Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

[TowerTalk] Coax lengths for phasing a stack

To: TowerTalk@contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Coax lengths for phasing a stack
From: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2015 18:48:10 -0800
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I'm ruminating about what lengths I need for 5L over 5L stacks to equalize the antenna feedpoint phase. The literature seems thin and the common answer is "make the feed-lines the same length", which I am certain will work.

However, when the stack separations are sufficient, there may be more than 1 wavelength of coax needed to equalize the lengths. e.g. 60' separation on 20m at 0.89 vf (LDF5) is just about 1 wl. It seems to me there is little downside with ham radio modulation systems to phase at 0 (equal lengths) or +/- n * 360 degrees (where n is 1 or 2). Perhaps some cw waveshaped attack/decay envelopes will change a tiny bit, but that seems like a slight downside.

So it may work out that no extra phasing line is needed for certain separations. I am planning that all misc lengths of coax's and types are the same for both antennas (rotator loops, boom and choke lengths).

Then there is the slightly counter-intuitive result that making the longer (higher antenna) feedline a bit longer minimizes the coax used in the phasing at some separations. And one more trick would be to reverse the outputs of one side of the TLT matching transformer for BIP to eliminate 1/2 wl of phasing line. It wouldn't matter for Top or Bottom only use.

So, is this analysis correct?  Any other options for using less coax?

Grant KZ1W
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>