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[TenTec] ladder line

To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: [TenTec] ladder line
From: "Rob Atkinson, K5UJ" <k5uj@hotmail.com>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 01:10:55 +0000
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
I am a ladder line convert.  I use 600 ohm open wire feed, not really ladder 
line technically, but the same scheme.

I was a coax only ham until about 2 years ago.  Parallel wire feed to me was 
too weird--i didn't believe it could really work.   what changed my mind was 
kirk klindschmidt's QST article, A Balanced Everyday Approach to All Band 
Bliss.  I believe this article affected many hams because since it has been 
published in 2002 i think, we have a bunch of balanced tuners appearing on 
the market.   he referenced other articles, like the Lure of the Ladder 
Line, and the Loop Skywire.  I read all of them and became convinced this 
was the way to go to get a wire up for 80 m. on my 50 x 100 foot lot.   I 
put up a cloud burning horizontal loop and fed it with balanced feed and 
balanced tuner.   the feed seemed magical.   i had a gap titan before on 75 
m. then went to an 88' center zepp with the ladder line for 75.  it was 10 
db better than the gap.  then i went to the loop.  it was 15 db better than 
the 88' center fed flattop.

the two great things about balanced ants and feed is A.  it is still pretty 
low loss below the ant.'s resonant freq., and B. the balanced feed (to my 
thinking) sort of brings the ant. feedpoint to you since it is part of a 
symmetrical system.  when you tune the matching network between ur || feed 
and coax, it is almost like you are tuning at the feedpoint, the feed is so 
low loss, high vel. factor, and it with the ant. make a dual component 
symmetrical bal. system.   this is why shortwave broadcasters use parallel 
wire feed to their curtains--it is the only way to use a single antenna and 
feed and be able to efficiently qsy to multiple bands to take advantage of 
varying propagation condx, and run QRO without a meltdown and high loss.  
sorry if this is hard to read--am in a hurry this weekend,

73

rob/k5uj

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