> I was reading in an old QST magazine an article about using steel
> wool for a balun. A guy made one out of PVC pipe stuffed with
> real fine steel wool with a 29" piece of coax going through it.
> Seems awfully simple to me. Has anyone ever done that, and did
> it work? 73
> Tom W7WHY
I contacted the ARRL about that when it first appeared in the
Handbook! I was amazed to see it.
Steel wool baluns do not work. The ARRL has removed that balun
description from their books now, after testing and confirming.
The reason they do not work is the iron needs to be powdered in
insulated particles so small that eddy currents have no effect. A
solid steel slug, or even steel strands, will actually REDUCE the
inductance of any inductor a carrying HF signals.
73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com
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