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Re: [TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun

To: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>, <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun
From: "F.R. Ashley" <gdadx2@clearwire.net>
Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 16:38:19 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Jim & others,

I agree, the BN-86 is junk.  I fried one too on my TH7

73 Buddy WB4M

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 4:17 PM
Subject: [TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun


> Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 11:15:30 -0400
> From: "KB1H" <kb1h@ct.metrocast.net>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] BN-86 Balun
>
> I believe the answer is simple. It has to be cheap (not expensive) for the
> ham market. A quality product can be made but those that would spend the
> extra cash are too few thus making the product even more expensive.
>
> ## The BN-86 was junk back in 1963... it was junk in the mid 70's.. and 
> it's
> junk today. Hy- gain has no right to even build it.  Pure fraud.
>
> ##  I incinerated 3 x bn-86's [ on 3 x different ants]  back in the mid
> 70's.   Any bozo can see what the design flaw is... once you open one
> up with a bandsaw.   9 x more BN-86's got blown up  around town here
> within 2 x yrs. 1976-1979.
>
>
>
> American thinking is the product has to do the job not necessarily with 
> the
> highest quality or best technology.  I run up against this everyday for 
> the
> last 30 years!
>
> ## so where is the cost savings ???   Joe ham replaces one BN-86
> after another after another ??    Why doesn't the ARRL lab just test it
> with a 2 kw cxr.. and 2:1 swr.... poof.. bye bye balun.  Then don`t accept
> any advertising on the  BN-86... until they fix the problem.
>
>  We measure power output at the ant.. AFTER feed line loss.   There is at 
> least
> 25+  blown up  BN-86 baluns here in town.  The Attorney general
> for what ever state these pieces of junk are made in... should be
> tossing  MFJ-Hi-gain-shue  in the slammer...for false advertising.  Heck, 
> they
> are not even 1:1  ratio on 10m.
>
> ##  I had Ken Hirchberg  at  Cal-AV labs  custom  build me  5 x new
> baluns several years ago.    They worked  so good, and are so reliable,
> I convinced Ken to perhaps  make it a standard product...EB-3.   Pumped
> full of silicone goop... done in a VAC chamber.  Special  7-16
> DIn connector's used.  Silver plated Teflon 10 ga wire.   I wanted 8 ga, 
> but the
> thought was the RG-393 teflon coax used is only 13 ga.  Everything is 
> silver
> soldered...and all teflon is 1st etched in a lab in Colo.     They are 17 
> inchs
> long.. and will function from 7-60 mhz.  I have the 80m version as well.. 
> which is
> 24 x inchs long.    The 160m version is  30 x inchs long.
>
> You can`t get water into em.. and you can`t blow them up.   The EB1 and 
> EB2
> baluns are excellent as well.   Array solutions has a lot of other good 
> baluns..
> like the W1JR  versions.. which use 393 coax as well as 7-16 dins, etc.
>
> If you want to buy half a doz BN-86`s.... go for it.   One good balun is a 
> lot
> cheaper than 20 x BN-86`s.  If you want to HB a balun... just slide 
> type-43
> large beads over your 213-U.   Having to  remove the yagi from the top of 
> a
> 100`tower.. just to change a BN-86 balun is plane nuts.  They should never 
> have to
> be rerplaced.  In some cases, cranes are used...and pro -installers used. 
> I`d send the
> Bill to martin himself.
>
> later... Jim  VE7RF
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dick - KB1H
>
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