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Re: Topband: 160 meter elevated vertical

To: <Cqtestk4xs@aol.com>, <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: 160 meter elevated vertical
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Reply-to: Tom W8JI <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:38:44 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
I'll be putting up a T-top elevated vertical for 160 in the next couple of
days. The baser will be around 60 ft above ground and the Tee (about 40
feet long will be at about 170-180 ft...depending on the caternary sag. There
will be  4 radials at 90 degrees to each other.

Question: Any type of balun necessary with this? Or is it good to go. I'm
using RG58 to feed it to keep the weight low on the caternary to avoid say
but  could wind something on a four inch PVC.

The goal of ANY common-mode choke is simply to make the path to ground along the outside of a cable look like a poor path compared to a ground or counterpoise at each end. The common mode impedance, exciting source, and location of the choke dictate what is required.

All verticals with sparse ground systems need common mode isolation, unless something causes the feeder to look like a very high impedance compared to the path out to the radial to earth voltage. Your antenna base is around 1/8th wave high, and I assume suspended in the clear vertically.

If you simply ground the coax shield to a reasonable earth ground at the earth surface, you will already have a pretty good CM choke for your system. The feeder itself will act like a choke. If you wanted to add anything, a little inductance anywhere along that cable shield (by coiling the cable) would make things better.

73 Tom
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