While I've never dipped a toe into VHF beyond 2m or 70cm FM, the weak signal modes above HF have always intrigued me. A tweet this afternoon alerted me to a 6m opening, so I decided, just for giggles, to see if I could hear any FT8 signals. I've only got an end fed long wire (EFLW) antenna, a 117 foot long wire with a 9:1 unun (the MyAntennas EFLW-1K), which I love but had limited expectations for on 6m.
Well then, I just had to try transmitting. The antenna tuned up just fine, and on my first day ever on 6m, I managed to work 11 grids in 7 states -- using a 117 foot EFLW antenna.
That's why they call it the Magic Band. I'll be putting up a dedicated antenna soon.
