6 Metres or 50MHz
6Metres Or as it is more commonly known as the "Magic Band" and can be a very interesting band indeed, I have worked many European countries and also an all time wanted (by me) country "Iceland" on that band all using up to 15Watts PEP on SSB from a 2 Metre FDK Multi 750X and a home built (by another now SK operator) 2 - 6 Metre transverter from my location in Central Southern UK. Maidenhead locator IO90LT. Using my Tri band vertical Co-linear type aerial (70Cms, 2M & 6M). I have recently acquired a 6 Metre 2 element beam which will be going up on the pole here sometime in Horizontal polarisation, we'll see what else we get with the also recently acquired Icom IC 706 Mk1 with up to 100Watts output, or the older Yaesu FT-726R with up to 10 Watts output.
Using 50MHz in general is somewhat different than 144MHz. First of all, it is at approximately one third the frequency of 2 metres. This means that the wavelength will be 3 times as long. Most importantly, this means that a short rubber duck will have less effect on 6 meters than a similarly-sized rubber duck would on 2 metres. This also means that, from inside a car or vehicle, 6 metres won't work as well as 2 metres. (which, if you have been on the receiving end of someone operating mobile with an in-car antenna, you know doesn't work very well, either!)
The upshot of this is that 6 metres isn't really a handie-talkie/rubber ducky sort of band. Where 6 metres really shines is its range. Once you have gone through the trouble of putting up or using a half-decent 6 metre antenna (a quarter-wave whip or a J-pole, for example) you'll notice that 6 metres can carry quite a bit farther than 2 meters can. There are several reasons for this.
The most obvious reason is that there is a decrease in what is called "apparent path loss" at the lower frequency of 6 metres, as compared with 2 metres. Another major reason for 6 metres carrying further is that it propagates differently. In many cases it can seem to get over high ground better (using various propagation modes such as knife-edge and diffraction) Finally, it is much less affected by absorption of foliage than 2 meters and, especially, 70cm. These improvements come at a price, however: 6 metre antennas are quite a bit larger than their 2 metre counterparts. 6 Metre operation is also more likely to cause TVI (Television Interference) than either 2 metres or 70 cm. 6 Metres is also more likely to be affected by powerline noise than 2 meters on receive.
Another factor that you may (or may not) consider to be a disadvantage is that 6 metres has frequent band openings. When 6 metres is open, it is much like 10 metres in that, using low power can allow you to work all over Europe (and further) and parts of the the UK (from within the UK). Openings on 6 metres however, are less frequent that those on 10 metres.
I'd like to learn a lot more about the Magic Band, anyone with any suggestions or input please contact me at: mick@g6asj.co.uk
Regards.
Mick
G6ASJ