6M has always seemed like a band steeped in hype. Most of the stories of success are decades-old.
I can think of three local operators who have taken down their 6M antennae in disgust over the past year or so. There's just no weak-signal activity, or not enough to make having a dedicated antenna for the band worthwhile.
Our only 6M FM repeater has been down for over a year, and there's absolutely no community interest in getting it back on the air. It's hard enough to get people on 2M, 1.25M, and 70cm FM.
All those who promote 6M begin their praise with the words, "When the band's open...". Yeah, and when Hell is frozen over, the ice skating is great, too.
I think 6m is a band where a BIG antenna, high power and lots of patience are needed to be successful outside the Es season. I will leave my small antenna up,but it is a dead loss band for me with a QRP station as people desert it outside of the main Es season.
6M has always seemed like a band steeped in hype. Most of the stories of success are decades-old.
ReplyDeleteI can think of three local operators who have taken down their 6M antennae in disgust over the past year or so. There's just no weak-signal activity, or not enough to make having a dedicated antenna for the band worthwhile.
Our only 6M FM repeater has been down for over a year, and there's absolutely no community interest in getting it back on the air. It's hard enough to get people on 2M, 1.25M, and 70cm FM.
All those who promote 6M begin their praise with the words, "When the band's open...". Yeah, and when Hell is frozen over, the ice skating is great, too.
I think 6m is a band where a BIG antenna, high power and lots of patience are needed to be successful outside the Es season. I will leave my small antenna up,but it is a dead loss band for me with a QRP station as people desert it outside of the main Es season.
ReplyDelete