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Re: [TowerTalk] Balun Overheating?

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Balun Overheating?
From: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 00:24:13 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 4/20/2014 10:26 PM, Jim Lux wrote:
On 4/20/14, 6:34 PM, Tom Hellem wrote:
Fellow TTers:

I built a balun for my triband yagi consisting of 50 type 73 ferrite beads
slipped over a piece of RG 303
coax, enclosed inside of a piece of 1-1/2" pvc. Had one of the wires break
inside and I surmised it must have
been a result of wind-caused vibration, etc. So after I repaired the broken
connection, I squirted some of that
canned foam insulation (the kind that is sold for foaming around windows &
doors, etc.)into the pvc enclosure,
  encasing the entire piece of coax & ferrite beads in the stuff thereby
preventing any vibration , etc in the future.
Upon further thought I am wondering now did I invite the balun to overheat,
especially while running high power,
as any heat generated has no way to escape.
Does anyone have an opinion one way or 'tother?




It kind of depends on what the choking impedance is.

It's all about I^2*R, after all

Just stick 'em in place with a dab of epoxy every few inches.
It will prevent them from moving around, but let them breath. The stuff for plastic will keep the wires in place and set up in just a few minutes. You might have to work a bit fast with the 5 minute stuff. If so, they make a 15 minute version. As they "Prevent" current flow" I'd not expect a lot of heat.

73

Roger (K8RI)



if the impedance is very low (e.g. not a very good choke/balun), then there's not much dissipation. Lots of RF current flows, but most of it just goes right on through and isn't absorbed. That is, the R is small.

Likewise if the choking impedance is suitably high, ( a good choke/balun), not much current flows, so the absorbed/dissipated power is small.

The worst is when the impedance is just wrong.. low enough to let current through, high enough to dissipate power.




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