[VHFcontesting] Need ideas for quick and dirty 6m antennas with gain

[Ellen Rugowski]

Hi Everybody,

I finally have a few seconds (after realizing that a stupid mistake I made an Wedneesday, may have permanenttly trashed the KLM Echo 70, I've been having problems with) to consider quick and dirty gain wire antennas for 6m I can set up on the balcony of my apartment (I'll operate portable from there rather than running back and forth to the balcony to rotate the 2m/432 log periodic), with the limited materials I have on hand. I originally wanted to try something a little less run of the mill - a Bruce array. It's easy to set up, and has gain. But I checked the file I have on them, and they're a broadside array, that basically work vertically polarized. Blast! That's fine and dandy when E-skip is happening, but when 6 gets dead, it's hard enough to work other stations via troposcatter (much more so than on 2 or 432 in my experience), without having to deal with 20-30 dB of cross polarization losses. So far, it's looking like Extended Double Zepp time, in spite of the fact that those work best with balanced feedlines (and no, I don't have a balun).  This looks like a compromise antenna to me.  It has gain over a doploe of full wave loop, but I'd like to try something better. Does anybody have any ideas?

73,
Ellen - AF9J
Grid EN52xx