Ladder line does not "radiate" if the current is well balanced. If your
balun is good and your antenna is in "free space", that should be the case,
but nothing is perfect. Regardless, you would not want to handle ladder
line when it is carrying power. The electric fields can be very high,
especially when you have high VSWR and you are at the point of a voltage
maximum. Dogs and squirrels chewing on the line would get quite a surprise.
Unless you need to have a particular length of line (e.g., if you are using
it as a matching section to make it easier to load your rig), there is no
reason not to cut the line to any length you want. The Cobra's system may
be harder to match if you cut the line -- you'd need to ask them.
It is important to route the line well away from any metallic objects
(gutters, towers, etc.) or you will get unwanted coupling or imbalance. A
separation of 5 times the ladder spacing is a good minimum.
73 Martin AA6E
On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 1:14 AM, chas <chasm@texas.net> wrote:
> I am using a Cobra Senior with 100' 450 ohm ladderline run into a 1:9
> balun then into a tower antenna switch then into the shack. Running a
> kilowatt into the antenna.
>
> Routing the ladderline is a pain!!
>
> People local in the state tell me that
> 1. Ladder line does not radiate...
> 2. Ladder line does not receive...
>
> apparently all it does is provide a factor to the antenna to get the
> SWR down to a manageable amount.
>
>
> is all this a bunch of hooey??
>
> It would help me a LOT if I could either coil up about 50 feet of the
> ladderline or just cut it off. I know one operator who just tosses it
> out on the ground and has a superb signal from the Texas Hill country,
> West of San Antonio into Houston. I would try it but I still think it
> radiates and might burn my dog.
>
>
> WHERE are the facts about ladderline??
>
> thanks
> chas, k5dam
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