[VHFcontesting] Yagi vs Moxon

[Marshall-K5QE]

Hello to everyone.....Having just returned from EL84, I can highly 
recommend that last choice.  We had a 6M5XHP and a 6M7JHV up on the 
boat....they were about 20ft apart.  The 6M7JHV was very noticeably 
quieter than the 5el.  We made most all of our contacts with the 7el.  I 
asked Matt at M2 if there could be any reason for this, but he did not 
have a definitive answer. Remember we were miles and miles away from any 
other human activity, so the noise we heard was 1)natural or 2)on the 
boat with us.  I think that it was natural.....

We used an M2 6M1K2 amp for the entire trip except for the EME 
contacts.....there we used a Lunar-Link LA-62 with a DEMI preamp. I 
think that many rovers and some fixed stations just don't appreciate 
what having some power will do for your logs.  KW amps are easy these 
days, so there is not much reason to be running around with 100W or 50W.

We used an M2 6M-1000 amp at DL88(unfortunately, only for a short time) 
and ran it off 4 large 13.6V batteries in series.  We got 700W 
output--hour after hour.  IF you worked up a circuit to charge those 
batteries when you were not transmitting, you could run 700-900W fairly 
easily.

73 Marshall K5QE


On 7/17/2013 9:29 PM, Dan Evans wrote:
> You have a good point Paul.
>
> Roving is often about compromises:-)  It usually comes down to your style of Roving.  Some guys like to do it on the run making many short range QSO's on the move.  For this, a loop or dipole may be enough.
>
> Others, like I used to do, only activate a few grids, but try to make as many QSO's as possible from each grid.  Often at long ranges, so some extra punch is a big help.
>
> Over the years I tried a lot of different 6m antennas.
>
> A simple dipole:  It works.  Don't expect much range direct, and you won't break any pileups during openings, but it works.
>
> Square copper loop:  Pretty much on par with the dipole.  Mine worked reasonably well, but was touchy about being close to other antennas.
>
> 3 elements yagis:   I used several different ones.  They work great and help add a lot of punch, but are a pain to handle.
>
> Moxons:   I've used a couple of home brew moxons, and now have the Par moxon.  The performance is nearly as good as the 3 element yagi.  Much better than a simple dipole.  And, the lighter weight and smaller foot print make it a lot easier to handle.
>
> But hey, if had the time and ability, I would take a 6M7 and a kilowatt...  :-)
>
> 73 & hope to hear everyone on in the CQ-VHF this weekend!
> Dan
>