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Amateur Radio / Re: 2M SSB - Is it worth the cost?
« on: June 02, 2021, 1552 UTC »
Hey All.
I guess I'll chime in. 2M SSB was a LOT of fun. But even "back in the day" it was never very active compared to FM. Maybe a net or two and a bit of other traffic in the evenings. On FM you had a long wait to get in on a number of frequencies
A decent 2M SSB station could work from here in Boston to NYC most every night, without enhanced conditions.
I have been off 2 M (FM and SSB) for a LONG time now. But even FM seems pretty dead. A few years back while in NYC (!!) on a Friday night I scanned FM and found near zero.
One of the biggest factors of course , is the antenna / height and to a lesser extent , the power level.
A 2m SSB signal needs to travel unimpeded in order to go into "development". Clearing local obstacles (immediate trees/ structures) is really desirable. Clearing the more distant terrain is good too. The closer and higher the hills, especially in the wrong direction, can cause a radio shadow.
So 2M SSB ,being essentially aimed 90 deg. toward the horizon requires decent clearance.6 M being a SKY wave (at WHATEVER take off angle) still requires some height, but may be less fussy if all things are "equalized" re 2M physics vs. 6 M physics.
In flat Florida, height really shouldn't be as big an issue as it was in the hilly Northeast. Just clearing the trees and local blockages ie large / close buildings may cut it.
My REAL concern is activity. Outside of Field day and the scheduled VHF contests I am not sure how much would be left. Even DURING those events, I may think activity may be kind of thin.But I have been off for so long I wouldn't want to say for sure.
FWIW, 900 Mhz amateur radio debacle here went from ZERO, to very active (with a number of VERY BIG mountaintop /skyscraper repeaters) to ZERO,dead, buried in 10 months or so (!).
Even the guys that built the repeaters bailed out.I LOVED using it ( I had some bullet proof Moto HT and mobile gear, a big commercial fractal panel antenna and lots of home brew antennas) when it was active, but it didn't last
. Kind of an exceptionally sped up version of the 2 M band story - up, big, down , "dead".
Is it "worth it" to put up a station that may give great sanctification and fun, but for only a few days a year ? Only you can answer that. I'd HATE to discourage anyone from using any band.
I am not longer able to put antennas on my large flat apt building roof. But a few years ago I DID have a small "farm" up there .I had nothing for 2 M SSB- to me it was not active enough to justify using the mast space ,I put up a "more" active 6 M band antenna instead .You may not have this problem
I didn't invest 6 M very heavily either. But 6 is a much better "value" , at least to me. I had a dipole and used barefoot power
of around 15 watts on peak. I had a blast, but only on 6 or 10 days a year when things were open strong enough for my tiny flea station to be able to work.Also I used to hear a LOT more (and also more often) than I could actually work.Just LISTENING on 6 was a GAS.
6 is skywave, while 2 is tropo/scatter etc. I got a FAR larger coverage area on 6 (ie Portugal,most of US), even if it was on a "10 day a year" small station." It seemed the better way to go, at least for me at that time. Your mileage may vary.
IF I COULD (which I CAN'T) I would build a "better" 6M station with a GOOD antenna and decent power. I still wouldn't go TOO nuts ( on something that may now work TWENTY days per year , rather than ten
). But I would definitely go a bit bigger that what I had before, IF I could do it again.
I LOVED studying the propagation on 2M and did a LOT of QRP on SSB and horizontal FM.
And now , the " Complaint Dept."- I am a rag chewer. A quick signal report on 20, 15, 12, 10 (or 6 or 2) is GREAT. AWESOME ,I just "worked" India (or wherever) . Now what ? I really didn't get to know the person and may never "work" him again.
DX on 6 (or 2) is a REAL TREAT and a really big , fun accomplishment. But when Dx is in, no one wants to talk very long , they want to move on and fill the log. And while I really "get it" as being a lot of fun for SOME folks (more power to 'em ! ), I didn't want to be just a "log filler", even on rare dx . Especially to areas that I had already worked once or twice before ,over any period of time.
That's why I loved 40 NVIS.With 7 watts on peak and a low dipole it was almost like making a dependable "phone call" EVERY day / 365 per year to the same folks at 100 to 200 miles.I REALLY got to know them, which for me was much more fun than just giving /getting a 5/9 report.
I never was into digital QSO modes.
I liked to put up beacons at my QTH.
