CQ-Contest
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [CQ-Contest] Coax Stubs for SO2R

To: Joe <nss@mwt.net>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Coax Stubs for SO2R
From: Rudy Bakalov via CQ-Contest <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Reply-to: Rudy Bakalov <r_bakalov@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2016 14:08:24 -0400
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Just wondering, why use stubs at first place? What's the advantage compared to 
LPF or BPFs?

Rudy N2WQ

Sent using a tiny keyboard.  Please excuse brevity, typos, or inappropriate 
autocorrect.


> On Jul 17, 2016, at 12:11 PM, Joe <nss@mwt.net> wrote:
> 
> What happens if you have a single stub, and it is placed right at the output 
> connector?
> 
> Joe WB9SBD
> Sig
> The Original Rolling Ball Clock
> Idle Tyme
> Idle-Tyme.com
> http://www.idle-tyme.com
>> On 10/5/2015 12:07 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>> On Mon,10/5/2015 7:20 AM, Jukka Klemola wrote:
>>> Jim,
>>> I thought placing double stubs on the TX line is not so critical.
>>> The two band stopping stubs are supposed to be about quarter wave apart; on 
>>> the harmonic band; and that should effectively remove the need for extended 
>>> optimization.
>>> 
>>> Also, in my experience, if you get approx 30 or 35dB attenuation using one 
>>> stub, you will get more than 45 dB attenuation over the whole band when 
>>> measured in a 50 ohm system.
>> 
>> Sure -- using my DG8SAQ VNWA, I measured peak attenuation of these double 
>> stubs of 55 dB for the 80M stub pair and 59 dB for the 40M pair. BUT  a 
>> monoband antenna is NOT a 50 ohm system at the harmonic frequency, and the 
>> transmitter is NOT a 50 ohm source at the harmonic frequency.
>> 
>> Most monoband antennas present a very high Z to the line at their 2nd 
>> harmonic, which establishes a very high SWR for the harmonic, so the Z 
>> varies over a wide range along the line. A stub works by placing a short on 
>> the line at the harmonic frequency, and is most effective if placed on the 
>> line where the Z is high. It is MUCH less effective when at a place in the 
>> line where the impedance is much less than 50 ohms.
>> 
>> SO -- with double stubs separated by 90 degrees at the harmonic, the second 
>> stub will always be at a high Z spot on the line, but the first will depend 
>> on where it is along the line.
>> 
>> There is a second issue.  By their nature, the output stages of modern power 
>> amps, both tubes and solid state, produce 2nd harmonic that is only about 6 
>> dB below the fundamental, and must be filtered by the amplifier's output 
>> network. Most of these networks are designed for 50 ohms, and that is how 
>> they are tested.  If the last element of that network is a capacitor, it 
>> will be most effective if it sees 50 ohms or more as a load AT THE HARMONIC, 
>> and least effective if it sees a short. Likewise, if the last element of the 
>> filter is an inductor (Pi-L), it will be most effective if it sees Z of 50 
>> ohms or less.
>> 
>> I rigged two power amps, a Ten Tec Titan and an Elecraft KPA500 with a 
>> voltage tap at their output terminal into a dummy load and into a double 
>> stub network in line with my 40M dipole. With the stub feeding either the 
>> antenna or the dummy load,  the second harmonic at the output of both power 
>> amps varied by +/- 10 dB as I added short sections of coax to vary the 
>> length of the line between the amp and the stub over more than 180 degrees 
>> at the harmonic frequency.
>> 
>> SO -- if we put the stub in the "right" place for the power amp, we get full 
>> performance of it's harmonic suppression network plus the suppression of our 
>> stub(s), but if we put it in the "wrong" place we can lose as much as 20 dB 
>> less of the 2nd harmonic suppression of the output network.
>> 
>>> At least my measurements show these results:
>>> -placement not critical for double stub
>> 
>> As you can see from above, that's only true if the antenna is near 50 ohms 
>> at the harmonic.
>> 
>>> -attenuation almost doubles in dB compared to one stub
>> 
>> Yes.
>> 
>>> 
>>> --> I have been building only double stubs nowadays.
>> 
>> Me too.
>> 
>> Another point. When you have done this amount of suppression, you will 
>> likely begin to find other sources of 2nd harmonic, as W3LPL recently 
>> observed (perhaps on another reflector), AND you may also find leakage paths 
>> in your antenna switching system.  I recently replaced a vintage Six Pack 
>> with a 6x2 sold by 4O3A. I measured crosstalk in the 4O3A unit before 
>> installing it and the Six Pack after removing it and found the 4O3A unit had 
>> more than 20dB better isolation on 20M.
>> 
>> In hopes of picking up another 6-10 dB of isolation, I am also planning to 
>> replace some of the random vintage patch cables in my station with newly 
>> made jumpers using high quality RG213 and Amphenol 83-1SP connectors.
>> 
>> 73, Jim K9YC
>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> Jukka OH6LI
>>> 
>>> 2015-10-05 9:57 GMT+03:00 Jim Brown <k9yc@audiosystemsgroup.com 
>>> <mailto:k9yc@audiosystemsgroup.com>>:
>>> 
>>>    On Sun,10/4/2015 2:59 PM, Jeff AC0C wrote:
>>> 
>>>        That's a great way to start.  Especially as the solar cycle
>>>        fades and 10/15 are not open.  Then in the day, you run 40/20,
>>>        and in the night you run 80/40.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>    Yes, but there's a LOT more to it if you want to maximize the
>>>    effectiveness of the stubs. It can matter a LOT (20-30 dB) where
>>>    along the line stubs are placed, both with respect to the antenna
>>>    and to the power amp.
>>>    See my piece in NCJ one issue back, or download it from my website.
>>> 
>>>    For our CQP expedition, I made up double stub packs for the 40M
>>>    and 80M CW stations only. Each pack was two stubs cut to kill the
>>>    second harmonic, with a quarter wave (at the harmonic) connecting
>>>    them. I didn't have time to optimize their placement, but using
>>>    two stubs insures that you'll get at least 25-30 dB, and with
>>>    optimized placement, another 25-30 dB.
>>> 
>>>    Stubs are less important on SSB because the likely operating
>>>    frequencies are not directly harmonically related, whereas the
>>>    harmonic of 3525 hits 7050, and 7025 hits 14050.
>>> 
>>>    73, Jim K9YC
>>> 
>>> 
>>>    _______________________________________________
>>>    CQ-Contest mailing list
>>>    CQ-Contest@contesting.com <mailto:CQ-Contest@contesting.com>
>>>    http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> CQ-Contest mailing list
>> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> 
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest

_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest

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