When I first started thinking about trying six meter E.M.E, I gots lots of advice from various people on what it took to make it. This article summarizes their input with a few additions based upon my own experience.
We will assume that you aren't one of the lucky few who have four antennas phased, with azimuth and elevation positioning. This article is really aimed at those who have a single beam and might want to try.
Here is one desciption of a minimal EME setup that is capable of making the grade:
Two wavelength boom with 7 or more elements (computer optimized).
Flat terrain in the direction of the moon - with good ground conductivity.
Low feedline loss (less than .5 db).
Quiet receiver (< 1 dB noise figure).
750 watts of output power.
This is pretty close to my station description used to both hear my own echo and to work Sweden. K0GU has heard echoes with the same basic configuration.
Other ways to describe the minimum requirements include:
18 db of antenna gain (or 36 db circuit gain).
40-50 kilo-Watts E.R.P.
With a minimal configuration, you need to pick your opportunities carefully. Do not try to hear you own echo during apogee. The moon is 10 percent furthur away at this point, and the attenuation is significanty increased. Apogee seems to happen close to the new moon, which is also when the sun noise is the worst.
The early evenings with a nearly full moon are a good time - or early mornings before sunrise. You might also want to take a look at the position of the moon with respect to other noise sources in the sky.
If you are serious about trying for a QSO, you should send a mail message to the sixeme list and ask for advice. You are sure to generate some interest by the "super stations" who can hear you even if you can't hear yourself. To subscribe to this list, send an e-mail message to sixeme-request@kkn.net with the word subscribe in the text. Send posts to sixeme@kkn.net.