area where
> there are no other VHFers. (Grid CN71; Del Norte County, California)
>
> I have a strong preference for digital modes. I know the recommended
> frequencies for various modes, but suspect that some modes have more
> activity than others when the band is open.
> 1) Could someone recommend modes that will be most likely to have activity?
> 2) I'm most familiar with JT65 because I use it on HF. Is this a good
> choice? What is an appropriate power output on 6 meter JT65?
> 3) Can someone point me to a book or website that explains how to do
> FSK411?
> 4) Any other modes I should look into?
> 5) Does anyone do digital during the June contest? I intend to operate
> portable form the highest ridge in my grid. I might resort to SSB if there
> are no digital people to contact.
>
> Thanks,
> Dwight
> KO6FE
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