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The 1:1 isolation choke do-over.
18 January 2023 | by
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| New 1:1 choke with RG316 coax |
I have the Hustler 4BTV vertical antenna and have a 1:1 choke at the base of the antenna made by Balun designs. Some time ago I made a second choke that was placed at the radio end and posted the build here on the blog. I had a few comments regarding the coax that I used (RG8X) and that there could be an issue with the bending radius of the coax around the core. I was informed that over time the centre conductor could migrate toward the braid.
I also did some internet searching and found that the bending radius could pose an issue and I know the "issue" if and when it happened would do so at the most inopportune time. I decided to make another 1:1 choke from a thinner coax. I did have some RG316 coax from a mobile antenna mount I was not using and it would be ideal for the tight turning radius.On one end of the coax, there was a mini-UHF to PL-259 adapter which meant I only had to add one PL-259 connector. I will be using again an FT240-31 core with 10 turns. I decided on 10 turns as this will afford me decent characteristics on the HF bands. Using the RG316 coax the bending radius is no longer an issue.
6 Responses to “The 1:1 isolation choke do-over.”
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Thank you for your input on the balun design. There was a two part article in Ham Radio Magazine written by George Badger, W6TC. It was published in February and March of 1980. It’s entitled “A New Class of Coaxial Line Transformers”. I am sure that it is available on one of the archive sites. It describes the design of coreless baluns and coaxial cable transformers using short lengths of cable.I have built several and tested them on all types of antennas and found them to be superb.
Good morning Larry, very interesting and I just gave it a fast google search but came up with nothing. I will have to later today do a more detailed search and see if I can come up with it.
Thanks for the info Larry,
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Suggest that if you haven’t already done so, check out K9YC’s extensive writings based on real-world measurements and practical building techniques on baluns/RF chokes:
http://audiosystemsgroup.com/publish.htm
Also good source of information:
towertalk reflector at contesting.com
GL 73, George VE3YV
Good afternoon George and thanks for the comment. I have been to this site in the past and there is a ton of information there. I am going to have to give it a revisit again and do some more reading.
Thanks for the link and have a great weekend.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
You might also look at the extensive work done by Owen Duffy VK2OMD for design, theory and measurement technique.
Good morning Ian, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I Googled VK2OMD and found his website and have bookmarked it. Lots of good information there and I will spend some time looking at the site and links.
Thanks and have a good weekend.
73,
Mike
VE9KK