Saturday, June 26, 2010  I recently bought a 6-meter FM mobile
transceiver that I often use at home with a simple dipole ...  Q
Phil Speer, KF4VSK, asks, “I recently bought a 6-meter FM mobile
transceiver that I often use at home with a simple dipole about
18 feet off the ground. When working simplex it seems that my
maximum range is only about 20 miles. Shouldn’t I be able to do
better than this on 6 meters?”  A Yes, you can do better, but
there are a number of factors at play. The principal factor is
terrain. If your home is surrounded by hills, mountains or other
obstacles, your simplex range on 6 meters will be limited. In
addition, you’re not using a gain antenna (such as a Yagi) that
would focus your power and provide greater range.  Despite all
this, you should be able to work hundreds or even thousands of
miles when the band is open. Spring and summer are among the
best times for sporadic E band openings. Since your radio is FM
only, I’d suggest that you leave it on 52.525 MHz, the national
6-meter FM