I never been much into 6m until now; I have been told that one needs at least 3-el beam to make a QSO by means of E-skip propagation. I don't have a place to put a beam; I live in a condo unit and rules regarding antennas are very strict. My HF antennas are hidden in the attic or strung along the roof so they are invisible. But, somehow my MFJ-2286 17-ft wip sways between the trees which surround my patio, 24/7, unnoticed. Until recently, I used it for HF. Couple of weeks ago I tuned to 6 testing my Flex 6300 and noticed a bunch of FT8 signals at 50.313 MHz; since then I'm hooked into sporading E.

Now a few words on the necessity of a beam. Well, of course if one wants to challenge the limits of VHF propagation, be successful in VHF contests, shoot for the Moon and alike then yes, the beam is due. But as my experience in HF shows the beam is often present on the other side! And because beam antenna is so popular and easy to install for VHF, most of my VHF QSOs is between my antenna -- in this case, a vertical, and a multi-element beam on the other side!

As a proof, here is a map of my recent contacts on 6m:

...and here is how I was heard yesterday, during the CQ WW VHF Contest in which I participated and made some 28 QSOs:

So, if all you have is a simple vertical antenna, do not hesitate and try VHF during sporadic E season: it might surprise you!

73!

I signed these petitions to help our brothers across the pond keep 2 meters in their toolbox:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-2-meter-amateur-radio-band-144-146mhz-from-becoming-a-aeronautical-band
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/2-metre-amateur-band-must-be-kept

If you decide to sign, be aware that the 2nd accepts UK postal codes only, so be creative and use one!

In little over a year since I've my call changed to K4MJA, I am on my 1000+ QSO. These are a mix of digital (FT8) and SSB QSOs. My Morse code studies are not going well, mostly because of me been lazy and my memory not as good as its use to be...oh well.

Anyway, hope to catch you on the air and until then,

73!

This post marks 3rd year of my ham activities. I got first licensed in 2012, but went on the air 5 years later, in 2017, when I got my General ticket. After years of involvement I decided that:

• remote connection to the shack I have configured is inadequate and also
• that I want permanent HF mobile setup with separate transceiver/tuner/antenna/batteries etc

From the beginning, my only transceiver had been Icom IC-7300 and it is still going strong, accompanied by Elecraft KPA500 linear amp and Kessler AT-Auto antenna tuner. I like the transceiver very much and want to use it mobile/portable (and did it on a few occasions, see here and here). So, for a while

I pondered acquiring another Icom 7300, but the idea somehow sounded silly and I ended up with used Flex 6300 box, which went through FRS' "pre-hated" re-sale system.

I installed the radio in parallel with Icom setup (same antennas though). I liked SmartSDR interface, it went naturally with my operating style. Part of it might be the fact that I am an old IT guy and all things computer are my daily bread.

At first, I used small LDG IT-100 antenna tuner with the Flex, but this tuner is Icom-specific and while it can be used in the shack with non-icom transceiver -- all you need is a power cable -- remotely, it is not accessible without Icom host radio. So, I decided to add yet another tuner which would

• handle at least 500W output of my Elecraft KPA500 and
• will be accessible remotely from the PC;

Elecraft KAT500 was the answer. I also added Elecraft W2 wattmeter for the same reason: it can be accessed remotely with an app. I acquired both as kits and last weekend I assembled the KAT500 and the W2 -- both went together with no problems, thanks to the great documentation/packaging by Elecraft. Another addition is Bulgarian-made antenna switch with web interface (MS-S7-WEB), tested and in use, replacing Ameritron RCS-8V switch (which by the way is in the process to be rebuild for remote access, too).

My remote shack is now complete. It is joy to use locally, and it works remotely in team viewer session like a charm. Icom 7300 is now serves as a voice operating position only and I will be using it often for all out-of-shack activities.

So here are my recent projects,
73 and have fun with yours!