Working 2 & 6 meter ssb question ?

[Bearcat]

can you work the ssb mode with a vertical antenna? Or does it have to be horizontal beams?

 

[Tallman]

Yes, and from mobile too! SSB is not commonly used on two meters. 6 meters, I have never heard anybody on any mode. It seems like a forgotten band, or nobody uses it around here.

 

[fourstringburn]

Either one. Beams are great but nothing wrong with having omni-directional polarization with a vertical.

 

[w9cll]

It will work but remember that there is very little activity on SSB with those bands unless there is a contest or a good band opening.

 

[Road Squawker]

,there is an active group on 144.190 USB in the Tn, Ga, Ms, Al area

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Also remember that the standard polarization on SSB is horizontal so if you use vertical you are at a roughly 20-25dB disadvantage in signal which is HUGE. I once worked two guys that were only a couple houses apart and had identical power levels (50 watts) and the same antenna however one was vertical and the other was horizontal as I was. The horizontal station was S-9 on 2m SSB while I could not even hear the other station on the vertical. If I was vertical the results would be the same only reversed.

 

[Bearcat]

Yes, and from mobile too! SSB is not commonly used on two meters. 6 meters, I have never heard anybody on any mode. It seems like a forgotten band, or nobody uses it around here.

Hmm maybe ssb for 2&6 is dead? I just read an article that most ssb 2&6mtr was horizontal...but I bet it could work either way..I also read about a few Ops running Horizontal beams strictly FM and no ssb? Strange

 

[6meter]

6 meters, I have never heard anybody on any mode. It seems like a forgotten band, or nobody uses it around here.

What is your 6 meter antenna?
Over the last 5 years, I 've made thousands of 6 meter QSO's around the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Those were with either a 3 element or 5 element horizontal yagi at 25 feet.

Listen on 50.125 the SSB call frequency. (I've made zero 6 meter FM contacts - as in I've never even tried).

If you monitor 6 meters during daylight hours from late April to early July on many days there will be a ton of activity via Sporadic E.
Plus with an yagi as described above I can routinely talk locally out to about 100 miles.

A simple horizontal dipole or even a vertical can work just not as well as a horizontal yagi. An M2 or Cuschcraft 3 element is small and light enough that you can easily put it up and turn it with a small TV rotor.

The June VHF contest can be almost unlimited contacts - that is unless conditions happen to take a dump.

 

[Bearcat]

What is your 6 meter antenna?
Over the last 5 years, I 've made thousands of 6 meter QSO's around the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Those were with either a 3 element or 5 element horizontal yagi at 25 feet.

Listen on 50.125 the SSB call frequency. (I've made zero 6 meter FM contacts - as in I've never even tried).

If you monitor 6 meters during daylight hours from late April to early July on many days there will be a ton of activity via Sporadic E.
Plus with an yagi as described above I can routinely talk locally out to about 100 miles.

A simple horizontal dipole or even a vertical can work just not as well as a horizontal yagi. An M2 or Cuschcraft 3 element is small and light enough that you can easily put it up and turn it with a small TV rotor.

The June VHF contest can be almost unlimited contacts - that is unless conditions happen to take a dump.

Sounds like fun!

 

[Tallman]

Sounds like fun!

Get your license and join in. I have talked to Alaska and almost every state in the Union and a lot of Europe and some of Africa with 100 watts of less.

 

[Bearcat]

Get your license and join in. I have talked to Alaska and almost every state in the Union and a lot of Europe and some of Africa with 100 watts of less.

I have my tech

 

[Bearcat]

Is this ssb?

 

[Tallman]

Is this ssb?

YEP!

 

[Road Squawker]

... I just read an article that most ssb 2&6mtr was horizontal...but I bet it could work either way.

most FM is vertical, I think this is because the same antennas are used for 2 meter repeaters.

SSB is definitely horiz, this is to reduce the man made vertical polarized noise during weak signal operations.

 

[Tallman]

I just bought the SIRIO 50-3 antenna and I'm putting up my SIRIO 2 meter yagi at the same time on one rotor. My neighbor lady is going to have a fit. I'm going to ask her if she knows what kind of fertilizer to use for my new antenna farm. The 6 meter is going horizontal and the 2 meter / 70 cm is going vertical.