I'm interested in exploring 6m, what are good units to start with? Everything I have is 2m/70cm aside from my little 1/2W 80m CW rig.

Not sure what kind of 6m action you're looking for, but I have a Yaesu FT8900 and have made some cool 6m FM contacts on it over the years. Its a good radio.
But if you're talking EME and that kind of stuff, I would not know.
Good luck, have fun  
73  

About the easiest way now days is to get an HF-6M radio. Stand alone 6M radios are rare and probably pretty old by now.
It can be a fun band, with an 'all mode' radio there is lots to do and learn.
73,
Rob

Really important to know what aspect of 6m you want to explore.

If you want to explore SSB/CW/FT8, just get a reasonable HF+6 radio like an Icom 7300. I don't know if any current-ish radio is known for being particularly good on 6m.

If you want to do FM it kinda depends on exactly what you want to do. Most people on FM seem like they are using retuned LMR low band radios.

If you'd like a 6M repeater, I know a guy.

A 6m FM only transceiver would just gather dust here. There are no 6m FM repeaters active near me these days. I love 6m when there is an opening, which doesn't happen often enough. Most activity can be found on USB digital data mode. Luckily almost any modern HF rig has all mode 6m capability for those rare openings.

I would just get a 7300 and call it good. I love mine and I know others will say the same.

You can be the change.

Not worth the time, effort or mostly money to me. I mainly chase DX & check in on a few HF nets. I spend 99.9% of my radio time on HF. Not much interested in local VHF FM.

I've had 3 6m rigs since getting in.

2 Wouxun 2m/6m handies and the IC-7100 that I've never even tried 6m on.....

I bought the Wouxuns for my son and I to try with Simplex....was forced to sell before he got his ticket.

What am I missing? (no local 6m repeaters I am aware of)

six meters is the .41magnum of radio

it’s neat, but obscure, guys that use it, love it

six meter FM is the .41 action express of ham radio

i know it exists,.....but have never encountered it

.

but a 100watt HF rig, that way, when you see how dead six is, you can still play HF

Six can be a pretty neat "DX" experience, for those so inclined to deal with the fickle magic of the "magic band".

It is not like HF so disabuse yourself of any idea of that.

It's like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're going to get when you turn on the radio and take a nibble. For the most part it's a lot of nothing. Until the magic happens and you're talking across CONUS, or even across the atlantic. For a while, then poof it's gone.

Like a lot of things in amateur radio it's not everyone's cup of tea.

The best time to dabble is on VHF contests when there is a lot of activity. (ETA: Or Field Day, which is near the peak of the E season) For best results you want a horizontally polarized antenna, a simple dipole will do. It needs to be an antenna for 6 and not some HF antenna pressed into service, the antenna nonsense that squeaks by on HF doesn't fly on VHF.

The above is more applicable to SSB/CW/FT8 modes, like HF operation, what in the VHF+ world are referred to as "weak signal" modes.

There is also FM operation, simplex and repeaters, although as many have noted repeaters are pretty scarce. Putting together a 6m repeater is a challenging endeavor. Simplex operation is of course available and has its similarities to other VHF/UHF bands as well as its own unique characteristics. Sporadic E and other propagation enhancements can be strong enough to support FM leading to long-distance contacts which can be pretty neat. But again, this is not something that happens consistently or predictably other than the general seasonal variations.

WTF happened to your avatar pic ?!?

you get some extra strength Excedrin and new glasses ?

j/k

I can get you a repeater for free.

Your ideas are interesting and I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Is a 6m fm repeater typically horizontally or vertically polarized? I would have guessed vertical but I don't know. I always have the same question on 10m, are guys using dipoles or modified cb whips?

I need a better 10m antenna and I'd like to be able to work 6 as well, both with either verticals or adding fan elements to my hf antenna. My OCFD has a terrible radiation pattern on those bands, there are specific neighborhoods I can't hear very well across town. It's annoying when we have a 10m usb net.

@Nmbmxer
Generally, if it's FM, it is vertically polarized, if it's SSB horizontally polarized. If there is skip involved it doesn't matter as the wave gets all twisted around, for local communication you want the same polarization as everyone else.
73,
Rob

FM or SSB? Or both? What do you want to do?

Get a Icom IC-7300.  It will get you 6m plus a few other thigs as a bonus. ;)

I started hunting 6m grid squares and DX on FT8 this summer.   I am at 30 DXCC entities and over 250 grid squares and 47 states.

8nBAIT

Attached File


Not my picture, but this is the Six meter rig I have.  I would not recommend you start here.  

Used to be a lot of work to do that. FT8 is like a cheat code.