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[AMPS] Re: swr

To: <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [AMPS] Re: swr
From: jono@enteract.com (Jon Ogden)
Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 21:56:13 -0500
Jon Ogden wrote:

>>>?  To find out if this is really true, why not try it?  All that's needed 
>>>is a 50 +/- j0 ohm termination and a halfwave of 75 ohm coax (c.10.5 ' 
>>>for 10m).  Measure the SWR at the half-wave and the quarter-wave points.  
>>
>>Rich, glad you said it so I didn't have to.
>
>This is correct.  Once you change the characteristic impedance of the 
>transmission line, you are no longer operating in a 50 Ohm system.   
>
>See the problem here is that you have this set up:
>
>A 50 Ohm load, a 75 Ohm transmission line of a half wavelength, and an 
>SWR meter based on a 50 Ohm system.
>
>The 75 Ohm line now acts as an impedance transformer.

Let me explain further what I was trying to say:

One can use a length of transmission line that is some value other than 
your characteristic impedance (in this case 50 Ohms) and use that to 
transform the impedance of a non-50 Ohm load to 50 Ohms.  

For example, in stacking 50 Ohm Yagis, the combined impedance of the 
Yagis is not 50 Ohms but 25 Ohms.  You can then use a 1/4 wave piece of 
35 Ohm cable to transform the 25 Ohm impedance at the antenna to a 50 Ohm 
impedance at the exciter.  In the case of two yagis being parallel fed, 
you'd then want to use a 75 Ohm (75/2 ~ 35) 1/4 piece of transmission 
line to each yagi and combine them at the other end.  Now you have a 50 
Ohm system.

My original point was that impedance transformation always occurs with a 
change in line length.  However, you will never get a 50 Ohm match into 
some antenna impedance Za using just 50 Ohm line no matter how long.  You 
need to use some other impedance and create a 1/2 wave or 1/4 wave 
transformer.  Once you change line impedances, you are no longer moving 
on a constant VSWR circle on the Smith Chart.

The problem with this method for matching antennas, though is that it is 
inherently narrow band.

73,

Jon
KE9NA


-------------------------------------
Jon Ogden
KE9NA

http://www.qsl.net/ke9na    <--- CHECK IT OUT!  It's been updated!!!!!


"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."


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