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Re: Topband: How to determine impedance

To: "Richard (Rick) Karlquist" <richard@karlquist.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: How to determine impedance
From: Martin <dm4im@t-online.de>
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2018 12:27:47 +0100
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>


Am 26.01.2018 um 02:42 schrieb Richard (Rick) Karlquist:

You don't need to divide by length.
You are darn right. I just verified it.

I found Zo=sqrt(L/C) on a forum and thought this can't be right because coax like rg58 has C about 100 pF PER METER. So i modified the formula, verified it and got feasible results. My fault. At least it does no harm.

With SI units, there is no coefficient of "1000".
You are right IF you insert L in Henry (not uH) and C in Farad (not uF) in the formula. I should have highlighted this in my post.

This is fine for coax.

Not so good for balanced line.  It is actually quite difficult
to measure the correct capacitance and inductance of balanced
line, because you would need a balanced capacitance meter and
a balanced inductance meter.  Also, the values to measure
might be difficult ones to do accurately.

A better method is to connect the line to a network analyzer
via a balun and terminate it with a small pot, set to the
estimated Zo.  Adjust the pot until the display on the s11 Smith
chart collapses to a dot.  Then read out the pot resistance
with an ohmmeter = Zo.

This technique has around for decades.

Rick N6RK

Thanks for this. I actually failed when i tried to measure L and C of a 220m long beverage. The result was way off of what you'd expect. But then we have a AM station only 10km NW with the beverage pointing exactly on it. This or the balance problem you describe above may have caused the AADE L/C meter to display weird results. Fortunately the local club owns a network analyzer. Will re-do it all . Now wind that balun....

Aside of all this, i'm far from being an expert. My life outside of ham radio was repairing cars, running a bakery, catering and recently being a homemaker -minus giving birth ;-)
No mathematics, no electronics, no RF.

--

Ohne CW ist es nur CB..

73, Martin DM4iM
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