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Re: Topband: Balun question

To: <Gary@ka1j.com>, <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Balun question
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Reply-to: Tom W8JI <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 20:41:20 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Though this reflector is for 160M I have an 80M question that might
be best asked here. My father W1BML is on an 80 meter net nightly.
His antenna in an inv-V with 40 & 80 elements though he never uses 40
any more. I needed to fell a couple of trees to remove branches that
were touching his copperweld and the W2AU balun he had broke in two
during the process. (Don't ask, your imagination is probably correct)
:) And he would like it put back the way it was, with a balun. He's
96 so I try to keep him happy.

I'm thinking 10 or so rolls of coax around 1' in diameter ought to be
fine for a choke on 80. Any better suggestions?

Gary,

The W2AU balun he was happy with isn't a balun at all...it basically has NO common mode suppression.

The impedance of a few turns of coax is also next to nothing on 80 meters, but almost everyone is "happy" with them.

As a matter of fact, if the feedline from the antenna to the ground point of the coax is 30-45 feet long, it would need no balun at all for good common mode suppression.

This illustrates some of the ridiculous "overkill" we are all caught up in.

Since he was happy with his non-suppression balun, just use anything he thinks is a balun. He will be just as happy. A sting of beads of any impedance, a few turns of coax, a big coil of coax, if he didn't notice the W2AU balun causing a problem anything you put there will make him happy. :)

73 Tom

73 Tom
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