K
I guess I'll chime in. 2M SSB was a LOT of fun. But even "back in the day" it was never very active compared to FM. Maybe a net or two and a bit of other traffic in the evenings. On FM you had a long wait to get in on a number of frequencies
A decent 2M SSB station could work from here in Boston to NYC most every night, without enhanced conditions.
I have been off 2 M (FM and SSB) for a LONG time now. But even FM seems pretty dead. A few years back while in NYC (!!) on a Friday night I scanned FM and found near zero.
One of the biggest factors of course , is the antenna / height and to a lesser extent , the power level.
A 2m SSB signal needs to travel unimpeded in order to go into "development". Clearing local obstacles (immediate trees/ structures) is really desirable. Clearing the more distant terrain is good too. The closer and higher the hills, especially in the wrong direction, can cause a radio shadow.
So 2M SSB ,being essentially aimed 90 deg. toward the horizon requires decent clearance.6 M being a SKY wave (at WHATEVER take off angle) still requires some height, but may be less fussy if all things are "equalized" re 2M physics vs. 6 M physics.
In flat Florida, height really shouldn't be as big an issue as it was in the hilly Northeast. Just clearing the trees and local blockages ie large / close buildings may cut it.
My REAL concern is activity. Outside of Field day and the scheduled VHF contests I am not sure how much would be left. Even DURING those events, I may think activity may be kind of thin.But I have been off for so long I wouldn't want to say for sure.
FWIW, 900 Mhz amateur radio debacle here went from ZERO, to very active (with a number of VERY BIG mountaintop /skyscraper repeaters) to ZERO,dead, buried in 10 months or so (!).
Even the guys that built the repeaters bailed out.I LOVED using it ( I had some bullet proof Moto HT and mobile gear, a big commercial fractal panel antenna and lots of home brew antennas) when it was active, but it didn't last
. Kind of an exceptionally sped up version of the 2 M band story - up, big, down , "dead".Is it "worth it" to put up a station that may give great sanctification and fun, but for only a few days a year ? Only you can answer that. I'd HATE to discourage anyone from using any band.
I am not longer able to put antennas on my large flat apt building roof. But a few years ago I DID have a small "farm" up there .I had nothing for 2 M SSB- to me it was not active enough to justify using the mast space ,I put up a "more" active 6 M band antenna instead .You may not have this problem
I didn't invest 6 M very heavily either. But 6 is a much better "value" , at least to me. I had a dipole and used barefoot power
of around 15 watts on peak. I had a blast, but only on 6 or 10 days a year when things were open strong enough for my tiny flea station to be able to work.Also I used to hear a LOT more (and also more often) than I could actually work.Just LISTENING on 6 was a GAS.
6 is skywave, while 2 is tropo/scatter etc. I got a FAR larger coverage area on 6 (ie Portugal,most of US), even if it was on a "10 day a year" small station." It seemed the better way to go, at least for me at that time. Your mileage may vary.
IF I COULD (which I CAN'T) I would build a "better" 6M station with a GOOD antenna and decent power. I still wouldn't go TOO nuts ( on something that may now work TWENTY days per year , rather than ten
). But I would definitely go a bit bigger that what I had before, IF I could do it again.I LOVED studying the propagation on 2M and did a LOT of QRP on SSB and horizontal FM.
And now , the " Complaint Dept."- I am a rag chewer. A quick signal report on 20, 15, 12, 10 (or 6 or 2) is GREAT. AWESOME ,I just "worked" India (or wherever) . Now what ? I really didn't get to know the person and may never "work" him again.
DX on 6 (or 2) is a REAL TREAT and a really big , fun accomplishment. But when Dx is in, no one wants to talk very long , they want to move on and fill the log. And while I really "get it" as being a lot of fun for SOME folks (more power to 'em ! ), I didn't want to be just a "log filler", even on rare dx . Especially to areas that I had already worked once or twice before ,over any period of time.
That's why I loved 40 NVIS.With 7 watts on peak and a low dipole it was almost like making a dependable "phone call" EVERY day / 365 per year to the same folks at 100 to 200 miles.I REALLY got to know them, which for me was much more fun than just giving /getting a 5/9 report.
I never was into digital QSO modes.
I liked to put up beacons at my QTH.
K
. Space was extremely tight. It's wound on a small sheet of vanished writing pad thin cardboard. Basically I "tried" to violate EVERY rule of good crystal set building (re L/C ratio, coil shape, coil form material , var cap insulation being bakelite, etc, etc). 
).
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