Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

[TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun
From: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:31:10 -0800
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 16:38:11 -0800
From: "Don " <w7wll@arrl.net>
To: "'Towertalk'" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Cordless Soldering Irons

An aside, I removed the BN-86 from my A3WS with which I was having SWR 
problems and took it apart. As all who are familiar with this piece of junk 
are aware, there are several large openings on the connector end. I found 
the enamel on the coil around the core corroded, and where the coil is (get 
this) SWAGED to the connector flange, the whole rivet was gone. The other 
issue I've had with these is attempting to tighten the shell and then get 
inside the overhanging plastic case surrounding the connector to seal it. 
Big fingers don't work here. I was also unable to save the poor spiders and 
other large insects which made their home inside as well!! Feel a little bad 
about this. I have decided to install a Balun Designs 1115t after careful 
review of user comments on available baluns. NO, I did not want to wind my 
own nor did I want a bunch of coax hanging up there, I'm old and lazy now 
after 60 years of hamming.

Sorry I brought this up on towertalk, but seemed appropriate since that is 
where it would be used.

I appreciate all the tips, suggestions and comments posted as well as links 
to brands that should be considered. Thanks folks.

Sorry I

Don W7WLL

##  I had 3 of those BN-86 baluns back in the 70s.  One on a 40m sloper, a 2nd 
one
on a 80m inverted vee, the 3rd one on a 204BA.   All 3 of em blew their brains 
out
with low swr and 2 kw out on ssb.   The magnet wire was burnt to a crisp.  At 
the time,
I also had a 40-10m trap vertical..which I had meted the traps inside on 40m.

##  Why does HY-GAIN  continue to sell junk like the BN-86 ??  Its on a par 
with the
W2AU.. big signal balun... more junk.  Cant the arrl call em out on this crap ? 
  It would take the
arrl all of a few minutes to measure the Z, uh, R, XL etc vs freq.   Then stuff 
2 kw rtty through it..
into a dummy load, and see what happens.  Then do it again..but with a 3:1  
swr.... like a 
16.6 ohm load....then again with a 150 ohm load.   Then when it fails the 
tests..on any band...report
the findings.     And also refuse advertising  from them...until they re-design 
it.   

##  while on a rant, how does a beta match /hairpin match.... work on a triband 
yagi..on 
3 bands?  It’s a monoband device.   How does a trap, made from 10 ga AL wire 
get so hot that it melts the
former its wound on ? 

##  A few simple tests on some of these products  would go a long way to 
actually help folks
who spend huge $$  on equipment.   A fellow in VE3 land had a xcvr with key 
clicks. He was
informed by industry canada... eq of FCC, to fix the click problem asap.   The 
dealer had to take it back,
and install the key click mod into his yaesu.  

## here it is..almost 2015... and they still cant build a xcvr properly.  Sure 
the k3 is a superb xcvr on cw.
Its IMD on ssb at rated power is laughable.   The FTDX-5000 along with a few 
others, should not have left the
design table. 

end of rant.

later....... Jim  VE7RF 

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • [TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun, Jim Thomson <=